The morning was lovely, neither cold nor hot, just pleasant.

 Vivek jumped out of the bed trying to feel happy. There was a tinge of sadness looming somewhere deep inside him but he suppressed it, he didn’t want this feeling of gloom to flare-up.

'Not today Vivek, not on this day, after all today is Valentine’s day,' he spoke to himself audibly standing in front of the long mirror. He smiled, rather forced a smile on his face. Dressed in the best attire, he generously sprayed the costly perfume and brushed his lustrous hair again. A thick drop of stubborn tear escaped his eye and splashed on the floor nearly missing his shining shoes. He gazed at himself in the mirror intently, his eyes had welled up. 'Not today,' he murmured and clenched his jaw.

He was determined to buy the best roses today. He picked a bunch of fresh red roses with fleshy petals and dewy drops of water. It was not a bouquet, they look so made-up, rather a naïve one, few flowers with leaves and the stems carelessly tied with a white thread. She liked it this way. He straightened his jacket and strode resolutely to meet her; he would see her after several weeks.

It all started more than a decade back. Then in college, Vivek was wandering aimlessly in the huge library, picking a book randomly, flipping the pages only to abandon it the next moment and then picking yet another. He had shifted to the hostel as a post graduate student and was still struggling to settle down. He had walked to the library to while away time. The tall racks filled with books appeared like towers, few leaning dangerously while the others stood majestically. He saw a girl pulling out books from the top shelve standing on the wooden staircase. The staircase was leaning as she had not placed her feet uniformly but she was too engrossed to notice it. He walked near the staircase to hold it and prevent it from falling. But even before he could hold it a book slipped out of her hand and landed with a thud on his shoulder. It was a thick, hardbound book on Psychology. He whimpered and ran out fearing a fracture. The doctor in the infirmary confirmed just a jolt, no fracture and gave him a few painkillers. He had an agonizing night but the pain gradually became bearable by the morning.   

Later in the day a charming girl approached him while he was seated in the canteen.                                                                                                    'Excuse me, would you mind if I sit here,' her voice jingled or was it her bangles he could not figure out. She sat facing him even before he could open his mouth to respond. Vivek blushed when she looked straight in his eyes.

'I came to apologize for yesterday’s incident.'

'Incident?' stammered Vivek. 'Okay, so this was the girl,' he thought angrily.

'Actually, the book accidently slipped from my hand, I meant no harm, it was childish of me to be so careless,' she spoke apologetically. Vivek’s anger evaporated instantly. Such was her charm.

'Will you mind having a cup of coffee with me, coffee actually helps lessen pain, I read somewhere.'

'I hope it wasn’t mentioned in the book which fell on me.'

She laughed and her bracelets jingled.

She was Rosie, two years junior to him. The library episode earned him Rosie’s friendship. The boring life turned pretty interesting, meeting Rosie daily either in the library or canteen or the tea shop outside the gate.

'Do you like an ill-lit room or a brightly lit room?' She asked him once.

'Of course a brighter one.'

'Well, if that is the case then why do you appear gloomy, why do you smile and laugh so miserly.'  

'Umm...well, is it?'

Her presence and even her thoughts made him smile and he started to transform. By the end of his two years of stay he was deeply in love. Though he never expressed it. Hours went by talking over phone and chatting. This was over and above the regular hours spent together. Rosie still had a year left to finish her studies. Vivek finally decided to propose her formally; all his analysis hinted that she was also in love with him but life cannot go on in assumptions. The day finally arrived.

He had rehearsed proposing to her on bent knees but when the actual moment arrived he felt his confidence falter. So, he took her hand and said, 'Rosie, we all meet for a purpose, that thick book falling on me was destined, and we becoming friends was also destined. Now, I feel that my whole world has shrunk around you; all my waking hours are consumed by your thoughts, I long for your company, I want to hear your voice, I want to see you, I want to feel you, I want to live the whole life with you, I want to grow old with you. I love you madly, will you be mine for forever.'

Rosie took him in her arms; they embraced for the first time. They remained wrapped for a long moment without any exchange of words. The friendship had turned to courtship.

His job took Vivek to another city, the year of separation weighed too heavy on them, it looked like a century. But, as they say, nothing lasts forever; Rosie soon moved to the same city. She gave up a better career opportunity and instead chose to be in the same city. Life was better but not like college days. Long hours of office and business travels kept them away but only for a couple of days. Years went by and they decided to get married. Though both were still in the earlier years of their career, job stability was the only uncertainty. The usual parents’ resistance and relatives' ‘more than required' interference swayed the relationship; they however overcame this minor ripple. Religion was the last thing that could have come in between. Together they were courageous enough to face the challenges of life. Though not knowing then that not all challenges are designed to be conquered. 

Soon, after a no-frills marriage, they immersed in making a small beautiful home full of memories. Every occasion was marked with small gifts which were well preserved like jewels. Life was full of happiness and more than they had dreamt.

After a brisk walk of several minutes Vivek arrived near the colossal wrought iron gate. He held the bunch of roses firmly, wiped his face with a handkerchief. The weather was not hot but the walk had formed beads of sweat on his forehead. He stepped inside and walked past the neatly separated graves and reached where Rosie lay. He wiped clean the marble slab and placed the roses there carefully. He then bent on his knees, flashed a big smile and said, 'Happy Valentines’ Day, my dear wife, you are there in my thoughts, always, Love you.' He kept smiling though a stream of tears kept flowing.

Vivek lost Rosie to cancer, a challenge they could not overcome.