unselfish love

The deep blue ocean was rolling in front of her eyes, waves with white foam on their brow softly touching the shores, and then retreating back, like a small child swinging back and forth in a swing.

She was staring at the horizon where equally deep blue sky has come down to touch the ocean. A strange serenity was settling inside her, she has strived for this inner peace for so long, and it came down upon her soul all of a sudden.

Her trance was broken by a tender touch on her shoulder, she turned back and saw her husband’s smiling face and stood up to hug him. He hugged her back with firm tenderness, they sat down side by side watching the ocean, her head on his shoulder and his arms around her.

Smirna closed her eyes, a deep feeling of peace enveloped her. A peace she never thought she will be blessed again with. She was born and brought up in a small town, her father passed away when she was a baby, and mother was a housewife, with minimum knowledge of world. Who brought up her only daughter with a very strong sense of ethics and religious values, her relatives used to tease her as sanyasini because of her spiritual nature. She also passed away leaving her alone in a joint abode, a home occupied by three brothers of her father, and their children. Who were neither kind nor unkind to her.

Her misfortune started when the eyes of a political hotshot fell on her, he was married, but he strongly believed money and power talk. Which Smirna did not, so his chase failed, but it flustered him to the limit of rage. He took each and every attempt to bent her as per his wishes but could not, even though he succeeded in ruining her reputation and possibilities of staying in that home. Because her extended family, sensing the danger if they invite his wrath, became extremely hostile toward her, and she had to leave that place.

She applied for the job of a school teacher in South India, to her pleasant surprise it was based on a seaside town. It became her daily routine to take a stroll on the beach. One day when she was taking her stroll a storm broke out and she ran to a nearby house and took shelter under the balcony. But she got soaked up all the same because of strong gusts.

After a few minutes she heard the door opening, she turned back and saw a guy walking out to the porch, he was extremely ugly in worldly measurement but had a strange serene expression, and a deep glow of inner goodness.

He softly said that she can wait inside, if she did not feel unsafe with a single, stranger. When she gently refused he disappeared inside and on resurfacing handed over her a towel. A few minute later he brought out a tray of tea. He requested her to take a seat on the chairs which were there, and brought down a polythene sheet to prevent raindrops from wetting her further.

He escorted her to the school gate because when the rain stopped it was pretty dark, she thanked him with all her heart, and felt his noble nature deep within her heart. While walking back to her room she was comparing him to those dirty guys who came into her life after that scoundrel who made her life miserable. She could not see any similarity. She remembered with terror another thing, that she gulped down the tea with gratitude when he handed it to her, but he might have spiked it. Two drops of tear welled up in her eyes.

Next day while having her stroll she glanced eagerly yet shyly at the balcony and saw him sitting there, she smiled at him and he smiled back, then asked if she will mind his joining her on her walks, she responded with a shy and happy smile.

They started to walk, within one month Smirna realized that Shantanu was one of those persons who have been brought up with best cultures, one day during an emotional outburst he shared that he was in airforce, a horrible accident took away every thing from him, including his capacity to please a mate, so he forced his fiancé to marry and retired here. He bought this house from his savings. Both his parents has passed away, so he lives here on his own. And he finds it very relaxing, because he doesnot have to answer same set of questions to every one, including strangers.

Their friendship started to get deeper with each passing day, one day while she was coming back from school to her rooms a colleague caught up with her. She gently informed Smirna that the parents of pupils were talking about her relationship with Shantanu and giving it names. Smirna was shocked but she knew society, so she did not went out for her walk that day.

She was pleasantly surprised when the watchman came telling her that Shantanu was waiting for her in the main gate. She quickly changed and went out to meet him, on seeing her a deep peace settled itself on his worried face. After asking about her well being he asked her why had she not showed up. She could not answer. Shantanu explained the reason to her, he said as he has been living in this place for more than ten years he knows the people well.

Then he asked Smirna that why does not she marries and settles down she has long crossed her thirties, if she further delays it she may stay alone for the rest of her life. She shared all her past life with him, how that scoundrel has chased her for years which ended up in a hatred for men, and their ethics as a husband.

Shantanu gently held her hand for the first time and said that is what happened when pure evil tries to overpower pure goodness, he never wins, but the wounds he lefts behind never heal.

He gently held her hand a little more firmly and asked her if she can be his life partner, he will let her go the very day she will find some one else who will win her heart. Ever since he has met her he is finding it next to impossible to spend a single day without her. He will be able to offer her the social protection and she will be able to give him the long lost human companionship, and they both will be friends forever.

Smirna gently held his hand with both of her hands.

Seven years have passed since that day, and she has never regretted her decision for a second.