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undying love

A tale of undying love

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She saw him across the street—old, and strangely, dressed in a neat, white shirt for someone who was begging! Most people shooed him away, some rather rudely. As she looked in his direction, he walked up to her. He looked worried. “Could you please lend me 100 rupees? There’s an emergency in my family. I promise to return it in a few days. Here’s my phone number,” he said hesitatingly. Of course, she didn’t believe him. But then, something about him made her pull out a 100-rupee note from her wallet. She handed him the money, he thanked her profusely, and hurried away.

She felt good helping someone in need. But a few blocks down the road, something caught her attention—it was the same old man sitting at an expensive restaurant with a woman about his age. They looked like a couple in love. For a minute, she couldn’t believe what she saw. She cursed herself for having allowed a random stranger to take advantage of her considerate nature.

However, it wasn’t too late. She wanted to catch the man and teach him a lesson. Fuming, she walked into the restaurant and sat in a corner to observe the two from afar. Just then, he saw her. He looked shocked and guilty. As she was about to get up to confront him, he walked toward her.

“I beg of you, please calm down. My wife sitting there shouldn’t know any of this,” he spoke in a hushed tone, as he sat down in front of her. “It might seem like I lied to you but I didn’t have another option. Please allow me to explain,” the old man said in desperation. Though enraged, she decided to give him a hearing.

The man went on, “Today is our 40th wedding anniversary. I wanted to surprise my wife by bringing her to her favourite restaurant. I saved up for our special day. But then, as our dinner progressed, I realised I was running short of money. I didn’t want to put her through such an embarrassment and hence, resorted to something I never imagined I’d have to do.”

When she did not look convinced, he continued, “I never intended to run away with your money. You have my phone number. I promise to return it by next week. I am grateful for your help. Until then, please do not say anything to my wife,” he pleaded.

She was too stunned to say anything, no longer sure how to respond. It was a strange mix of emotions—anger and awe. On the one hand, she was upset that the old man lied to get help, on the other, her heart was moved beyond words to see someone go to such lengths just for the happiness of their loved one. With all her ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, she sat in dilemma, wondering if this was what people called undying love.

Edited by Shalini K Sharma

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