Virk replied, ‘Given the circumstances under which your wedding was solemnized, it would be treated as null and void in any court of law. Living all by yourself, you’re vulnerable and unsafe. You have been lucky in the past. God knows who else is lusting after you. I know it’s too sudden, this proposal of mine, but I have been thinking about it for a long time.’ Virk paused again, took another sip of the brew and continued. ‘You should think about your own future and life. I don’t want an answer right away. Discuss it with Allah Rakha Sahib and his wife. I will come back tomorrow. But you should know that I am not married, and we have an age difference of about ten years between us.’ Virk stood up, bowed gently, turned and walked towards the door.
As he pulled the latch, Bibi called out, ‘But Sir, you didn’t tell me where you are staying.’
Virk looked at her, smiled and said, ‘Oh, the army mess, about 50 kilometres from here.’ By then, he had pulled open the door partially, allowing the cold breeze to fill the room. Her dupatta slipped from her head and rested on her shoulders. But she made no attempt to put it back. The toes of her pink bare feet were twitching, showing signs of nervousness. Those feet had suffered endless pain but had successfully carried her a long distance from Pakistan so that she could meet her true life partner.
‘It’s too far. Maybe you should stay here,’ she uttered in a sweet, soft and hesitant voice.
Virk stopped in his tracks and looked at her closely. A gust of wind ruffled her hair which covered her eyes. But she made no attempt to comb it back. Her shy smile said everything that Virk wanted to hear. He shut the door, went closer and took her in his arms. Tears welled up in her eyes and began rolling down her cheeks. She held him tightly. Her eyes were shut. But deep within, she knew that she had found her soulmate. This was the first time in her life that she was holding a man with both her arms.
‘Thank you, Lord,’ she murmured to herself. ‘I am grateful.’
Virk could hear her whisper.
‘Thank you, Amrit,’ he said loudly as he tightened his embrace, giving her the warmth and comfort she had been desperately looking for. Far away, the setting sun’s golden hue was painting the Valley orange. Merged in it were two hearts, basking under the umbrella of new-found love.
