chapter 1

SerendipityEpisode-1 'She' was sitting melancholily... on the beach.. her favorite place.. staring blankly at the waves.. drawing in the sand..Illegible letters .. irrelevant shapes .. unrelated pictures ..The soft touch of the sand was calming her disturbed mind...‘This is my last visit to this place...in the coming days, I will be very busy... so much so, that i won’t be able to understand how the days fade into nights....But will I be able to manage all this alone?.. Can I handle this huge responsibility? Will i be able to manage everything properly? I am not sure...I don't think I can do this alone! .. I am scared... I feel stressed..I wish ‘He’ was here...'“Come back....just once....for me” she mumbled. 'Come back ,just once, fill my lonely and fearful nights with your love.''Once again, kiss my forehead lightly while holding me close in your arms...''Just once, draw on my cheek with your fingers dipped in paint.''Once again, let’s gaze at the uncountable stars in the sky while lying on the beach''Just once, make me laugh till my stomach aches with your witty jokes.''Once again, listen to my incessant chatter patiently without any trace of wrinkles on your forehead.''Just once, tease me how your coffee is better than my tea.''Once again, let’s watch our favorite movie together one last time.''Just once, let’s fight over that last onion bhajji.’ 'Once again... snatch the book away from my hand and say...Sweetheart!...Romantic nights are not for reading books?''Just once, let’s celebrate every small success together.''Once again, caress my hair while resting your head in my lap.’ 'Just once, help me with the pleats of my saree... I still can't do it properly.''Once again, shower the Nishigandha flowers all over me.''Just once, wipe my tears before they flow down my cheeks.'‘Once again, stare into my eyes deeply and say, 'Hey Megha…. ,Sweetheart, you are a beautiful soul''Just come back one last time, hug me tightly and make me believe that everything will be fine, “I'm always there with you” 'A wave crashed against the rocks bringing her back to reality. She watched the wave slowly recede spreading frothy water all over the shore.The month of December was coming to an end... the pleasant, cold sea breeze washed over her face disheveling her hair ...... smoothing it gently, she looked at the horizon.The sun had just been engulfed by the sea as the darkness began to swallow the golden evening..She had walked far away... she had always been drawn to this secluded part of the beach which she called her own.In the distance, she could see people crowding in bunches, children engrossed in making sandcastles just for them to get destroyed by the lashing waves of the sea while thier parents enjoyed delicious snacks against the beautiful backdrop of the sea.She saw numerous couples gazing into each others lovingly while the elderly walked on the edge of the shore with thier hands intertwined, apprieciating the beautiful scenery.Everyone had someone .... but she was alone.‘Remember what you used to say while looking at the sea?'‘I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild; when it is quiet and serene; when it is dark and moody. And in all its moods, I see myself’She let out a deep sigh as the illusion of his face vashined into nothingness.‘I should leave soon or the phone will ring once again...They must be worried’ ..She took one last glance at the sea..A sudden feeling of loneliness enveloped her heart .. Tears had started flowing down her cheeks without her realizing it.*@*@*@*@*"Are you ok?" His grave voice reached her ears.. After a moment’s surprise, she looked back with teary eyes.. He looked worried.He had been sitting on a nearby bench, while she was drawing something in the sand.. wondering why she was sitting there alone in such a state...he saw the tears rolling down her eyes.“Are you in pain?” There was discomfort in his voice. She wiped the tears from her face."Why are you sitting alone?" He was concerned about why she was alone in such a state. Hearing his anxious voice, she looked at him and tried to stand up...But the brittle and crumbly sand underfoot and her heavy body thwarted that effort...she could not stand up.“Please hold my hand” he held out his hand and helped her up. He kept the baby basket in his hand down nearby.Seeing the quiet baby sleeping soundly in it, a trace of happiness appeared on her face..'Such sweentess... such innocence.. sleeping deeply unpeturbed of the noise surrounding it. Can we ever be like that? .. calm and relaxed.'She barely stood up.. she was still feeling uneasy.. as if she was slowly running out of breath.. it was suddenly becoming difficult to breathe.She gave him a small smile and uttered a feeble “thanks” but his face looked cloudy and blurred...It seemed as if a hazy layer was blinding her eyes... She closed her eyes tightly and opened them slowly.“Whom are you waiting for?” She could her his words but she could not understand what he was saying.... His voice seemed to echo from far away..She closed her eyes and shook her head trying to clear the haziness covering her eyes .. but suddenly , she felt everything around her spinning out of focus.Darkness enveloped her eyes... she felt as thought she was losing her balance .. he extended his hand for support but ,before he knew it, she collapsed in front of his eyes.*@*@*@*@*A nervous and shocked 'He', was walking along with her stretcher worriedly.. She was still unconscious.. For a moment he wanted to caress her head gently but he restrained himself... Unknowingly his eyes also teared up..."What's her name?""How old is she?""How many months are over?"“When is she due?”“What happened? How did she faint?”"Who is her doctor?"“Does she have high B.P?”"Has she been taking the medicines properly?"“Does she have any allergies? …”The nurse running along with him was was peppering him with questions... to which he had no answersThey took her inside.. He was restlessly pacing ouside...He placed the baby basket on a nearby chair..‘How can I answer these questions? ... How can I help her?.'.. Suddenly his attention was drawn to her purse .. He started searching in the hope of fidning any identity card in it.The phone in her purse suddenly started ringing... without a moment's hesitation, he picked it up...“Yes .. she collapsed suddenly ... we are in the ‘City hospital’ ... I am here with her ... Don't worry ... I will wait.. please come as soon as possible ..yes .. ok” He hung up after talking to her father.He always felt uncomfortable in the hospital... He even thought about returning back for a moment.. but he couldn’t just leave her while she was suffering like this.There were many desperate and helpless people around him. Some were pacing restlessly like him , some were silently praying to God while soem were crying profusely.‘Why can we see moments of happiness only after suffering thorugh so much pain?And sometimes even that happiness is not certain.'He took a deep breath and tried to calm his disturbed mind... an unsuccessful attempt to try to stay composed.'Her parents can't reach for another 2 hours.. What should I do until then? Just sit here and wait?'...Why am I here? I can't help her at all'These countless thoguhts numbed his mind as he tried to process the situation.The nurse came running out ... “It is the 38th week according to the sonography report. 'Your wife is critical'..”“We have to perform C-Section ... fill in these consent forms and complete the rest of the formalities immediately ...”“We are moving her to the operation theatre.” Informing him quickly , she ran inside after handing over some papers to him.'Wife ... operation ... consent' All the words were unintelligible ... his mind was overwhelmed with concern... He was clueless about what to do...Hearing about her critical state, he decided ... and started filling out the forms.Finally, he came to the final, decisive question in the consent form...'It is a critical case. If such a situation arises, should we save the mother or the child?'...He re-read that question repeatedlyHis head went numb ... some old memories floated before his eyes.The baby in the baby basket hummed quietly, changed its sleeping position but went back into its dreamsHe stared at it once.. took a deep breath and ticked the option 'save mother'...*@*@*@*@*“Congratulations, you are blessed with a baby girl, she is premature but the baby is healthy.”The nurse placed the swaddled baby in a cradle near her bed.She had just regained consciousness. She was exhauseted , excruciatingly tired, still somewhat in a daze but the thought of see her baby ignited an eagerness in her heart.In a fragile voice, she asked the nurse to bring her baby closer.She was surprised to see her name on the tag attached to the baby's delicate hand.“My.....name....how....did you know?”"Who... brought me... here?"“Who... was... with me...?”“My.... parents.... where.... are?”She asked in a shaky voice….her head was still spinning but questions were waiting to pour out of her.“Your husband was very worried... he was pacing continously outside the operation theatre. He cried with joy upon seeing the baby and was overjoyed on learning that you were fine too.”“Your older baby is sound asleep in his arms ... congrats, your happiness has doubled today ... I will send them in ...” The nurse put the baby to sleep in the cradle gently and went out.She was shocked for a moment ...'What exactly did the nurse say?'Am I still unconscious? Why can’t I understand anything?''My husband? ... my older baby?''What! Am I dreaming?''How can he be here?'Thoughts were running in through head .. She tightly closed her eyes trying to remember everything that had transpired.Who was with her ?... she was sitting alone on the sand .. someone called her... but she could not remember anything after that ... she felt dizzy once again.“I have looked everywhere for your husband, but he is nowhere to be seen... I found this letter near your purse.” The nurse’s voice was laced with concern.“He is not my husband ... my husband” …. Tears welled up in her eyes tightening her throat.The nurse nervously kept the letter beside her and left.She saw her parents coming in through the door,She was still under medication...‘Has he really come? But how is it possible?' Lost in her thoughts, darkness emerged before her eyes and she surrendered. To be continued....© ®️ Meghna_Yadav 2021Special thanks to friend Gayatri....and Loving Daughter Rutu.... Hello Readers,This is a simple try of translating my marathi novel Man Dhaga Dhaga Jodate Nava into english....Hope you like it...Do let me know your thoughts via comments...Thanks and Regards,Meghana Yadav...