Dry Leaf - 2

When he had first seen her in her black n white photo, her electrifying smile had completely won him over. So too had her cupid-bow lips, her coral-black hair and her eyes of paradise-blue which glittered as clear as a mountain stream. Her memory would never leave him even though many others were becoming hazy. His stomach ached with pain and his left leg throbbed.

Tap. A pause. Tap-tap. A longer pause.

He thought of his dog at home, hungry and dreaming his doggy-dreams on the cold floor, probably shivering. The old man decided he would light a small fire tonight with the last few sticks. He could cope without it but the dog deserved. . . . . THWACK!

He felt an acute pain and a ringing sound filled his head. He tried to stay upright and summon strength and for a brief moment he did. Then his left leg betrayed him and he felt a hard rap above his ear. The only sense he had was of the cold concrete against his wet hair. . . .

He had assumed her as an average middle-class girl, who does not have any talent, except just a little serene beauty…and which beauty could be enhanced a lot...but she had always hidden it!

“I am far from the show-off people…if a person shows off...it means that the person is too weak to accept his trueself”….-her words made him to realize that he was showing off his wealth and personality in front her and made him calm.

This not only made him calm, but also provided him a security to present himself of his ownself.

Day by day he started losing himself in front of her talent, personality and courage, but could not tell her, as he had described of his dream girl during their first conversation and she had denied maintaining an esteem self-respect by stating that she didn’t meet his expectation.

But, she had always accepted in front of him that he was her dream man!

This had made him very closer to her, he started living of his own while conversation with her...no showoff...!, Absolute true form which included his passion, his carefree way of living life and the description about his dream girl...after all he wanted to make her meet the rest of the qualities which she was lagging to be his dream girl.

"I am not a very stylist and smart girl..." -was always her answer, by listening what he was always becoming speechless, by finding such a brave girl who could win ten men at a time in a battle but still said that she was not smart, because she was not having showoff quality... a very down to earth girl...

“I will must come to your marriage and will dance a lot…” -she was always saying when she was sending the pics of all girls having qualities described by him.

Ignoring all these, his desire to make her own kept on growing…Because she was the only girl with whom he had got that security, who had never stopped encouraging him to follow his passion even after lots of differences between them which she could easily feel and express in-front of him.

“A good news for you…” the message had made him mad to find out the good news.

"Was her marriage fixed with him" - he was excited about it for a week, because he can never say anything about his marriage in front of his parents, but she was very open to tell about her dream man in front of her parents, which had an opportunity to make this grand event possible...!!!

“What was the good news”- he had asked her when he saw her first time physically in his wedding ceremony with her elder sister…!

“The good news is that I am in your marriage and danced a lot, as I had promised you always” -She said giving a mild smile.

But, she didn't tell that she had arranged this marriage with a girl who satisfies all the qualities described by him.

"Ria......I have few proposals, I want you to go through all these and let me know your opinion about those...it would be better to let me know as earliest possible"- he didn't have left any chance to fulfill his duty being her elder brother-in -law,it was his duty to get her married...

"I don't want to get marry..." -this was her only answer.

"I don't want to spoil my married life, because of you as you are not married...you can never get me...so better you understand this and start your new life..."-he had this answer.

"I am going far from your life...I even don't want to spoil my sister's married life... " -flew to United Kingdom to pursue her professional career, with a promise that she will never come back to his life again and taking care of her parents in their old age would be her duty.