GEORGE

It is a hot afternoon. Construction workers are having their tea break, cleaning up their
sweat, cussing the hot summer winds and their restless strain-full job. It is an area of
developing in to high-rise building locality with only two places in the whole street which
doesn't need ones head to be risen to see the top. One with an arch, sporting in small letters
"Death must be as good as heaven because no one has come back from it". It is the David
Susson Cemetery standing with rusted gates and ill-maintained walls. Surviving all the tries by
REAL giants, it stands there unmoved because it contains in it, the most-loved ones of many
people around resting forever, Second is just on the other end of the street, a small house with
red clay tile roof, looking like a dwarf standing in between a baseball team. A small red colored
letter box, paint peeling off from the stem stood at the end of the walkway. It is named George.
It is 1630 hrs in the evening. A faint beep spread in the bedroom. But it is only for fifth
time for the evening. A white hand, with wrinkled skin slowly moved on to the small button on
the time peace, to relieve the little machine that works round the clock from its extra duty.
Bright afternoon sun rays falling inside the bedroom from the small skylight on the top of the
house, made the room so bright that old wrinkled eyelids of George are finding it very difficult
to welcome the bright view. Keeping his eyes closed, George got up slowly, slow enough for an
80 year old man and turned to side of his bed to let his legs feel the touch the 50 year old
wooden floor, then he opened his eyes to let his pupils suffer from the bright room. He then
had a view that he has been having for last many years, but only in blurred way reminding him
of his glasses. He started to search his glasses, which he usually keeps just beside the little
machine. He adjusted his black carbon framed glasses on to his eyes, resting it on his long nose.
He then grabbed a thing that always stays in touch with wrinkled smooth skin on his palms. It
has silver handle with embossed letters George in gold. With his hand stick in hand, he slid his
feet into the slippers and stood slowly to do the same thing he has been doing from 11 long
years.
It is 1700 hrs, and George got ready for his daily ritual in his favorite pair of shirt and
trousers. A white shirt with full hands nicely buttoned at the wrist, brown trousers with
matching braces on to the shoulders. He also had an additional thing of beauty, the brown
knitted hat. He then started walking to a corner of the room, to get his silver colored box which
looks like a brief case only made of some metal. He reached to the rack of his footwear, got into
his black boots which he maintained with a mirror finish. Checking the keys in his pocket,
George started for his evening ritual with slow steps. Locking his door and gate, George started
the journey, which he usually looks forward to have for the rest of the day.
Then a back to work worker at the construction site, flew a wishing wave at familiar old
man walking down the street. Worker don't even know the name of the old man, but he saw
George daily, the same time, the same place, walking with same things in hand. Smiling back to
a warm wave from a familiar stranger, George continued to walk slowly both hands busy with
hand stick and the box. It is not far that he is going to walk, but for George, with his pace it
always took half an hour to reach to other end of the street. Many familiar faces, stores and
road side sellers acknowledged George by their warm wishes in form of hand waves. But
George didn't stop at any of those places kept his pace towards his destination.
David Susson cemetery, always had a guy sitting in his old cabin with paint less walls just
beside the rusted gate. Phil, the security guard, caretaker and all-rounder for the cemetery seen
George from a distance, and switched of his radio that he was holding near his right ear to hear
the super bowl commentary. He started towards the gate to welcome his daily guest, George.
Phil opened the gate and stood there to welcome his guest, it is only after two minutes, he
reached to Phil with a broad warm smile. Phil lifted his cap as a wish to the old man, and
George just stopped his walk, to give his friend Phil a small gift. He slid his right hand into his
trouser pocket after leaning the hand stick on to the gate, to get the gift out. George handed
over the walnut to his Phil's hand with a faint smile on his face and started to walk again. Phil
closed the gate and went into his cabin to resume his listening to super bowl commentary on
his hand radio.
Since 11 long years, George is doing the same thing on every day. It only gave him the
perfection on the way to reach his destination. George was not looking at the ground, not even
on the side to identify his turn, but only straight at the building far away to obstruct his sight.
But George never missed his turn; he swiftly turned into the third row of graves. He didn't bend
his neck, he looked straight at the other building beside the cemetery and walked in his own
pace. Exactly after a minute, he stopped near a grave and steered himself into the gap of two
graves and turned to the grave on his right side. It is a grave made of white marble with black
granite used to emboss a decent design. A silver colored cross stands tall on the end of the
grave. Golden letters are embossed on slightly slant black granite stone with birth and death
dates below the name, but in smaller text size. George had deep stare at the grave for a minute
and started what he usually does on every day.
George rested his hand stick on the lover step of the grave and started opening the
silver colored box. It is not like any other box to store things in, it is a convertible chair which
can be easily folded in to box and with a small storage place as well. He has taken two similar
sized wooden boxes from the folded chair and kept them on the grave, but one of the wooden
boxes is of four layers. George slowly unfolded his chair and made the chair slide in to groves
that are made in the ground by the same chair. He slowly sat on to the chair and started
unfolding one of the boxes he kept on the grave. It opened in to square board with lots of
squares on it, but of two colors. Every alternate is of red and rest black. It is a checkers board.
He opened the second box, which is full of red and black coin neatly arranges. George started
to arrange the coins on to the board one by one. After five minutes he is done with arranging
the coins. He then slid his left hand into his trouser pocket and took out a small bottle of water
and placed it just beside the board and got ready for the game for which he was waiting all the
day.
George adjusted his glasses standing on his nose with his right index finger and leaned
forward to play his first move, which is always the same. George never felt the game boring,
though he plays it daily with a second soul he kept alive in his heart. He made himself enough
comfortable with the game that there is no need for him to shift his position to play the game
of other player. Then left his game and kept it aside in his mind, only to concentrate to answer
the step made by him. He got involved in his game and started moving the coins swiftly in well
polished wooden board. From long away, Phil sitting in his cabin still holding the radio to his ear
saw George involved in his game. A faint smile appeared on Phil's face only to appraise the old
man's love towards the person the grave belonged to.
George continued his game and almost into the midway. He made his move and
immediately started thinking the response move for the other player. He put an end to the
thinking and leaned much farther to move the coin on the last row of the board. It started then,
he didn't touch the coin, just became still without moving any of his body part. But his eyes are
shut hard, making the eyelids more wrinkled. The finger pointed the coin started trembling and
it is hardly pointing the coin now. The finger is rested on the board and moved disoriented
changing the positions of other coins. Then George, with great difficulty open his eyes to see
the beautiful grave. It is blurred and shiny, the vision is pale and hardly things are noticeable. At
that moment he is somewhere else.
It is a lush green land with even grass spread across acres of plane land. Pleasant spring
climate with cool breeze and warm evening sun rays made the place more enjoyable. George
was sitting under the only tree visible on the land with bunch of dried leaves on the ground
below it. George was staring straight as if it his hobby, leaning his back to the trunk of the tree
sitting on the dry leaf bed. But George was not alone, there is a girl sitting just like him beside
him. Their shoulders are touching each others. The girl turned to George and stared into the
eyes of him, she had blue eyes unlike George whose are dark brownish. Girl then slid her right
palm in to left palm of George and locked her fingers with his. She bent her head sideways and
rested it on his shoulder. She then wanted to let out her long felt feelings to him, but only her
lips are trembling. She finally started to deliver word by word, her love towards him. She
finished, at last, George heard the words he is waiting for a long time 'I Love You'. George
squeezed the girls hand slightly. The girl lifted her head and started in to George's face. Tears
rolled down his face, and he blurted the words she is waiting for, 'I Love You Too'.
George now rested his hand completely on the board, scattering coins which were in
position few moments back. He felt his lips drying up and tried to wet his lips by his tongue only
to realize that he is not able to fully control his actions. He reached his chest with his left hand
and touched his chest on top of his heart. He started leaning to his left side making the chair
unstable and chair is going to tumble soon. He removed his hand from his chest and started to
try for reaching ground by his left hand to stop his falling from ground. His vision blurred again,
the brownish ground lost its color, all he is able to see is a pale shiny area taking him back to
somewhere he always wanted to go.
George is sitting on a chair, in front of him there is a round table covered with rich
tablecloth. Nice white shiny cutlery is arranged in a very nice way on the table, with clean and
neat napkins folded in to triangle shape resting just beside the plate. George asked the waiter
to bring the finest Champaign they serve. George slid his right hand into his coat pocket, felt the
thing in his pocket. A smile spreads on his face with confidence and then he heard steps closing
to him, it is the sound of sandals tapping on wooden floor and he quickly removed his hand
from the coat. He stood and turned around to see the most beautiful girl he ever saw. She is in
red knee high gown and stunning jewelry on her neck. George made her sit on the chair
opposite to him and went back to his chair. Waiter is back with Champaign in his hand and
started to pour into their glasses. They are having a really nice time having the delicious food
and discussing sweet nothings. She pointed out the rich interior of the restaurant and asked
George, why he pick such a costly place for the dinner. Expression on George's face changed, he
dropped his fork and knife on to his plate and suddenly stood at his place. The girl stood slowly
in her position having a shocking expression on her face. George felt inside, the moment has
come, he moved out from the table, walked side to the table, bent on to one knee, slid his hand
into the coat and taken a box out. He opened the box and held it facing towards the girl. The
girl is shocked and tears flowing through her eyes, out of joy and happiness. At that moment,
George spelled the words, which changed his life forever, 'Will You Marry Me?'. She stood silent
there, with no words except broad smile on her face, tears flowing through her eyes and finally
let the words she kept under his mind out, 'YES!'.
George is now on the earthy ground between the two graves, with one hand still on the
board and other on the ground. His back still leaning to the seat of the chair. It struck again; he
quickly took his right hand off the board with a jolt, put his right hand in his chest and closed his
eyes. It is whitish glow all around, nothing but a white glow that is getting ready to take George
again back, back into the time when George was not alone, back to the time when he is not the
only one in his home.
George is sitting in a metal chair, his head in his hands which are rested on his legs. He is
worried, worried about the most important person in his life. He is sweating profusely, closed
his eyes and thinking about what is going on, on the other side of the door. He is going through
this for the first time, he doesn't know what to do, but he only knows one thing. The person on
the other side is the most important person, and only person he loved for life. It happened
then, he heard door crack, cracking wide open and he raised his head from his hand, a white
dressed girl holding something came to him. He stood form the chair and took the thing into his
hand, and then he saw the most cute face he ever saw. Tears down the face, he walked into the
room and saw his wife resting on the hospital bed. He then sat beside her, holding his baby in
hands leaned to his wife and kissed on her forehead. A faint smile appeared on her face, and
then he whispered into her ear, his true feeling, words deep from his heart, 'Thank You!'.
George is now completely on ground, holding his chest hardly with his right hand,
moving his head restlessly. His legs moving uncontrolled kicking his foldable chair, making it
move much further from him. He is running out of time, he is aware of what is going on. Then,
he opened his eyes to give himself a blurred vision of what is right in front of him. He stared at
the grave for the last time and .....
George stands in black suit and trousers, holding hands in front. He is not alone, for the
last time. All are in similar attire, standing in a similar way, side by side, their heads bent. He
already started missing her. She is there, at the same place, with all of them, but her eyes
closed, closed forever. Resting in peace, in coffin made for her. All of them standing there left
their condolences to George and then it happened. George never wished to see that happen,
coffin was placed in ground and cemetery staff started covering the coffin. George saw the
entire thing standing still, not moving an inch. At that moment, George decided, this place will
be his destination for his daily choir for the rest of his life.
He is now lying on the ground, his head rested on the grave on his backside, staring at
clear sky right above him. He felt it coming, losing his control on his limbs one by one. It is like
driving thousands of needles into his heart at once. He started to collect all his energy for the
last time, to let a word that he never forgot, to let one word, he lived his life thinking about.
George is ready, got all his energy resting inside his body to his lips, just before his heart beat
for last time, and he spelled the word for one last time to himself, STELLA!.

-------- THE END --------