the WOODEN stick

the WOODEN stick

 Dry leaves falling over my thighs, I looked up. The sky was dark! I barely wanted the clouds to rain, at least to hide my tears. I was sitting over the bench situated at the corner of the EDWARD FREDERICK park with my legs wide open. I haven't visited parks since my teens. But here I am! Because of Abira. she is fond of parks.

1:52 p.m - my dial showed."Just 8 more minutes to kill my day off"-I said myself. I couldn't bear my pain, so hung my head over my lap.

A wooden stick hit my legs. I looked up.

"Could you please move?" - an 80-year-old man leaning over his stick asked me. I turned around and saw many vacant benches, but I was too weak to argue. So I just moved.

With a deep exhale coming out of his nose and mouth, I could sense his relaxation of sitting. He looked very odd. He was wearing an old-fashioned leather jacket that said REED over the shoulders. It was of 1900's fashion kind. In contrastingly he wore trousers of the new age.

I swear! He looked dumb!

He turned to my wide opened legs, pointing to them with a smile he asked-"Could you please...?... It's hard keeping my legs straight."

Yes, he had a point! He is an old man, how could he cripple and sit? I turned to him-"Sorry! I can't. I've got a problem."

He stared at me for a while and started to laugh mockingly.

"I'm serious. Not bluffing. I've got a problem" I said.

Again he smiled at me mockingly. 

This time I got furious. I yelled.

"I have prostate cancer, can't move my legs. Enough??".

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" saying so he stood up and was about to leave. But he stopped, thought for a while, and sat back at the same place.

"I'll.....just....I'll adjust! will not be a trouble!" half mindedly he turned.

I just got back staring at my dial. It triggered me even more

"Why won't she come soon?" I asked myself. A hand tapped me.

"Waiting for your girlfriend?" the old man asked.

I was about to say "It's none of your business." I turned and looked at him. My mouth got shut for no reason. I just nodded and turned away.

"Your girlfriend knows about this?" pointing to my legs he asked.

I couldn't resist anymore. His eyes gave me the warmth I've never received. My mouth opened.

"Her name is Abira. I know her from my childhood. She is such a sweet person you could ever meet. Abira and I love each other. We even planned to get married. I was even about to propose her, wanting her to be my wife. But...."I choked. Tears covering my eyes, I couldn't speak anymore. His warm hands curled me up. I broke down. Like a 6-year-old crying to his mother, I broke down. 

I got up, rubbing my eyes, I continued...

"I had pain between my legs for a long time. I didn't take that seriously. But last week I couldn't bear the pain and so I went to the hospital. Yesterday I got the report that I have Prostate cancer. 3rd stage they said. It shattered my world. The world I built with my family and Abira, just got shattered in a second." I sighed out hard.

 "I don't want Abira to know that I have cancer. She can't take it! And I don't want her to marry me. Abira deserves much more than a stage-3 cancer patient."

He looked up at me with pity eyes.

"So,I decided to break up! " I said and  looked down. I couldn't handle the heaviness. 

"Won't that hurt her?"

I smiled-"Not as much as marrying a cancer patient who is gonna go tomorrow!"

"You may get cured!" he said building a hope.

"I may die too!" I said killing it."I don't want her to live with an uncertain man. She deserves a happy life."

The old man half smiled and took his hand away from me.

"Break up!" he half-smiled again mockingly.

"Are you ready for it?" he asked me.

"Definitely not! "- "I don't know what to say. The pain of breaking her up is more than the pain my scrotum gives". I thought for a while.

"Have you ever done  break-up?" I asked him.

He laughed. But I could sense pain in the laugh. Then he spoke.

"Went through a break-up!" He sighed hard and continued.

"Even I was in a relationship, long back in your days. Her name is Asifa. We used to talk all day long in this park. Right here! pointing our bench he said. Back then only 3 benches were there. Among them we used to choose this one for privacy!" he laughed.

I looked at the rust over the bench I was seated on.

"20 December 1951- the last day I met her! The last hug I gave her. The bye I waved her not even expecting that would be the last!

The next day I came to the park. Waited for the whole evening. She didn't meet up. Went to her home, went to every place that I know she would be, but couldn't see her. The next day too, I couldn't find her. Instead, I found a letter over the bench. A letter from her sister. It said Asifa was hospitalized she doesn't want me to wait up in the park anymore!

That 'anymore' throbbed my heart." He said with a hardness on his face. 

"I went away searching every hospital looking for her. At last, I found where she was admitted. But still, I couldn't meet her.  I found her report. It said she had breast cancer." a drop of water ran from his eyes.

"I know she broke with me because she doesn't want to hurt me as you said. Asifa broke with me to give me a new life. She gave me a new life, but I did not accept it. I don't! "

"Every month of 20 I used to visit this park, wearing the REED jacket - her favorite. " He smiled.

"she hugs me and says 'your REED made me hug ,not you!' still I remember it" he smiled happily with a tear in his eyes. 

"I know I can't get her back but from that day I visit the park at least to cherish our old memories." Rubbing his eyes he hit me with the stick"You poor teen! Made me cry!" He said

I smiled.

"Of course you are not gonna say you have prostate cancer, but at least say to her that you can't  fold your legs and sit in front of their parents. sadly,People expect that " He said wynking at me.

I laughed. 

"No one should love. Be it 6,16 or 60, no one should love " he said and smiled  

I starred at my legs. There was a moment of complete silence. We went to our own worlds, I thought. But he broke it.

"Abira wears specs right? " he asked. I nodded my head suspiciously looking at him.

"She is tiny too right and has a tiny hair to match it "he smiled and said. I was astonished. "How do you know??" I asked with a wide-open mouth.

Smiling he said-"Cause I don't have eye cancer!" 

He laughed and told me to look behind. "Is she Abira?". He asked.

And there came my girl. She came with an army of old women holding placards saying "CANCER AWARENESS!". she is part of some social group, but why would she bring them to our talk? Some placard said "INDO-PAK AWARENESS PROGRAM". 

As they approached us, the old man started to tremble. His eyes buldged.

"ASIFA!!" he said and stood up. This time he did not lean over his old stick. Hearing the name an old woman among the army looked up at him. She was in shock. She looked with astonishment, surprise, doubt, love towards the man. Tears running from his eyes, the old man pointed himself and smilingly nodded "Atman!" When she heard the name, she started to cry. She knelt covering her mouth, she cried. The old man dropped his stick and walked slowly towards her. Picked her up and smiled with tears. She hugged him tightly. Both cried hard but wearing a smile over their face. choking with tears, she said "Your REED made me hug...... not you...." half-sentenced, half-tears half-smile, she said. Atman smiled too. 

Atman spoke up. 

"Why?" the warm eyes started to attack Asifa now.

She kept quite avoiding eye contact. Then slowly she looked up and shattered out.

"I had breast cancer! I didn't want you to get hurt. I was not assured of my life and I don't want you to marry a girl dying tomorrow.  But. Hardly I wanted to fight cancer for you! I wanted to get back to my life and be with you. I fought and I won it too. But."

she said and choked .

" But........ The partition! The partition!!!  I lost you Atman!!!" saying she broke down. Atman held her in arms. Atman consoled her like a baby. She even fell like a baby in his hands.

"Even now I came as a part of this!" saying she pointed the placards.

"But now you are here!" with beaming watery eyes, Atman said.

Both smiled and hugged again.

The moment was beautiful. I've never seen such true love in my life! The sky no longer looked dark. The old leaves beautified the rusted bench. A tear ran from my eye too. I felt something different. I felt like I gained something. Something stange came in me, I felt.

Suddenly a hand tapped me.

I turned.

"Why did you want me to meet up?" with a glow in her eyes and not even understanding a bit about what was running around, my tiny Abira asked me.

I smiled. 

I kneeled over the grass and took the wooden stick Atman dropped. Facing it to her I asked

"Would you marry me?"

Your's curely,

Mr. nothing