The Faded Photograph

Via Daily prompt Faded

Sonali was on a cleaning spree. She had dusted the whole house clean and now only room left was her bedroom.

Sonali was a cleanliness freak and would often spend weekends cleaning the house, applainces, clothes and what not.

Sonali loved her bedroom. It was one tranquil place in the otherwise noisy house where she can relax peacefully. Being in a joint family, Sonali barely got any privacy with her husband outside this room. It was here where they had first talked heart to heart. It was here where they had first made love. It was here where Sonali cried over how she has had to adjust so much with such a big family. It was where her husband had consoled her and made her smile. And it was where her husband had confessed that he was in love with another girl before he met her.

This fact never bothered Sonali because her husband was very truthful and evidently in love with her. Never in 10 years had he given her a chance to feel less loved or did nothing which could make Sonali doubt his true love.

Before taking the wedding vows he had promised Sonali that he would put his past behind and would never contact that girl again.

So back to the cleaning session, Sonali first arranged her clothes in her wordrobe. She knew it had be quick because she would normally also keep her things in a neat and systematic manner unlike her husband. His side of wardrobe would be little less to a clutter where mostly only he could figure out what is kept where. Sonali generally never touched his side of the wordrobe because she just couldnt bear the sight of that mess.

But that day she decided to arrange his wordrobe and surprise him! She pulled out all the clothes and all other belongings. She was amused to see what all he had treasured upon. There was a toy car, a comic book, a pen-pencil, a tie, a greeting card (which she had gifted him on their first anniversary) and a small worn wallet. The wallet held stamp size pictures of his late parents. There was also an envelope and a book. Envelope contained their wedding picture.

It didnt take much time for Sonali to understand that he has carefully hoarded all the things which are very close to his heart. A smile crept in slowly on her lips but her mind jumped to the book.

She was curious to know what was in that book. Excitedly she opened the book. It was clearly an old one because the pages had turned yellow. The book was full with love poems. Sonali was amazed to discover that her husband was a poet and such a romantic one!

She spent next whole hour reading that book. When she finished there were tears in her eyes. The last poem was written 12 years ago. The last line said

“I will marry because u asked me to
I will love her more than you because you asked me to
But i will never forget you even if you asked me to”

There was a photograph of a girl pasted at the bottom of the page. It was now faded. But memories hadn’t!

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