This was not something I saw daily and it made me smile. Suddenly, I checked the date in my tablet hoping I haven’t missed anything. I hadn’t, but in a second it took me right back to the day when I sat at one of these stations with my girlfriend, now my wife, holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes. She had the most beautiful eyes in the world and a smile most assuring. She missed seven trains that day saying each time that she would take the next, not caring a bit about the scolding she would get at home for returning late. We were truly in love. That love was the reason we chose to be with each other. I remembered the time when she packed lunch for me when we were dating. It was the first time she had cooked in her life and she wanted me to be the one to taste it first. I could remember everything from the time we met till this morning when she had that same loving look in her eye when I stepped out for work. I realized how much I loved her and that I was guilty of not telling her off late how much I did. I could have spent the rest of my journey just visiting our memories from the past years, but I said to myself, “Why visit memories when I can create many more beautiful ones?” My work day had just gotten over and I took the next train back home to make her day special.
- It was a usual Sunday evening after my wife and I came back from a quick trip to the mall. I was talking to my mum while my wife was helping prepare for dinner when her dad called. “Hello, hi dad…” is all I could hear as she was moving around while talking to him. It’s been three years since we got married and I cannot recollect many days when he hasn’t called. It’s like a ritual that he follows every single day. He calls either while driving to work before going to bed.
He is a man of few words. I have never had a phone conversation with him lasting more than one minute. He doesn’t have long conversations with his daughter either, but it is enough to make me realize the love he has for her. The assurance of his daughter being fine and doing well lets him sleep peacefully. It touched not only me but also my mother who noticed her talking to him. My mother told me that’s what a father’s love for her daughter is and how special daughters are for them.
It made me appreciate him all the more and consider my wife lucky for having such a loving father. No matter how old daughters become and what they achieve in life, a daughter to her father is always that little darling with a twinkle in her eye. One who makes him the happiest father in the world.
- I had just completed my MBA and come back to my hometown to start a new job in an MNC. Life seemed perfect with the new job and a boss who was also a friend from my college days. I visited his place on a couple of occasions and was waiting to pick him up en route to office one day, when I saw a familiar face in a car coming out of the same building my friend stayed in. While it took me less than a second to recognize the person, it also took me back 3 years to a time when I had a crush on this gorgeous girl. At once, an image of her from then flashed across my mind. She was a fair, petit girl with a million dollar smile. Without speaking a word, she could easily have a conversation through those big expressive eyes and gauge what’s going on in your mind.
She also instantly recognized me with those beautiful eyes and gave back the same angelic smile that always made me go week in my knees. She stopped the car and stepped out to meet me along with this man. I had no clue how to react in front of him and wished I just vanished from there. After a long warm hug she introduced that man to me as her brother. In that moment, I experienced feelings of relief, confusion, joy and concern as I could see her holding back her tears from the happiness of seeing me. Irrespective of her status, I fell in love with her - again. We exchanged numbers and over the next few days I learned her relationship with the other guy did not work out. She was aware of my feelings for her then but never had the courage to contact me thinking I would be married or be in a relationship. My feelings for her had never changed and I was the happiest person to have her back in my life. We are getting married this year and I have no doubt I will be the happiest person. Guess when the love is true, nature conspires to make it happen.
- I had just completed my engineering course and taken up a part time job to support some of my own expenses and further studies as I did not want to burden my mother for such finances. I was diagnosed with jaundice within a few weeks of joining the job and had to be hospitalized for a few days. My mother took me to the best hospital in the city so that my treatment was not compromised and that I could get well soon. I still remember her traveling 20 kms every day to get me home cooked food and staying beside me at the hospital throughout the night. This took a toll on her health as well but that did not deter her from doing what she wanted to. I came back home in a few days only to see tears of joy in my mother’s eyes not caring about her own health. I can never be grateful enough to her for doing what she has done for me and my siblings, and still continues to do so in some way or the other. It is rightly said, no form of love can be purer than the love a mother has for her children. I am lucky to have her as my mother and without her I would never be where I am today.
- I had been preparing for my MBA entrance exams while working but soon realized the work shifts were taking a toll on me and I was not able to concentrate on my studies. I had to quit my job to study for my entrance exams and join a B-School in the next academic year. I got through the entrance exams and secured a seat in one the country’s better B-Schools. I was willing to take an education loan for the course like many other students. More so, as I did not want to put a strain on my family’s resources after my father’s demise. It was my mother who convinced me otherwise and said she would fund my education and it’s only a matter of two years before I can start earning. Despite all my efforts to convince her for a loan option, she did not let me do so. I saw her cutting family costs in order to pay my tuition fees and sacrifice on so many things while I was away. After competing my course and securing a decent job, I one day asked her why she did not let me take a student loan when lot of students did. Her answer was simple, “Son, I did not want you to start your career with paying off a loan”. This left me in tears and realized how unconditional a mother’s love for her child is.
- I was waiting for my train at the railway waiting room as I had reached the station a couple of hours before the train arrived. The waiting room was almost full of people when an elderly couple walked in and started looking for seats. The seat next to me was empty so I offered my seat so that they could sit together. The couple was by themselves and was traveling alone. No one had come to drop them to the station. I could not help but notice how lovingly the man held his wife’s hand and her purse in his other hand. He thanked me and made her sit in one the seats and asked her to remain seated while he got them some coffee. Age had no effect on their love and the man had the same love in his eyes that he must have had for her years ago. He also had this mischievous smile on his face that told me they are old only by age and not by spirit. A little while later, the man came back with two cups of coffee and sat beside her. I was sitting where I could see and hear them and to be honest I could not stop observing them. He had a sip from his cup and said, “I added so much sugar but this coffee is not nearly as sweet as you”. This brought a big smile to the faces of most people who heard him say that to the love of his life.
- A little while later while going towards the train, I asked them how they do managed to keep the love going. Witty as he was, the man retorted, “Son, she was precious to me when we met and she is even more precious to me now”. I got my answer. They were not only with each other but still also appreciated each other’s value which kept the spark in the relationship alive.
- I was driving to work when my car broke down close to a traffic signal. I had to wait till my local mechanic could come to check the problem in the car. At this point, I saw a beggar- old and fragile whose body had withered away due to hunger and old age. I often saw him at the same signal and would occasionally help him with some money. This was the first time I looked at him so closely and was really moved at his condition. I decided to buy him some food so that he could have a decent meal. I got a meal packed from a nearby restaurant and gave it to him which he quickly put away in his bag. I asked him to eat it while it was still hot and he said, “The joy of eating it cold but with my wife will be much more than the joy of eating it hot but alone”. He blessed me and walked away with the food tucked inside his bag. I realized how much he must love and care for his wife. I could only stand in awe of this man who had nothing except love but was not willing to lose even a bit of it. Life can be hard but love makes the journey easier.
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