The feeling of being made for each other....

Aarti and Sahadeo were school time sweethearts. The feeling of being made for each other had struck them when they were still in grade nine at school. What sparked as a bond of friendship soon turned them to be the best of mates. It took them five long years to realize that their friendship had sweetly ripened to love. They tied the knot and vowed to stay together for ever. Aarti worked at a child care and Sahadeo was a cop. Life felt like a never ending romantic novel, with each chapter adding loads of love to their lives.

One fine afternoon, Aarti was driving back home from work. She was stuck in traffic at one of the busiest intersections of the city. Just then her mobile buzzed. It was her sister Sally on the phone. Aarti soon got indulged in Sally’s narration of her shopping spree while she was on a trip to Melbourne. Lost in Sally’s chit-chat, Aarti lost track of the traffic. She jumped a red light and failed to note a road train coming from her left. Her car was smashed like a toy and was dragged for fifty meters before the road train came to a halt. Her last memory was of the time of the impact.

After staying in comma for ten long days, Aarti finally opened her eyes. Sahadeo was delighted to see the love of his life regain senses. Their joy of making it through the deadly experience didn’t last for long. Though Aarti had successfully defeated death but destiny stole her eye-sight in return for her life. After a year of agony, Aarti was finally back to normal life. It took her a while to get used to doing things without being able to see them. Sahadeo helped her at every step. He encouraged her to focus on her other senses. Aarti gradually learned to recognize things by her touch.

Months of hard-work paid off, Aarti felt confident and decided to get back to her work. Sahadeo and Aarti worked on the opposite ends of the city. Every morning Sahadeo used to drive her to work before going to work and would pick her from her workplace after finishing work. This continued for two months before Sahadeo gave up. It had been too demanding for him to drive across the city in the morning as well as the evenings. He suggested that Aarti should start going to work by bus.

Aarti was hesitant and anxious at the start. Sahadeo offered to help. He patiently accompanied Aarti every morning and evening from home to work and back home. He made sure Aarti soon grew familiar with all the drivers and the stops to help her when she would travel on her own. Sahadeo her soul-mate had been her best-friend, her companion through the tough times and now he was her trainer. After a month’s practice and loving reassurances from Sahadeo, Aarti felt confident enough to travel to work on her own.

The door opened and Aarti stepped with a white stick. Feeling her way she climbed the stairs of the bus and finally made it to the seat the driver had told her was empty. Seating herself, she gently placed her handbag in her lap. She could feel her fingers tremble with anxiety. She was glad at her achievement so far and was hopeful she’ll be able to find her way to work soon. Everything went according to the plan. Every morning Sahadeo dropped her at the bust stop and picked her from the stop in the evening. Days moved on. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday even Thursday passed uneventful.

It was Friday morning. As Aarti made her way towards the bus door she heard the bus-driver exclaim, “You must be proud, how lucky you are.” Not sure whether the driver was speaking to her, Aarti wondered why a bus-driver would call a blind woman lucky. She couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked the driver, “Why would you think I am lucky?” The bus driver replied, “Every morning, when you get down from the bus there is a cop in uniform who watches you from a distance. Makes sure you get down well and make your way across the road safely. Once you cross the road and enter the building, he flies a kiss your way and salutes with love beaming in his eyes.”