Short story
Life is too short
Looking at Sangeetha a picture
of her mother, seated on the hospital lounge waiting to speak to me
brought back memories of her beautiful mother and our song.....
“Life is too short girl that’s why I must be moving on and on to keep
my body flowing, my mind growing baby.....”
Geetha and I met at Peradeniya University when we enrolled as medical
students and were instantly attracted to each other. I asked her help to
fill a particular form that I had not completed, and we started making
conversation. We liked each others company from the very beginning. She
was staying at her grandmother’s house and I was living close by in
Kandy. We were inseparable at campus and gradually our friendship turned
to love.
We made plans of our future together and we would marry one day, but
we decided that we should complete our studies first. Geetha would sing,
“life is too short ....” repeatedly and I too followed suit singing or
humming the song all the time, this was our song shared only by us. We
completed two years of studies together leading a happy and blissful
relationship when fate changed our course in life. Geetha had to part
suddenly due to her father being sick in Colombo. Later, she had to give
up her studies completely, as her father’s condition was worsening and
her parents wanted her back in Colombo.
Once we parted from campus we kept speaking to each other many times
of the day but we could not meet each other often. I was too busy with
my studies and she was busy looking after her father whose condition was
deteriorating day by day. Even during this period Geetha would always
sing, “Life is to short ....” and I too would repeat after her when we
speak to each other. Her father and family members wanted to give Geetha
in marriage before the inevitable could take place. I went to meet her
parents and formally proposed to marry their daughter. Unfortunately
they did not consider my proposal as I was still studying and felt that
I was not in a position to take the responsibility of marriage at that
time. Geetha was their only daughter and they wanted the best for her.
My parents too opposed my intentions, as they wanted me to qualify
myself as a doctor first before settling down to marry.
We parted with heavy hearts, but Geetha was not in a position to
oppose her parents’ wish mainly because of her father’s condition. We
kept in touch but realized that we will never be able to be together. I
vouched that I would never marry anyone else, even though she had no
choice in the matter; she too felt that she would not be happy with
onyone else but me. She would always sing, “Life is too short ....” and
I would repeat the song after her.
We finally gave up our relationship after many sorrowful months as we
decided that we were not destined to be together but we would meet one
day. On completing my studies in medicine I left Sri Lanka to specialise
in Cardiology. By this time Geetha was married to her cousin and they
had a daughter, Sangeetha. I sing the song ‘Life is too short....’ by
myself now, whenever I feel lonely and was never in a position to sing
it to someone else or with someone else. I was leading a lonely life but
I kept myself busy by working and thinking of the good times we had
together. I could never find anybody to suit me maybe because I was
comparing them to Geetha.
Today, I operated Geetha with my team of doctors, as she had suffered
a severe heart attack and had to undergo bypass surgery. Now, as I walk
towards her daughter Sangeetha, I see her mother instead of her and hear
our song, “Life is too short...” I speak to Sangeetha and the rest of
her family members and tell them that the operation was a success.
They recognise me and tell me that Geetha’s husband had died when her
daughter was a little child and she had a hard life bringing her up as a
single parent. Geetha had vehemently refused to marry again even though
there were many who wanted to marry her. Her daughter, Sangeetha is
studying medicine at Colombo University and is on the verge of
completing her studies.
She is engaged to be married to a batchmate and Geetha had been keen
that they should complete their studies before settling down. Suddenly I
hear our song and when I turn around, I see Sangeetha singing, “Life is
too short....” She tells me that her mother sings this song very often
from the time she was very small and now she too sings it as it is her
favourite as well. Fate finally has brought us together!
Saffiya
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