Fall of Oblivious Hearts 2.0

He never saw her again. Maybe she withered away like the flower, leaving not a single petal but the leaves of her diary that Henry would pluck through in remembrance of her; or perhaps she blew away like a dandelion, just to find itself a better dwelling.

Hung on the walls were Henry’s marvelous paintings that could not hide the spark of love. He wished he could do something more than just stare at them. But that was all. He left everything and bade the hospital room goodbye. It was never his intention to play with colors in the long run but now he had realized that painting was not mere object of distraction but the soul of his entirety. On usual mornings, he would work his hands on the grey canvas until the daylight set in the west. Soon he had a decent collection of paintings now put up in his cozy store. Every now and then, someone or the other, hither and tither would come by, if not to buy, to have a look at every bit of art that radiated the room with its brilliance.

‘The Last Autumn’ had been the heart of his collection for quite some time until a lady caught sight of it. And ever since the purchase she had been a frequent visitor and perhaps, this delighted Henry. Her name was Dorothy Wells, a doctor by profession, and she carried herself with such an air of soft subtlety and sophistication that a pause in conversations with her would only mean admiration for her wit and charm. Glances turned into conversations and conversations into petty slanging matches until they took the form of something as beautiful as friendship.

One quiet evening, as Dorothy sat beside Henry under the pink-tinted sky, she asked him,” Why do you have only pink roses in your garden?” With a warm grin, he replied,” You could say I’m waiting for someone to steal them”. Dorothy then fired back,” Well, stealing is cowardice, if you consent, I’d rather smuggle some of them to one of my patients” to which Henry had to relent.Sometimes when it would be time for Dorothy to leave, Henry would simply look into her passionate heedless eyes and whisper to himself,” She’s gonna come back, now c’mon, let go of her hand.” While a timid voice deep down would also cry out,” What if she was just another trespasser who wouldn’t care to come back?” But she always came back to him, as though her heart belonged there until a couple days went by and she was nowhere around.

Henry found himself painting from dusk till dawn once again only to start reminiscing on those good old days he spent in the hospital. It suddenly struck him that he must trace his footsteps back to the hospital, the place where his reality was interlaced with fantasy in the puzzle of his memory that he left unsolved. So off he went. As he reached the hospital room, all he could do was deeply sigh and wonder how things never seemed to have changed in that small room, for his paintings still hung on the walls, looking as if he had painted them only yesterday. While he was having a look around, Dorothy came in and seeing him greatly elated her. Dorothy embraced him and getting close to his ear, whispered,” Do you wanna know a secret?” To this, Henry simply turned her round as the rays of sunlight now streaked his face through the window. With the pinkest flush up her face, she softly rustled these in his ears,” I love you, dear.” Hardly had she finished uttering these words than Henry moved with a start and swiftly rushed out the room.

Dorothy was left perplexed and bitter as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Then she caught sight of something through the window-an unexpected crunch she should have expected from a circuitous amnesiac who had been yearning for a lost love all this while. Under the breezy four-clover tree, Dorothy saw her patient, Vanessa, no more alone, for she was with Henry and what joy lit up their faces! Nothing more could appease Henry than the moment he had Vanessa round his arms as he felt her cold hands on his neck. Vanessa could only utter,” Henry, you’ve been a reason why I want to wake up to every sunrise…I love you, but I can’t assure you that I can say that forever…” before she became unconscious. Dorothy, seeing this, came rushing out for Vanessa. Henry saw an unusual sight; Dorothy’s eyes, as red as love, had lost its light, as she immediately took Vanessa inside the hospital. And he knew exactly why; the candle had snuffed out even before the wind blew.

Weeks and months flashed by; Vanessa had been in the ICU for ages and there seemed to be no trace of Dorothy. After quite a long wait, Henry was informed that Vanessa had recovered and was allowed to meet her. When Henry entered the room, he felt his heart pounding heavier than ever, as though for a lost lover. But how could that possibly be the reason when he was right beside Vanessa, the one lovely Vanessa. As he looked at her, while she lay asleep, he fondly remembered how his young heart had to bear through all the springs and falls to finally meet her. Hearing Henry’s low sniffs, Vanessa woke up and slowly putting her hand on his’, said,” Looks like I’ve kept you waiting for long.” Henry did not even look up and simply shook his head.

Taking a deep breath, Vanessa asked,” Do you see those pink roses beside the window and the painting of ‘The Last Autumn’ over there?” Hearing this, Henry stood up with a start and exclaimed,” Dorothy had been your doctor this whole time? Where on earth is she?!” Vanessa drew him nearer and told him,” These were Dorothy’s last words:

‘Vanessa, don’t worry, you’re gonna be fine, alright? Your heart has been so strong and see, now you’ve finally met Henry. But now your heart…I’m no cupid but …I hope every heartbeat of yours from now on will remind you of me.’

and then she kissed me on my forehead as I slowly closed my eyes.” Then Vanessa took Henry’s hands and placed it on her chest and said,” Feel my heartbeat, and that’s where you’ll find Dorothy.”

Henry’s heart broke. He was left speechless and only now realized how amazing Dorothy really was and how dearly she had loved him. Vanessa held him round her arms as he listened to the heart beat and found solace as he heard her say,” This heart is a blessing and as long as you feel it beating, I hope you don’t forget that you are the reason for it.”

Once again, the cool autumn breeze tossed the fallen leaves and flowers as the soft October clouds drizzled the streets while Henry and Vanessa sat under the old four-clover tree. Vanessa put her head on his shoulder as he felt her heartbeat through his black gloves. As he looked around and saw the Bliss coffee shop brewing its coffee in the early hours; Mr. Gardner trimming the overgrown bushes while smoking his usual cigarette; Mrs. Perry greeting every stranger as she carried her grocery basket of strawberries, Henry felt at absolute peace as he thought to himself,” The seasons have a peculiar way of speaking; there is a rhythm in them that no one truly understands but when they do, fall comes and leaves them in oblivion.”