The Fire Paintings - Episode 03 ( The Hidden Truth Behind Their Love ) by Muthuwrites
° 1st Paragraph :
They welcomed me with so much love, treated me warmly, and spoke to me affectionately. Yet, deep down, I felt like they weren't entirely pleased with our affair. It was something I just couldn't understand at the time.
A few days later, I brought it up with Seth.
"Look, Kalpana, my parents absolutely love you. There’s no issue with that at all," Seth explained gently.
"But here’s the thing... they are just worried that I might move to Sri Lanka with you. You see, you’re the only child in your family, and that’s what’s bothering them. But we can fix this, Kalpana.
Let's ask your parents to come here too, at least for a little while. They can split their time between there and here, and we can visit them too."
That was how we dreamed about our future. Even though he was born and raised in a Western country, Seth possessed such beautiful values.
By then, I had fallen so deeply in love with him that it didn't matter where in the world he was; I was ready to be anywhere, as long as I was with Seth.
Later, I told my parents about him too. I sent a letter along with two or three photographs of Seth. I even let him talk to them whenever I called my parents.
Since they hadn't seen him in person, they didn't have a deep understanding of him, but they never said anything to hurt my feelings.
"We’ll see, daughter... for now, you just focus on finishing your studies," was all my parents said.
As we spent our days happily together, we also excelled in our university work. Seth helped me immensely with my assignments.
My lecturers highly praised my creations, often telling me that I possessed a rare, unique talent. They went out of their way to help me develop that talents.
I started submitting my paintings to competitions across Europe, winning several awards.
Along with them came cash prizes beyond anything I could have imagined. Even the university recognized and appreciated my achievements.
Although Seth was a talented artist himself, he always put his own work aside to encourage and support me to enter these competitions, constantly reminding me that I was the truly talented one.
During those days, I traveled to Norway and France for award ceremonies. Seth came with me everywhere.
We walked through the most beautiful places in those countries, those days were truly magical.
One of my absolute favorite moments was seeing the 'Mona Lisa'000 painting at the 'Louvre Museum' in France. Ever since I was old enough to understand art, seeing that masterpiece in person had been a lifelong dream.
And then, Sara, came my very first winter in Sweden. Even though it was freezing, the beauty of this island completely mesmerized me. That is the absolute truth.
The sight of the island, blanketed in pure white snow right next to the beach... I have no words to explain how priceless that view was to an artist like me."
All I wanted was to capture every single bit of that beauty with my own hands onto a canvas.
"I still haven't seen winter on the island, Madam," Sara said, her eyes wide with anticipation. "The way you describe it makes me unable to wait until winter comes to witness it myself."
"Yes, Sara... and I think winter looked even more beautiful to me because Seth was right there by my side. He was just two years older than me, but he took care of me and helped me with everything as if he were looking after a little child."
Seth’s parents grew to love me deeply too. They cared for me and cooked meals for me.
Yet, there was always a subtle shift in their tone that I couldn't quite wrap my head around. They would constantly tell me,
"Daughter, make sure you stay here permanently even after you finish your studies."
° 2nd Paragraph :
Back then, we had mobile phones, but we weren't smart devices like the ones we have now. You could only make calls or send text messages.
So, we talked mostly when we met in person, and our love flowed beautifully and naturally.
"Madam, may I ask you something?" Sara hesitated slightly. "Please don't take this the wrong way... but didn't you have a boyfriend in Sri Lanka?"
"There were a few people who liked me, and a few I liked too," I smiled softly. "But none of it ever had the chance to progress into an actual relationship. So, Seth was my first love... and my last."
"Well, Sara, you must be tired of listening to my story by now, aren't you? Shall I tell you the rest another day?"
"No, Madam! No matter how late it gets today, I am not leaving until I hear the whole story. It is just so interesting to me."
"Are you tired, Madam?" Sara asked .
"Not at all, Sara. Look, it's already afternoon and we didn't even notice the time. Let's grab something for lunch now, and we can resume talking afterward."
"I can't eat anything heavy, Madam, I’m not very hungry," Sara replied.
"Alright, we'll see. We'll get whatever we like. Come."
I ordered a chicken salad for myself, but Sara only wanted a dessert. No matter how much I insisted, she refused to eat anything else.
She was just like I used to be in my past. Back then, I would constantly get scolded by Seth for skipping meals and eating only desserts.
To my surprise, she ordered a 'Banana Split' also known as a banana boat. It startled me because that used to be my absolute favorite dessert back then.
A ripe banana sliced in half, scooped with different flavors of ice cream, topped with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nuts, and cherries, served beautifully in a long dish I used to adore it.
Even now, I can vividly picture Seth sitting in the chair opposite me, smiling as he watched me eat it with sheer delight.
Lost in the ruins of a beautiful past, it was Sara’s sweet voice that finally brought me back to reality.
"What are you thinking so deeply about, Madam?"
"That used to be my favorite dessert too... it just reminded me of that. I remembered how Seth used to sit and smile, just watching me eat it so happily."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Madam... if it made you sad..."
"No, Sara... I have grieved so much that I don't think I can feel sadness anymore. Don't worry about it."
"Alright, let's pick up from where we left off..."
"So, days flew by beautifully, and the final exams of my first year were drawing close. It was Seth’s second year, which meant he would be leaving the university soon, as his postgraduate degree was only two years long."
Around that time, I started falling ill quite frequently. Fevers, urinary tract infections, stomach aches, and a deep, crushing exhaustion began taking over my body.
Every time it happened, I just popped some medicine and kept going; I didn't pay much attention to the illnesses. My entire focus was locked on my studies.
There was so much to get done, and because I wanted to do everything to perfection, I sacrificed everything for my degree.
I didn't even tell Seth about most of my sicknesses. I hid them from him with great effort because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to get any work done.
He would have dragged me to doctors, or scolded me for overworking myself. For the same reason, I didn't tell my parents either.
At first, I had mentioned it, but then my mother started asking about it every single time she called.
Knowing how much they would worry and suffer, no matter how sick I felt, I always told my mother, 'I'm completely fine now.'
Somehow, I just wanted to get through all my exam work perfectly, enduring whatever pain came my way...
Previous Episode đ
https://muthuwrites43.blogspot.com/2026/06/fire-paintings-02-hidden-truth-behind.html
Comments
Post a Comment