“Promise me you will be fine.” Saying this Diana squeezed Henry’s hand as he lay frail and still in his hospital bed. It had been three days since the car accident, he was heavily drunk and was driving and somehow lost control of the car and rammed it into a nearby tree. He had succumbed to injuries of the head, brain and spine and had bleeders but was operated nevertheless in spite of all the best aid at his disposal, he slipped into coma.

Diana was married to Henry for 25 years and still, she stood by his side every minute holding his hand in the ICU whatever little time that she got and kept talking to him as he lay. Henry on the other hand was always disappointed as she had not given him a male heir contrary to the scientific explanation provided for the same. He constantly bickered and made her feel worthless and she on the other hand felt worthless as she could never make up to his expectations.

They were blessed with three daughter’s who were well settled in their profession and were happily married to men they choose and Diana always saw to it that they got the very best. All visited them on special occasions and whenever they could make it. Her daughters were her pride and the only joy in her life.

Tonight, she had to leave Henry as her daughters were coming with their families to meet their ailing father and perhaps to say their final goodbyes in the morning. She had to make the necessary arrangements for their stay at home, so she was entrusting him to the care of the nurses and had informed them. The reports would come in morning and then the doctors would take a final stand on taking him off the life support in the presence of his family. Diana gathered her things from the bedside drawer and stood up and gave a last glance as she still felt as tough Henry would wake up and scold her for the most frivolous reason such as his bedsheet wasn’t tucked well.

She was fumbling with the car keys in her bag and while she was walking to the stairs that’s when she bumped into someone. As she raised her head to apologized she felt at a loss for the words. It was David her college sweetheart. The love of her life, who she abandoned at the railway station to walk the aisle in the church to marry Henry. Her family would never appreciate or accept him as he was born to a farmer with low social standing and she was born in an effluent family as her father was a businessman both loved and respected. If only had he not held a gun to his head and blackmailed her, her life would be something else.

“Is it you Diana? I can’t believe it, after so many years you still look the same.” David exclaimed. The years had taken a toll on her in spite her freckles and wrinkles to him she was looking no less than an angel. “Yes! David it’s me.” Saying this she smiled and thus wanted to mask her nervousness. This was the first time she met him in 25years. He had broken all means of communication when she rejected him. Diana was in shock. “Is everything alright?” asked David. “I am fine. My husband, Henry is in coma as he met with an accident. I was just on my way home….” Diana was interrupted by David.

“How about some coffee in the cafeteria downstairs? If only you are not in a hurry? I guess you owe me one.” David was persistent and didn’t budge. Diana felt great after telling him about Henry, nothing had changed, she always bothered him with her worries in college and he was always a patient listener. Diana was undergoing a struggle of thoughts between her head and heart and finally she agreed and gave into her desires of her heart. David ushered her downstairs and into the cafeteria and they choose a table and he helped her take her seat at the table. “I would like tea instead.” Diana requested him. Henry loved tea and so she gave up drinking coffee in spite of being a hard-core lover. He was back with her tea, his coffee and packet of cookies.

“Are you alright? What brings you here?” asked Diana. Secretly she was hoping that he was fine. “What will happen to me I am fit as a fiddle. My neighbor’s son was admitted here and since I was travelling for a business deal, they asked me to check on him. Turns out he was discharged yesterday. I was on my way to the hotel. I leave tomorrow 8 am to head home.” Replied David.

“What happened to Dad and Mom? Your house and the land?” a shocked Diana asked as him. David answered her smiling,” After three years, I called my parents to where I live and asked them to sell the entire property.” “Business how did you get into this? You always wanted to teach mathematics. What happened to that?” Now Diana’s patience was wearing out with his riddles. David asked her to sip her tea as it was getting cold and he sipped his coffee in between he offered her the cookies. God sends you his saving grace when you need it most.

When she had turned him down and choose Henry instead. He boarded the train, in which they were to elope. The entire journey he had tears rolling down his cheek. An old gentleman observed him and consoled him, he was a bachelor and owned a garments factory. He took David under his wings and they started making huge profits. David was dedicated and soon he was made a partner and some years later he sold his shares to David and lived a quiet and secluded life. David then called his parents and reinvested the money from the sale of the land and made an empire for himself. He asked his parents to keep all his information hidden from all in the town as he didn’t want people to know his whereabouts. He was grateful to her as she visited them after her marriage in hope to contact him. But they didn’t tell her anything as he never wanted to be a home breaker. As of him he gave work his total priority and he didn’t marry anyone. Hearing all this there was silence between them. Both of them sipped. Diana was sad that he had no one to turn too. He had been through tough times but he had emerged victorious.

“What about you, has life been kind?” asked David it was his turn to know all about her. Although Henry was wealthy and educated. He was promiscuous. He had many affairs. Before she reached any party the scandals of her husband were the talk of the town. To him she was a trophy wife kept to display, and above all the handsome dowry is what he married her for, but in reality, there was no love. He always bickered, there was nothing that she did pleased him. Her parents blamed her for all her woes all their life. Diana smiled and responded, “Henry is very kind, loving and caring.” She took out a family picture from her bag which was clicked at Christmas, and she introduced her family showing her three daughters and their respective spouses and her grandchildren. The eldest Karen, was a lawyer married to a judge and she had a daughter and a son. Second was Wilma she was a software engineer and was married to a businessman they are expecting their first baby in 4 months. Third one was Rachel and she is an MBA in marketing and was married to a Cardiothoracic Surgeon.

“I was very angry when you didn’t turn up. I never wanted to see your face. One day I had come over I saw you in the shop with your daughter’s shopping you carried the little one Rachel in your arms and the girls were fussing over the dress designs. This was a picture-perfect image of happiness. I thought if we were together would I have given you this? The anger just melted away. Forgives got the better of me. I was renewed and a better man and no more bitter. Just sorry I had to tell you this.” David had tears in his eyes apologizing. Diana extended her hand to reach out to him and said, “I always loved you, you had my soul, my lifeless body was for Henry, I was on my way to meet you at the station, but Dad found out from Charles your friend, he betrayed us. I saw him taking money from my brother. My Dad a gun to his head, he blackmailed me and I gave in.” saying this Diana broke down into tears. David got up and gave her a hug. They both found solace in each other’s arms. They both wished if time would just stop. They both hoped for a different ending of their lives. They decided to spend time together laughing, joking remembering the good old days.

It is said time flies, and for them the saying was true. He hugged her and bid her good bye and she too wished him the best. Although her heart ached as he was going she did not want him to leave her again. She wanted to cling to him for this night that had passed brought a lot of comfort to her and above all peace. She kept her gaze fixed at him and as he walked out she hoped for him to turn and give her that one look, a sign that he still loved her. But Alas! He didn’t turn. As she gathered her things she got a call from Karen that the girls had reached home safely with the spare key they had freshened up and were on the way to the hospital and were bringing breakfast for her. As she cut the call, she received a call for the ICU nurses to rush to the hospital. Her husband was serious and his organs were failing. All this while she forgot completely about Henry and she felt guilty about the time spent with David. She rushed to the ICU and by the time she could meet Henry. He suffered a cardiac arrest and all attempts to revive him failed. 

Surprisingly, after hearing this there were no tears rolling down her eyes. Her husband had died and she was speechless. Just a few minutes ago she was moved with 8 hours being with David. Here she had given 25 years and she wasn’t moved. 

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