My Angel (Based on true love story)

“NO SMOKING AND NO DRINKING IS ALWAYS THE BRIDGE OF GOOD HEALTH”. She was careful enough to choose every single word she wrote in this phrase. Rahul still remembers the day; it was 15th day of June 2000. She was returning to her hometown Ahmedabad. As decided on the previous day, Rahul went to Dadar Railway Station sometime around 11:00 am to bid her good bye. He found the train was standing on a platform.

He started searching her, scanned the Train impatiently. But all his efforts went in vain. He took three complete rounds of the Train, but she was nowhere. The train was ready to depart; a thousand of whistles started playing near his ears. He was sweating. He was feeling cold. He was quivering. He decided to stand just near the engine so that he can see the whole train passing him.

At least with the last hope of her glimpses. The wheels started rolling. Oh god! He could not say her goodbye though he expected a goodbye hug. Right there she appears on the door of the first coach of the train. No words, she just gave him a piece of paper, better a chit. Her eyes were expressive enough on the situation. Even today also Rahul can sense the turbulence, he saw in her eyes. He remained mum. Watched her going…far–far and faraway. He was flying his hand till the train disappeared in memory.

He opened the paper eagerly, read this lifetime phrase “………………..” love Deepali.

It was 31st May 2000; Rahul was coming by a night service from Aurangabad to Pune after receiving an award for sales excellence. “Tum Toh Theherey Pardeshi, Saath Kya Nibhaogey” it was Altaf Raja playing on a cassette player. He heard the song for the first time. It was in a Dhaba on the highway.


The next day Rahul went to join a two week training program on sales management. The program was organized by the principal company of his then employer and was conducted by Mercury Goldmann International.

“I Deepali Sajnani, from Ahmedabad ……………………………..” the broad eyed, curly hair, tall, beautiful girl in Blue salwar kurta soberly matched to her personality told the classroom during induction. Rahul got impressed. Probably, he was impressed on her English diction. There were fifteen members altogether in the batch. All were from Gujrat except Rahul. The other members were not conversant enough with English language but Deepali. She was fluent, comfy and appealing.

It was third day of the training program. By this time a lot of personal topics had came out. Rahul revealed his family and marital status to the class. He shared his feelings of happiness that he had in his family. It was 5:30 pm; he was chatting with Mr. Mukesh (sales officer of the principal company he was working for) after finishing his day’s class. They were standing near the main entrance of the corporate building.

Suddenly Mukesh asked Rahul “Hey, do you know her?” he turns back; it was Deepali and Preeti coming out through the gate as usual. “She is from Ahmedabad, She is very haughty, and no one dares to talk to her in her workplace, I wish I could………you know her name, she is Deepali” said Mukesh. Rahul could spot dazzling stars flying over Mukesh’s face. His eyes were curious. “Well, is that so? Just see what I can do!” Rahul told him and went straightaway to his batch mate.

“Hi, Deepali, right!” She answered “yes, and you Rahul!” He offered a quick and trademark curveted smile and asked “May I have a cup of coffee with yours?” “Now - oh no! Well I am in hurry, some other day please” she told him gently. It was Mukesh watching there. Rahul had to show him how desperate he was. He could not leave her at this moment anyway. It was a challenge and he loves chasing.

“Well, it will take just a few minutes and we can have a chat there. I think you are exhausted with the boring lectures we had in the class” now he applies his communication skill. She could not encounter his diplomatic aggression. “Well, fine” she agreed, and they along with Preeti entered the nearby restaurant “Pingara”, situated in Akurdi. They had a nice coffee time there; he accompanied two beautiful girls to reach their Hotel thereafter. Mukesh was still watching with zeal rather jealousy.

After this first and forceful date, they made a routine to visit Pingara. They started spending their every Pune after class hours in Pingara. They were coming closer. They had started knowing each other. They started taking dinner together. Rahul shared few of his poems, got applauses. They became close friends.

Rahul could never forget Pune for the Wednesday night out (Thursday remains weekly off-day for his company). As the both were free from any family burden, as there was no hawk-eye, as they being far-flung from any misfortune to happen on the friendship, they enjoyed on its full. They went to Laxmipet. They had some shopping there. Went to a restaurant for lofty dine (They got bored enough with eating foods supplied by the caterer during lunch hours at training centre).

It was Wednesday, and Pune is live round the clock. They came back to Akurdi. She was staying in Hotel Kundan Palace. They reached there at about 11:00 pm after spending a wonderful evening together. Preeti took the keys from the reception and gets into the room she shared with Deepali. Now, it was only two. There was only Rahul and Deepali. They took a comfortable place at the lounge. They sat there looking onto each other. They had a deep eye contact. They remained speechless. Rahul finds her dipping through his eyes. He felt his heartbeat going up and up. He finds her beautiful big eyes goes splendid. He gets the sense of a cold wind hitting his soul. They stood up and came out of the hotel.

They sat on a bench in the tiny garden in front of the hotel. And they start talking. No profession, no family, no place, no hobby, no past, no experience - these all they already has covered during their coffee hours. Only personal issues, only issues related to them two, only words coming from deep end of two hearts, hearts those have joined just now, hearts those are finding space to live together.

Rahul holds her hand. “What are you doing Rahul?” She asked, “I just want to know whether its a dream or true, let me feel you Deepali, let me touch you, you my Angel, I can’t believe this, let me have your divine touch” he was breathing fast “Well, ok, it is true, I cannot forget you ever, you are the first man in my life, you know, I don’t have any boy-friend, even I cannot talk to any male in our city, Gujrat is very conservative, it also looks a dream for me, but although its true, I am in love, Rahul, I know you have a happy family waiting there at home, I cannot ask you to leave your wife and family for me, but it also gives me pain to think my life without you” she was telling all this dawdling.

Her beautiful eyes looked more attractive filled with tears. They start soaking up the godly moment they lived. The clock was running in its orbit. They sat there till 1:30 am (Midnight). Rahul finds him on the seventh heaven.

“Hey, are you crazy? Aren’t you coming to sleep?” it was Preeti shouting like anything on Deepali. Everything is broken. They brought down to the earth. They became normal; Deepali went inside the hotel and Rahul to his Hotel nearby.

Love was blooming to its full, classes were going very fast, they became more and more attentive. A person becomes more energized to show its brilliance when his/her love is watching. A person becomes more ego-cautious when he/she is sharing the same platform that of its loving one. They also tried their best to prove themselves.



It was 13th June, the last day in the class. They had a photo session there. The girls took the first and boys stood on the back row. Rahul manages a place just behind his angel. After the class hours they made their plans to go to Mumbai, since everyone was going to take train from Mumbai. They hired two cars for Pune to Mumbai for 14th June. Deepali took the front seat and Rahul on the rear.

There was seven altogether in a Jeep. As every one was from Gujrat except Rahul, they were known to each other. Deepali was not valiant enough to expose the relation popping up between them. But, the essence of love cannot be kept hidden. Everyone was aware of the happenings. Everyone was enjoying the magnetism of two set of eyes. It was Altaf Raja again playing on the cassette player in the car “Tum Toh Theherey Pardeshi…….”. They took their lunch in a Dhaba near Lonawala. The car reached Mumbai in the evening.

Deepali’s had a flat there in Mumbai. It remains almost vacant all the time. Her family member uses it whenever they visit Mumbai. Everyone went to spend the night at different places they had in Mumbai. Rahul and other four were remained there without decided where to stay. Deepali asked him to come with her to her flat as she was to stay there with Preeti for the night. He refused. He finds this unsuitable. This could lead to controversies and could dent her image. Rahul let her go with the commitment of meeting her at Dadar Railway Station on the next day.

He passed the night almost sleepless. He with the other four stayed in a Railway’s Guest House near Grand Road Railway station. This has been managed by Poonam as her grandfather was the Station Superintendent there. The next day they all left for Dadar.

The train vanished down the memory lane. Rahul took his train for Guwahati in the evening from Chhatrapati Shibaji terminal. After reaching Guwahati he made a phone call to Deepali. They started calling each other on every alternate day. They started wishing each other on every occasion whether social or personal.

It was all going beyond the knowledge of Rahul’s wife. It was all going extra-marital. He was floating on a boat of fantasy. He was finding his love his pleasure by talking to her from this corner to that of the country. It is more than a two thousands five hundred kilometers of land between them. But distance is nothing when you are wired with heart. He kept himself loyal to his wife, he loved both.

It was winter; beautiful flowers started blooming all around. It is the season that Rahul loves the most. He gets an invitation. Invitation came from Ahmedabad to attend marriage ceremony. Yes, Deepali is getting married finally; she is going to wear her bridal Ghagra sometime in December. Her family has chosen a groom for her in Baroda, a well established businessman. He called her and had a never ending conversation. He felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Her voice goes frozen. He wished her happy married life.

This elegant invitation was more than enough for his wife to smell the bizarre. She started throwing end number of questions. Rahul had only one answer “We had a good friendship there in Pune”. She remained unconvinced. She took out his wallet and started searching it. Rahul snatched from her hands, got the paper out and started chewing it. He digested the piece of paper and the phrase. His relation at home became normal with time though he still dreams meeting his Angel once in his lifetime. Rahul still smoke a lot; he drinks over and over again.