By: Rehanul Hoque

After flunking in his exam and undergoing a failed relationship, one fine morning Ravi boarded a ship and set off for somewhere unknown- from Mumbai to Colombo.  It should be a fresh start, a new turn in life after a failed attempt to commit suicide. The weather was tranquil and ‘The Glory’ cut through the choppy waves, its decks bathed in the golden hue of the sun. He leaned against the railing, lost in thought, gazing at the endless ocean stretching into the misty horizon as the gentle breeze rustled through his hair. He couldn’t even think, how after hearing about his impending departure, Rupa could remain so listless!

It was then he saw her —a ray in his dreary life.

Standing a few feet away, she was a ravishing beauty, capricious yet serene. The captivating aroma of her hair lingered in the air, enveloping him as if under a spell. With her nimble fingers rhythmically dancing over the ship’s name, The Glory, etched into the railing, she hummed the song ‘My Heart will Go On’. All of a sudden, she turned around, caught Ravi staring, and mocked him by saying -“You look like you’ve never seen a girl!”

Ravi was startled, “Might be or might not,” he thought, but begged apology by saying ‘Sorry’, rubbing his both palms—a habit he developed over time. Soon, things became normal, and they started spending hours together on board the ship.

Her name was Sara —intuitive and sharp-witted. She asked Ravi, ‘Where are you heading towards?’ ‘Don’t know,’ Ravi replied in a morose tone. When Ravi asked, ‘What about you?’ She replied, ‘I don’t know either.’ Anyway, Ravi guessed, she fled her home for some mysterious reason and doesn’t want to disclose all that.

But Ravi was open-hearted, he didn’t hesitate to admit how dearly he had loved Rupa, ready to do anything, even die for her. Yet, Rupa never understood him, she never relented; only pretended to love him, then ditched him halfway. Not only that, she filed complaint against Ravi in court. Ravi was summoned and then released the next day- only after his math teacher stamped a sworn affidavit stipulating one condition that ‘Ravi must not be seen near Rupa again’.     

Hearing all these, Sara became sympathetic to Ravi. ‘Don’t lose heart, my friend’ she consoled him. ‘True love never dies’.

Ravi was moved by all these sweet words of Sara. He was irresistibly drawn to her and thought ‘As long as there are people like Sara on earth, it is worth living’. He thought never to lose her and dared to propose ‘Wanna be a guide for some wayfarer who have lost the way?’    Sara, though said nothing, smiled—which must be a positive sign. Ravi was about to win a world, indeed.

The ship groaned as it approached a port, its hull trembling against the dock’s embrace. Sara grasped Ravi’s hand—a fleeting rush of warmth—before parting away. “Meet me in the lounge,” she said, her voice, softer than the weary creak of the ropes. “Don’t be late.”

He wasn’t.

Ravi waited as minutes accumulated into an hour. The lounge gradually emptied; the sound of clinking glasses faded. His breaths became thicker, slower as if something constricting his throat. Had he misheard? He retraced their steps—the stale bread rolls of the dining, the worn novels of the library, the railing where her fingers had touched the ship’s name.

“Sara?” His call melted into the thin air.

The crew exchanged glances. “No Sara here,” said a steward, as he flipped through the register. “A girl by the name Sara jumped over the railings years ago.”

When he was about to cross his cabin door, he found a note tucked into there: Better if we don’t meet.

The ship’s horn blared. Ravi leaned against the railing, clutching the crumpled note. Below, the water roiled in the spot where Sara had stood hours ago. Had the waves always been that particular shade of blue—the exact blue of her dress?

A hand tapped on his shoulder. He turned around.

Nothing.

And then—

A whisper, almost lost in the wind: “Some loves are born only to sink.”

The horn blared again. The Glory pulled away. Ravi stood motionless, salt stinging his eyes, as the port Colombo faded into the horizon. Somewhere ahead, a new city. Somewhere behind, the disappearing waves.