She woke up to find a letter on her doorstep. She was still in her sizzling night dress. She was half asleep. "Who could have sent this letter so early?" she wondered and then turned her neck towards the clock inside her hall.
Those were the days of 1970s, when Quick Mail Service or QMS post was delivered at 8.30 a.m. by India Post. Initially, the time worried her more than the letter. She kept the letter on the table under a paperweight and rushed to the washroom. Wrapping herself in a turkey towel and looking every bit sexy, she wished the letter was from her lover in the army. In this entire melee, she could still glance at his name.
Dressing up decently in a chiffon saree, she tucked the inland letter inside her handbag, she ate two slices of bread with butter and jam. Had a cup of hot milk and then leaving things as it is, she locked the main door. On the bus, on the way to her bank, she could not get a seat in the bus and had to stand all the way. She did not want to read a private letter in public.
The bank manager promptly gave her a dressing down upon arrival. What a way, to start the day! Then she got fully immersed in her work. The only relief was that it was Saturday and she dreamt of leaving the bank by 3 P.m. at least. But her delay of 1 hour prolonged her departure from the bank by 1 hour. Reading her lover's letter - no way, no privacy and added to it the pressure of work. "Dear Ravish, Why don't you come and take me away right now?" was her thought at that point of time.
Staying away from her parents in a rented home in the city all alone and away from her dear one, she felt lonely many a time. His letters only used to breathe life into her.
Somehow managing to finish her work and leave the bank by 4 p.m., she first dashed to the nearby roadside restaurant where she could stand and taste her favourite dosas. She was dead tired by the time she reached home. Without even changing, she fell flat on the bed and dozed off for close to 2 hours. The letter was totally forgotten.
When she got up, to remove a few make-up items, she opened her handbag. The letter popped out. Somebody else had written the letter on their behalf of him, just to inform them that his right leg was blown off in a landmine explosion near the border and he is returning home in about 10 days time. She was shell-shocked.
He arrived that Sunday by flight. She went to the airport to receive him in person. She first saluted him for his unparalleled bravery and broke down hugging him. He understood her selfless love and vowed to rebuild their lives from scratch.