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An Evening In The Beach

by Vaman Acharya
(Bengaluru, India)

“Kavya darling, I love you from the bottom of my heart. You are great! You have condoned me for the sin I had committed. I was away from you for a very long period of three years,” said Vaibhav.


“Vaibhav I too love you. Forget whatever happened in the past. Those were the saddest days of our life. Let us forget and pray God not to repeat the same in future, “replied Kavya.

The romantic conversation was between me and my husband at Calangute beach, Goa. Our visit to the beach was to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. It was 5 in the evening. The climate was fine. On that day there was a big crowd mostly foreign tourists. We were playing and enjoying the seashore watching the fast movement of tides. It was a place of relaxation.

Vaibhav was surprised to see his childhood friend Dhananjay standing alone on the beach. Both of these friends did not meet for a long time. Vaibhav was in dilemma. If he meets his childhood friend for a few minutes, he would lose the romantic moments. Only a few minutes left for the stay at the beach. He asked me about his problem. I told him to spend just five minutes and come back.

Soon after he left, I observed young couples were arguing at the top of their voice. It was definitely a serious matter between them. This scene prompted me to remember the bitter experience I had with Vaibhav.

My first meeting with Vaibhav was in the Central Hall of Banglore University. The occasion was convocation. I had obtained first class in B A degree. I received a certificate and gold medal from the vice-chancellor. Vaibhav was also a recipient of certificate and gold medal from the vice chancellor for getting rank in the B.Sc., degree. We became friends after the function was concluded. Both of us shared our views on varieties of topics like current affairs, general knowledge and future career. I was very much impressed by the way in which he was presenting his ideas. I gave brilliant in answers, wherever he put a question mark. I was happy that our debate on the topics selected was really interesting. We both impressed each other. It was love at first sight for me. Our frequent meetings resulted in deep roots of love.

One day Vaibhav expressed his desire for marriage with me. I was happy to accept him as a life partner. My parents rejected the proposal as Vaibhav belongs to a different caste. His parents also raised objections. Firstly, I was two years older than Vaibhav. Secondly, my complexion was not fair. Thirdly, Vaibhav was a fair and smart boy. Love is blindly applied in our case. Ultimately, we tied the knot with the help of friends and well-wishers. Vaibhav was working as a probationary officer in the bank. I was preparing for a
recruitment test in the bank, where Vaibhav was working.

Just after one year of our marriage on 25th July 1993 at about 6 in the evening I was alone in the home and waiting for Vaibhav. There was a knock at the main door. I thought Vaibhav might be waiting at the door. With overwhelming happiness and to convey the day’s happenings, I opened the door. To my surprise, the man waiting at the door was not Vaibhav, but he was Mayur. Mayur is my elder sister Shruti’s husband and working as a Medical Representative in Pfizer. I called him inside and enquired why he did not accompany with Shruti. He expressed sorry for arriving suddenly without any prior information. He said he had come to this locality to meet a doctor.
After the meeting, he came to our house to spend some time. He was under the impression that Vaibhav was also present in the house. We both were the residents of Bengaluru.

I was staying in Vijayanagar and Shruti was in Raj Rajeshwari Nagar. I asked Mayur with due respect to occupy the seat on the sofa. Our conversation went on for some time. By the time we were in a jolly mood and cutting jokes, Vaibhav arrived and observed, when I was showing a photo in the album standing very close to Mayur. This scene perturbed the mind of Vaibhav and left the place without informing me. Mayur wanted to leave the place. I told him to wait till Vaibhav arrive. He waited for another five minutes. But there was no sign of Vaibhav. He left the place.

On that day, he did not return even after ten in the night. I became panicky and restless. I informed the police and requested them to find out Vaibhav. Police Officer advised me to come to the office the next day morning at 10.30 and lodge a complaint. I did as per their instructions. Police authorities failed to find out the whereabouts of Vaibhav.

Days were moving on very fast. I lost my patience to bear the trouble. My parents advised me to go for second marriage. I didn't accept it. After three years, I received a phone call from Vaibhav stating his misunderstandings were cleared. He begged me to forgive him. At last, after a long period of wait, I joined my husband.

Vaibhav narrated the incident that created misunderstanding. Now everything is cleared by a person to whom Vaibhav is very much indebted. She is none other than his mother Kaveri. It took three years for Kaveri to convince his son about Mayur.

I stopped recollecting the memories when Vaibhav returned after meeting his friend. We spent another half an hour on the beach and returned Bengaluru by flight. Next day early in the morning we went to Ganesha temple and prayed to God to bless us to remain happy forever.
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