My Favourite Bench

I was standing at the station with my family next to me. They were telling me something that I could not understand. Or is it that I just did not want to understand? I think there was something wrong. They had got some wrong information. I was just standing there. Then they made me sit on the bench. My favourite bench. I would come here and sit everyday for the past thirteen years. But wait - I liked this bench because I got a lot of privacy here. Even though the station was crowded everyone would be busy trying to catch the train and nobody would have the time to look at me. But why is it now that when I looked up there were about a hundred odd faces looking at me. All around me I could see people just staring at me. Why did they not go away and leave me alone there on my favourite bench.

First I think I should tell you the story of this bench.

It was on this bench thirteen years earlier that I was waiting to meet my brothers best friend. Now he was my best friend too. He came and sat next to me and we spoke to each other for over an hour. After that we would daily meet on this bench. It was here that we first expressed our love for each other. It was here on this very bench that we planned our marriage. And it was here that we decided on how many kids we would have after marriage. Two kids - yes that is all we wanted. Irrespective of whether they were boys or girls. We were okay with both. Then one day we realized we would not be able to get the permission from our families to get married. So we decided to elope.

One day in the year 1987 we were to get married in the court. He waited for me on this bench for over an hour because I was delayed at home. He was worried that I had changed my mind but refused to move away from the bench because he thought that if I came and did not see him I would go away. So he waited and waited. And then I came and sat with him there for some time and from there we went to the court and got married. After that we would come everyday and sit on the bench together for some time before I took the train to work. This had become our favourite bench. We did not have to tell each other where to meet. We both knew the other would be there waiting on the bench.

And now today in 2000 I am again sitting on the same bench. On the bench where we had planned what we would be doing for the next 50 years of our life. Yes he had already planned our lives for the next 50 years.

But now my family was trying to tell me something. And the public around were all feeling sorry for me. I could not understand what was going on. I was trying to understand what they were all saying.

Then my co-sister held my hand and tried to very slowly tell me again. My husband had got into an accident a few metres away from my favourite bench. I had to sign some papers. I had to claim his body. Yes I was now sitting on my favourite bench waiting to claim his body. On the very bench that I saw my life start I could see the end also.