An Email Could Have Made The Difference

(Fiction)

by Kalpana

Hi Everyone,

Anuj – the most decent, well-read, efficient employee in the office.  His efficiency as an employee and decency as a man is known to everyone, but no one had a hint of knowledge he beholds or the talent that dwells in him.  Because he is an introvert, never speaks much, never lets opinion escape his lips unless official and teenager.  That is the possible reason he is taken for granted sometimes by his peers (the world appreciates things at face value rather than true value😔).

As his days were passing in monotony which he was oblivious to, enters Anjali, a new employee in the office.  Vivacious is one word that defines her.  Always full of life she could turn dull conversations into lively moments.  An extrovert knows the art of tact to put forth her opinion, and she was thus liked by one and all.  And her beauty was just an icing on the cake, that made her more likeable, lovable, enviable ( for some).

When Anuj saw Anjali for the first time, he was dumbstruck by her beauty, and it never happened to him before.  And he was not different from the rest this time as he took an instant liking to her.  Their conversations were begun, though initially, they were more or less strictly official thanks to Anuj’s introvert nature that held him back from having spontaneous ones.  Gradually their chats were about things other than targets and strategies.  It took no time for him to realise that her beauty is more than what meets the eye.  Her thoughts and opinions gave an insight into a mature woman who had vivacity of a teen-ager, and that makes her someone special.

He was drawn towards her.  To be precise, he was in love with her.

“Why don’t you confess your love to her before it’s too late?  Till how long you would gaze at her with fear of being caught?  And for how long you are going to suffocate yourself with the tussle between your emotion and logic (read heart and brain) if this is it or not?  Just go and take the plunge” and suddenly he woke from his dream as his alarm clock was cooing in his ears.  “Oh! It was just my dream; my inner-self spoke to me; I was so worried that someone sniffed my feeling for her” he let a sigh escape and got up to get ready for the day.  But his dream made him uncomfortable throughout the day.  His mind was entangled between the questions – shall I or I shall not.  “What if she doesn’t reciprocate my emotions and reject my proposal, I might end up losing her company” he was worried.  He unknowingly inculcated a sense of inferiority complex that he is no match for her.  Days turned weeks and gradually a year passed before he could muster enough courage to express his love for her and decided that words on paper would do this job for him.  He decided to write a letter, a love letter to her.

Dear Anjali,

I don’t have a poetic flair to articulate my words to impress you with their charm.  But I am sure that each and every word would speak volumes about my love for you.  You are the best thing that happened to me for the first time and definitely the last one.  I wake up every morning with a hope to see you, I spend every minute with a wish to get an opportunity to be face to face with you and talk to you, and I go to bed at the end of the day with the happiness of meeting you in my dreams later.  You and only you are the reason for happiness all around and in me.  I really love you and want to spend rest of my life with you.  Waiting for your reply till eternity”.

And he posted the letter personally in an envelope without mentioning the From address in the letter box of her hostel as he knew that she stays in a working woman’s hostel.

Now after taking that giant decision of announcing his love to her, the wait for her reply made him even more anxious.  Her absence for two days from office and his phone logs added to his misery.  He could not think of anything else but her reaction and response.

Two days later Anjali came to office with her usual accessory – her beautiful smile.  She greeted everyone and slowly advancing towards Anuj’s work station.  His heart was pounding.  That space of few seconds before she made it to his station numerous questions danced in his mind. “What’s her state of mind?”, “What would be her reply?”, ” What if she rejects me?” And as he was lost in his thoughts a knock on the table shook him and brought him back to his senses in a dilemma was her.  She wished him just the way she used to, nothing has changed.  That left him in dilemma “what she is up to” he questioned himself.

And his confusion maintained for next two months for she never expressed her feelings.  Neither confession nor denial.  Even the texts that she exchanged on the phone with him friends jokes on WhatsApp but nothing concrete. Anuj wanted to wait till she opens up.  This was getting on his nerves.  And suddenly one day an unexpected shock awaited him.  She handed him an envelope that had her wedding invitation.

His heart sank, sight blurred by tears, the world around him came to a standstill.  Loss of words and loss of thoughts.  Then he decided to question her though he knew that it’s too late and might not be of any use now.  He saw her going towards the cafeteria, so he dashed off his way to the cafeteria.  There he saw her having lunch with one of her friend.  Therefore he seated himself on a table next to her’s and overheard their conversation, unintended though.

Friend:  Can’t wait to see at your wedding.  Rest assured I am sure you would look stunning and break many hearts on your D-Day.  That reminds of the letter you were talking about that you received two months back, may I know who did it, I mean wrote it?

Maybe Anuj’s attention instantly.

Anjali:  Correction! That was a love letter.  I still don’t know who was behind that, may be a prank.  If a person loves wholeheartedly, then he should not refrain from mentioning his name, and that was missing from that letter.  How can I trust that to be love?

That was a shocking revelation for Anuj.  All his efforts were futile, and his love doesn’t know about his love.  How is this possible, he pondered over that question.  He realised that possibly he could have missed signing the letter and sat there regretting his carelessness or we can say anxiety probably for the rest of his life.

Moral of the story:  An email definitely could have made the difference as it would have the address that makes tracking easy.  Be tech updated guys😉