SwaRon OS: Procrastinated Beginnings - Page 4

26^th November, 1973

Three days passed to that fateful night. An abominable lull hovered upon him. He hadn't slept properly for the past two nights. Those words of Sharon kept echoing in his ears repeatedly-

"You don't mean anything to me."

Why couldn't she be a-bit reciprocating? Ever since he saw her, he experienced an unusual charm about her. Amidst those musty clothes and filthy exterior, there dwelled a precious golden heart. She was a divine soul for him, a mystic creature. Her physical appearance never deterred his love for her. He always admired her internal elegance.

He closed his eyes, trying to regain his vanished sleep, but, failed miserably. Her flashbacks perturbed him. He remembered the times they were close to each other. Sharon never displayed her love for him, but her actions spoke her heart out. Incessant stammers, shivering hands and her flickering eyelashes were indeed an affirmation for her fondness.

Then why, why did she reject him? Her words left him completely broken. Unable to maneuver a subtle desertion from his gloomy nostalgia, he ran away to the Army Garden. The intricacies of their procrastinated beginning scared him. He held his guitar in his hands and started singing-

(Author's note- Please watch the given video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBIpykFsGrQ

A hundred days have made me older
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face.
A thousand lies have made me colder
And I don't think I can look at this the same.
All the miles that separate
Disappear now when I'm dreamin' of your face.

[Chorus]
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind.
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time.
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight, it's only you and me.

The miles just keep rollin'
As the people leave their way to say hello
I've heard this life is overrated
But I hope that it gets better as we go.

[Chorus]

Everything I know, and anywhere I go,
It gets hard but it won't take away my love.
And when the last one falls, when its all said and done.
It gets hard but it won't take away my love.

[Chorus]

The song ended and he was left in tears. His loneliness petrified him. The fact that she wasn't around him petrified him. The pathos spurted by the brutal slaughter of his expectations. Grieved by her absence, shaken by her refusal, he walked off straight to his room.

Lying down on the bed, he tried to sleep again but failed miserably.

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03^rd December, 1973

It was a chilly winter evening. The Bengal winds had frozen the entire vicinity of the Defense Academy. Sharon was supposed to serve some snacks to the soldiers. After a gruesome work of two hours, when she finally returned to her room, she wasn't surprised to find a frustrated Molly.

"Sharon, where were you? I need your help immediately. I was required to prepare a pudding for the Colonel, General and the Lieutenant General, but I forgot it completely. The attendant says that if I didn't serve the meal in another twenty minutes, I would be fired from my job. Help me Sharon, please," screamed Molly on the top of her voice.

"Don't panic Molly, we will manage. Come-on, hurry up. We need to get into the kitchen, we will definitely work it out ", assured Sharon.

15 minutes later,

"So, here's your pudding Molly. Now, make sure that you deliver them in the remaining five minutes", said a cheerful Sharon.

"Umm, Sharon, how am I supposed to serve three different people in such a short span of time? Wait, I have an idea. I will go to the Colonel and the General as their cabins are close enough and you will deliver the pudding to the Lieutenant General", replied Molly, rushing towards the threshold.

"But, hey listen", cried Sharon on the top of her voice. Alas, her cribbing was of no avail as her dear friend had disappeared in a jiffy.

"Uhh, why is she always in a hurry?", she mumbled irritatingly. Now, how was she supposed to serve the pudding to him? For the past one week, she had been ignoring him, trying to conceal her pitiable self from his deceptive eyes. Every time, she was supposed to do something for the Lieutenant Colonel, she passed it onto Kathy, Molly or Robby, faking a severe headache or even a muscle pull. Huh, she hated telling lies and that too for him.

But, she certainly couldn't postpone this one. After all, her friend's job was at stake. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and turned towards Mr. Shekhawat's cabin.

________________________________________________________

"May I come in Sir?", she asked hesitatingly, keeping her eyes a bit lower. She couldn't afford to confront him directly.

"Yeah, come on in", replied an already-busy Swayum. He was cracking his brains over the Defense Academy documents.

"So now, he wasn't even seeing her. Shrewd way, Mr. Shekhawat", Sharon spoke to herself.

"Keep the pudding on the ta-bl-e", he completed his sentence while gaping her at surprise.

"Sharon..?", he rubbed his eyes in disbelieve.

"Here's your evening meal. Molly was stuck up with some other work, she couldn't come. Sorry for the delay Sir. Allow me to leave."

What was wrong with her? She never addressed him as Sir; he had always been the Reverential Lieutenant Colonel for her. Why was she being so strange?, Swayum was deeply muddled in his thoughts.

"Don't you have the decency to grant me a permission to leave?", ranted an infuriated Sharon. His open ignorance irked her. The fact that he was denying her mere presence seemed totally unacceptable to her.

"Why do you want me to allow you to leave? Do you think I do not understand anything? For the past one week, you have been running away from me. Sharon, you are and will always be an inevitable part of my survival. Come what may, I will never allow my love to supersede anything", Swayum said with a firm look on his face, standing upwards from his chair.

She stared his eyes in utter bewilderment. Wasn't he a mortal? Swayum appeared to be an incarnation of the most forgiving creature alive. She reprimanded him, rejected him and there he was, still ready to embrace her with open arms.

She looked straight into his eyes and spoke with tears layered around the corners of her eyes. "Swayum, why are you always so nice? "

"Perhaps, you make me look nice", he replied with a meek smile.

She drew herself close to him and sealed the space between their faces. Their lips entwined together symbolized their procrastinated beginning. Their passionate kiss signified their sublime and pure love for each other. They parted their lips, panting heavily for breath.

"I love you Sharon", he said, cupping her face with brimming affection in his eyes.

"I love you too", she responded by melting away in his arms.

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