Where Lilies Fall

Where Lilies fall.

                “Joseph, make sure that the arch can stand the wind. Be careful.” Kevin requested the decoration supervisor as he entered the vibrant hall. It was lit with chandeliers and warm lanterns everywhere.

                Xavier’s recreational hall was getting ready for another event for the dusk. Facing the white-sand shores of the Indian Ocean, the place was breathtakingly beautiful.

                The guests were slowly pouring in and Hailey, the golden retriever, distinguished Kevin’s cologne and followed his footsteps. He stopped and gave her a ruffle over the head, as the tail wagged and ears bent backward highlighting her puppy eyes.

                “Everyone is running around and you are playing with Hailey?” a familiar sound enunciated from the hallway. Kevin looked up to see Mr. Sharma with a playful giggle.

                Kevin wrapped his arms around the unexpected guest. “You came?” he shouted in excitement. Patting on his back, Krunal replied, “I wouldn’t have missed it, ever.” He continued, “Now, where is our groom?”

                “The party starts around sunset. He is getting ready. Third room to the left.” Kevin pointed at a twirling stair. Krunal turned around, stopped after a few steps, and looked back, and said, “Come on, Hailey. Let’s visit your master.” The paws gladly led the way.

                As Mr. Sharma ascended the stairs, he saw the tensed complexion in Kevin’s face. ‘Poor lad, he is doing everything to make it a perfect evening’ he thought to himself. He had a smile on his face as he made the left turn.

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Kevin had taken the responsibilities of the evening all by himself. He was everywhere. From the decorators to the caterers, he was there where his legs could take him. Michelle, Kevin’s wife, was due to give birth in a month or two. Still, she was also there helping him while trying to keep an eye on their son, Ronny.

Ronny jumped over Kevin as he came to check on his wife. “Dad, where is Hailey?” the kid raised the question towards his sweating father, who was trying to catch a breath. “She is with Sharma Uncle, upstairs” Kevin answered to his young one, playfully raising the kid over his head.

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Upstairs, Hailey reached the door. She could recognize her master’s scent even amidst an immense crowd. Her tail would wag when she sees him in a distance, as she did every night when he came back from work to home.

“Peter, you there?” Krunal cleared his throat in front of the locked door. “You bugger, you came?” an enthusiastic sound emerged behind the door. It was Krunal’s turn to reply. He started with a laugh and continued, “Well, London is not as far as it seems to be. For our special ones, even the moon will be around the corner, right?” the words passed through the keyhole.

The groom inside giggled to that response. “Yes. See, you too are getting the hang of talking in poetic verses. It looks like you are the poet of the two of us now.” They both laughed at that remark.

“Oh, I forgot. Let me open the doors. Since I have only heard you for the past few years through a mobile, I forgot you had a physical form. It has been long.” Peter sounded in a hurry inside the room.

“Never mind. You should get ready and I really want to see you walking down that aisle, all dressed up.” Krunal leaned back on the door as he expressed his wish. “Please tell me you are wearing a tux, Pete.”

“Yes indeed, the same one.” Peter’s voice was sweeter now. “Oh boy, the same one? It’s been so long, right?” Krunal’s voice jumped in excitement. Peter smiled and replied, “Yes, too long that everything feels like it happened yesterday. Too long to remember, yet too long to be forgotten.”

“You had to ruin my day as the poet with that, huh?” Krunal pointed out sarcastically. The closed-door was opening to a time much further down their memory lane.

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The guests had taken their seats in the hall. Everything was falling in place under Kevin’s surveillance. He was going through all the decorations for a final check for the evening when he noticed the podium was not fully done yet.

“Where are the flowers?” Kevin enquired to Joseph, the decorations supervisor, “It should have been hanging over the podium by now.” Joseph looked around to find that some boxes were still unopened behind the curtains. Both men sighed. “Hang them fast, come on. I’ll help.” Kevin sounded a little stressed as he offered a hand.

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Behind the closed door, Peter was almost dressed up. Krunal was chiseling up their old memories as the other got ready. Hailey was lying down with her eyes fixed on the wooden door. “Have you ever thought about how your life would have been if you didn’t go to that place? If you had never met her?” Krunal asked.

“I don’t know, mate. Some things are meant to happen. The good thing is I went there, where the lilies fell, met her, and fell in love.” Peter said in a calm voice.

Krunal embarked upon his memories. “I was always jealous of both of you. Joey was an angel. Her sharp look made you tremble when all of us were afraid of you.” He giggled softly and continued, “I was there each time when you two would meet, sat there holding hands. Both of you barely exchanged words and always sat staring deep into a distance.”

“She could understand me in the silence. No flimsy bullshit. We had both found peace in the silence, in the emptiness.” Peter replied.

“Yes, I know. She was one of a kind. She was like another lily that bloomed in the early spring. Joey made you what you are.” Krunal noticed his eyes were a little moist.

A brief silence passed between the two friends. Peter was the one to break the silence by asking his friend to join him in a visit to that place once again, where the lilies fall.

Krunal replied, “You would remember the place so sweet and nice. For a few of us, it was the place where Joey’s brothers broke our bones.” adding laughter in the end. Somehow, he noticed the watch during the laugh.

“I think it’s time, Pete. You ready?” Krunal aired the question.

“Since the moment I met her.” Peter’s voice reverberated in the room.

With a smile, Mr. Sharma walked towards the stairs. The hall was lit with lantern lights and braided with flowers, mostly lilies.

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Beethoven’s notes breezed in the air as Peter walked down the aisle. He ascended the podium, smiling at the crowd, and settled on the cushioned chair. Kevin stood by his side with a mic and started the speech as soon as everyone settled down.

“Friends and family, we are gathered here to celebrate the 50th anniversary of my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter” his speech was cut off by loud applause from the crowd. “On this auspicious day,” he continued “Dad will retake his wedding vows once again in celebration of their 50 years of marriage.”

He paused for a while and spoke again, “If only mum was here. She would have loved all this.” Kevin broke down in tears as he spoke. Peter looked at the empty chair beside him. On the chair was a smiling picture of young Joey.

She was trapped in one of her happiest moments in that frame. Peter smiled at the photograph, and she smiled back.

Peter stood up and embraced his son. Patting the junior on the back, he took the mic into his hands. “He misses his mom. I miss her too, we all do. But a few years back, when she left us, she was not in any pain. She promised to be with me always, and she never breaks a promise.”

“Today is the celebration of love. Joey and I promised we would marry each other again if we were to cross fifty years together. She even made me do the pinky promise,” the crowd giggled along with him.

“Now, she is not here with us, God bless her soul, but I will not break that promise. For me, she never left me because true love never dies. And here, love is in the air” Peter pointed his finger around the hall. “To love… is to celebrate” Peter concluded with broken words.

The guests rose from their seats, and applauses showered within the brightly colored walls. Eyes were moist, and lips carried a smile. As the proceeding started after the claps settled in the hall, Peter noticed a lily slowly falling down from the bundle hanging above the podium.

The lily fell on the empty seat in front of the framed picture. Peter looked at it, his face struggling to choose between happiness and sadness. He held Kevin’s hand, and with a trembling sound, he said, “See, she is with me like she promised. She has been with me always, where the lilies fell.”

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