Sometimes we don’t realize the value of true love until its gone.

We were office  colleagues and we had been dating since two years. These two years were the best phase of our life. We  would hang out together, exchange gifts, spend most of the time talking to each other. We had made our own little world, content with each other; where there was no place for anyone else. Finally we thought of  taking our relationship to the next level. We got married, we were the happiest couple. Our first year of marriage was like a fairy tale . I could not have asked God for anything more. But as we say life is not always a fairy tale and things dont stay hunky dory consistently. Five years  post our marriage, we were not the same happy couple anymore. Life had become more mundane for us and the charm had somehow faded. With increase in work pressure and responsibilities, love and affection became a casualty. He was a doctor in a  well known hospital and I was working as an administrator in the same hospital.   We were both occupied in our own ways that we hardly found time for each other. The only day we used to get to be together was on Sundays. We used to chat for an hour and then we would indulge in household chores. The absence of love and affection made our life mechanical. Our relationship had become dry and we started enjoying with our friends more than  with each other. Perhaps, our friends held the same place in our heart which earlier belonged to us.                                                                    

One day my husband told me that he had to go to Haiti for a month on a medial mission. Next day he left in the morning. I was all alone in the house. It was the first time that we were separated for such a long time. First few days, I didn't realize his absence and as usual beyond working hours I continued to spend time with friends to kill my boredom. His absence hardly made any difference as in any case we  had stopped enjoying each others company. I was a career oriented and I was working day and night on an important project which had the potential to give a fillip to my career ladder. My husband on his part would invariably  call me in the night from his new abode. It was a great feeling to hear his voice after a hard days work. As days passed, I could feel his absence in my life, it felt as though his absence created a void in my life now. I found it difficult to  concentrate on my work.  I realized  how small things actually mattered in a big way, the small things were the core essence of life. When we used to sit and talk over a cup of coffee, how I used to wake him up and prepare his lunch, clean our home together and then it dawned on me  that love can also be found in these small little things. We used to call each other every day and I was happy that somewhere we are again reliving our golden days. I started missing him so much that not even my friends could fill that emptiness in my life. Although I used to be with my friends but my mind was always thinking about him as if my heart lay within his. Nothing seemed to make me happy anymore.  I was counting the days for his return.                                                       

It was a Friday morning of January 2010 I switched on the TV and was shocked beyond words seeing the breaking news. There was a severe earthquake in Haiti and to my horror it hit the same area where my husband was put up . Next moment I called my husband but there was no response. I was traumatized; I wanted to talk to him, reach out to him, wanted to be assured of his well being. The thought of losing him  mortified me. Without giving a second thought I booked my ticket to Haiti. I wanted my ticket in hand at the earliest . Fortunately the airport at Haiti was still functional. The only flight which I could get at that time was of British Airways.  Thanks to British Airways for arranging my ticket so fast. Nothing mattered at that point of time other than getting a glimpse of his face. My time in the flight was like a walk down the memory lane; all the way I remembered the time we spent together, I could not afford to lose him. I realized his worth in my life.

I didn't realize when I reached Haiti. On arrival, I rushed to get a cab; I had the address of the apartment in which he was staying. On the way to his place I could see the disaster all around and it sank my heart and spirit to witness the dance  of disaster. I stood in front of his apartment and rang the bell. No one answered the door, there was hollowness in my stomach and I sat in front of the door with my mind totally numb; tears rolled down my cheeks, even before I knew, I was crying. Suddenly I heard someone calling my name, I looked up astonished and there he was standing in front of me.  There was no exchange of words  between us but a realization of that we can go to any extent for the welfare of our love .I realized true love is not bound by distance and I can go to any length to be with my love.  Every relationship goes through a rough phase in life but it is up to the partners how much they want to be together and how much they love each other and as we say true love will always find its way.