Forever!

Rains always made her happy, for no reason at all. Rains, the heart healer and dream wheeler.

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The doctor told Meera the reason behind her 'condition' of rough patches of skin and often bleeding on both palm and feet is Eczema. Meera had always noticed that unlike other girls, her hands were not soft, unlike others, they were not smooth. Meera had grown up with all the jokes of having 'man-hands' and how no one would ever want to hold her hands. But all this never quite bothered her till her doctor explained the complications.

Now for all those who don't know, Eczema​ is no major disease. It can be kept in control but needs certain restrictions like no playing with too much water, no hand washing of dish or clothes, no getting wet in rain, no playing string​ instruments and regular application of ointment. Meera was told that any of the restricted activities would make her skin look worse. She could not control her tears at the thought of not getting to get drenched ever!

Due to late detection of Eczema, Meera's skin had started to look diseased. The hands did not look feminine, the fingers did not look slender. Those were the fingers Arun put the ring on, beside the small local lake, during sunset. Meera warned him several times of her condition, how she would not be as desirable as the others, how once the initial phase of 'love' is over, all this would start to matter.
Arun said, 'Nothing will change. I love you, forever, and ever, and a little bit more' and the ring was at Meera's.

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2 years later, on a monsoon evening, while watching rain from hospital window, she saw an Instagram photo of Arun and Jiya, hand in hand.  She looked at hers, still empty, still ugly, still waiting for the 'forever' to start.