Today’s post in the AtoZchallenge is R for Remembrance

Sia is running late for a meeting and mentally chiding herself for spending so much time in the garden earlier in the morning. The flowers had been in full bloom and the heady smell of her favorite roses had transported her back to the day Shri had invited her to a movie.

His invitation had come as a welcome surprise. Sia had spent more than an hour choosing an outfit for this date: their very first official one. She had been both nervous and excited at the same time and had reached the theater half an hour before the show. The moment Shri had stepped out of the auto in front of the movie hall, Sia had blushed a deep crimson, crossed her fingers behind her back and said a silent prayer to her dear God. Shri had walked over to where she stood and held out his hand. Nestled in his palm had been the most exquisite vial of perfume in the world. This had been his gift to her, a token of his innocent love. They had been so young and naive then, so eager to believe in the forever kind of true love. Fate had played a devious hand and separated these two, broken their hearts and scarred their souls for life.

 Her best friend and confidante Rini had spotted her sitting still for the past 15 minutes and strolled over to enquire about her health.

“Sia, what’s the matter? You have been frozen in this same pose since the moment you sat down in your cubicle, what happened? Fight with Tuhin?”

“No, I woke up happy but somehow sorrow crept in my heart along with his memory. The scent of the roses have stirred the carefully camouflaged and suppressed emotions of days gone by. I remembered his gift to me, the perfume bottle, can’t seem to concentrate on anything else but the intoxicating scent of first love. I miss Shri so much. Why does his memory haunt me, I didn’t do anything wrong. He disappeared, not Me?

 I used to apply the scent only on the days I used to meet him, a measly once a month; I wore the perfume and felt like a queen on those days. I remember our dates and the anticipation, exhilaration, the hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach and my erratic heartbeat. I was so completely in love then. I think I lived my entire life in those moments and have no regrets whatsoever.

 To this day, when I get a whiff of a similarly scented perfume, my heart skips a beat. I stop in my tracks and am transported back to those love filled days and passion filled embraces.  I have forgotten the name of the perfume but remember the scent and have searched for that elusive fragrance ever since. Memory is a cruel mistress and a charming lover, it tantalizes and entices. One can easily lose oneself in its deceptive embrace, get lost in its myriad intricate maze.

Every perfumery I visit, I keep trying to get the whiff of my scent, his scent. I associate it with him and his love, his obsession with me and my hopeless devotion to him. Being in love is a wonderful feeling and every little thing associated with it becomes a sweet memory and torment. The fragrance of love permeates every pore of your body.”

Remembrance is a fragrant bloom in the garden of life.

Sulekha aka Lucks

p.s. To be continued 🙂