Ways

Ways(sumit) Heena was returning home from college. A cool breeze was blowing and Sun was behind the clouds. Heena's class fellow Sachin was returning home on his bicycle. He is a thin but active guy. The way was narrow and filled with the student. When Sachin saw a car coming he turn the bicycle to the edge of the road but failed to apply the break of his bicycle. As a result, the bicycle hit Heena. She turned and saw the culprit. And she began to shout at Sachin blaming him that he hit her intentionally. Sachin got perplexed and could not speak even a word to her. Fortunately, a female friend of Heena made Heena calm.

Sachin liked Heena very much, but he had no intention of teasing her or molesting her. He had respect for fair sex.
Heena belonged to a middle-class family. Her parents were religious and they had expectations from their daughter. Her father expected her to study well and make a good career.

Sachin was an average-looking boy from a middle-class family. His parents were spending money on him with the hope he would find a suitable job after college. He was studying hard.

That day, during the period of sociology, a new guest lecturer named Aisha came. All the students were eager to see their new professor. Aisha was a middle-aged, attractive, athletic, and talk-active woman. She claimed to have written several research papers on sociology. All the students, especially girls got impressed with Aisha. Heena and her female friends were among the students who were too much impressed with their new professor.

"I hate males. I am a feminist," Aisha said to Heena and her female friend when one day they reached Aysha's rented house to meet her.
Those days, in small cities like Amarpur, the people didn't know much about the world of 'feminists'. All the girls were curious to know about feminism.


Heena said, "I just have a slight idea about feminism. Feminism is related to the rights of women. Am I right professor?"

Aisha looked at Heena as if Heena were an utter fool. She got a chance to impose her philosophy on her students and she began to tell her students about feminism in detail. Being a good teacher, she knew how to explain things to students. Within a few days, Heena and the other girls became true followers of Aisha.

Heena began to say, "I too like Aisha will not marry any man. I hate males."

Sachin's attraction toward Heena was increasing day by day and one day he pluck up his courage and told her how much he loves her.
Hearing that she got furious and shouted, "How dare you told me such nonsense stuff. I hate males. Get lost." shouting so she slapped him.

"you did well, Sachin is a bad boy like other boys. You should keep from them, " saying so Aisha embraced her when Heena told her about Sachin. Heena felt warmth and attraction toward Aisha. All of a sudden Aisha kissed her on the cheeks and said to her, " I love you."




when Sachin's elder sister came to know about the matter. She rebuked him and said, "Heena is not worthy of you. Forget her and concentrate on your studies."

As Sachin was a sincere student and didn't like to get poor grades on exams, he began to focus on his studies. After getting good grades in graduation, he left the city in search of a good career. Soon he found a good job in a Metro city and got absorbed in getting promotions and earning more and more money.

Meantime Heena after completing graduation, get a job as a teacher at the same college. Aisha helped her get the job. When her father came to know about her relationship with Aisha, rebuked her and asked her to break her relationship with Aisha but Heena didn't give an ear to her father. When her father put pressure on her, she left home and began to live in a rented house.




Years had passed but Sachin still remembered Heena. After all, Heena was his first love. No other girl came into his life. He was still unmarried and was not interested in getting married.

One day he got an order from the board of the company to go to Amarpur as the chief executive officer of the branch of the company there. He was happy at this. When he reached Amarpur, found that everything right from the streets where he once used to play, the house where he once used to live in with his parents and elder sister, to the school and college where he had taken his education had changed with time, and things that couldn't change had been erased or were being erased by time. He too had changed with time. Change is the truth of life. For some people, changes are positive and for some, changes are negative. Both were curious to know about each other.




He was busy with his new responsibilities in the company. He thought of finding out the whereabouts of Heena but he had lack of time. One Sunday when he was shopping in a mall, he came across Heena all of a sudden. They at once identified each other. Seeing her after years, he could not control his emotions and sympathy for her. He invited her to a nearby cafe where they talked over a cup of coffee. When he looked at her, he found an aloneness in her eyes. He couldn't help but ask her, "You are looking sad and alone. Is everything ok?"
Heena was reluctant to tell. She said, "Everything is ok in my life. Tell me something about you."
Sachin said to her, "I am your well wishes. Tell me. Perhaps I can help you."

She got someone having sympathy for her after several years. Tears came into her eyes. Sachin took her hands into his hands and said gently, "Tell me. "
She began to say, "Everything was well in my life and I had my and my parent's dreams to fulfill. All was going well but one day I met Aisha. She was a wolf in the guise of a sheep. She made me a man-hater and then pushed me into the sin of lesbianism. Because of this, my parents left me. In the name of feminism, I rejected all those who wanted to marry me." saying so she got silent and wiped her tears. She looked at him and said, "I was so blind in the name of feminism and misandry that I ignored and insulted even you." she paused for a little while and then looked at him with tearful eyes and said, "Aisha's reality exposed when one day I saw her with a man in her bedroom. She was not a misandrist. Later I came to know that she had relations with more than one man." she sighed in despair and said, "My eyes opened but it was too late."

"don't lose your heart," Sachin said with sympathy. He was sad over her story. He said to her, "I am with you. Don't feel alone."
She looked at him and found trust and affection in him.



Sachin felt sorry for Heena. He still sympathized with her. He still could remember how much he liked her those days.

Henna said, "What is done is done. Nothing can be done except regret. Past can not be changed. Leave all this and tell me about you and your family."


Sachin had nothing to say except his monetary achievements but money is not everything in life. He was devoid of family life. He was living a solitary life and sometimes this aloneness filled him with a sense of insecurity. He told her about his job, property, and relatives. When she asked about his wife and children, he remained silent. He wanted to say to her something but he didn't like to go beyond cultural and moral values.

Finishing their coffee they came out of the cafe. Heena said to Sachin, "It is time to go home, goodbye, see you again."

Sachin looked at her and said to her, "Give me your phone number." He noted her phone number and then give her his phone number and said, "You can call me as and when needed."



Heena, after this meeting, got more regretful. That evening she was thinking about Sachin. She said to herself, "If she had accepted a love proposal from Sachin, instead of falling into the trap of Aisha, she would have been with Sachin who loves her."


After this meeting, Sachin was sad over the plight of Heena. After thinking a lot he concluded that some mistakes are such as life doesn't give another chance to rectify. One has to choose the right ways in one's life which lead one to peaceful and respectful life.