SNEH.....A Short Story

She was staring at the train schedule screen at the busy Churchgate Station.Lost in oblivion she was recalling,how he would come to collect her from there and together they would board the Andheri Slow Local.He had special liking for slow local trains as it gave him 10 minutes more with her.With the evening sea breeze blowing her hair,he would keep on arranging them,and she would keep on blabbering in and out on how her day had been.With roasted groundnuts in his hand he would keep on throwing one by one to her mouth.She had always sensed jealousy and pleasure in the co-passengers.She seldom missed any of them,infact he was really good at it.

Three years later,she was married now.The turmoils and the great days together kept on bringing smiles to her.Memories and memoirs were indeed worth cherishing.She had been expecting,since last six months.The maternity leave application had been accepted today by her superiors at the Bank.Fellow female Colleagues kept on taunting and commenting her,she was the best after all in the area she handled.She was pregnant during the peak period of her career,and well thats not acceptable nowadays by the success driven society.The society which itself doesnt know the definition of success.

She felt bit remorse and gloomy.Reasons she didnt know herself.Perhaps something should not have happened.Perhaps they should have excersised precautions.Perhaps,they shouldnt have married.And a random thought too,hopefully it will be a miscarriage and she will be back to her desk.

A tear trickled out,Sneh had ensured nothing happens to her.Disciplined evening and Morning strolls,well designed diet,proper nutrients/medicines on time.She recalled how he got rid of his smoking habit,saying it could harm her and the baby.Every saturday he would take her to the doctor just to ensure all was fine.Checked her virtually via Online modes or phone calls every two hours.She recalled,how he begged before her Mom,to be available during delivery.She recalled how he sobbed when her mother declined it and said she was no longer related.

A tender touch over the shoulder,anybody else would have stuttered and shivered.But Priya knew the touch,it was of the dream,of the comfort,of the cushion,of the pain,of the love,of Sneh.He turned her slowly towards him,kept his left hand over her head.She felt like crying again,then smiled.Natural reaction her face had whenever they touched his shoulders since the first time they had touched.

'Doctor has restricted against groundnuts,today we'll be playing with grapes,fresh from Nagpur.'He excitingly murmured into her ears.