THE DAY I MET YOU AFTER 16 YEARS

Dear Palak,

I really needed to see you because I was wondering if my feelings for you were still the same after all these years. After all, It’s been such a long time, 16 years, and we’re definitely not the same people we used to be.

But you have grown into a wonderful woman and I can say for sure, I still love you. Probably more than ever.

I think I have realised it the hard way that you cannot un-love someone just because they have decided to stop being in your life. Love has nothing to do with accessibility. For the past sixteen years, there hasn’t been a single day I didn’t think of you. But I’ve come to terms with it too. I know how to live without you. In fact, that’s why I could fall in love with Pallabi. But that doesn’t mean I stopped loving you.

And you know what, there is something peaceful about one-sided, unreciprocated love. There is no transaction involved, unlike most successful love stories, which tend to be transactional. In my case, I have no expectations from you. My love for you is mine alone, and I am absolutely okay with that. The fact that you do not love me, never did, is irrelevant. I believe that loving someone, anyone, is my birthright. And it’s their birthright, just as it is mine, to reject that love.

It would really make me happy if you could be in my life, in whatever manner possible. As a friend, maybe my best friend. And I would like to show my love to you once in a while, probably buy you a gift once in a while, visit you once or twice a year. If that’s okay with you, then that’s enough for me. If not, and you decide to cut contact with me, I would respect that too. And remember, I’ll be there if you ever need me.

With love, hugs and other things,
P

P.S.: This has nothing to do with my strained relationship with Pallabi.