Beyond Happiness

She looked at the calendar and excitedly thought to herself, "How many months have passed since I last saw him?" Turning again to savour the beauty of the spring flowers colouring her garden, she made a quick calculation in her mind. "No... Maybe I'm calculating wrong... let me check..."

Aastha jumped off the windowsill, as if in a hurry, and moved straight towards a corner where her huge cupboard lay open. After ruffling through for about a minute, she pulled out a long pink envelope. As she opened the envelope, her fingers slightly trembled and a beautiful, hand-painted greeting card fell to the ground. For a second, she kept looking at the picture on the card. A golden-red sun sinking into the sea at the horizon, covering everything around it in a golden hue. The silhouette of a couple on the beach, their bodies interlocked in a passionate kiss as the evening breeze gently blew the girl's long hair... Three words shone in the sky over the setting sun, "I Miss You..."

Aastha let out a sigh, picked up the card and opened it. The words inside said,

"To my Sweetheart,

It’s yet gain one of those evenings that I wish you were here... Close to my heart...

I miss you so much, feels like I am drowning, and I can't seem to gulp down a strange lump in my throat. Sometimes I really curse myself for following your advice of leaving our city to get a good job, a better salary, a better life. Now I feel what life without you is to me. Nothing... A new city with an entirely different culture, no friends, colleagues who absolutely suck, and most of all no one to turn to when I feel this pang of loneliness inside me. These ten months here have shown me what you mean in my life.

Now, now... please don't start crying yourself... I have to give you the good news.

I shall be meeting you round the last week of next month. Our company is opening a new office there and my boss has chosen me to go there and train the new staff. The whole training process would take about one-and-a-half months. We'll be together, for a month and a half!! Wonderful, isn't it?

So get your shopping and threading and facial and hair spa done before I'm there, because once I am there, you won’t have time for anything or anyone else but me...!!

Love you loads!!

Your ‘Jaanu’..."

The card was dated 14th February, 2011.

Aastha remembered how longingly she kept looking forward for the month of March to end. But the last week came and went with no further letters or calls from him. She tried calling his number about a million times, only to find his number either switched off or out of reach. She spent the last three nights into April sleepless, fighting the many fears creeping up her mind and wondering what could have happened to him.

The first April morning walked in with a dreadful storm in hand. As Aastha got off her bed, Radhika, her best friend rushed into her room terribly shaky and muttering crazily to herself. Aastha continued to stare questioningly at her friend, her heart hammering and wondering if her worst fears have come true. As she held Aastha’s hand and made her sit on her bed again, Radhika said, “Aastha, what I am going to tell is going to be hard to bear." By this time, Aastha's eyes were soggy and tears brimming over her eyes, ready to hear the worst. "Aasthu please... Well, someone from Akshat's office just called his dad," Radhika paused to wipe her friend's tears, and continued "to ask if he’s home. You know about the train robbery they were talking about in the news a week back? It was probably the same train on which he was travelling. They said he set out from Delhi a week ago, but hasn’t reported at their office here. He hasn’t even been in contact with anyone. They can’t reach his cell phone and now they fear that… he's been taken hostage." She said the last four words as quickly as possible as if to lessen the impact of it.

But Aastha did not react. She just sat there looking at Radhika, her face completely blank of expressions. The only thing showing her pain was the continuous stream of tears washing off the kohl from under her eyes leaving a black line from her eyes to her jawline. Radhika knew what this could mean. She shook Aastha hard, “Get hold of yourself Aastha!” but the girl just sat there, mute and expressionless. It was as if she had been transported to some other place, just her body stayed there. Then, as Radhika pulled her into a tight hug, in fear of the worst, Aastha let a long painful wail, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.

Her pain however, was nothing compared to what Akshat had to endure after he had left Delhi. She realized this when she received a call about a fortnight later from an unknown number, to hear the nervous and shaky voice of Akshat on the other end. He told her how he saw the robbers standing at the so-called platform of the unknown, tiny village station where the train was stopped at the dead of the night. In an attempt to escape, he and a few co-passengers hid themselves in a creek outside the station for nearly an hour before he felt a huge burly hand pulling him out by the collar. He, along with fifteen other people, including four women and two kids, were taken hostage and dragged to the gang’s hideout at the other end of the forest. They learnt from the talks between two robbers that they were taken hostage for the liberation of their second-in-command, who had been arrested by the police three months back. They were subjected to all sorts of tortures for nearly twelve days before they were rescued, thanks to the vigilance of the forest officials, who sensed something fishy and sought the help of a special task force to fight the gang. Most of them were now behind the bars.

Akshat and four other people, however, were quite weak and injured and were immediately admitted to the nearest town hospital, and with around a week of special care under the doctors, were restored to proper health. The police forces were taking their alibis and once all this is over his parents would bring him back home. Three-four days more. Aastha knew she would pass these days in complete unrest but her joy knew no bounds. She immediately called Radhika and informed her about Akshat; her fiancé was finally returning.

Aastha got off her bed early this morning and quickly got ready, eagerly waiting for the moment when Akshat would call her up saying, “I’m back!” Radhika, who also woke up early and came to join Aastha on her trip to Akshat’s place, was downstairs in the kitchen helping Aastha’s mom prepare breakfast.

Aastha continued staring into her colourful garden and thought to herself, “Twelve months and five days… Unbelievable! Over a year since I bade him a teary-eyed goodbye at the Guwahati station.” Then she smiled to herself and said aloud, “No wonder even nature is celebrating my happiness…”

Just then the phone rang. She dashed across the room and received it before anyone else could. “Hello,” she said nervously. “Hey dear, I’m back!” drifted Akshat’s joyous voice from the other end. Tears again … But this time it was tears of joy that washed her kohl-lined eyes and ran down her blushing cheeks.