DO YOU KNOW………???

I was sitting in the lawn and playing with my pet when Anu, my neighbor’s teenage daughter came and asked “Aunty, do you know what is love & how to know if someone really loves you or not?” As I was thinking what to tell, her mom called her & she rushed back saying she will ask me tomorrow! Her innocent question took me back to memory lanes….
I had just joined the hospital after doing my nursing course. I liked serving the sick admitted in the hospital. One day I came to know a young man was admitted in the special ward. He was suffering from TB. He was just 32. During my rounds I found he was mostly quiet & always reading something. I was wondering how he could get this disease so early! I learnt that no one came to visit him & no mail ever came for him. As the days passed the staff  got used to his silence. Once or twice he tried to speak to me but I did not bother to respond. But I knew he wanted to convey something to me. Whenever I visited the ward he stopped reading & I knew his eyes followed me everywhere in the room. I felt uneasy & hated to visit his room. But in hospital, I could not be selective & we have to learn to live with many types of situations! But giving due credit to him he never tried to speak to me again! In next three weeks time his condition deteriorated. He stopped coming out of the room. But sitting in bed he kept reading & writing whenever he felt the strength to do so. He was quietly suffering & was ready to face inevitable. The day came soon & Doctors declared he has only a few hours to live. I was on duty that fateful night. I went around and saw him lying motionless in his bed. After finishing my other duties I went to his room and sat in the chair next to his bed. Sound of chair attracted his attention. He opened his eyes & saw me! A faint smile came on his face, but could not speak. I forgot all my annoyance and smiled back. He waved his hand in response & again closed his eyes! Sitting alone thinking what to do, I saw his diary and opened it. He had written beautiful poems. So loving! So emotional! I was wondering who was so lucky to win his loving heart & still unlucky to loose him now! After last poem he had dedicated his poems to dear Ayesha…. !

I could not believe it was me.....!!!
I am Ayesha !!!!!!!!!!
In a fraction of a second all became very clear, tears rolling down from my eyes, I kept my head on his chest wetting his shirt with flood of my tears. There was still slow breathing &
faint beating of his heart. His hand moved and came on my head! I looked on his face with my flooded eyes & saw his smile flickered and frozen. Everything was over! Now I learnt what Love is!

No one came to take possession of his body.
I lied to hospital authorities that he had deposited a few thousand rupees with me for his funeral expenses & surrendered all my savings. His diary was  thousand times more  valuable than my petty savings....!!! An invaluable treasure for all my life !!!

That was my first & last experience of Love!

 But how can I explain this to Anu ?