Page 76 - TEARS OF SUFFERING
P. 76
TEARS OF SUFFERING
Au Lham interrupted. “Ugyen, put down the phone now.
Come, help me.”
“Just a minute, Au,” he said and whispered into the
receiver, “Safe journey, Tshoden. See you next time.
Phone me when you arrive at home.”
“I will,” she said. “See you next time. Bye.”
“Bye.”
He put down the phone and returned to the kitchen to
help Au Lham.
The winter holidays were over and it was time for the two
brothers to part again. They realized their blissful time
had slipped through their fingers in a short time. Indeed,
it was a stark reminder in an evanescent human life that
every happy meeting ends in a sad parting. This time, they
didn’t feel the pang of separation much as they had
experienced it before. Ugyen and Ama drove Samphel to
the bus terminal. Samphel started his eastbound journey.
Ugyen looked for Tshoden on the first day of school. He
had not made any phone calls to her as he was in the
mirth of his brother’s company. He missed nothing when
he was with his brother. Now, he realized how badly he
had ignored Tshoden. He regretted not keeping her
promise, but Tshoden was nowhere to be found. He was
recovering from the feeling of emptiness Samphel’s
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