The Fake Flower

The Fake Flower

                  “Happy journey and take care of yourself. Don’t work too much. Remember you can always delegate some tasks to us - your offshore team… although we don’t wish for more work but still…”, he tried to crack a small joke but somehow stopped abruptly. He had left with no words. She was leaving for onsite. In a couple of minutes she would be in for the security check and then he could see her only after 3 months. It was hard. He very well knew it. It was anyways hard for him to be away from her on weekends, whole 3 months were beyond imagination. Both were simply looking at each other. No one said anything. Perhaps, all that was to be conveyed was being conveyed through the eyes or to say the watery eyes. Finally he accumulated all his guts, “I… I just wanted to ask you one question… Not that you don’t love me or not that I don’t trust you or so… but… You won’t forget me in these 3 months, will you?”

                  There was a long silence in between. She looked at him. His eyes were filled with tears. She had never seen him getting so much emotional. Even her condition wasn’t different… but the question he had asked her had to be answered…

                  “Take this…”, she just gave him a fake flower stitched on her decorative purse. He was puzzled… “What’s this for?”, he asked.. “This is the answer to your question… I’ll love you and won’t forget you till this flower dies…”, and she hugged him. Tears rolled over his cheeks. He felt like staying with her like this forever… but they had to move on… She soon went for her flight and he returned, with the fake flower in his hand held close to his heart. He had to preserve it… preserve it for the lifetime… for it was her souvenir …. His love’s souvenir …