THE TEMPEST II

Beloved seemed restless these days. She could feel something was terribly wrong. Yet, she could not figure it out. It had never happened before, she would say to herself as recalled how she would feel it. Yet, this time, it seemed to be beyond her reach. The more she tried to find it, the further it went. Each time, her quests would end up in vain and she would be further restless.

“Something, and something is there,” Beloved spoke to herself. Never had her heart, nor her inner voice had deserted her, and here she was today, desperate to find an answer. “What is it?” she spoke aloud and Pratik heard.

“What happened Beloved? What is what?” Pratik queried. He could see Beloved’s restlessness and just smiled back.

“Nothing as such Pratik,” Beloved replied with a false smile that Pratik immediately noticed. Seeing her smile Pratik immediately rose from the chair and went in front of Beloved, who was laying on a sofa.

As Pratik walked towards her, Beloved’s eyes followed him—Pratik leaving his chair, walking steadily towards her and sitting on the floor, holding her hands. Her eyes recalled the moment, time and again. While her eyes now met Pratik’s, her memory ran towards the empty chair where Pratik was sitting seconds ago. She recalled the movement—Pratik standing and the empty chair.

All of a sudden, Pratik could see that Beloved’s frightened eyes. Beloved felt she had now found her answers but deep inside, she wished she had not. Her eyes spoke of the terror and Pratik could feel her sweaty palms.

“Beloved…Beloved,” Pratik spoke but Beloved did not utter a word.

“Beloved, what happened? Beloved?” Pratik said once again but she would not reply.

“Beloved” and Pratik pronounced her name, for the first time and Beloved was taken by surprise.

“What? What did you call me?” Beloved asked.

“Beloved”, Pratik replied with a smile.

“No, before that Pratik,” Beloved queried again.

Pratik gently smiled and said the same, “Beloved.”

“I know you called me by my name Pratik” Beloved answered and as she smiled, her eyes gleamed like gems and Pratik was mesmerized, enthralled and besieged. 

Pratik smiled and asked what it was that was bothering her. “Tell me Beloved, what bothers you?”

“What bothers you?” and the words took her to the same recalling. Her eyes moistened and tears rolled down her eyes.

“Pratik,” and Beloved cried like she had never cried before. Her tears spoke of pain and sorrow that she seemed to have kept for long. Pratik stood up and sat next to his Beloved on the sofa and hugged her and whispered, “Tell me Beloved what bothers you.”

And Beloved began—

“For weeks I have been trying to find out what bothers me and I just could not, until you stood from that chair and came towards me and held my hands. Pratik, I was lost in oblivion and my memories fixed on you leaving the chair….would you ever leave me? Would you? Will you? You won’t, won’t you? I am scared Pratik. I’m just scared that I would get my answers. I’m scared” Beloved said as she sobbed.

Pratik immediately understood her concerns. He remembered his own tempest but pushed it back to answer Beloved’s.

“How could I ever leave you Beloved? I never will. Don’t you worry Beloved. I was, I am and I will be forever here for you. Never would I ever leave you Beloved because I just cannot imagine living without you. I am blessed to have you in my life Beloved. You are the greatest gift that God could have ever given me and I will always cherish you, through times and tides. I love you way too much to leave you Beloved. ” Pratik replied as he held her tight.

While tears from your loved ones hurt you to the deepest, it also tends to pacify you and realize how much the other loves you. In turn, you realize how much more you should love them, selflessly, to the fullest, and Pratik smiled.

“I love you Beloved. I would never leave you,” Pratik spoke in Beloved’s ears.

Wrapped in each other’s arms, both felt safe and thanked God for bringing them together. Like other times, both prayed and spoke the same words,

“Dear God, I love Pratik a lot. I pray that You give me the heart to love him more. I cannot live a day without him. Never take him before me.” “Dear God, I love Beloved a lot. I pray that You give me the heart to love her more. I cannot live a day without her. Never take her before me.”

Wrapped in Pratik’s arms, Beloved spoke, “Pratik,”

“Yes Beloved,” Pratik replied,

“Pratik,” Beloved spoke,

“Yes …….” Pratik spoke her name,

“I love you Pratik,” Beloved smiled as she heard her name for the second time and she held him tighter.

“I love you too Beloved,” Pratik replied.