Saturday, August 07, 2010

Goodbye

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 13; the thirteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.



“I’m so sorry Mrs. Morales, but the series of tests conducted to your daughter show that Kathleen has serious heart disease with her left ventricle very weak and unable to pump properly. There is no way out except a heart transplant which is just prohibitive in cost and not feasible. I do not think she will live long. She must stop working and have absolute rest at home”, Dr. Fortun uttered, almost in a poignant whisper. “She may have been born with a weak heart, but this has manifested only at this late stage of her life,” the doctor further confirmed his findings.

Kathleen, a few months back, suddenly felt getting easily tired, suffered shortness of breath even after slight exertion in home or office. If she did strenuous work like chores at home for mom, she would start panting and trying hard to catch her breath as if she was drowning. She found it difficult to climb the stairs at the office to reach her desk on the 3rd floor as there was no facility of an elevator. She would need to rest for almost an hour in her desk before resuming work.

“You have changed quite a lot honey,” Fernan, her fiancé told her once, while taking a stroll in the beach. Of late, Fernan observed Kathleen to be very cold. She was no longer the bubbly woman Fernan had fallen in love with. She no longer wished to take the long walks in the beach as they often did earlier to watch the sunrise or sunset. “I think you no longer love me with the same intensity. I find you distant and cold. Do you have anyone else in view? You can be frank with me,” he asked.

 “Silly, do not assume wrong things. I am just feeling weak and I am not able to strain myself much,” she casually answered back, but her voice sounded feeble instead of the usual buoyant and loving tone.

That night when her mom indicated the seriousness of her condition and asked her to send her resignation letter, Kathleen became aware of her real condition and the dim prospects of her becoming normal again. She wondered at the wisdom of keeping the information from Fernan. But he was such a chivalrous and loving man he would not leave her at any cost. She decided to take the bull by the horns. She knew that her friend Sophia was very friendly with Fernan and the latter too liked her. It was only after Kathleen came into the picture that  Fernan gravitated to her.

 Kathleen’s next visit to the doctor confirmed her worst fears when the doctor was frank in his assessment of her condition. It was then Kathleen decided that she must move away from Fernan for his own benefit and not keep him with her for her comfort. When Fernan rang up, she asked her mom to tell him that she did not want talk to him and request him not to bother her anymore. Fernan would not take a no answer easily. He repeatedly rang up and even called at the house but he was not allowed to contact her. Fernan sent many sms messages imploring her to meet him just once and how much he loved her. She turned her heart to stone as she deleted the messages with tears in her eyes. Fernan was heartbroken when her office told him she no longer worked with them. It was then he turned to Sophia for solace. This is the denouement that Kathleen wished for.

A few days later, her condition became serious when she started to gasp for breath. She was rushed to the hospital. The doctors decided to put her on ventilator. It was then she called her mom and dictated a message for Fernan.

“Honey, you might think I was rude and insensitive to you. The fact is otherwise. My love for you is unbounded. I was not myself knowing the seriousness of my health till I came to know a couple of months back. I had not many days to live. If I had told you the truth you would not have left me. Sophia is a good girl and loves you. I know you also liked her. Forgive me, my dear, by the time this text message reaches you, I may not be there anymore. Do not take me amiss. I love you and wish you well. Goodbye. Kathleen…..

~*~*~*~




The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.


Also written for Thursday Tales (Tale No. 19)
Photo Courtesy: ProudOfBeingStrange

56 comments:

  1. it brought tears to my eyes amity...god bless..

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  2. Very sad,very touching.Beautifully narrated.Loved reading every bit of it.All the best!

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  3. Oh Amity...this is heartbreaking, tragic, a truly beautiful and deeply emotional tale. Kathleen's final message to Fernan was so poignant, so saddening. How precious human life is, and how easily it is lost. And it is the beloved ones we leave behind that suffer the most.

    This was as an amazing write, Amity, it took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes.

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  4. HI Amity,

    very well done ..a very well composed fiction ..
    scenes quite clear..n crisp..

    Keep it up

    all the best :)
    Ks:)

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  5. @ Amity

    So true...We H.U.M.A.N.S can go to any extend only to maintain the bliss of our loved ones. Now someone would say..being-Human yet other might say being Selfish!

    Yet your post refects the true essence of love and urge to see the loved one happy and prospering.

    Loved the narrations so much...No limits to love!

    ~Keep the Spark ALive..

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  6. awww that is so tragic...
    poignant story of love and sacrifice... well narrated.

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  7. A nice story of love and sacrifice.I liked the message at the end of the story and made my eyes moist.Your narration of story is very crisp and wonderful.Best wishes, Amity

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  8. loved the narration Amity. Very clear.

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  9. oh what clear n crisp narration.. loved it Amity! :)

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  10. Hey amity!
    Very beautiful narration :)
    Fantastic work..
    Gud luck :)
    Shruti

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  11. Loved the narration and it was a nice story depicting love and sacrifice.
    Very touching...and teary...

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  12. Hey Amity,
    another intelligent girl there whose used the Picture prompt for BAT too..Pulled down two birds with one stone? Neat!
    Kathleens story was heart rending and well-told.
    ATB for BAT...:)

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  13. Nice and noble story. All the best for BAT

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  14. footsteps walk away from our life thinking our health may discourage a longing friendship..alas Love conquers it all...nice :))

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  15. Very touching. All the best for BAT :)

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  16. aaah... the quintessential hurt-you-coz-i-love-you twist... It never ceases to amaze how filmy yet simultaneously how real this is

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  17. What a beautiful and sad tale...in my heart I hope she is able to recover. Lovely writing as always Amity

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  18. Oh that was pretty sad tale but very touching.. narration was too good.. I had a friend who suffered from such a heart problem.. this story reminded me of her. Good luck for BATOM!

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  19. a very tragedic tale, i loved reading it...

    All The Best for BAT 13.

    gmsaravana - Goodbye

    If you wish to save a heart, then do stop by Save a Heart! Initiative. Do take the pledge and vote if you wish..

    Yours Frendly,
    Someone Is Special

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  20. A well narrated story! Liked the plot!

    But the script reminds me of Sacrifice, bollywood style ;) ....sorry ..i cant be too serious about serious things...my apologies!

    All the best for BAT!!!

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  21. very emotional n nice work :D

    -Devilzangel
    http://collected-cryptics.blogspot.com

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  22. A tale full of emotions and love. Very well written.

    Best of luck Amity! =)

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  23. Aww... such a sad story.
    Reminds me of the book 'A Walk to Remember'
    Well composed!
    ATB for BAT13
    Gkam - Goodbye

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  24. Excellent narration. Emotional read. My entry deals with something along the same lines, but with a different perspective.

    All the best!

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  25. Hey Amity, frankly the plot is one told and heard in many stories and movies but the flow and command of your language made it a pleasure to read.. A poignant tale of love.. ATB :)

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  26. You always come up with such wonderful narration, that it kind of sucks you into the story.Nicely done.

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  27. good bye's are sad, hidden good bye's are worse.

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  28. Yes, Tweety, tis' really sad. Thanks so much, sorry for making you cry...:(

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  29. Thanks so much Jaspreet, glad you like it and happy to note you were touched by my story!

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  30. Thank you Sam, for your wonderful reactions. If you were at Blog-a-Ton, this sure gets a vote from you... :)

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  31. Thanks a lot Rach...:) Yeah, you are right, there 's no limit to love!

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  32. Thank you Vee, glad you like it! :)

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  33. Thanks so much Shruti, and good luck to you too!!! :)

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  34. Yes, it is Rumya, about love and sacrifice, can we do it also? :)

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  35. Ha ha ha, yeah, sometimes when one gets lazy like me, I do it this way, combine prompts for one post! Thanks Vibs... :)

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  36. Thanks Ritu and same to you...my best wishes!

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  37. Hi Pushpee,

    Thanks so much, yes, it is, indeed! :))

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  38. Thanks and same to you Maddie... :)

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  39. Yeah, it is... :) Thanks to you Worthless Rantings! :)

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  40. Oh, is it? I feel for your friend...:) Good luck to you too! :)

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  41. Hi Saravana;

    Thanks a lot. Yeah, will drop by soon .... :)

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  42. Thanks to you Mayur...:)

    Never mind, being not serious with my bollywood style story, at least you made me smile with your comment! :)

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  43. Thanks to you R Zaib... :)

    All the best to you too! :)

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  44. "A Walk to Remember"? Oh I've seen that movie so many a times! And I will see it many more!

    Thanks so much gkam!

    ATB to you too at BAT 13!

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  45. Hi Keerthi,

    Is it? Nice, and we must have same thoughts when we wrote our respective story.

    Thanks a lot and all the best to you too! :)

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  46. Hi Vipul,

    Yes it is, have been told over and over...but I did it in keeping with this month's prompt...the best I could ever churn out of the topic!

    ATB to you too!

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  47. Hi Gyanban,

    Oh really? Thanks to you!

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  48. Hi Sidrasayeed;

    Yeah you are right, hidden goodbyes are worst!

    Thanks so much! :)

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