Tale of a Different Love

Going back to past and bringing out something from memory

Recently after several years what frequently visits my mind is an old memory. 
Even I can remember the exact day, time, month and year. But still I am not certain that the day was a special day or just like some other ordinary day. 
In the afternoon Mostofa, one of my friends, told me the way like giving information that Sandhya was waiting for me in the bank of river Nagor. 
Sandhya was a very beautiful girl of Chandpur, a lovely small village near to mine. Also she was a student of the same school I was. Even we were studying in the same class. As classmates we could meet, we could talk. That was always considered as normal and normally we did so. 
But waiting I mean she was waiting in the bank of a river seemed to me a bit abnormal. I was really thinking was she in need of help of me or waiting to tell something very serious? Probably I had not wasted much time to start running towards her to the bank of Nagor river.
The river Nagor is a narrow lake like beautiful river flows beside both of our villages which has beautified them delicately and become an object of attraction for distant people to pay their visits frequently. 
However, I met her and found she was as normal as always.
Out of her long practiced habit she asked first with smile "How are you?"
"I’m fine." I replied. I also told that "I am anxious to be sure that you are not in any trouble."
"No, I’m not. I am fine too." She promptly replied and also told "But I want to know something from you, not like serious one." 
I agreed and pleaded her desperately.
She said "Yes, telling. Let’s walk some way."
Standing side by side we started walking and walked for not less than 10 minutes. Then she stopped walking and stood in the shadow of a small Banyan tree, issued a signal for me too to stop and stand in front of her.
I was pleading her again to tell what she wanted to know.
Firs she took her eyes a bit up, looked at me and asked," Is there someone who loves you?"
I kept silent for quite sometimes without giving any sign to open my mouth so soon. But, yeah, this is true, in my silent mood I reiterated a few words as a single sentence probably more than hundred times-"Sandhya, only you know that you love me or you do not love me."
She understood my condition and without further waiting to hear answer from me she preferred to asked another question-"Or do you love someone?"
Yes, I love her. I love her more than anything else under the earth. And I was about to say I love you Sandhya, only you I love but stopped abruptly for an unknown reason. Instead I told "Yeah, I have someone I like, I love and I would tell you everything but not today. I need sometimes, may be few more days."
She nodded and told "OK. I would be waiting."
That was all from both of us before taking off.
The next day I attended the school as usual and was looking for Sandhya. But she was not within my eye sight till the end of school hour. 
The same thing happened in next few more days. 
I was becoming more desperate, more impatient. I was thinking to find out any source to know her whereabouts. It was difficult to find anyone I could depend. But finding no any alternative I took risk in depending on Anjali who is also from the same village of Sandhya. 
One day I called her to a corner of our school building and inquired about Sandhya. 
"She has gone to visit her relatives in India." She informed. I knew she had a lot of relatives somewhere of West Bengal in India and she might take time to come back if she paid visits to all of those relatives. I thought.
Again the turn of my waiting started. It was hard and painful but I was waiting keeping carefully in a corner of mind a hope of Sandhya's return.
With the passage of every 24 hours a new day appeared but the disappearance of Sandhya continued.
One day our cultural teacher gave some of us the charge of arranging a cultural program.  
I always loved such kind of programs. No one could be satisfied without my presence or performance in such types of programs. As usual all the students including teachers were expecting me to do something.  
Yes, I did. 
What I did was a recitation from a small poem composed by me. I composed that poem remembering Sandhya. I don't know how it was but all accepted it with acclamation.
I think through my behavior I was showing a little change in me. I am not sure but I guess this nowadays because one of my favorite teachers called me one day and suggested to give attention to study for next final exam. 
I engaged myself in studying. I cannot count now how many days gone by. Anjali met me one day and told me that she had some information of Sandhya. I started requesting her to tell without losing of even a single moment. 
"Sandhya came back." She told. "But..., she continued, she would not come to school anymore."
Then she stopped for a while. I noticed a little change appeared over her face as a patch of clouds appears in the sky covering the sun. Anjali started again "Her marriage has almost been settled." She mentioned a possible date. 
I took quite sometimes to count. Only fifteen days remain for Sandhya to be a bride first then a wife to someone else.
Anjali finished telling what she had about Sandhya and begged for departure. I thanked her and said Ok Anjali.
Then I heard Sandhya got married exactly after fifteen days to a boy belonging to affluent business class somewhere from Noagaon district. 
After the marriage of Sandhya being solemnized I tried to forget her but could not, I tried to avoid hearing any information about Sandhya but somehow it reached my ear. 
Earlier I could not be happy with the happy life that she was leading with her husband. But later believe me I wished her always leading not only happy but a happier life. Because I loved and I love her even today.
"I love her" is a small sentence of a few words which I wanted to tell her and waited for long but could not. I am waiting to tell the same in a sense even today. 
If I meet her someday even the day before my death I will tell her about my love. But it would be the tale of a different love.
To let her know my love I would not wait standing beside a river, sea or ocean rather would go wherever she is. It may be in her house, outside or wayside. It does not a matter if it is in the morning, noon, afternoon or evening. I would not care even if it is in the scorching sun or heavy stormy rain. Without wasting a single moment I would tell her that Jesus has loved me abundantly without imposing any condition. 
I would take out a small copy of New Testament from my pocket and opening up the book of Saint John 3:16 I would let her read it out. I knew she was meritorious student and a girl of quick and sharp brain. I believe she would be able to grasp what the message the verse bears. But I would not miss the opportunity to explain it as brief as possible saying-"This Jesus who himself is God came down to the earth in human form that I get an eternal life being freed from the bandage of sins. And to do so He took up my sins upon His own shoulders, carried it to the hill of Calvary and sacrificed His life through an unusual and shameful death on the cross. But in three days defeating death He has risen and came out of the tomb now, I will show her another scripture portion from the same book of John 14:3 and tell, in heaven He is busy with preparing house for me that I can live with Him forever after termination of this temporary worldly life through death."
I will show some more scripture portions to let her know how He has loved the people, how He has helped them in spite of being severely, cruelly and inhumanly persecuted. 
I will show her Luke 23:34 before telling still He forgave those who persecuted Him without finding any faults.

I have been plunged into the deepness of his love.

He has not only loved me but also forgave and offered me a new life which is of hope, truth and sanctification. I am not beggar of love now. I am rich, so rich that goes beyond imagination. Now I can love not only a particular girl like you but all, all people of the world irrespective of gender, nation, religion, uglier or fairer, older or younger.

Moreover, I can forgive you and even my enemies.