LOVE STORY

 

That day my eyes were opened 5 minutes before the alarm went off . I woke up at 7. The sun was already shining bright and warm.I took a bath and freshen up. Checked my mail. Sat at the chair with a cup of tea and my book for an hour. I got out of the hotel room at 10. The day had started to heat up. I had worn a light white shirt and cotton pants. I reached the village after a half hour drive. I had planned to talk to the locals that day about their lifestyle. I talked to the leader of the tribe for some time. He told me they had lived there for almost 20 generations. Some local woman offered me goat's milk. I had never tried it before. It was thicker than cow's milk and sweeter. This was my first visit to Asia. I found the people there kind and welcoming. 

Some girl nearly in her early twenties came running towards the group I was talking to. She said something with the terror in her voice. I did not understand a word she said but definitely felt some trouble. Everybody ran behind her after listening to her. I followed them too. Her child was sick. He was a little boy around 3 years old. The boy was rolling his eyes and turning blue. I thought they would take him to the hospital but a man carried the boy and ran towards the woods.  As we reached the entrance everyone started to scream something. I sensed they were calling somebody. I was confused but they seemed to know exactly what they were doing. So I didn't bother asking anything and stayed quiet. I saw a girl running through the woods half a mile away. The trees were shadowing her at some moment and at the other sunlight reached upto her face and reflected back. As she came closer I could see her thick curls waving to and fro. Her height was around 5 7. Her body looked really strong. As she was closer every second,I could smell the herbal scent getting much stronger. I didn't notice that she had something in her hands till she sat down and placed the baby on her lap. She signaled everyone to step back. She squeezed the leaves on her hand and uttered some words in a heavy voice. Then she put it near the boy's nose as if she wanted him to pull its essence inside him. She put her hands on his chest and rubbed it while singing something. After 5 minutes the boy opened his eyes. The boy's mother held him and thanked the girl joining her hands with teary eyes. The girl said nothing and left. I was amazed to see her and what she did. She was not dressed like the other women of the village. Though the fabrics were similar her style was different. She had wrapped the fabric many times around her bust which gave her tight fitting as a bra. Down she had worn a skirt upto the thighs which looked like it was stitched with many pieces of different clothes. Her accent also did not match with the villagers. Her skin, hair and facial structure suggested to me as she was an african. I watched her while she was walking away. She had amazing hair. Long thick lustrous curls tips were touching the dimples on the hips. She jumped and teased the monkey as it was her friend. She walked collecting the dry branches. My eyes were witnessing the most extraordinary things in my life.Someone distracted my focus by calling me. I looked back. The villagers had already reached a few meters away. I rushed toward them quickly. My eyes were still turning back until I could see her. 

I asked the village leader about her. 

"She is a mad woman. She came here 2 years ago we do not know from where. We were a little concerned at first but she did not interfere with us. And also as you saw she does magic to heal our children from forest sickness.”

“Forest sickness?” I repeated in a confused manner.

“Yes, forest sickness. Little children catch it if they go to the forest alone. We warn our children about it. But you know how children are. Before her many of our children had died because of it. Though she is a mad woman she saves our children so we do not want her to leave." 

I returned back to the hotel in the afternoon. I wanted to go back to the forest just to see her. I lay down on the bed thinking about her. My amazement was more by her presence than the treatment. To that day I had met many women from different backgrounds and fields. Many smart, beautiful and strong women. My colleagues and classmates at the university. I respect them all for their brilliance but never felt this way before. During my Phd one of my friends had confessed her feelings toward me. She was everything I could think of in a woman but since I knew I could not give her the love she deserved I had rejected her proposal. I had never been drawn to a woman like that before." Why do I feel something that I never felt before ? Why do I want to go back to see her again?" I questioned myself.  The only way to find the answer was meeting her again. I completed my report  and went to bed waiting for the next day to begin. Next day I was planning to study the vegetation there. This way I could go to the forest and see her. The forest was not a dense one. But the villagers said they could see tigers once or twice a year. Other wildlife includes monkeys and a variety of birds mostly. I started searching for her. I had reached nearly in the middle but didn't see her. Suddenly something dropped on my head. I looked up and there she was, on the tree. She was eating some wild fruits. She threw one to me. It was a round green thing the size of a peach with soft thorns. I ate it. It tasted like citrous fruits. I tried to talk to her but she jumped off the tree, gave me another fruit and walked away. I followed her. She turned around, lifted a branch of a tree from the ground and hit me on my legs. She spoke in an angry voice. I can understand french, japanese, spanish, african even sanskrit but I did not know what the hell she was saying. Once she said " Go" in english though. I stopped following then. I studied the plants and collected some rare species of herbs. The next day as I saw her I followed her without her knowledge very quietly. She reached the pond and started to take off her clothes. She stripped off every clothes in her body. I turned around as I felt ashamed of myself watching a woman naked. But I could not resist for long. I was peeking for some moment and turned back quickly. Just then something dramatic happened just as in a movie. Four teenage boys saw her naked and went towards the pond. I also ran towards them thinking they would try to hurt her. One of the boys put his hands on her shoulder. She held his wrist, twisted the hand to the back and slapped him. As I reached closer  the boys were already leaving. It was no less than a fiction so I was willing to pinch myself to confirm If I wasn't dreaming. Then I saw the red mark on my leg from the stick which had confirmed me already about her reality. Her big dark eyes glazed at mine as I was some predator.  When I think about that moment now something interesting has happened . It is obvious that the sexual tension turned me back on the bushes and made me peek again and again . But when our eyes were locked I did not want to escape my eyes from hers' to look anywhere else in her body. I realize now that it was more than attraction. It was a connection. Our energies were transferring to each other. She went back to her bath without saying a word. But honestly I was prepared mentally to get a slap or a flying rock to hit me on forehead. I didn't want to take a chance further so I walked away after watching her from back perfectly for a few seconds. I went back where I was hiding. This time I did have no intention to watch her. I closed my eyes and listened to every sound from the pond. Mostly the splashing of the water. I imagined her washing her hair. I imagined her hands touching her body parts softly. I imagined her rubbing her neck to clean dirt. I imagined her floating on the pond relaxed. I was blushing from within by my own imagination. I did not need to invade her privacy for that. Isn't imagination a powerful tool? We have a freedom to choose what we want to see and how we want to feel. She started to sing. I was surprised because it sounded like hip hop. The tone of her voice matches the arabian this time. Her origin had confused me already and with the hip hop blending with that accent, I was tangled more. I enjoy the song anyway. I realised she had a beautiful voice this time otherwise I had only listened her shouting. I wondered why the villagers said that she is a mad woman. Does staying alone and minding their own business make a person mad? Or speaking a different tongue and dressing different makes mad? I didn't find any hint that supported their statement. Her sound started to distant away so I turned around to look at her. She had finished her bath. I did not want to follow her again. I already had my moment with her for the day. I returned back to the village and talked to the people about the medical herbs found in the forest.

The hotel where I was staying was in a city. It was a tourist area especially. I used to walk around the city in the evening after I returned from the village. Many peaceful monasteries were located in the crowded city. The local vendor at the street selling the handcrafts would show me his collections everyday. He may have seen hundreds of faces like mine everyday so he may not remember me. Or he may  but with a hope I would buy something today, shows me his items all over again. I loved his enthusiasm for his business. Also his storytelling about the crafts changed everyday slightly to some extent. Street food was also the specialty of the city. I used to try new snacks everyday. They all tasted somewhat the same to me probably because of the regularity in seasoning. I used to imagine walking besides her in the city at night. Listening to her endless talk without understanding a word. Holding her hands in a crowd or an empty street. I would imagine her laughing and dancing even when I had never seen her do so. Those  daydreaming always brought a smile to my face. 

Next day I went searching for her in the woods as usual. I was determined that I would talk to her anyway. I walked all the way up to her home without a glance of her. It was near to the pond. I was impressed by her strength already  but the engineering she had put on that hut was amazing. It looked way different than the houses in the village. The most interesting part was the base design. The wooden base of the hut was built on the stack of stone stands on four corners and one at the center. It gave the appropriate ground clearance. The walls were of bamboo bound together. The roof was made of wooden plank just as the base. The roof was covered with mud,algae and dense leaves. She wasn't there either. I went a little further where there was an empty space around half a football ground big. She was sitting folding her legs with hands on her lap and eyes closed. She was wearing thin cotton cloth upto her thighs.The shape of her breasts and her nipples were perfectly visible. I didn't want to disturb her meditation so I waited there quietly. Hour passed but she didn't make a single movement. I got a little concerned. I even checked her breathing. I didn't know what to do next. So I opened my laptop and sat there working on my report. I got worried to leave her alone. What if some person or animal tried to harm her? But my poor thoughts came to reality immediately. I realised she had lived alone in that forest for two years. I should have been more frightened about me than her. Although the facts were saying to me it was okay to leave but I couldn't do so. I decided to stay there until she opens her eyes. The night had already arrived and was getting cold. I found some fruits and yams inside the hut to eat. Her home was better managed than I had thought of. She had one iron pan to cook, a few aluminium plates and a smoothen coconut shell. She even had an indoor plant planted on the thick curvy bark of the tree. She had a clean blanket and sheet as well. I burned the fire near her. Her face looked really powerful as the light from fire touched her. It was the same as I had seen her for the first time. I lie down placing the same blanket beneath and above of me. I could not fall asleep. First I wondered if she was aware about me being there. Then I thought again that the concept of meditation refers to a complete awareness as well. If a person is not aware of the external environment how could he/she be alive. It was her inner control and discipline that she wasn't letting her affected by the external stimuli even being aware of it. That way I settled my curiosity about her awareness in my mind. I had practiced meditation for several years but long enough for half an hour at most. I started to compare my life with her at that moment. I am a researcher in a university but could not build a house like hers with my knowledge. I had been surrounded by people all my life but cannot be as blissful as her even being alone. I might know the outer world but not my inner self as her. How could I even know the outer world too, living in a concrete city? Before she came here she may have stayed somewhere else. And before that some other place. I surely lack a bigger picture of life like the villagers who called her mad. She was stronger than me and may live a longer life as well. As I realised all these things her way of life fascinated me even more. I was ignorant enough to think that me travelling to new places, knowing the new culture,experiencing different food were all greatest things in life. I used to think that it was all I needed to connect to the world and nature. I had not realised up till then that stillness has its own importance. On the contrary exploring the world within may teach way more about connecting to the world. 

I do not remember when I fell asleep. I woke up only when the sun rays tickled  my eyes. My first thought was about her. I rolled my eyes towards her. She was still in the same position. I wasn't surprised at all because I had already imagined both the possible futures.First one if she was still meditating and second one if she had completed it. I didn't have the plan to go through in case of the first one though. I was unable to predict how long it would last. I had my return ticket booked for the next day. But I had no intention to leave without talking to her once. It just didn't feel right from inside. So I decided to stick with my first choice I had made yesterday. I returned to the hotel in the afternoon. I took a bath, charged my phone and laptop, ate and returned to her fully prepared for my stay. I had brought some snacks and a sleeping bag. I did not want to make her blanket dirty. I wasn't concerned about distracting her with my sounds anymore. I knew that it was not going to happen. She had not given that power to anybody else. So I sat there sometimes laughing at my laptop screen, sometimes talking while pretending we were having a conversation. I roamed around the forest and sat with the villagers. I even stayed quiet just staring at her for many hours. Four days were passed this way. I had cancelled my tickets . Then at the dawn of the fifth day she woke me up with a kiss on my lips. The water was dripping off her hair. As I lifted my back up straight she sat on my lap facing towards me. Surprised might not be the exact word to express my situation this time. She continuously kissed me. Her breath smelled like herbal tea. Her hair smelled like mud and her body smells like sandalwood. I was mesmerized by the emotion within me. She took off her clothes. I was stunned at what was happening. She pulled off mine too. I could only see the shadow of her body. Soon our legs were wrapped around each other. Even though my body was losing heat to her, I could feel the new energy rising up between us. My skin was touching every bit of her. My hands were wandering all over her with the mystical wonder. Her movements and sounds were creating magical feelings. We stayed in the same posture, me inside her hugging each other even after. I wasn't able to stay calm and quiet as she was. I started to whisper with no knowledge if she could understand me or not. I told her how happy I am. I told her that I thought about her every evening roaming through the city. I told her how beautiful she is. I also told her I had to leave tomorrow. As my whisper got louder along with my emotion she sush me patting my back. I slipped my fingers on her scalp slowly, kissed her shoulder a lot and tried to stay quiet. It was nearly fifteen minutes passed as we were like that. Then she stood up and vowed to the rising sun. 

I was having trouble with my feelings. I was happy about whatever happened but I had to leave the next day. I told her many times that I was leaving. I even asked if she understood english or not. She did not reply and continued walking. I stayed with her. She cooked some tasteless soup. We went to the pond and lay down there looking at the stars. She was quiet and I was simply staring at her. I had many things in my mind but yet not a single word came out of me. My feelings and thoughts were so random and extreme that I could not hang on to a single word so that could utter out of my mouth. I was blank. I was speechless. Yet I was feeling calm. All these sensations were absolutely new to me.

Her curls were all over her face as I woke up in the morning. I gently pulled my hand from her head. My clothes were on the pond from last night. I put them on and waited for her to wake up. She did some really clean stretches just lying on the bed after she opened her eyes. I told her again that I was leaving today. This time she held my hands and said 'Go'. I was still not able to figure out if she knew I won't be coming from tomorrow. I did not want to leave that way. I gave her the picture of me and my mom which I had in my wallet as a parting gift to make sure she knows. My eyes were teary when I kissed her goodbye. I promised to myself I would come back as soon as I could. 

Not a day passed by without missing her. I realised back home that I didn't know her name. I used to think why did she get closer to me that day. Why did she let me touch her? How did the fierce in those eyes change into affection? Was it a sympathy because I stayed with her? I had several questions that were never answered. I wasn't much into my work those days. One of my colleagues had complained about my efficiency and focus. I used to talk about every trip with them. I had not spoken a word about this one. Every time I used to change a subject when someone brought it up. I didn't want to share with anyone about her. I knew they wouldn't understand it. Once I wrote a poem.

I found you in a fairyland ,

Like someone turned a magic wand.

Everyday I dream of you and me in the wonderland,

Extending our adventure from sailing to sand.

Walking through the shore holding your hands,

I imagine myself to be the luckiest man.

The wind will be flaunting and drifting your hair,

But what your smile does is even not fair.

I know I have no control in my own fairytale,

Because you may have left and reached some other vale,

Although it may not be your personal trait,

But my hope and instinct tells me that you will wait.

I believe the destiny holds something for us,

So let the future set up it's way thus,

Step by step to the wonderland,

Step by step to our fairytale.

After 8 months and four days I went back to visit my love. I was afraid about the possibility that she might not be there. I left my bag at the hotel and quickly rushed to see her. The villagers had seen me staying with her. As I crossed the village some of the women were smiling at me. I didn't talk to anybody. As I reached the forest I couldn't slow down my legs. I ran like an athlete running towards the finish line until I reached her home. She was laying on bed. As she sensed the sound she opened her eyes and saw me.She looked at me with a smile. I thought she would give some extreme reaction whether it may be surprised, angry or happy. But no. Her expression was calm as seeing a person who she met everyday or someone she had been expected to see. She didn't wake up from the bed, else she called me up to her with a hand gesture. I sat down, held her hands and kissed them. I was touching her cheeks and hair with a great relief that she was still there. She held my hand and started to take it under the blanket. I wasn't sure what she was doing. She put my hand on her belly and kept her on top of mine. She started to move my hand around. It took a few  moments before my consciousness hit me with the idea of what she was saying. It was the most unexpected and unimaginable moment of my life. My eyes were filled with tears. I wasn't able to say or do anything for almost a minute. Then I removed the blanket and kissed on her belly crying like a little child. Yes, she was pregnant. She was eight months pregnant. I made her pregnant and left her alone in the forest. She had carried water from the riverfall. She had climbed trees for fruits. She had dug for the yams. She had carried wooden logs . How hard it would have been to her doing it all. I was mixed with guilt, joy, fear and long sets of questions about the future ahead. I wouldn't lie, yes I was scared to my core. I had never thought about marriage, family or children. But here it was, an unplanned and unexpectedly beautiful future ahead of me. The courage she had made me feel okay to be scared. I just needed to be with her. 

Yesterday was the 5th birthday of our daughter. Day by day she looks more like her mother. The same vibrant skin, same hair and same eyes. Her name is Julo. Her mother gave her this name. She is an extraordinary child. She is kind, cute and very smart. She started to play piano at 3. She amuses me everyday with little things she does. She can easily figure out my mood. Hugs me and says, " I will protect you". Yeah she says that every time when I am low. She calls me Amo, also the name given by her mother to me. She calls me Dad only if someone else is around. Like I said she is a smart kid. Yesterday I asked her if she misses her mother. She said, " No.. why will I miss her? She came to visit me in my dream. You know, she wished me a happy birthday before you."

Just like her mother, she never stops surprising me. I said again, " Your mother never came to my dream. I think she loves only you."  She immediately replied, " No, you silly. Because you don't understand her language as I do. She loves us both." I laughed at her quirky reply and asked her again, " So, you silly know her language. Hmm? " 

"Yes. She taught me while we used to stay in the forest."

I was getting curious.

"Who told you that we lived in a forest?"

"No one. I stayed there. Why should anyone else tell me about it?" 

" You were a little baby back then. How would you know? Are trying to fool Amo you smarty pants" I tickled her stomach. 

She replied along with my tickle laughing," No. I really remember everything. We had a house. A pond nearby. Mom had made a swing for me on the tree. See I know everything."

I was shocked. We lived in a forest until she was 2. How could a two year old remember all those things? And about the language. I remember her talking to Julo. Julo would listen to her mother with her eyes wide open and a mussy laugh at intervals. She used to do so even before she could talk.

She continued, " I also remember the day she left us. She cut my braid and put it on her bag. We talk about it in my dreams also."

I could not say anything at this moment. I hugged her. My eyes got cloudy. Julo was the greatest gift anyone could ever give me. She disappeared one day leaving us alone. That day I ran through the whole forest crying and screaming. Waited a month with a little hope that she may return. I was angry and heartbroken. Julo became my strength. Now I have already forgiven her. I think about her everyday. I imagine her lying on some beach. Taking a bath in a waterfall splashing the water as always. I imagine her observing the bird's nest keenly for several hours. She may think about me and Julo while the parents birds feed the baby through their beak. I can never forget us making faces and noises to make Julo laugh. Dancing and singing her arabian song. Racing and she won every time even while carrying Julo. She has taught me head stand. It took me 2 months after everyday practice. I got better at climbing too. Every moment was like a fairytale. She was an angel who came to my life and gifted me part of her. I guess my angel has jobs to do other than being with me as well. She changed my life and now she might be changing the world somewhere. I want to raise Julo to become like her superwoman mother. 

Julo wiped my tears and said, " Don't worry Amo. I will always be with you. I will protect you."

It was time to cut the cake.