Bee's OS's/SS's (New OS 24/02) - Page 3

Okay, sorry for posting this late, but I was busy with assignments. Anyway, I personally think that the first part of this OS was quite complete on its own, but this part is for some people that thought I didn't know Premeer-are-one, well enough. *glares* So, this is dedicated to those people... 😆😛

A man with hunched shoulders shuffled down the silent, moonlit street. His posture gave away the grief he was overwhelmed with. He had just lost a father. Again. As he rounded the corner, he heard a loud beep from the car, with a broken headlight. He didn't even have time to shield himself, as the drunken driver failed to ram his brakes on time. The moon was the only witness as the man fell. 'Heer,' was the last name out of his mouth.

Meher walked towards the house of Gayatri Gill, with a dejected air. It seemed like she was going to be doing the obituary column forever. She would forever be writing about people who had once existed. She didn't want to live in the past, damn it, she wanted to write about the present!

Biting back a sigh, and plastering a sympathetic smile on her face, she knocked on Mrs. Gill's door. An old woman, with kind eyes, opened the door. 'Mrs. Gill?' Meher inquired, 'I'm here to ask about your next door neighbour, who passed away yesterday. It must have been hard on you...' She trailed off. This was the part she hated, she never felt she had the right words. But Gayatri just smiled, 'You can call me Gayatri. Well, yes, I was sad, but more than that, I'm happy. Because they're happy. They're together, and they're happy.' She said with a soft smile. She welcomed Meher in, just as Meher started to feel like she was talking to a crazy person.

'Well, Heer's death two years ago...' Gayatri began, after the two had settled in the living room. 'Actually, Gayatri, I came to ask you about Prem Juneja, not Heer. You know, the Prem Juneja that passed away yesterday?' Gayatri smiled enigmatically again, 'I know, dear, but you can't grasp the significance of Prem's death, unless you know about Heer's. So please let me continue...' Meher nodded, slightly abashed.

'Yes, well, Heer's death, as you know, occurred exactly two years ago, on the same day as Prem's. You might pass this off as a coincidence, but it most certainly is not. The story really starts off with Prem and Heer's whirlwind romance, and marriage. They knew they were meant to be together, so even after slight disapproval from Heer's father, they went ahead and got married. Actually, Prem was an orphan, you see, and Balraj didn't want his daughter to marry someone without a proper background or family. In fact, after Balraj openly insulted his own son-in-law, Heer broke ties with him.

Prem and Heer were happy in their own little world they had created next door. Their first wedding anniversary was fast approaching, and Heer wanted to do something special for her Prem. So, she decided to give him the one thing he had secretly desired, but never had the heart to fulfil. Being an orphan himself, Prem wanted to build an orphanage in his home town, Manali. But, after getting married and settled with Heer, this dream of his took a back seat, as he had a family and a home to provide for. Heer was determined that Prem's dream be fulfilled, so she started getting his surprise 'gift' ready. It took a long time, and a lot of hard work on her part. She even mended ties with her father, to enlist his help in the project. Finally, it was set. She flew out to Manali on the day before their anniversary, to finalise the details. Since it was a secret, she told Prem that she was just visiting a friend. She was in such a hurry to get back home, that she took an earlier flight, that night. Unfortunately... that... that flight...' Gayatri suddenly felt she could not go on any longer. It was as clear as it happened yesterday. Heer's dead body being brought into a house Prem had decorated for their anniversary. Prem's outright refusal to believe it despite seeing her body with his own eyes.... and his subsequent retreat into his room. Gayatri closed her eyes, trying to block out the painful images.

'Prem just couldn't understand it. He tried to explain it to me once,' Gayatri

finally continued, opening her eyes, 'He told me that Heer always used to say, Prem and Heer are one. They would live together, and they would die together. So, how on earth could he still be living, if she was dead? How could she really and truly be... gone?' Gayatri, broke off again, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. Then, she seemed to smile, and carried on, 'But, he finally found the answer, I suppose. He finally came out of his room one week after Heer's death. The first thing he did was to bring Heer's father to their house. Her father had suffered a stroke, and required intense care.'

'It was a sight to see,' Gayatri gave a watery chuckle. 'The two men, who had not been on the best of terms, were now as close as a father and a son. It was a pity Heer never got to see... never mind,' she closed with a sigh.

'Now, day before yesterday, Heer's father passed away. He suffered another stroke, and his health had already deteriorated a lot. Prem was on his way back from the hospital, when... a drunken driver... you know the rest of the story.'

'So, you mean to tell me,' Meher voice was barely above a whisper, 'that Heer died fulfilling Prem dearest wish, while Prem lived to fulfil Heer's responsibility? Who were these people?!' Gayatri chuckled again, at the look on her face. 'They were Prem and Heer, dear. Just Prem and Heer.'