Do Anniversaries Die?

The arguments and accusations, appeals and apologies are all done. The tears have been shed by the liter. Deep holes have been left in warm spots of the heart that were previously occupied by the beloved. The trifling gifts that were once more valuable than life have been disposed of without honor. The whisperings have become shrill and the once soft caresses burn now.

The love is dead. But what happened to the anniversary? The day when the promise of that everlasting love was made, did it not die along with the love too? The dead love has been replaced by fiercer feelings. But the anniversary?

Well…It is still alive; because days and dates never die. They do not perish in the fires of wrath but remain forever in the minds of their makers. To make them realize that they had not risen in love but fallen. The beautiful reality that they had thought was created, one of their own private hemispheres, was actually a façade. The warm, cozy bedrooms were not better than cheap hotel rooms. The couple that they had pretended to be in front of the world was simple showing off, like an expensive watch or new furniture. Their words were hollow. Their oaths were not permanent. The whys haunt both their minds. The burden of mistakes made and the pain of shattered trust is all that remains. The special day continues to remind them that they can do nothing but burn in the inextinguishable fire which they had once dared to light themselves.

But somewhere, on one such anniversary, after her household chores are done, she blows the dust off an old love letter. As she hastily skims through it, the words that had become meaningless over time acquire significance. A desire for the happiness that she had once felt is enlightened.
As he writes the date while signing a paper, long-lost memories bring a smile on his face. When he opens his lunchbox that afternoon, after months, or years perhaps, her scent wafts in along with the aroma of his favourite malai kofta. While driving back that evening, the red traffic signal reminds him of something and he impulsively buys a red rose from one of those little girls.

When he rings the door bell, instead of the housemaid, it is she who opens the door for him. His eyes pause on her face for a second to notice the kajal in her eyes that she had put today, something that had been her daily practice in the first years of their marriage. They decide to go out for dinner. Instead of a fancy restaurant, they mutually decide on one of those small Chinese diners that they used to visit during their college days. Sometime in the middle of the dinner, they somehow realize that once they are together, love will find its way. The cold passions are soon re-kindled. That night, he pushes away the loose strands of her hairs that obstruct his view of her fair face. She runs her fingers in his wavy hair that she had always adored. In bed, she seeks for him more willingly and his hugs are tighter than usual.

And, it is for this one reunion that anniversaries never die.