She sat on the bench just in front of the garden and wept. I was staring her from last one hour but she didn’t stop even once. Her eyes were too deep to look at. She looked beautiful yet broken at the same time. In amidst of the sky, she felt like a broken piece of mirror reflecting all the pain in the world.

I was a stranger though but I couldn’t stop myself asking her the reason of her sorrow. So with all the courage I went and sat beside her. I went unnoticed for about 10 minutes. Then she looked with her gentle eyes. It felt as if her eyes were asking me a million questions.

Is everything okay? Do you need any help? I asked

She stared me for 30 seconds.

He asked the same question when I first met him, she replied.

I know I am a stranger but I think you can share anything with me, maybe I’ll be able to help you out.

She smiled and started looking at the tree just in front of us. Breaking the silence she asked me a very bizarre question.

Would you repeat a same mistake twice at the same place and in the same situation?

I was stunned so I said yes maybe only to check if the story would end the same way or not.

And she smiled again and spoke.

Only if you say so I would like to tell you a story, a story about my life, this garden, this bench and my tears.

“It was late winters, It has been six months me completing my graduation. I was a strong, independent and working woman. There was nothing that I didn’t have. But then the disaster stroke, my father suffered from minor heart attack and he wanted me to get married. He had this fear that he’d die soon as I was their only daughter, he wanted me to get settled. The problem was I didn’t want to get married. I wanted to work and go abroad for higher studies but I was being forced every day and blackmailed by all my family members. I didn’t knew what to do. So one day I was sitting on this bench wondering what to do. I was weeping and looking at the tree for hours. Just like you came and sat beside me, there was this stranger who came and sat. I looked at him and he asked me the same question. At that time I just wanted someone to acknowledge my pain and be with me so I melted and started crying even harder. He seemed to be nice because he pulled out a hanky and handed over it to me to wipe my tears. But I was too stubborn, nobody could stop me crying.

I know you are not in a state of talking but I should tell you this thing, you are having a red, big running nose, and it isn’t suiting pretty face like yours, he quoted.

I looked in my phone’s screen and burst into laughter.

For about 10 minutes we both continuously laughed like best friends. And then he asked me, “So tell me the reason of your tears”

I am forced to get married to a person I haven’t met and I don’t want to get married right now. I feel like running away from everything right now but I have my parents who have always been with me and I can’t let them down. I can’t say no, I replied.

I said all this in one breath and stared right into his eyes waiting for a reply and after 5 minutes the silence broke.

See I know it’s really hard for every girl to get messed up because of these burdens and I know this fact too that girls are meant to be strong. Every woman on this earth has the power to change anything. She can turn the world upside down if she decides to. I know it is a hard time for you but I think you are a strong woman to handle all this. I am a stranger to you and phycology says that a normal person understands advice of a stranger more than their relatives and friends. So miss stranger I would suggest you to meet this guy whom you are getting married and see for yourself. Maybe it won’t turn out to be that bad. Maybe he would be a friend more to you. Maybe he would be the one who would never let you cry again. Maybe he would understand you and let you fly for your dreams. Your parents would never make a bad choice for you. Would they?

I looked at him with utmost surprise.

He smiled and with little tears in his eyes stood up and walked away.

I kept on looking at him until he disappeared from my sight. I wondered about all he said and decided to marry the guy I haven’t met or seen.

On the day of wedding everyone was really very happy. All I could think was about that stranger whose advice had bought so much happiness. On my first night, I thought of talking with my newly wedded husband.

As soon as he entered the room, I raised my eyes to look at him.

I was dumbstruck. He was the same guy I met in the park. He was the stranger I wondered about from that day. After a while I smiled looking at him. From inside I was really happy. And with all the excitement I shouted “it’s you?”

He gave me a weird expression. He didn’t recognize me at all.

Before I could utter any word he broke the silence.

“Listen I love someone else and I never wanted to get married, I would never love you so it’s better if you do exactly what my parents ask you and give your best to please them. For me you are nothing and would never ever be. I hated you before even seeing you and now I hate you more”

I couldn’t understand anything. All I knew was he was the same stranger I met that day.

Days passed I felt as if I was in a jail. When I returned my home place I came and sat on this bench and wondered about that stranger again and to my surprise somebody came and sat beside me asking me a question.

“So Mrs. beautiful, I hope your married life is going great”

He was my husband but this time I guess he played the role of the same stranger I met before the day of my wedding.