Today I’ve Found Lost Love After 9 Years. Happy Ending!

This love story of mine started in the year 2000. I completed my 12th Grade and went to Kharagpur (to my uncle’s place) to spend my vacation time with my cousins.

After a month, I was traveling back home with my cousins (by train). We were all playing Anthyakshari. A handsome guy was sitting opposite us and enjoying our songs.

He looked like a pakka Bengali, and after a while, one of my cousins and I were talking about him. We were like, “I saw him first,” “No, I saw him first.”

Meanwhile, his father started talking to us in Telugu. We didn’t know how to react.

Then, the guy greeted us both and asked our names and whereabouts. We both were super excited talking to him.

In no time, all our excitement was gone as he said, “My wife had her labor a few days ago. We are going to her place to see her and my baby boy!”

Aww…. and then after about 1 hour of conversation, he asked me, “I don’t have sisters. I like to have a blabbering sister like you. Would you be my sister?”

We spent talking the whole night, and I started calling him Annayya in no time. He got down about 80 KM ahead of my town.

After reaching home, I told my parents about him, they talked to him and invited him home. He came home after a couple of days. Then, I talked to his wife over a call, and she invited me to her place to see her and their boy.

After 3 days or so, I went to see them all. I think that was the first time I traveled alone.

In no time, we got very much connected, and he never made me feel like I was not his sibling. The whole family always treated me like a part of them.

In between they visited my parents whenever they visited our town but I was in Australia back then for my higher studies. We were always in touch over the phone all the time. Without fail, I used to send him a rakhi on every Rakshabandhan.

Somehow, I lost his contact number after I got busy with my marriage and family. I was waiting to get in touch with them. As I didn’t get any calls all these years, I thought they too must be busy with their lives and thought they forgot me.

Today, as I turned on my phone after three days, I could see a message from an unknown number.

She: Hi Uma

Me: Who is this

Meanwhile, I looked at the profile picture. She looked familiar. But I was not able to figure it out

She: You know who I am. Remember?

I looked at her profile picture one more time and guessed who it was (I couldn’t make it instantly as it has been more than 17 years since we met). I was about to type, and then got a message from her, “Vadina!” (Babhi/Elder Brother’s Wife)

You cannot imagine how happy I was to see that message. She immediately called me. I just got tears and was crying. She was crying on the other side. Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be a blood relationship to have that emotional connection. Do you agree?

We were talking and I asked her how she got my number after these many years. She then said, “I was dialing your hometown STD code to talk to somebody and then I got your landline number in the suggestions.”

“Till then, I didn’t know that I had the landline number saved. Called that number, and talked to your mom. She shared your number, but she told me that you do not usually keep your phone ON and asked me to leave a message on WhatsApp. I have been waiting for the double tick since then”

And then she added my brother to the conference call. She told him, “Somebody is waiting on the other side of the call to talk to you. Seems to be your fan!”

I said, “Hello sir, how are you?”

And he instantly said with a happy and excited tone, “Uma?”

I have nothing to say but, “Missed you very very very badly annayya…Love you so much!”

He was excited, excited, and just excited.

We both were so happy talking to each other after these many years. They then told me that their boy is now doing his B.Tech here in Chennai but is currently staying home due to the lockdown. He too talked to me and told me he heard a lot about me.

Anna said, “I was worried about him for the past 2 years as he is staying alone in Chennai. And now that I got to know you are as well in Chennai, I do not have to anymore!” This says a lot about what I am to him.

My day was going in a dull mood as our maid didn’t show up and I had a busy work schedule ahead. But this HAPPY episode not only gave me instant energy but also tons of hope on the positive side of life.

Life is full of surprises. But, we humans can take only the positive ones. Agreed?