Chapter 10
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~~~~~ Epitaph ~~~~~
Sitting at the backseat of the Mercedes, he gazes through the window. Autumn has started, trees are becoming bare as the leaves bid farewell to the branches leaving place for the new ones. As the car drives through the wavy route blowing off the red, yellow and brown leaves, he leans back with a deep sigh and a tear rolls down his cheek. Another autumn of a broken promise! If only he knew that this season will never end in his life, that an eternity will just pass by waiting for spring to come, then he would have never made that promise to her…a promise that was supposed to put an end to her enduring wait, a promise that was to bring two lives together forever. As he gulped his tears, he recalled that day of summer, they were sitting on a bench, SHE was leaning on his shoulders and he was holding her tight in his arms. They were both looking at the sunset, quietly. There was no need for words in this moment of truth and despair…he knew there's nothing he could say that would make up for the imminent upheaval in their lives and SHE knew that there were no words in this world that can convince him to change his mind. He has to go…he needs to go and the only thing that he is leaving behind is a promise that he will return before the end of falls. He keeps reiterating that its only a few months but her heart seems to be in complete denial…its forcing her to cling on to him as its so damn sure that he will never return and SHE will never see him again! But at this very moment, SHE has no other choice but to let him go and to hang her entire life onto that one single promise that he will return back to her and once he does, he will fulfill all their dreams. Dreams of living in that white picket fenced small cottage, having their children running around the small garden at the front, having long walks across the shoreline and let a single dawn not pass by without her being in his arms. Yes, it was a matter of few months only when he left for India to visit his father at his deathbed. But the months became years and many autumns passed by with a futile promise devouring all their dreams little by little. He hears from a friend that SHE waited for him…each fall SHE would walk to the end of the road gazing at each passing car with hopes and prayers that he has come back but as the day ended and SHE would take those tired steps towards her empty house, the crushing sound of the dead leaves beneath her feet would echo a scream in her heart…as if her life was shattering into pieces and with each piece, moments from her life was shedding away like those autumn leaves from the tree branches. Today, after 12 years he returns…he never thought that he would though. More than a decade ago when he landed in India and sat beside his dying father, the harshest truth of his life was revealed. It seemed like, for generations, his paternal side has been suffering from a rare genetic disease that causes them to die at an early age of 35. His father, a wealthy, aristocrat man defied the disease for extra few years but could not defeat death and neither could he lead a healthy life as his organs failed to function consuming him year after year. So far, none of the males in the line survived the disease and he was next in line. The bitter truth of a destined future and the defeated dead body of a father shook his will to live. He was so very much blinded with the predicted demise of himself that he forgot the value of the lifetime that he still had in his hands. Single handedly, he took a decision that would affect both him and her…he decided to let go of that promise and with that promise let go of HER, so that SHE can move on with her life and fulfill her share of dreams.
Today, after 12 years, as the car stops at its destination, with a heavy heart he passes through those iron gates and finally meets her at her final resting place. Bending on his knees, he sways those dead leaves off of her and places that single rose on an epitaph that says, "With each single leaf that falls this autumn, I await your return…."
-Neela-
Writer's Note: This was one of the 2 entries I made for the Autumn Contest 2012. The theme was autumn/grief...hope you like it...
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