The Tales of a Diary

[1]

After several useless attempts, it seems she is finally awake once again, but it is different for sure. For the last few times, her efforts to wake up had gone in vain despite the fact that she was fully aware of the nurse treating her. But this time, she somehow manages to open her eyes, at a blink and then her hands shake. She feels like a rigid stone trying to roll up, but as she does, she feels extremely tired and weak. Amongst all this resistance, it seems like several white illuminous rays of light surrounding her visuals.

“Welcome back. Long time, no see.”

She turns her head towards the immediate left from where the voice came. Not fully sure of the figure standing aside her bed, she looks at him with keen eyes seeking answers.

“You were in coma. 3 months.” He says again.

“You? Where am I?” She is puzzled now. This, which is happening is scaring her a lot. 3 months! What the heck this guy is saying.

“The doctors say you need time for recovery. So i will take it as a positive note. ” The guy pauses and looks at her. The look of dissapointment is clear. “I am Abhimanyu – Your husband.”

Like the waves of a sea, moments from her past flashed in and out pushing her to remind the memories left behind -A marriage hall, arrangements all over, her old dad crying! Yes, slightly the faces seem to reappear. The sole thing she can remember clearly now is her name, which would cause the least good to her in times of criticality.

“Everything will be fine. You just need some rest.” Her not-so-known husband says, seeing her agitated.

“More rest?” She asks holding her head in disgust.

“Yeah. Some more” He smiles. The guy is handsome. She is lucky to have him in her life. Only the love needs to be nurtured once more. And somehow, she can get the feeling that those eyes of him were the ones she used to crave for. She can ask him, ofcourse considering him as the closest person about her thoughts, just to be sure, but it will look awkward.

“Shaanu!” A sudden scream comes from the outside of the door and she can feel 2-3 people rushing inside towards her. And as she can revive herself from what was happening, a lady comes and almost cuddles her in.

“My Shaanu! Where had u been. I love u so much.” Her mom – She knows her. One of the faces she can remember, along with another old guy who she assumes to be her dad, a common face among her flashback photgraphic memories.

“Let her rest.” Her dad says. The lady behind her, supposed to be the nurse nods her head in agreement.

Her Mom regains her self, rubs her eyes and kissing her on forehead makes her way towards the door again. The only person she can see now is the guy claiming to be her husband.

“So how long we are married, handsome? I guess, i will have to irritate you a lot more from now on with these questions.” She laughs now.

“Its not relevant now. You will get to know. First you must rest. I will come back. Have some sleep.” He turns and prepares for his exit. But somehow, he can’t. He faces her only to smile once more and say something.

“You used to have a personal diary by the way. One which used to keep you involved, more than me. You might not have to go through the pain of remembering or asking me!” He says.

“A diary? Seriously? I used to write?” More and more she is revived into his new life, she is getting more astonished with these new facts.

“Yeah. Its somewhere here in this room. We will find it later.” He smiles again and goes away.

She, Shayantani Mukherjee, is a lost person into a lost world. She doesn’t know what happened to her. She doesn’t know what caused her this! And she do esn’t know how to get back to the way she was. But she knows, she may fall in love with her unacquainted husband once more. She has that belief because somehow among all the known faces, this unknown face and his adorable eyes has given her a reason to get up and relive her life only to know her lost path left way behind.

[2]

Under the ragged covers of her trunket, there it is lying. For 3 months, no hands had touched its delicate pages. A diary is waiting to be discovered again, only by her mistress.

“Which date do you remember last? We can go straight on to that date and move forward.” Abhimanyu has been very keen to regain the lost memories. She doesn’t know why but he is playing the sole motivator here. Mom and Dad have been on and off lately, maybe with the assurance that their daughter is in the safe pair of hands. Besides, the nurse has been appointed long before she has been brought back to life.

“The marriage is still faint to me. But i just wanna know, we two – were we together before marriage?” No doubt She wants to clear her doubts.

“You mean to say the marriage was arranged or love?” He has his smile.

“Yup if that’s possible at all”

“Turn back a few pages and check if there’s an entry there. The date was 15th, the November, 2014.” He clears the air.

“You proposed me on that day?” She asks him.

“Yeah, somewhat!”

“When did we first meet?”

“5-6 months before that date maybe. But what’s with that? It was just another day, right?” Abhi seems surprised.

“To you Mister, it maybe an ordinary day. But to a girl, and to a diary, no date is ordinary.” She laughs saying this. He nods his head. He doesn’t speak much.

“So love for years and then a marriage, !” She smirks and have her eyes towards the diary.

Beyond some unfinished amateur writings of her school ages, her initial years of her bachelors, she goes on straight to see the golden dates. And then many dates after…

[3]

06th May, 2014

2.10 AM

The last hours before exam are always anxious. Among the several assignments and boring lectures received throughout the semesters, when finally danger rings the bell through the ears, challenges seem impossible.

And in spite of tackling them for the past semesters, this time i can’t. His eyes aren’t letting me to.

He, a boy whom i met today. Whose name has been rotating in my mind since the moment i talked with him.

“Can i get your number, Shayantani?” His first query forced me to look at him. Gentle and poised look with a tinge of innocence is what struck me first. Guessing my hesitant nature, he followed up soon.

“I need a help in one assigment. Actually it’s late so don’t want you to catch up here” This guy was shy throughout. “I am Abhimanyu. Whenever you are free, you can give a missed call to my number.” He was ready with his phone.

There was no need of it though. I gave him what he wanted – my number.

And i don’t know, whether soon, i am going to give him my heart too..

Do I like him? Or is it…

15th November, 2014

9.50 PM

“I think, i love you!”

It has been 6 months now that i have noticed Abhi trying to convey me something but maybe it was too daring for him to express soon.

“You still think? I thought you were sure about it?” And i could not stop laughing noticing the innocent baby face of my prince charming.

So, it happened at last. He proposed! Not the way i had expected though but sincerely, i was waiting for a long time for this.I didn’t think for a second what to do, as the instant reaction was to hug him and tell him ‘I love you too!’.

So that was it. I guess dating a handsome guy was not a big deal now. Abhi was inevitable in my life. I could not help but letting myself in. Its just a matter of time we gel together now……………..

16th December, 2015

10 PM

“Its time!”

“For what?”

I didn’t have clue what Abhi was suggesting. We met today as he asked me to. He had something important to say.

“I have told my parents about you. Its time we get married.” Abhi seemed relaxed and kept smiling.

I could not believe as i slowly watched his hands moving out of his pocket only to direct towards me with the most beautiful ring in his hand.

“Shayantani Mukherjee, Will you marry me?”…………

22nd June, 2016

4.15 P.M

Four hours from now i am going to be a complete bride. All these occassions, all these arrangements, these all i have never dreamt off. I can see my dad running all the hall to manage his subordinates. My uncle has been busy all day in arranging the caterers. My mom as usual has never left an oppurtunity to showcase her daughter’s beauty in the makeup to her guests.

Abhi however, is calm and serene among all. Just a few minutes from now, those 7 rounds of vows , that sindur on my head or the ornaments decorated in me will make us an official pair. And among all the dreams which a girl has seen, i promise to be with him throughout. Because, a new life starts today.

I have been addressed for the rituals. I have to go. Guess, i don’t have much time to finish this but i will be back soon…

[4]

She turns the pages over and over again but surprisingly those were the last words she read just now in that diary. For a lady who has lived to write every significant moment of her life, its strange that there aren’t any more. The only positive that she can gain though is a clear memory and image of a person standing before her and smiling. Abhi is no more an unknown chapter in her life.

“So that’s it? No more significant event in my life? Seriously, have i been so dull after marriage?” She laughs loud.

“Actually, there has been one. A big one you can say!” He keeps saying. “Perhaps sleeping your days out after marriage can be considered as dull”.

“Wait. Hold on for a sec! After marriage means? What happened to me after our marriage?” She suddenly begins to rattle now. She can sense something wrong.

“Who are you talking to dear?” The voice obviously comes from behind and as she turns around she could see her mom with a puzzled look.

“What do you mean by whom am i talking to?” She asks her mother surprised.

“There’s no one in this room, apart from me and you, Shanu!” Shayantani looks at Abhimanyu, still standing, still smiling. “The nurse says you frequently keep talking to yourself. Is everything right Shaanu?”

She cares to look at him again. And a cold shiver passes through her veins. What she could see is a bare wall with an open window and the person standing till now missing. He is not there anymore!

“Where did he go? He was here just now.”

“Who?” Her mother seems completely shocked.

“Abhi! Where is he?” And as she pulls out his name, she could see a clear look of shock and a subtle change of expressions in her mother’s face.

By the unusual silence, she could guess something was wrong.

“Speak out Maa!” She cries out loud, with a sense of desperation.

Her mom stands up silently, moves towards the table slowly and pulls out something from the bottom-most drawer.

Gradually proceeding towards her, she hands her daughter a newspaper. The newspaper, dated 23rd June, 2016 looks a bit torned and half-dead. Yet readable! With much confusion, she starts to read.

Kolkata: Crash Strikes Couple, Takes lives –

The city sees accident once more, this morning as a drunk truck driver rammed his truck into an incoming Honda Civic carrying a newly married couple and family. Apart from the car driver Shailen Basu, aged 47, others killed in the crash are Dwipen Manna, the helper of the truck, 35 and Abhimanyu Sarkar, 28, the newly wedded groom. Shayantani Mukherjee, 26, the bride has suffered a massive head injury and is in critical condition. Rest of the family is safe and under thorough medical treatment….

She couldn’t read any more. How’s this possible. He was here, until now. So this is ‘the massive event’ he was talking about. The event which she couldn’t ever pen down in her beloved diary – the memory which washed out all her happiness in the split of a second. He knew, he knew everything, even after he was long gone.

Hope was all she had. And the headlines of a torned out newspaper took away all of that. Now all she has are the penned down memories of her loving husband lost in her looping thoughts and empty pages of the diary left out to be filled…

P.S

1st March, 2017

8:50 A.M

After a long span of 8 months, ,8 days and a few hours i am back with my habit – my diary.

Life hasn’t been nicer you know, it has shown me dreams, it has raised my hopes and then betrayed me. But then, it brought me back maybe, to give a chance to start afresh. Maybe a hope to rise from the fall.

Life hasn’t been nicer. The nurse is needed no more. I am totally fine now. I eat my food in time, i look into the city every evening from that window. The city looks beautiful from here.

Life hasn’t been nicer! Maa and Baba wanted me to marry again. How could I? Specially when, Abhi is still with me!

He is there, just sitting there silently. Just beside me. No one believes, not even Maa. But he is there.

“You writing about me again? You don’t need to do that you know.” A cold voice with a lot of annoyance hits my ears as i can again view the peaceful image of my beloved husband sitting and smiling.

I can’t ignore his existence. Not for a single moment. To the world, he maybe dead. But to me, he is my world. And how can you turn yourself away from your world?

Time to wrap up now. It’s late. Will be back soon. Abhi is calling for breakfast. Yes, we take the meals together nowadays..

Life hasn’t been nicer you know!