Gift of Love

They were music college students. They were in a relationship for eight years. Their love was like the music. There were melodies of sweet memories but there was also untold silence on many days as they fought and argued with each other very often. Perhaps, as in music, there was love expressed in silence too. It is mostly her mother who solved their fights. Yes, their relationship was known to both their families and they had been given consent for marriage once they settled in their life.

How much ever intense the fight maybe, he never failed to keep her happy on her birthday. And whatever the situation of his life maybe, he always found a way to be with her on her birthday. For every birthday, he gave a surprise gift to her which she would never have imagined. It was as if he thought for this all through the year and make that one day, her birthday, very special. The week of her birthday was as exciting as it was for all other romantics on the lead-up to the Valentine’s Day. She would beg to know what her birthday gift was but he would only say,
"You are a girl fond of surprises and as your lover it is my duty to make those surprises in your life last as long as possible!"

He was actually an adopted son and he did not know his real birthday. So his soul-mate’s birthday meant so much to him. She often said that he must have also been born on the same day as her as they were born for each other.

The first time that they celebrated her birthday together, he had taken her to Kashmir for a ten-day trip. She actually forgot her birthday in that excitement. He had arranged a cake-cutting for her in the middle of a snow-laden mountain.

While they were always happy in each other’s company, he being a straight forward and devil-may-care type of a guy, there were many instances of ego-clashes which resulted in long period of silence between the two. As it was currently.

It had been two weeks since they contacted each other after their last fight. Her birthday week arrived but he wasn't calling her still. She felt there must be something wrong with him. She went to his home. He behaved rudely and asked her not to come and see him again. The next day she went to his room when he was not there.
In the evening when he returned, he was shocked to see her sitting in his room and sobbing.
 

However, seeing her only seemed to heighten his anger and he shouted,
"What's this new drama, Moni? I have told you clearly not to come to see me again..."
He actually made a move to usher her out of the room, but she stood firm on her ground, his medical reports in her hands. She said,
"Krishna, don't hide anything from me. Please tell me the truth... I have searched on the internet. As mentioned in your reports, your liver is damaged and beyond repair. I now know why you have been avoiding me.’ She sobbed uncontrollably.

After being silent for a minute, he too sat down with her on the floor and then put his arms around her. With tears in his eyes, he told,
“I am sorry,”
“For what? For dying soon like this?” She started to wipe his tears.

"I am not going to go anywhere away from you from this moment on wards." She hugged him and asked him not to cry.

For the next three days, she remained with him. She researched about his disease to find a possibility of saving him but she couldn't find any. The day after tomorrow was her birthday and this time she wanted to gift him something remarkably special.

Suddenly, she remembered that day with him at the Jenny's club. There was a very old piano and he almost begged with them to play it once but those authorities refused it. Now she decided to buy it at whatever price it might take. Pawning her jewels, she was able to buy it for him and she kept this as a secret. Her birthday arrived and it was morning ten o’clock. She was expecting her piano from the parcel service. Meanwhile, she was waiting, a bit worried, for him to return from wherever he had gone without informing her or call up to inform about his whereabouts. He had left his phone in the room itself.

Calling bell rang. She rushed to the door. It was him. He had roses in his hand and he hugged her tightly, the instant she opened the doors.
He told, "I am going to tell you the happiest news ... Guess what?"
"A happy news... Will you tell me that you are not going to leave me soon?" She asked tearfully.
He jumped in excitement and told,
"The doctor told that my reports had been inter-changed with another and he mistakenly told me that I was suffering from liver cirrhosis. My reports are clean.”
 

She told, “God has saved me from hell at last!” and cried with happiness.
"What to say about this girl? You give a sad news, she cries... And she cries for happiness too..."
"Shut up! Loosu!!" she hugged him.
Then after the end of all the arguments, he told her, “Happy birthday my janu!!”

It was the happiest day of her life. She took him to the temple. She told him, "This is my best birthday, the best day of my whole life..."
 

Then her birthday gift for him arrived in the afternoon and he played all his music for her. They were very happy together. They told each other that they would never be egoistic with each other or fight with each other and remain apart as they both understood the preciousness of every second they were offered to live. He told she should be always strong and remain happy. They now realized that one must be gifted to be together with their loved ones as not everyone is blessed with that.

A week later when she woke up, she was shattered. He wasn't going to wake up forever. He had died in sleep.
Ranveer, the doctor, who tended to him, came to the funeral. He said,
“I called him ten days before and warned him to come for the operation. He said he was going to another clinic and they are treating him. Which clinic did you take him to?”

Astounded, she narrated the things he had told her on her birthday.
"The operation would have given him another six months.” The doctor expressed his surprise at why he had lied to all like this. Perhaps, she knew why he had lied to her. It was merely his last birthday gift to see her happiest on her birthday...