“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind” — William Shakespeare.

The sun is totally lost in the thick green trees. The dense canopy is hard to permit the mighty rays below. Below on the ground, the soil is filled with small shrubs and flowery plants.

Tiny butterflies of diverse colours zig-zag thier way through the Park. The Park is located at Bandar road, Vijayawada and is named Raghavaiah Park. Beyond the gaint-walls of the Park, the traffic is irksome and causing considerable damage to the ears of the people nearby. Not only humans, animals too bear the brunt of continous honking, while there is little need to blow horn.

Inside the Park, there is calm and serenity. A tranquil environment sustained inside. The sounds of automobiles from outside cannot cross the thick walls and reach inside. The only sound that can be heard is … Water !

Dripping … Now and then … From burst-pipes and small taps … Fixed to quench the thirst of plants.

The tree-tops are acting like a huge umbrella and shielding the underground from the angry Sun above. For people who are down below, a cooler shade and a gentler wind is rejuvenating thier minds. The far corner of the Park is still dense and more dark. Light seems to be almost absent on that spot.

But, for the couple who sat there, it seems to be the perfect spot for hangout. Jason and Sailaja – Both completed Senior Inter and they frequently visit this Park. Today they had bunked classes and met here. They had been sitting here since more than an hour.

The hour-long hangout includes conversations ranging from what they’ve eaten for breakfast to movies, thier parents, thier mutual friends …

As the moment is filled with romance, Sailaja got up and sat on Jason’s lap. As the laughter continued, Jason slowly placed his hands on his lover and slowly led his hand travel upon her body. With precision and without hesitation, his hands are climbing up and up. Her smooth body is like an ivy and as he reached the bosom of his lover, he stopped there for a brief moment. His hands remained there, as if savouring the moment.

He still went further … He pressed her b***s and an involuntary gasp emanated from the girl’s mouth: Uhh … !

“Hey, stop it Jay. I don’t like such things” Sailaja immediately rose from her boyfriend’s lap. She stood a few steps away from him and adjusted her dress.

As she’s adjusting, a bright beam of Sunlight projected on her thighs and Jason never wasted quick moments like these. She immediately stopped brushing off her dress and glanced at Jason, as he immediately looked away.

“I know idiot. Don’t act. Now, get ready, time to leave”

The two lovers had set a rule for themselves : Not to go ‘All The Way’ until Marriage !

****************

She boarded the boat and reached Bhavani Island.

“What is that Jay ? You said urgent”

Jason didn’t uttered a word. He stood there looking towards the farthest corner of the river. Small waves of water are forming at this point of the Island and the silence is absolute. Water is hitting the pier now and then and a gentler sound of tap-tap is heard.

The boy produced an envelope. As Sailaja opened it, she saw a letter head with a coat of arms … University of Yale.

“OK. Got it”

“What ? Got it ? Sailu … can’t you see girl ? It’s an admission from Yale”

“I know Jay. Am not dumb to understand thier english. It’s your dream Na ? Going abroad … USA … Study at a prestigious institution”

“Sailu … look into my eyes and say that I should leave for US”

“Jay … I … ”

“Forget it Sailu. I’m not going and I’m not going to leave you”

Jason climbed the boat and as they sat, the boat began to gain momentum. The sun which is setting turned the river into a golden hue.

*****************

Sailaja opened her eyes and sat on the edge of the bed. Her bedroom-window is open and light from the street-light fell on the table-clock which just struck midnight. She sat on the bed thinking and thinking. Sleep had escaped her totally and she sat there looking into the room where the light didn’t reached and darkness existed.

Jason had occpied her mind and it’s not him that’s actually troubling. It’s the details he discussed with her and the paper he had shown her yesterday evening: Admission from Yale.

It meant two things: One: He had achieved his dream and Two: He have to leave her to study abroad for three years. The thought made tremors in her heart. Her head started spinning and the insides of her stomach made somersaults. She got up from her bed and after using the washroom, she stared hard at the mirror above the sink.

********************

Days turned into weeks and months had passed in a jiffy. Every hour felt like an age for her and minutes felt like hours. Life seems to drag on and on. She never prepared for this sort of phase in her life. Jason … Jay is everything and everything is Jay. Life without him … ?

“Don’t worry Darling. Keep in touch with him through Whattsapp” Her friends hugged her and consoled her.

“Don’t worry ? You know it’s been months since I had touched his pretty cheeks” Sailaja retorted angrily.

Pretty ? Her friends laughed inside. Jason is dark and they never understood what made lovers choose thier ‘Ones’ in the first place.

****************

Sailaja grabbed the Smartphone that is buzzing beneath the pillow. It was not a phone-call. It is the Alarm she set for today !

Today … She will end this abrupt mess that love had created in her life. She will bring the final solution to her woes.

She got up, dressed and looked through her bedroom window. The dawn is about to crack at the end of the horizon.

Time to go !

She descended the stairs and sneaked through the sitting-room. She silently exited her house, careful not to wake any of her family members. She is about to closed the front-door and gave a last-minute look at the house. The note she had written is left on the coffee-table. When her Dad wakes within an hour, he will see it, while looking for his Newspaper. She closed the door and darted into early morning outside …

****************

In Sailaja’s residence, there is no activity yet … All soundless. The occupants are night-birds and they are always late in the morning. But, today something had woke Sailaja’s Dad before the sun-rise.

Last-night, he had a terrible dream: Sailaja … His only daughter … His loving daughter had jumped into River Krishna and committed suicide. She told him about her ‘True Love’.

Her Dad didn’t understand what is ‘True Love’. As soon as he learned about Jason, he decided that this thing won’t work. Caste is not an issue for him. But, studying abroad is an issue. He had seen how kids who study in the West had engaged in all types of vices: Smoking, alcohol, girls, drugs, movies, fights …

Sailaja asked him to accept thier love and let them marry after Jason completes his graduation at Yale. But, he cannot agree to that. He cannot let his daughter’s life handed over to a guy who studied in the ‘filthy’ West. He cannot make his daughter’s life horrible with a guy who had stayed in the West that long.

His head became heavy and woke from his sleep. He walked into the sitting-room and sat on the couch. His eyes immediately fell on the large colourful note left on the coffee-table by Sailaja. He grabbed the note and began to read:

“Dear Dad … You are everything to me. You gave me everything I asked for. Right from my childhood, you are my hero. And, you asked nothing in return. Now, I have asked you for one important thing in my life: Jason. I cannot imagine my future without Jason. So, goodbye”

He don’t know what to do. But, he immediately ran for River Krishna as instinct led him there.

*******************

Sailaja looked at the water down below. From this point of the bridge where she now stood, the River Krishna seems to be closer. Born and bought up in Vijayawada, she always loved the view of Krishna, whenee4 she passes this bridge. She never thought that the same river will be her graveyard. She never even imagined that her life had to end like this.

Sailaja looked back at the city she loved once more. The traffic on the bridge is almost absent. At this time of the day, this early in the morning, only buses from long journey sems to be returning. She glanced at her Smartphone: 6:00 AM.

Her Dad wouldn’t be up in an hour. By the time he wakes, everything will be over. She will be another little speck in the vast River filled with moss green water. Her body will be found a day later — Thanks to the Rescue Team. Infact, it won’t even be a ‘Rescue’. She laughed at her own joke. As she was about to jump she caught sight of a face projecting from the gushing waters below. A face she loved — Jason.

Psst … She looked away … Into the sky. The clouds formed a peculiar shape and revealed Jason’s face. Oh God … Let me die. Let me end this, whereever she looked — It’s Jason.

She tried hard to shake his image before her. She looked this way and that way. Someone is standing at the edge of the bridge — Jason. She now know one thing: Jason filled her every space. If she do it immediately, she will be standing here forever. She took one step further and she jumped.

She liked the kick she got from jumping. Air dashing past her and her hair was full blown and her clothes seems to tear apart from the force. Her vision seems to be dizzy and Jaskn’s face above the water is getting closer and closer. As she was about to hit water, her leg was struck up in a fishing net lying above the surface and her whole body turned up side down. Like a performance artist who do stunts in the circus, her body did a somersault like a toy and her back hit the river hard. Before she drowned, her eyes caught sight of Jason bending over the bridge above. Was she imagining Jason or was he really present there ? The imagined Jason hastily threw away his backpack and jumped into the waters.

Her mind sees to be working super fast: Jason hated backpacks. He never liked them. It means only one thing: She is not imagining him. He is actually present at this moment. It is not an image of Jason.

It is Jason himself !

Water flooded her world and air was sucked away. Her eyes caught sight of a hand and …

*****************

Sailaja opened her eyes and bright light began to sting her eyes. A sharp pain emanated from her belly and as she opened her mouth, a good amount of water escaped. She saw heads and hands, everywhere.

“She opened her eyes. You people need to move because you are blocking air. She need to breathe” Someone wise enough is shouting orders at the crowd that surrounded her. As the people moved, she caught sight of her Dad kneeling over her.

Surely, he had read her note. Sense began to dawn on her and she now realised that she is lying on the footpath of the bridge. His Dad looked at the other direction and her eyes followed his’ and saw what he was seeing: Jason.

Jason — Now fully shaken and trembling. His father motioned him to come near and to Sailaja’s suprise, he joined thier hands and said “I didn’t realise that you are neck deep in love with this boy. Whether he studied in West or Middle-East, I don’t care. I will marry you both. Promise”

Sailaja looked into the eyes of Jason as he peeled off the rest of the story. He didn’t respond while she messaged him about her Dad’s proposal to marry her to a relative. The proposal grew bigger and bigger and became a threat to her life, while Jason is completely Offline — Not just for one day, but for a week. He didn’t appeared on Whattsapp, Facebook, Instagram … No E-Mails, no phone-calls, nothing. Things got difficult here for Sailaja. Her Dad forced her to marry another guy and set a deadline for marriage. As the day drew nearer and nearer, life seems to be out of control for Sailaja. So, she did the only thing she can do as a girl — Contact Jason. Well, she did that too and decided on to take matter into her hands. She decided to die. But, little did she understood that life is difficult not only for herself, but for everyone. For Jason too !

As Jason too got tensed about her marriage, he decided at once to reach India immediately. But, Hurricane Harvey hit New Haven like never before. The storm struck almost half of the Connecticut like a lightning. Trees uprooted, cars submerged, cables cut-off disconnecting communication and people.

While people are scrambling for thier lives, Jason left the comfort of his University room and by foot travelled the length of New Haven and reached an RV parking lot. With just an umbrella in his hand and a backpack Sailaja gifted him, he hitchhiked and journeyed through the weather beaten state through trucks and boats and reached New York. All the while he ate little, slept little and always opened his eyes for Sailaja. The weather had cut off communication from him, so Sailaja thought he is evading her. As soon as he reached Vijayawada, he planned to go directly to her house. But, as life had always been different, he just got down from the bus, he saw Sailaja standing at the bridge. Suspicion arose in him and he stood there wondering what she is doing there. As the girl jumled, he threw the backpack and jumped into the river to save his love.

The crowd nearby clapped thier hands and Sailaja was helped to her feet.

Sailaja grabbed Jason’s hand and asked with admiration: ” Jay, you braved the Hurricane and travelled all those distance for me ? All those miles just for this girl ?”

Jason smiled and said: “Sailu, you are worth every mile”