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Jab We Met: 'Arjun was everything I could dream of'

We'd invited you, our readers to share your love stories. Here, Anisha shares a heart warming story of how she first met her prince charming and how life changed for her over time.

It's not about surviving the storm, but about how to dance in the rain

Love is in the air... You can smell it! Along with the fragrance of love, comes nostalgia... Of days gone by!!

Just the other day (well, it seems so) I was this young, shy girl from Delhi...gawky and dreamy. Never having the guts to befriend boys, I was more into pranks.

At 23, with Mills & Boon for company, I dreamt of my TDH, on a white horse.

To my parents, I was over the hill. Matches were being arranged in a frenzy, but unfortunately nothing seemed to be materialising.

My friend decided to play matchmaker and decided at her sister's wedding, to make me meet her sister's brother in law.

As luck would have it, when I arrived at the reception, the brother in law had to leave the venue to run some errand. And the plans flew out of the window.

On March 9, a formal proposal came from that brother in law's family, and I met Arjun for the first time along with his family, of course.

I was totally disinterested. It showed and how!! A scene right out of the yesteryear movies, I was the cynosure of 18 pairs of eyes watching my every move like a hawk.

Having lost my contact lenses that very day, I decided to do away with them. Being short sighted, I could hardly see anyone, least of all the prospective groom!

But I couldn't care less. In fact, I was waiting for them to go so that I could gorge on some yummy Nirula's choco-chip pastries.

It was apparent that his family had written me off, when out of the blue, Arjun announced that he would like to talk to me, alone.

ALONE??!! Disbelieving eyes (including my blind ones) turned to him. A deafening silence!

Short of being rude, there was nothing anyone could do other than give in to the request.

They meekly filed out of the room leaving me and Arjun by ourselves.

As if this wasn't enough, Arjun got up from where he was sitting and came and sat next to me.

'Ah, so that's how he looks. Don't particularly like the nose.' Those were my first thoughts.

He smiled at me. A charming smile, I had to concede that.

I was busy ticking my wish list in my mind during the generic conversation of two, three sentences.

I was very sure his purpose was to know if I was mute or not. He told me I was free to ask him anything that I wished to.

Ask and me??!! Man, I don't care. I can't see the writing on the wall!

I shook my head in negative saying "No" in the meekest voice.

It was all that I could do, squeak!

He just looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and a small smile and said, "In that case, I myself have two things to tell you. One, you have all of five minutes to decide whether you want to marry me or not, and two, the answer had to be a "yes!"'.

So, it was up to me.

My face got gobbled up by my eyes, they opened so big.

To say I was shocked, amazed, speechless would be an understatement.

It wasn't the brazen proposal or innovativeness (Bet very few women out there could boast of such a proposal. Probably not even Barbara Cartland!), I was amazed by his confidence in himself, and more so, by his confidence in me.

Some instinct prodded me and I decided to play a gamble. Something about the twinkle in the eye had me mersmerised.

I guess losing the contact lenses was part of the divine plan! And Io and behold, before I knew it, I had said 'yes!'

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'I have risen many times from the ashes'

We got married exactly two months later and that was the third time I met him. But, what a gamble! So began the most beautiful journey of my life.

Arjun was everything any girl could dream of.

Caring, loving, thoughtful, decent, gentle. Oh, did I leave out handsome and dashing?

The Indian Navy uniform only added to the charisma. He was perfect.

With two lovely daughters and my happiness and family complete, 17 years passed by in a blink of an eye.

I don't ever remember any tear falling from my eye, completing its course. Arjun wouldn't allow that to happen.

It was a perfect relationship based on trust, honesty and respect and my home was filled with joy, laughter and happiness.

Life was in constant movement. With lots of adventure in our lives and little money in our pockets, we were happy .

We shifted base several times but never stayed apart from each other.

The first time we had to, was when he got posted down south and I had to continue in Mumbai as my daughter had to appear for her board exams.

He took leave to come to Mumbai to help her in her studies, when he was recalled to work.

He was to be gone for three-four days. Since we couldn't afford that many air tickets in a space of a month (I along with our kids were to fly down to be with him after the exams), he'd decided to come back by train.

I insisted that he flew down instead and we would somehow manage the finances. I have no clue why I was behaving so strangely considering I had spent a third of my married life travelling in trains.

I tried every trick in the book, cajoling, angry, pestering and being persuasive.

Finally, he gave in to my wishes and agreed to come back by air.

The day arrived. I was decked up to hilt, wearing a red salwar kameez.

On my way to work, I reminded the driver to reach the airport on time to pick up 'saab'.

The driver smiled and asked me, 'Airport or station?'

I wondered why the confusion since Arjun had confirmed he was flying down.

Something about his expression made me stop to think and sternly asked him why the doubt? He then let the cat out of the bag, "Saab is coming by train."

I was furious with Arjun. It was first time he had lied to me. But, I shook off my disappointment and anger since he was to arrive in couple of hours and I was looking forward to seeing him.

I guess this was also part of the divine plan. While I was having this conversation with the driver, Arjun was found dead in the train. He had passed away in his sleep.

Years rolled by, a lot of water has flown under the bridge. Today one of our daughters is married and the other is on the verge of becoming a Chartered Accountant.

And I, a soldier's wife (I hate the word widow) have risen many a times from ashes.

My spirit never died.

Today, I'm in my early 50s (I know I don't sound like it, I definitely don't look it either) and I want to live.

Not for the sake of my children or for the sake of my duty, but for my own sake.

I have been gifted this life and I wish to live every second of it.

Also, perhaps subconsciously, I have some tiny belief that Arjun would have wanted me to do this ie waltz into this miracle called life.

After all, 'life is not about surviving the storm, but about how to dance in the rain.'