The Unsuccessful Lovers

Episode 1: Innocent Love of Childhood

Characters:

Bikki (Boyfriend of Laxu)

Laxu (Girlfriend of Bikki)

Rishi (Intimate friend of Bikki)

Nabin (Father of Bikki)

Sita (Mother of Bikki)

Dolraj (Father of Laxu)

Manita (Mother of Laxu)

Shreeram (Uncle of Bikki and neighbor of Laxu)

Jeevan (Uncle of Bikki and brother of Shreeram)

Durga (Beloved of Jeevan)

Suk (Intimate friend and classmate of Bikki)

Malati (Intimate friend and classmate of Laxu)

Ram and Sohi (Lovers)

Chhabi and Sabita (Lovers)

Setting

Scene: A remote village of Western Nepal

Chapter One: Innocent Love of Childhood

The village named Kamaltar is located in the southern part of Tanahun District, Nepal. It lies in the then Gajarkot Village Development Committee. There was no access to transportation, electricity, communication, and irrigation facility in the village. Although the village lies on the lap of the Kaligandaki river which is the deepest river of Nepal, sufficient water was scarce in the village. However, there were a few taps in the village. Villagers used to communicate with their family members and relatives via letter. No one in the village had a cellphone during the time. However, there was access to primary education in the village and for the lower secondary and secondary level education, students had to walk an hour. For higher education, they had to go to Damauli, the district headquarter, Pokhara, the regional headquarter, and other cities of the country. Although people had miserable life because of the lack of access to various facilities, they used to seem happy. Now, I remember one quotation by a famous author and politician 'All the birds find shelter during the rain but eagle avoids the rain by flying over the cloud.' Perhaps, happiness is such a precious thing that cannot be bought with money. Therefore, their index of happiness in my survey was very good and high.

The major occupation of the people of the village was agriculture. More than 95% population was involved in agriculture. Among more than 100 households, only a few people were engaged in the Nepal army, Nepali police, teaching, and business. In the name of business, there were only two grocery shops in the village. The horse used to carry the goods from the market; Vimad which is 27 kilometers far from the village.

In the same village, some innocent children were supposed as lovers by the villagers. Out of many, two of them were Bikki and Laxu. The name of the boy is Bikki and the girl is Laxu. At the age of 1o, they had met each other after the migration of Laxu's family in Bikki's village. As Bikki's father was a teacher and Laxu's father used to a foreign country for earning, they belong to a middle-class family. There was no problem with bread and butter for both families. Bikki was very talented in the study. He always used to stand first in the class. Everyone in the family used to appreciate his intelligence in the study. However, Laxu was just an average student in the study. Both of them were good-looking, loyal, and kind-hearted.

As their houses were very close to each other, they had to meet in the tap willingly and unwillingly and the field and the forest for grazing the cattle were also the same for them. All friends and even seniors used to mock them by telling lovers. Some people used to declare them as husband and wife. The innocent kids had nothing to feel and to do with love. They used to be ashamed when other people used to mock them.

The days passed. The months went by. The years also leaped by the time. Everything is changeable in this dynamic world except the word 'change' itself. It is also said that even the wrong idea may be perceived right if more than a thousand people repeat it more than a thousand times. They used to be together in the forest while going to cut the grass and going to look after the cattle. They were children. So, other senior people used to ask them to look after the cattle, go to far places in search of the lost cattle together and shout at them rudely. However, they used to think of life as ups and downs. As they entered the puberty phase of human growth and development stage, a sort of feeling started to appear in their heart. When they used to meet each other, they used to gaze at each other for a long time and smile in their every meet. However, they often used to be nervous and get frightened if somebody saw them during that time. It is shown that they had innocent feelings of unexpressed love with both of them.  

When Bikki used to study in class 10, Laxu used to read at grade 7. Both of them were just fourteen years old. And they used to study in the same school. Bikki used to write many letters at night and used to tear them because of the fear of sending them to Laxu. However, love and cough cannot be hidden as per our will. One day, Bikki decided to give a love letter to her, whatever her response would be. Whatever was to happen, would happen and nobody could stop it. Thinking that Bikki plans to give the letter.

 Showing the love letter to her, "This is for you," said Bikki.

What is this?, "said Laxu.

Bikki replied, "Love letter."

"Sorry," Laxu added.  

Bikki says, "This is just for you. If you do not accept, it will be the black day of my life."

Finally, Laxu snatches the letter from his hand and moves forward on her path.She took the letter but he was nervous and happy at the same time. He was nervous because as he had given the love letter to her for the first time. Another fear was that, if she didn't like him, he used to lose a good friend too. On the other hand, he was happy as if he was flying in the sky because he handed over his long waited lover letter mustering up the courage to the girl whom he likes the most in the world.

The days were passing. She stopped talking to him in a way she used to talk in the past. Rather, Bikki became gloomy and he was frightened too. In case, his family found the information of that letter, they would be punished bitterly. Especially, his Mother, Sita was very strict in this subject matter and there was long hostility between two family members. To be fact, both mothers used to behave as if enemy to each other.

As we should never lose our ray of hope, Bikki was also waiting for her reply of his love letter being optimistic. Once, when they were met in the tap coincidently.

"I need the response to my love letter, please," Bikki said.

"What would you do, if the response was not as per your expectation?", asked Laxu.   

Bikki said, "I am the soldier of your love. As a soldier accepts both life and death before joining the battle, I am also ready to accept both options."  

"Bye," said Laxu.

After a week, when they had gone to the forest to cut the grass, Laxu gave a letter to him. During that moment, Bikki could not believe his own eyes. However, it was the truth. He felt as if he has won the world. He went to the secret place and read the letter. He came to know that she also loves him very much. He thanked the Almighty for listening to his prayer for love. In this way, they fell in love formally with the help of a love letter. Both of them were nervous rather than happy. There were three main reasons behind that. One was the possibility of rumors about their love affair among friends and relatives. The second one is they were in their puberty and they were not capable to define love and telling the need for love. And the final reason was their family. They would be punished bitterly if their mothers came to know about their love affair. To be fact, the third reason was very serious and dangerous for both of them.