A Long Wait
Author Rizwan Ahmed Memon
Author Rizwan Ahmed Memon
In
this big world, we all are living in different circumstances. Some of us have
happiness, and some of us have sorrow. Sometimes we enjoy the company of our
loved ones, and at other times our heart burns in the fire of separation from
our beloveds. The wait for our beloveds has its own charms. Sometimes it
tortures us, other times it consoles our heart with the knowledge that one day
our beloved will return.
Those
of us who face this wait know exactly how hard it is. One such person was Raja,
a young, handsome man, whose classmate, Robina, had gone on summer vacation to
France. They both learned English Literature in Larkana in an institute named
TRLCL.
“In
today’s lecture we will discuss Romanticism,” said Rizwan, the lecturer.
“Robina, do you have any idea what romanticism is?” asked the teacher.
“Romanticism
is a movement in which the authors wrote about nature and the beauty of their
beloveds. They were sick of the smoke of the city. They liked to be alone in
the beautiful valleys, and liked to sit on the banks of the river, and enjoy
the beauty of the natural objects.”
“Very
good,” commented the lecturer. Then the teacher continued the lecture. In the
first days of class, Raja and Robina didn’t know much about each other. As the
days went by, they started to exchange views about literature, writers and
their works. They even began to go out for a cup of tea together almost every
evening. They would sit in Sapna Hotel, take tea, and chat. Robina read novels
of Hardy and Jane Austin to Raja. And Raja would read poetry of Keats, Shelly
and Byron to Robina.
“You
belong to the Romantic period. That’s what I feel,” she commented when Raja
finished reading “La Belle Dam sans Merci”, by John Keats.
“And
you seem to belong to the Classical period,” replied Raja.
“You
are right. I believe in reality. I know that emotions break a man; make him
feeble.”
“Maybe,
but emotions are what make us do anything. Emotion is the reason you are here
with me.”
“Is
it emotion or fate?”
“Do
you believe in fate?”
“No,
I don’t. I believe in free will.”
“Wasn’t
our class destined, which led us to meet?”
“I
don’t know. I guess it was my choice to attend the class.”
Raja
and Robina didn’t agree on many things. However, they had the tolerance to hear
and value each other’s ideas and beliefs.
One
evening, while they were taking tea at the hotel, Robina said, “I am going to
France for a vacation with my family. I will be back in December.”
“What?
No, you cannot! You are kidding, right?”
“I
am not kidding. I am going to France.”
“See,
I have become used to meeting you. And it is not easy for me to live without
you.”
“I am
your friend, not your wife that you wouldn’t be able to live without,” she
replied with laughter.
The
news of her sudden departure reached Raja’s door through a letter. She promised
to return in December. It was all the same for Robina whether she was with Raja
or not, but it was so hard for Raja to live without her. Sometimes, we attach
our hearts to someone so tightly that when they are detached, they hardly beat.
After
Robina left, the class no longer had any charm for Raja. The hotel, the tea
didn’t amuse Raja anymore. It was the laughter of Robina, her voice, that had
won his heart. He stopped going to the literature class and the hotel. He
waited for her under the trees, at the bank of the river, and in the streets.
“Perhaps
I will have to spend my rest of life in her memories now.” Raja slowly
whispered to himself as he crushed a dried, yellow leaf, that had fallen from
the tree he was sitting under, in his fist. “The dew shows that winter is near;
and the date of her promise to return in December is approaching, but still,
there is no sign of her. Autumn will soon end, but it seems my separation from
my friend will be prolonged,” Raja continued.
Raja
had written many letters to her, but she hadn’t answered any letter. “I will
write her the last letter if she doesn’t arrive in December,” he whispered to
himself.
December
ended. Robina didn’t come.
“Dear
Robina,
You
didn’t keep your promise. You didn’t come back. Maybe it was your free will.
Well, my crazy heart should now understand that you will never come back. My
eyes should stop watching for you. And my mind should stop thinking about you.
I have come to know that you have started a new life in France. I was a very
naïve man who quickly fell in love with you. I will try to forget you as you
have forgotten me.
Your
friend,
Raja”
After
the letter, for the rest of his life Raja couldn’t forget her. He never
married, and spent his life reading, writing, and teaching literature at The
REAL Learning Center Larkana. Deep in his heart, Raja kept waiting for her all
of his life.
