Hotel Destiny

            It was 12:00 noon of 13th March, 1997, Phuntsholing H. S. S., the second day of my new school after passing 10^th grade. We were summoned by the principal for briefing on the rules and regulations of the school and he stressed upon one single issue namely, prohibition of love affairs amongst students. Though it was his moral duty to proclaim so, yet implementation relied solely upon the hands of students. It was my 3^rd time hearing the same briefing in all of my school days including this new school, so it hardly had any impact on me. Maybe I was looking for someone that day as I saw a girl in the crowd, whom I showed to my class-friend by pointing at her during the briefing. I requested him to get me the personal details of that girl and he did so right-away. Next day, I wrote a letter for her. After sealing the letter, I asked the same class-friend to deliver it to her instantly. Days passed by, but there was no response to my proposal at all. Exactly a month later, on 13^th April, out of the blue, the girl whom I had pointed towards during the briefing came up to me and handed me an enveloped letter addressed “To Destiny” and swiftly but timidly walked away without a word. I was excited and without delay, I opened the envelope and read the letter which contained her acceptance of my proposal and she even asked me to meet her at 7:00 p.m. at a given hotel that very evening. My sentiments knew no bounds and I was ecstatic to have received her letter and was longing for the 7:00 p.m. to strike instantly. Finally, it was time and while I was leaving for the hotel, I see a girl heading towards the same hotel. She was the prettiest face I had ever come across in all of my life and I was swept away by her enchanting beauty. I was bewitched to the extent of falling in a dilemma as to whether I should pursue with my meeting or not. However, I reconciled somehow with the reality and with a certain amount of doubt, I resumed my walk towards the rendezvous. Upon reaching, I called her number and to my utter disbelief, the pretty girl approaches me and begins conversing with me as if she was very familiar to me. She was clad in a pink dress and looked mesmerising under the light glowing at her innocent face. It was indeed “Love at first sight” and there was no coming back from there. It turned out to be a day of divine intervention, as she was the one to whom I had actually written and she was the one who had attended my call in the hotel as she was the girl my friend had  actually mistaken with the one I was pointing towards and referring to. Destiny had played its part in this sequence of events and I could only but get drawn into its powerful grasp. The irony was at work as well because to her I was acquainted but to me she was no less than a stranger. She kept speaking and asking questions, but I listened with awe and remained a mute spectator mostly. Until that day, I had never in my life learnt that miracles were possible and that miracle was most likely what we call as FATE.

          My H.S.C score was 81 % and undoubtedly, I was good in studies so it was sure for me to get scholarship outside the country, but she was academically weak compared to her peers. She lamented that she couldn’t make it for higher education the following year. With time I learnt that for her it’s one impossible thing to break away from me because she has given everything to me, her body, mind and the soul. It was the very first glimpse of her in the pink dress that drove me speechless in describing her beauty and these were my words I often used to say to her “in this dress there is no one more pretty than you in the world” and I always wanted her to be in that dress but school days were no days of vacation. Rules, routines and obligations were part of school administration. For me she was just like a light in the dark, it delighted my heart every time I saw her.  I simply fell deeply in her. Our love was concealed from parents although our friends knew well the extent of our love-ship and the intensity of our bondage. She believed that I would surely make it outside for further studies so she made a plan to get out with me but without my knowledge. She urged her father for 15 months before her 12^th exams to arrange her some money for pursuit of her further studies outside, purely due to one reason alone and that was me and moreover she was determined that she wouldn’t make it in the country training. Days passed by and exams were finally over which meant a short break for us and it was time to get apart for the time being. We remained in contact through SMS and voice calls during vacation though.    

          She was born to a family, self-sufficient I should say for now. Her dad owned a plot of land and whatever they got out of it was enough to sustain their survival. Her father did petty smuggling as well and was doing so to provide his family with luxuries. He was always escorted by an old friend who happened to be his accomplice as well. It did involve great risk in doing such kind of work but he was quiet safe as he knew the police there and things moved smoothly, yet for safety reasons, he never ventured alone. To them, laws and rules were just a commodity to be bought by money. Fraction of the money always went to the corrupt cops. If given money we as human beings tend to do everything in our potential because money seems to be an indispensable ingredient of our materialistic lives. We are the most intelligent beings but the cruelest ones as well with heightened sense to combat or escape peril. For the last 5 years, her father had given up the smuggling business as he had a feud with his silent partner, Indian across the border. However, upon hearing the death of his silent partner, he decided to go across the border one last time as it was going to be his final act which he was doing solely for her graduation. His elder daughter was brighter than her and had sought a job after completion of her higher studies. However, the elder daughter’s income could not suffice for her graduation and hence the need of her father’s final criminal act as their usual honest income was barely enough for their very own basic needs (at this point it is important to note that her elder sister is unmarried).  There was more risk while he was crossing the border as he might encounter an unknown cop on duty. Moreover, he had to carry a bulk of goods of which he had nothing to worry about only upon crossing the border.

So, this time on his final smuggling act, while crossing the border, he comes across a new face (police) at the gate and he was checked and while in the process of opening his bags, a corrupt cop who was his old friend came over and prevented the disclosure. As mentioned earlier, due to his strong connections with the local police, there was hardly any problem, unless they weren’t around. He entered the Indian border and a transaction was finalised with profitable price enough for her graduation and he then retreats. 

          Two weeks had passed but he didn’t return home, usually he returned by the 5^th day and her mom had an instinct that he was surely nabbed by the law in the act. Anyhow, she files a MISSING person complaint and thereafter the announcement was made public. Consequently, the policeman -the same cop who prevented his bag from being checked- took note of this broadcast and went to her home and assures that her father was not in the police custody and that he was an old friend of her father. …..At that very instance, her mother remembered an incident that took place 6 years ago when her father had confided in her mother that he and his accomplice had blackmailed their silent partner across the border for a sum of Rs. 1 lac and that they should quit dealing and going across the border in the territory of the silent partner.

          Meanwhile, while retreating from the profitable deal, he meets a young hefty lad who in fact was the brother of the deceased silent partner whom he had blackmailed 6 years ago, however, they were unknown to one another. Here is the nature’s law that if a man is unfair to the system, nature always seeks a way to come back at the man and hence in this case too, nature brings him back so he reaps what he had sown 6 yrs back. Tragically, he gets murdered by the same young hefty lad. Actually, it happened that his accomplice had left a photograph of himself in the hands of their silent partner 9 yrs ago and had been totally oblivious to it. When a man is into the world of crime and cruelty, he is often blinded by his inhuman and irresponsible actions. After their dissociation, their silent partner and his brother recruited few goons to hunt the accomplice in the photo. As I said earlier who is there to give up if it is money they are looking for. With money we do what we want to but for money we do everything, laws are no limiting factor today if it is for money. He was murdered but to her he was only a missing man who would turn up some day or the other. She has nothing left but an unofficially dead father and a living mother with a dead soul. She used to cry constantly and reminisce her moments with her father especially when she told her father to get her into a college outside the country and that it was her only wish she ever desired from her father to be fulfilled. Unfortunately, her father kept rejecting her plea in order to avoid venturing across the border  as it was the only means to fund her expenses, although later, upon knowing about his silent partner’s death he did finally comply to her appeal, as it was now safe for him to pursue his smuggling act in the absence of his silent partner. Here you learn that even she doesn’t know about her father’s misdeeds. Clearly, one can discern the proverbial guilty conscience speaks the mind, when a person is doing something wrong which makes him feel guilty and his actions are against the system or laws he conceals everything within himself. She feared losing me at times when her father disappointed her about the schooling abroad and the paradox was that he rather feared for his own life if thrown into the smuggling world once again.

Meanwhile, she was woken to the harsh realities which entailed her father going missing and followed by the rituals for the dead father rather for the missing. Her mom had begged him not to go at the time but he retorted that he was doing it for her. Everything changed from that point of life as she would now on easily submit to the family’s wishes which I could very well understand and even sympathise with her as it was too late to listen to her father. For me, nothing changed though.

           Amidst all this turmoil, BHSEC results were declared and as expected she didn’t qualify for the country training and I did well as usual but fell short of few marks to get the scholarship. I was then to study in the country and same would have been with her but only if she could have predicted the sequence well enough and foretold the future. We are not soothsayers to predict our future beforehand and that is why we make mistakes as humans do. By then, every arrangement was being made for her departure abroad with the help of her elder sister who is now married to a noble and a wealthy man, who agreed to sponsor her academic expenses abroad. After all, destiny seems to have played an unfair game with her as all the suffering could have been avoided had she not been adamant upon studying abroad with her father’s assistance. This very simple act which she could have prevented ultimately shook up everything in her life and subsequently she lost interest in the earthly matters including materials, money etc. but what about love? She only could answer that..!! Finally, as per her decision and what fate had in store for her, she left outside for graduation. Some of her classmates said she pursued BBA in New Delhi but I had little idea regarding her whereabouts. She never answered my calls since the day her father went missing but no one could tell me the precise reason as to why she did so. It had been 2 months since she left me a message stating that she would be leaving the country for studies and that she would see me in time and asked me to take very good care of myself. Meanwhile, I kept calling her and to my utter relief it was answered but alas it was her elder sister who then revealed to me that she indeed is in New Delhi but pursuing Geography Honours. So this mere information about her was all I had without knowing her exact address of stay. With time, many things changed and as time and tide wait for none, I needed to be strong and go on with my life. However, due to my obsession with her, I couldn’t help trying her number at the probable onset of her college vacation, for one last time. My fate with her hanged in balance depending solely upon the outcome of this final effort to call her. If she had responded positively, it would have been well and good but sadly it was not to be as the mobile phone beeped ’’Subscriber is switched off……try after sometime…..!! Still, no matter how many times I kept trying the number, it was in vain and ultimately made me frustrated and I ended up breaking my phone and dumped it in the nearby river.

          It was 13^th July, 2000, end of my 1^st year in B. Sc, live science, Sherubtse College. Not everything but many things were changing. A girl proposed me a week ago and I avoided her advances meantime as I was engrossed with her thoughts. I could see no coming back of my girl and I knew there was no point waiting for a girl who wasn’t coming. It may be that she was having someone already by now in her life. With these heavy challenging thoughts, I decided to quit waiting for a person who was not coming back to me. Consequently, I accepted the girl who had pledged her love to me and here was my new girlfriend who was beautiful, rich, loving and joyful but a little arrogant and showy but everyone loved her and it included me as well. As far as her family was concerned, they were respectable and loveable by all. Her father was a highly respected law official in the government and was held in high esteem by one and all. Still then, I sometimes ended up getting irked and sad with my past. For instance, upon seeing my new girlfriend wearing a pink dress just like the one which she wore the first time I saw her, I discouraged her from putting on such a dress as I wanted to get rid of my past. At times, trivial misunderstandings also took place between us, which gradually subsided with passage of time. One day, after returning from my 5^th end semester vacation, I was a little drunk when I asked my girlfriend for a night-out with me. It was a calm, pitch-dark night and under the influence of alcohol I landed up in the girl’s hostel with my girlfriend and even ended up sleeping over. The next day, she assured me that she being sober, nobody had noticed our activities. It had been the first time I ever took her during the night. Unfortunately, the news of our meeting had reached the Principal and we were summoned in the afternoon to his office and interrogated. Fortunately, he didn’t rusticate us but we were suspended for one fucking month. I couldn’t face my family due to this incident, so I planned on not going home but facing her family was even harder. So where could I possibly go for the time being???? Actually, a boy who happened to have a crush over her since long, in order to malign her reputation, had reported to the principal. He had learnt about my absence from the hostel that night through one of my close friend who was my room-mate. Actually, my friend casually revealed about my absence during a routine friendly chat with the complainant, but he, in order to avenge his rejection at love by my girlfriend sought the opportunity to come back at her.

          Meanwhile, stranded at the horns of a dilemma, I was unable to face either of the families. At this point, she exclaimed that as she had already mentioned about me and my fine character to her family during her last vacation, I had nothing to fear about and I should just accompany her. I eventually did so and as assured by her, all went by smoothly and continued so for the following month. I graduated from Sherubtse the same year and I agreed to even marry her right after the RCSE results were out. Both of us got a job and it was time for the marriage and arrangements were being made and it was to happen in a week’s time, so I got ready for it and stayed with my parents. The wedding was scheduled in her house so I had to go around a distance of 5 KMs to attend the wedding.

          The family members of the girl were waiting for me to come over and soon my family joined them. I couldn’t reach there with my family members because I realised my stockings were mismatched while on the way and I went back to get it changed. I was riding a new bike that my father had bought for me on the occasion of my marriage with some money he had saved all along from his private business. Actually, it was when I had got off the bike for a bubble gum, that a little girl discovered me with the mismatched stockings. After changing the stockings, while returning, I just glimpsed at the very spot where the little girl had pointed towards my socks, but this time I could only see a girl in a pink dress with pink hair-clips holding her hair tight that drove me instantly to the pleasant past. This particular look of the girl haunted and influenced me to think only about my ex-girlfriend but to find her I had to traverse a whole new level. I had been overpowered by a strong sense of committal which compelled me to throw off my marriage thereafter. Consequently, my dear parents who were awaiting my arrival, had to deal with the embarrassment of my refusal to show up at the wedding. I commenced my search for her, starting with the home address which I remembered, though I was doubtful that she would be there. One thing for sure was, I could meet her mother and get details regarding her whereabouts. With these promising thoughts and sheer optimism, I went and enquired from the people around to find her house correctly, but when I finally did so, to my utter dismay, I could see only a locked door with letters written in white reading…….”life is love for you and me”, DESTINY………..”. It was the very same door in front of which she stood in her photograph, which she had given me and which I had discarded 3 yrs back itself. It was tragic that I had cancelled my marriage for her and after that I even lost my way to find her as well. I didn’t find any other way and suddenly my ray of hope began to diminish but still I hoped to find her someday or the other. Too add to my woes, I could not afford to visit every household in Thimphu asking about her. However, I had an idea to visit every office in the city, to search for her application she might have submitted in pursuit of a particular job. I went to a number of offices disguised as her brother, as if seeking her documents in order to rectify certain mistakes she had committed in her application. It was a very tedious and laborious task to go through resulting in failure every time except on one occasion. It was while rummaging through the applications in one particular office when suddenly I came across an application bearing her name. I was really overjoyed upon the discovery, just like a toddler receiving his new toy. However, the excitement was cut short by the office peon, who referred to the passport sized photograph, which under the spell of ecstasy, I failed to even have a glance at it before. My quest seemed never ending and while at it, one gloomy afternoon, a distant tintinnabulation of a nearby school bell suddenly rang a thought of past in my brain. I was reminded that she nurtured a passion for teaching school children and that if she ever was privileged she would gladly embrace the teaching profession. Instantly, I switched my focus towards that direction, however, it was sadly all in vain and my tryst with destiny was not to be yet. It was a fateful day when I came across my room-mate in Sherubtse mentioned earlier, who insisted that I accompany him to one of the hotels for lunch. On the way to the hotel, we talked about our respective future plans and then the conversation gradually shifted to the hotel we were going to. He praised the meal quality, economical prices along with the services rendered and above all he went on and on about the hotel girl. He described her pretty looks in a way as if he was smitten by her and was probably infatuated with her. He mentioned that he always had lunch there and never missed an opportunity to frequent the place. As we were about to enter the hotel, I was awestruck to see the signboard labelled ”HOTEL DESTINY”, the word “DESTINY” inscribed in her photo background that  she had given me. I hustled into the hotel with doubt and enthusiasm. Inside, I concentrated on the counter and saw an old man in his 50s. Shortly afterwards, a girl entered the hotel too but skipped my attention as I failed to have a clear look at her face. The old man, who did not appear to be her husband at all, upon seeing the girl, got furious and began scolding her in public. After that, the girl quietly went inside the hotel kitchen from where I later heard a brawl ensuing. I could not help but go to the kitchen to calm things down and I saw a young lad beating her. At this point, it was for the first time that I had close look at the girl’s face and there she was at last, the girl….my girl I had been searching all along. I instantly intervened and tried stopping the guy but he was too strong for me to handle. I then along with my friend exit the hotel in helplessness. On the way back, I had infinite questions racking my brain about her and only her. For instance, I kept wondering how the hell she landed herself into such mess and in such evil company. I was even wondering if she was married and that lad who was assaulting her was in fact her husband. It also seemed to me that it was her hotel and that she had been overpowered and suppressed by her husband and in-laws. Although, she recognised me but as she appeared to be under the influence of drugs or something just like the guy. I had no idea to this day as to why I was brought to that particular hotel when there were so many more in the city. May be it was “FATE”. I didn’t care about the man who was beating her but only concerned about whether she still loved me or not. So, I went again, but prepared fully this time carrying a sharp-toothed dagger along as well, in order to confront the strong lad if compelled. However, I found only the old man and her at the counter this time. I had a quick cup of tea and while paying the check, I gently and cautiously slipped a note in between the money to my girl asking her to call me if she still loved and longed for me. As I had work at hand and also feared any harm to her, I could not spend much time there and therefore hurried away. It had taken a whole month for her to think and accept when I proposed her for the first time but this time, she decided within a day to denounce and renounce all she had until now. We finally met and I learnt how she reached the state she was in. Actually, after the demise of her father, she was completely broken and disheartened which gripped her in a state of guilt and remorse. She felt that due to her actions, her father ended up losing his life for nothing. She succumbed to the most disturbing phase of her life and eventually got dependent on drugs. I didn’t ask how she met that guy and I didn’t want to know also because today she is my wife and we are happily settled now, leaving and burying our past way behind.

          My father told me that it is not good to do things that he had done in his life. In fact, the story of her father was narrated to me by my father and to no one else. He told me so because the very photograph left at the hands of the silent partner was that of me and my father. Actually, her father and mine were good old friends just because of one link which was black business. They were smugglers and often ventured across the border fixing shady deals with their silent partner for many years. It was my father who was the accomplice of her father. They were successful as aforementioned but on that particular day of the year it was my father who had escaped the danger while her father got murdered by the silent partner’s brother. From that day onwards, my father had severed all ties with people around in order to evade the case of a missing man and he even quit the smuggling business and opened a shop to earn his living respectably. Her mother was never aware of my father’s identity and she only knew that he accompanied her husband during the smuggling acts. It is very hard to understand the complexity and vicissitudes of life. It is ironic that instead of my father it was to be her father who got killed although it was my father who had left his own photograph at the hands of their silent partner whom they had duped 6 yrs ago and actually it had been my very father that the silent partner, his brother and his goons had been hunting for all along. So the elusive answer still lingers as to how my father made good his escape. Actually, it so happened that while retreating from their supposedly last smuggling deal, the very same young, hefty lad who was the silent partner’s brother had pounced on my lean and short-statured father. In order to rescue my father, her father who was tall and robust intervened resulting in getting my father freed from the lad’s tight grip but in the ensuing melee he got grabbed instead and attacked ruthlessly by the lad and his goons. At this point, my father who was shell-shocked by the drastic turn of events instantly fled the scene and disappeared into the thin air, never ever to return to the scene. I wondered as to why the hell my father deserted her father especially at such a crucial time and did not muster the courage to help him then. I also felt if it had been my father who would have got deserted in such a manner, then what would have been the outcome of it. Anyways, the entire money made out of the last smuggling act happened to be in the pockets of my father and he was fortunate to have gotten away with it intact, all thanks to the brave, selfless and prompt response of her father at the time. Indeed, had it not been for the sacrifice that her father had made, my father would not have been re-united with his family and flourished thereon, to the extent of opening a shop and even buying me a brand new motorbike -for my marriage with the law official’s daughter- with the stashed money from the last smuggling deal. Although I feel bad about my father but come to think of it in a different light, he was no bad man for his family. He catered for his family and fulfilled his family commitments with sincerity. He was a fine family head and placed his family foremost. I take pride and solace from the fact that as no one is perfect on this earth, I shall hold my father in profound reverence for all that he had undergone and achieved for his family. 

          Well, I am sure that she is ignorant regarding the tragedy her father had been struck with. I wish I could tell this same story to her but I cannot. She is my wife now and it is a matter of preserving the family and I really fear that she might misunderstand the tragic tale if divulged to her. At the same time, my father does not know that my wife is in fact the daughter of his very friend and hence I can even narrate her story to my father as nothing extraordinarily untoward can arise due to it. However, I shall confide in none but I as certain things in life are best meant to be buried for the welfare of one and all.

Today, I am a father of a son daughter myself. My wife is in fine state as well although some wounds do leave a scar behind. However, we’ve come a long way in life loving, respecting and trusting each other every moment. Oh! There’s not a single day that goes by without we sharing our ritual evening ride on the very motorbike that was bought by my father by the money that was meant for her……!! I guess that’s what “DESTINY” is all about. However, fact of the matter is that we have each other finally and that was meant to be all along. Indeed, we were and we are one another’s “DESTINY”………..!!!!!!!