His heart hammered in his chest, reminding him that perhaps Rano had heard wrong. He crossed a man sitting next to a pile of brinjals he had just plucked from the fields. He was sipping water, waiting for sundown so he could call it a day and head home. Karam marched on, fervently hoping for a miracle. He had prayed all these years to be with her. It wasn’t going to go in vain.

Usually Karam would stop to exchange a greeting with the old man, but today he just wanted to run till his legs would buckle. He wanted to run beyond the fields today. He wanted to run to a place where the sun and the moon disappeared from the wild blue yonder. He wanted to meet Rajjo somewhere beyond time and space.

He tasted his own sweat as he ran and crossed a row of goats greedily drinking water. He ran and ran until he reached an open field.

A few yards from where he stood, there was a dried up bambi with a small brick enclosure erected next to it. Lack of use, overgrown shrubs and hedges had almost circled the brick enclosure making it a private haven for lost souls or those looking for a secret rendezvous.

He sat on the circular ledge of the dried up tubewell filled with leaves. He could hear the birds chirping as they headed home. The sky was streaked with the red of a setting sun. His gift tucked firmly under his arm, he heard her giggle. Rajjo was definitely in there and then he heard her moan. She wasn’t in there alone. He sat there waiting for her. The sun disappeared and dusk enveloped the fields. The weight of his gift; the silken threads mocked him. Just then she emerged looking like a vision in a yellow suit. Her ferocious curls let loose – disheveled. A rosy tint and twinkling eyes enhanced her beauty as she stepped out and stopped short, stifling a scream as she discovered Karam sitting there.

‘I was just passing by…’ Karam added hastily.

‘Have they asked for me back home?’ she asked, almost panicking.

Karam could not answer. He just shook his head in a negative gesture.

‘Good! There is so much to tell you. Let’s walk back and I will fill you in.’

Rajjo fell in step with Karam as they crossed the fields together. Karam was quiet while Rajjo chatted on and Karam wondered where to drown the silken threads or where to burn the vibrant colours till they turned ashen like his heart. Just then he heard her say, ‘He wants to marry me. We will elope as I have told him my father won’t agree to an alliance that I have found myself! It’s all planned. I am in love, Karam, and I am going to elope! Finally!’

He stopped breathing for a minute and then slowly got his breath back. He was alive. That was good news. Almost instantly Karam decided he was going to keep the silken threads as a penance. A penance for what, he was sure to find out in the years to come.