This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 50; the fiftieth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. In association with Soulmates: Love without ownership by Vinit K Bansal. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.
Kenneth was staring anxiously at his Facebook news feed on
the laptop screen. It had nothing to do with the things on his feed. It was the
result of a small single green dot beside the magic name Annie Joseph. He was all
nerves. He had just sent “hey” and was glaring at “Seen 18:07”.First Impression is always the best, his mind quietly kept
saying. Kenneth was not the exact playboy material. He was reserved when it
came to girls. He dint know to flirt nor did he know to just sweep someone off
their feet. He was actually quite inferior. To sum it all, he was no Bradley Cooper. Not even
quite near.
Likewise, Annie was not the queen among girls. She had the
traditional looks, not exactly the ultra-modern, up-to-date one. She had a
subtle elegance for which Kenneth fell. It was not exactly love at first sight.
He wasn’t that kind of a guy. But something happened when he saw her.
Something like a small tickle, a little touch, something very nice. He loved
the feeling.
The journey that started with a “Hey” travelled steadily for several
months. He started knowing things about her. Her branch of study, her class,
her tastes, likes, dislikes etc. He totally admired her simple yet gorgeous
dressing style, felt her smile when it formed a small little dimple for just a
micro second, took delight watching her walk though it wasn’t the most gracious. The Facebook chat grew and they
occasionally started meeting for lunch in college and took walks just rambling
about things. He totally loved her small forehead and the way it used to form
random patterns when she spoke frantically about something. And….Ahh, the eyes, those pair of dark black pupils just never
failed to floor him. He did not know how she felt about him, but his love for
her grew leaps and bounds. He learned that she was very traditional, loved her
family and would not even think of doing something that might disappoint them.
He also realized that she came from an extremely well off family. She had no
necessity to work or even study for that matter.
Kenneth was quite the opposite, he wasn’t penurious and impoverished, but he could not afford the
luxurious life and be carefree about what is next. He had to start supporting
his family soon and had to work his ass off for a good few years to get settled
with a nice decent setup. Naturally he had his apprehensions. He thought at
great lengths about all of these, because he knew she would think about all of
this.
Giving himself strength that he would manage whatever may
come, he decided to the next big thing. He did not plan anything special.
Though they knew each other very well, he had his jitters which are inevitable
to every single man who is in the advent of proposing to his lady love. He did
not write any special lines to woo her. He did not even plan on the right place.
He just waited for the right moment, the time when he felt was right.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, nothing prominently spectacular,
just a hot afternoon and they were having lunch. He said Hey Annie and she was
busy fighting the noodles that were dangling out of her mouth. She absent
mindedly acknowledged him. He again called out her name, for her to raise her
head and look at him. She did so and made a cute expression with her eyebrows,
unable to talk, signaling him to go on. He casually and calmly told, “I think I am in Love with you”….paused and with a more firm tone said, “No, I actually am pretty sure, I Love
You Annie”. She was
taken aback to hear that all of a sudden out of nowhere, that too in a very
inappropriate place. She knew he would propose, but she definitely had no clue
that it would be this abrupt. She had never dreamt of a filmy proposal, but
also she never imagined it to be in the college canteen while having instant
noodles. She definitely liked him, but dint know how to react at that awkward
moment. She was just staring at him, and smiled coyly and that said all.
Kenneth was ecstatic. He wanted to jump and shout and run till his legs would
carry him. Thousands of emotions just rushed to his heart. He felt like he was
the happiest person in the entire world at that moment. Everyman feels alike,
when his love accepts his love. He was smiling widely, the blush distinctly
evident in his bearded face. The Wednesday was still ordinary, but not anymore
for Kenneth. He did not know what to do next. He got up all excited and simply
left, the blush and happiness completely overflowing. The cute little humble
love that just set sail had a steady voyage. They had their own lovely moments,
small arguments and silly fights which eventually bonded them more and
everything was just perfect…...
A year passed by and they were going to finish college in 6
months. The past apprehensions came into thought, not for Kenneth, but for Annie.
Some serious talking took place. Annie was very very very sure that their
family would not approve of him, the reason being their deeply devout family
background. She was also certain that she would be married to, in a couple of
years or three, maximum. And that time was definitely not suffice for Kenneth
to develop a repute position for himself, to ask her hand in for marriage.
These were all very practical issues they were bound to face in the near future.
And being the practical couple themselves, they wanted to talk through and
arrive at something congenial. This is where they started breaking. Kenneth
tried his best to infuse some hope into their withering relationship, but Annie
was very pessimistic about the outcome. She thought it was best to part ways
now than later. Kenneth pleaded that at least they would give it a try, but Annie
wanted to avoid much worse pain later on. Both had their point, in the end Annie
succeeded……
She stopped texting
and meeting him, and also asked Kenneth to do the same. He couldn’t. How can I ever stop loving a person who meant everything
to me, How can anyone do that? He asked himself filled with devastation. He was raged with agony. He had
so many questions to which not a single soul had answers. He knew she would
feel the Annie. He cried thinking about her and for her. He was mad at her for
being a coward but still loved her more than the madness. He was angry at the
stars, god and fate. He asked them, “Why did u make me see her, fall madly in love with her, her
with me? Why did u create some delightful memories that we can never forget?
Why are you making us endure such pain? He asked these weeping helplessly…..
Few Months Later…..
The sultry afternoon sun was
slowly descending, kissing bye to yet another selfless day. The partial orange-ish sky, the serene winds,
birds scurrying back to their nests and the pale abstract beauty of the pebbles beneath were accompanying
Kenneth and the gorgeous lady by his side, as they were strolling in a
neighborhood park.
They were just taking a walk, a walk filled with tranquil silence. The woman
beside Kenneth was the answer for all the questions he asked the stars, god and
fate.
She went through everything that
Kenneth did the previous
year and, so many years prior to
this. She had stayed beside him at all times. She laughed with him, shared with
him, fought with him, and wept with him. It is just that she never failed to wipe his tears. Kenneth
was the same with her. They shouldered along whatever the case might be. Kenneth
knew he wouldn’t have come out of the mess he was
in, if it was not for her.
As he strolled along watching the abstract pebble pathway, Kenneth
had no clue about how is fate with Annie would pan out. He did not even think
about what the stars had in store, he was much less bothered. But he thanked god
from the bottom of his heart, for he knew everyone wouldn’t be as lucky as him to be blessed with such a friend, with
such a soul mate. They never felt as conventional lovers, but loved each other
so much. They were totally selfless, when it came to the other. They were more
than friends, they were soul mates.
On that sultry day in the park, Kenneth realized this, “Having a soul mate was not
always about love and one would find it in friendship too”.
The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Participation Count: 02
