Unbelievable

A couple had gone for a holiday to a famous tourist spot. It was then Puja vacation. The town was jam-packed with tourists. It was doing roaring business. All the hotels, guest houses and boarding houses were full. The couple knocked from door to door, but to no avail, not a single room vacant. At long last they got a room on the first floor of an old dilapitated wooden building at the far end of the town, adjacent to the railway tracks.
Dusk had set in. Leaving his wife in the room, the gentleman went out to purchase a few essential items. Travel fatigue and the tension in search of accommodation compelled the lady to throw her tired body on to the soft comfort of the bed. The whole day's fatigue brought drowsiness into her eyes and she had almost fallen asleep when a speeding train went roaring past along the adjacent railway tracks. The reverbaration shook the old wooden structure so violently that she was thrown off the bed. The lady somehow managed to steady herself and lay down on the bed once again. A few minutes later another train passed, again the violent tremor and again she was thrown off the bed.
This unexpected harrassment and discomfort naturally enraged her. With extreme agitation she ran down the wooden stairs to the manager's room and shouted at the manager, "What sort of hotel are you running ? What room have you given us ? Every time a train passes by I'm thrown off the bed."
The manager naturally objected, "The hotel is not classy, I won't deny that. The room is also beside the railway tracks. And people have stayed in that room before. But no occupant has ever complained that he was thrown off the bed everytime a train passed."
Hearing this, the lady became more agitated,"Do you mean to say I'm lying ? Such audacity you have ! You come with me, and I'll show you." She caught hold of the manager's hand and pulled him up to her room. Then looking out of the window she said,"A train is there at the station; signal is down, the train will come any moment now. Lie down on the bed. Let me see whether you're thrown off the bed or not."
The manager didn't get any scope to express his objection. He had no option but to lie on the bed.
At that fatal moment the husband entered the room. He was stupefied to see the hotel manager lying on the bed. The manager was also dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. The husband shouted, "What the hell are you doing on my bed ?"
The manager hesitated at first, then stammered, "I know you won't believe it, nobody will. The truth is I'm waiting for the train." Luck favoured the manager. Because, just then the train rumbled past the adjacent railway tracks, and the manager's full efforts to hold on to the bed went in vain, and he was thrown off on to the floor. He got up and limped out of the room, dusting his clothes.

L O V E

In adjacent houses live two small kids, a seven year old boy and a six year old girl. As is natural, they are extremely good friends, one can't live without the other. Just like child love. But there came a pause to this affair, a sudden curtain dropped in this innocent love affair. The girl's mother observed that her daughter's little boy friend no longer came to their house; even when her daughter visited the boy's house, the boy did not play with her, totally ignored her.
To ascertain the cause of this sudden change, the girl's mother went to the boy's house and asked the boy, "Son, why don't you play with your friend any more ?"
The boy left without answering. Then she asked the boy's mother, "There was so much love between the two, what has happened all of a sudden ?"
The boy's mother replied with a smile, "Sunny's father has bought a guinea pig for him. Now the whole day he spends with that guinea pig. Where is the time for him with his love ?"
The story is not as humorous and light as it apparently seems. Instead of love many play with guinea pigs, just like the little kid.
The meaning of love is totally subjective; it varies from person to person. Many years ago, the villagers of a village in Bengal, where there was no Brahmin priest, brought a priest from Kolkata for performing the daily worship in the local Lakshminarayan Temple. The priest was given a monthly payment. A year passed by quite smoothly. But one day, it was seen that the priest was packing his belongings, ready to return to Kolkata. The villagers became morose and approached the priest with folded hands, "Thakur, what offence have we committed that you should leave us ? We're giving you your monthly payment in time, aren't we ?"
The priest said," It is not the question of the monthly payment; it is paid in all places and you have also paid. I'm not returning on that ground. I'm going away because of lack of love, which is lacking in your village."
Hearing such a strange and unexpected complain from the priest, the villagers were dumbfounded. Then the priest explained the matter to them very lucidly.
"Look, you people don't love me at all. If you had loved me, then apart from my monthly payment, you would have offered me your vegetables, clothing, ornaments at some time or other. But you did not. Then, you don't even love yourselves. If there was, then there would have been at least one marriage in the last one year; there would have been the birth of a child; then I would have had the opportunity to perform the marriage or the child's rice ceremony and I could have made some income. But that opportunity also I did not get in your village."
The priest was almost out of breath. But he had not yet finished. The last complain was most dreadful. After taking in a deep breath of oxygen, the priest continued, "Apart from all that, God also does not love you people. If He had, then certainly He would have called one or two of you to Him in the last one year. Then, at least, I could have performed the last rites and received dhoti, umbrella, a cow etc."
If we could say that the priest in the story was suffering from an ancient disease of lovelessness, then it wouldn't have been so bad. But it is not actually a love story. You may find a good many people who think that love is ultimately designed, love is just a game, a weapon to fulfil a purpose. We don't want to go through such complex questions. Even better, we go to actual stories of love. First, I'll relate two very old love stories. The first one may be familiar to all.
After returning from office, the husband stretches his tired body in an easy chair and shuffles the pages of the daily paper, which he has already read thrice in the morning. The wife hands over a cup of tea to the husband and sits on a chair beside him. The husband silently sips his tea and attentively goes through the paper once again. Needless to say, after returning from office, he has not spoken a word to his wife. Ultimately, the wife breaks the silence, "Dear, why don't you love me like you used to before ? Earlier, you used to speak so sweetly of love and our desires, but now you say nothing. You don't seem to like me at all." Hearing this plea, the husband looks up at his wife and says, "Who says that I don't love you or like you. I still love you as I used to earlier. Only I request you to stop nagging me and keep quiet. Please leave me alone and let me read the papers."
The second story is more pathetic.
Ramesh had a quarrel with his wife early one morning. It was a terrible quarrel. There was no fight or pulling of hair but sufficient abusive language was exchanged. It was Ramesh who had started the quarrel. But how could Ramesh stand up to his wife ? He retreated and ran out of the house.
Ramesh left the house without bathing and without food. He attended office in this condition. Office time was over and Ramesh was feeling guilty, which is a male's natural weakness. He thought he should not have started the quarrel. The whole day was wasted, he felt. Ultimately, repentant Ramesh phoned home, presuming that his wife must be similarly remorseful. But it did not happen the way he had imagined. He said "Hello" and his wife echoed "Hello". Enthusiastically he said "I'm Ramesh speaking. What have you cooked for dinner ?" Reply came from the other end in a bitter voice, " Poison. I've cooked poison for dinner". The good news unnerved him initially, then he said," Good. But you cook for one only. I'll have my dinner outside. You eat what you've cooked."
Love is mentioned mostly in the Bible. Page after page, chapter after chapter only love and love; love this person, love that person etc. etc. G.K.Chesterton had a witty remark regarding the Biblical love. Chesterton said, "The Bible has instructed us to love our neighbours, and again in the Bible it is written love your enemies." Following this formula, Chesterton commented, "Actually, these two kinds of people are the same." In other words, neighbour means enemy.
There's a small story connected with Biblical love.
A little girl's father's friend often visited their house and he used to tease her. One day the child became enraged and shouted at her father's friend in the angry language she knew. The strong words hurt the gentleman very much. Using his last weapon, he told the girl in a stern voice, "When you have uttered such strong words I will not love you any more." But the little girl, without being upset, replied, "No, that cannot be. You will have to love me." The gentleman was surprised and asked, "Why do I have to love you?" The girl replied, "Because in the Bible it is said that you should love those who hate you. I hate you, so you must love me."
Hate is mixed with love in a little portion. Not only hate, a little anger, a little jealousy, some sorrow, some pain - a mixture of all these go to make true love.
The English poet William Cowper had said "I still love you, I love you with all your faults."
A poet from Bengal had written, "I make the home for one who has broken it. I roam around crying for the one who has left me."
No need to discuss poetry, it gets complicated. Let me end with a simple story.
A pretty lady was walking along the street alone. Suddenly a man began to trail her. The lady realised the matter and after going a little further, she stopped, turned around and asked the man, "Why are you following me?" The man replied, "I've fallen in love with you."
"Love ? Do you know me ?" the lady asked.
The man replied, "May be I don't know you, but my love is pure. You can say love at first sight."
The lady said, "Is that so ? But why have you fallen in love with me ? My younger sister is following me. She's much more pretty than I am. Before falling in love with me, you better have a look at my sister."
Hearing this, the man was naturally a bit startled and paused and looked back. Unfortunately, he could not see any pretty girl. He saw an ugly elderly lady.
In the meantime, the pretty lady had gone a bit further. The man ran forward and caught up with her. With all the running he was panting and beads of persipiration had formed on his forehead. Panting, he asked the lady, "Why did you lie to me ?"
The lady questioned, "Did you tell me the truth ?"
After taking a deep breath, the man asked, "What lie did I tell you ?"
The lady said, "Didn't you lie ? If you had really loved me, why did you turn back in search of a prettier girl ?"