After finishing my food and washing the pending dishes I went to the living room. To my surprise, Sheila and Nani were intently looking at a photo album. Nani looked nostalgic and proud, as she gazed at the photo while Sheila's looked reverently. I stood there staring at them for a while; it felt nice to see Nani smiling. After Nana's death, Nani had a really bad time, as it wasn't just her willingness to live that faded but her health worsened too. My uncles and my parents on the advise of our family doctor, thought that it was good to keep Nani surrounded by people, especially her grandchildren.

Normally, Nani lived with my Uncle in USA but they were out on a vacation so Nani came over to live at our place. It had been that way since my childhood. I loved it when Nani came over because when she came over, she would tell us interesting stories.

"Did you see this photograph of Nana?" Sheila exclaimed excitedly and pulled me next to her on the couch.

I wanted to apologize for my rudeness to her earlier but she seemed to have gotten over it already. This was the way arguments between us were resolved. Both of us had bad temper issues and by this point we had pretty much realised that each never meant the hurtful things the other said during a fit of rage. She probably knew that she had to bear the brunt of my misdirected anger towards her while Aditya was the real recipient.

I scooted next to Sheila and took a look at a faded sepia toned picture of young men. I recognised some of the faces from my history textbook. Nani's wrinkled finger caught my eye; she was pointing at a handsome man with a charming smile who stood at the right side.

"That's Nana." Sheila explained. "I never knew he was a freedom fighter."

I had a vague idea of my mother proudly boasting about the fact that her father had been a part of our freedom struggle. But, having hated history I didn't pay attention to much detail.

"He was a very brave man..." Nani said proudly. "The bravest man I knew. He was afraid of nothing, not even imprisonment, not even death."

I saw Sheila glancing at a letter, curious I peeked a look. It was addressed to a Kamla and it was written by Surendra. I realised that it was written by my Nana to my Nani. It felt weird looking at their names because we were accustomed to addressing them as Nana and Nani.

As we went through the photographs and letters, Nani began her tale.

#

Kamla and Surendra had grown up in the same village. They had fallen in love with each other and their families too had agreed to get them married, after Surendra returned from Bombay completing his studies. When Surendra was studying in Bombay, Kamla made all the preparations for their marriage. However, she was in for a shock when she recieved a letter by him that stated that he wanted to postpone the marriage as he was occupied with the freedom struggle.

Surendra had been like any other young man; his aim in life was to get a respectable job and find a suitable and loving wife. He was a good student and he was sent to Bombay by his parents in hopes that he would be able to secure a government job as a clerk with a decent salary. He was a man with well-disposed and helpful nature. Everyone in the village liked him because he patiently wrote and translated letters for them; sometimes he would even read newspapers for them. One person who visited him frequently was Kamla. Kamla was the daughter of the village Munshi. Once, when her father fell sick and her useless brothers were occupied with family disputes, Kamla who had merely attended enough of school to be barely able to read, decided to take matters into her own hands. She asked Surendra's help in order to write and send her father's letters and telegrams. She and Surendra found each other's company to be enjoyable and gradually, they fell in love. When Surendra officially asked for Kamla's parents for her hand in marriage, her family was over-joyed; after all he was an educated man with bright prospects and a good family background, their Kamla was sure to be happy with such a person. It was decided that they would wed when Surendra would return to village after completing his education in Bombay.

However, something strange happened in Bombay. A centre of political struggle against the British government, everywhere in the provience there were upheavals and discussions about how best to ensure independence. Surendra once attended one such underground meeting, there when he heard one great leader speak so passionately about the cause of freedom of the motherland, he was moved by that passion. At that moment, Surendra had transformed. He had left aside all his personal goals and decided to dedicate his life for his motherland.

He became a part of certain freedom movements. He wrote to Kamla about his desire to work for the freedom of nation and also stated how this would mean a delay in their marriage. While Kamla's family was not thrilled by this prospect, regardless Kamla was proud of her fiancé's nobility.

The political movements grew intense and gained momentum all across the country. During one such particularly intense movement, Surendra was caught by the police and jailed for ten years. Kamla was heartbroken when she heard that. During his imprisonment, he wasn't allowed to write to anyone. Occasionally, when his friends or colleagues would visit him, they would write to Kamla about his condition in prison. For months, Kamla didn't hear anything about him. Her parents had started coaxing her to consider other prospective grooms but Kamla kept on avoiding it. Two years passed like that and now her parents had become insistent about her marrying the boy they had chosen. They fixed the dates of the marriage and she had no say in it. Kamla had two options, either to accept her fate or get married to the boy her parents had chosen or the second option was to fight for her love; she choose the latter. She decided to write a letter to the boy who her parents had chosen where she told everything about Surendra. The boy being from a typical orthodox family broke off the marriage instantly, leaving Kamla's family fuming.

The third year, restrictions on Surendra had relaxed a little. He was allowed to send letters that were reviewed by the jailer. When Kamla recieved the first letter from Surendra, she smiled for the first time in three years. He had written how even the most rigorous punishment hadn't made him forget her. He told her that he'd marry her the moment he was released, if she was willing to wait for him. Kamla wrote that she was willing to wait for him regardless how long it took.

Kamla's family and the villagers had started taunting her. She was ageing and her family warned her that if she wouldn't get married now, no one would want to marry her when she'd pass her prime. Her friends, all married by now, would try to convince her to think practically. They'd try to make her understand the possibility of him finding someone else, so it was but right for her to find someone else as well. But, Kamla didn't heed any advice; she would keep on waiting for his letters.

There was a time when she didn't receive any letter for months together, she'd pine bitterly during those times and wonder if he had forgotten her. However, by the next time that she recieved his letter all her sadness would disappear because she would be reassured of his love once again.

The freedom movement had spread to every nook and corner like a forest fire; there was no village regardless how remote that wasn't demanding independence. In Kamla's village too everyone, men, women and even children raised slogans for freedom. Luckily, independence was achieved and the British government did some goodwill gestures, one of which included releasing political prisoners.

After five years, Surendra was released in a free India. True to his word, he married Kamla. They both lived a happy life with their four children, three sons and one daughter. Years later, they had grandchildren as well.

Surendra kept his promise till his dying breath; he never left Kamla's side. Even on his deathbed, his last words were Kamla as he left his body.

#

After hearing the entire tale, I had so many questions. Firstly, how the hell did people wait for months for an answer? In our age of technology, not getting a text message within minutes is frustrating enough. I was wondering how was it that Nana and Nani stayed together despite not being together. Did she never have doubts? Wasn't she afraid that Nana would forget her? And when Nana was away from Nani in Bombay, did he not have temptations?

I feel like Nani saw the troubled expression on my face, because she asked me, "What happened? Didn't like the tale?"

"No, I was just wondering...." I poured out all my queries and thoughts that had crowded my mind. "How did you know he would come back? I mean did you never have doubts? Didn't you or Nana never get attracted to someone else? Didn't you ever feel alone or doubtful about your love? Honestly, I can't imagine trusting someone so blindly, I love and trust Aditya but I don't think I can wait for him for five years."

Nani chuckled. "Do you know what your problem is dear? You think too much."

She got up to get a blanket for Sheila, who had fallen asleep on the couch. After tucking Sheila in, Nani switched off the lights of the living room. Both Nani and I proceed to my bedroom.

"But Nani, did you never have arguments with Nana when he was away? Did you never get frustrated?" I asked, unable to keep it all inside my mind.

"Dear, your Nana and I had more fights than you and Aditya have. I wouldn't lie, it was extremely frustrating and I had my own share of doubts. Once when my friend told me that probably your Nana had forgotten me, I was so upset that I didn't eat for a day." Nani said.

I smiled, the situation sounded a lot similar. Nani and I were generations apart who lived through different time periods but not much had changed in terms of our feelings.

"Then what did you do?"

"I followed my heart." Nani said smiling gleefully.

She continued, "I thought that the world doesn't know him the way I know him. My heart knows him the best so my heart should be the only one to judge him. And, in my heart I knew that I must wait for him."

"And how were you so assured that he felt the same way, even after not receiving his letters for months?" I asked.

"I did not know about his feelings, there is no way you can know how the other person feels. I just knew that I would be miserable without him and I'd rather spend my life waiting for him than spend it with regrets of not having waited for him. I was selfish in a way, you must be too because when you act according to your own heart, you don't blame others. Even if your Nana had not waited for me, I wouldn't be bitter because, I didn't wait for him, I waited for my heart. You must be willing to take responsibility for your feelings and not blame others. Waiting or not waiting was always my decision, he never forced me; I choose to wait for him. It was a risk but I was willing to face the consequences."

I let the words sink in my mind. I hadn't ever thought of it in this way. I decided to drink some water; all that crying from earlier had dehydrated me. I took a glass kept beside the pitcher of water from the bedside table and poured myself some water, filling the glass till brim. While I poured the water, I saw the picture of Aditya and me at the beach when we were children. It made me smile bitterly.

"Weren't you afraid of Nana cheating on you? Or of you finding someone else?" I blurted.

Nani who was folding some clothes and keeping them in the cupboard turned her full attention to me. She walked up to me, took the water pitcher and started pouring water in my already filled glass.

The water trickled down and then with a splash, it started over-flowing.

"Nani, the glass is already full. The water is spilling." I panicked.

Nani laughed, her laugh showed her wisdom. "That is my point dear." She said and quickly got a rag cloth to wipe the water from the floor.

"A glass that is filled with water doesn't have space for more water, similarly a heart that is filled with love doesn't have space for someone else. If you truly love someone, naturally you wouldn't love anyone else. It is that simple but somehow you kids cannot seem to grasp this simple concept." She said.

I chugged the entire glass of water and again got entangled in my thoughts. I fell asleep thinking over Nani's advice and that advice told me the future course of my action.

#

Glossary-

Munshi- A village accountant or clerk

Nana- Grandfather, typically mother's father. 

Nani- Grandmother, typically mother's mother. 

Bombay- Bombay Presidency of Colonial era included provinces of modern day Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kutch, Sindh with the city of Bombay as the capital. The city of Bombay was later renamed Mumbai.