Matsvin

New Dover Island

"It is F O R C E ma'am, not F O R S E".

She made him look like a fool once again. That third girl in second row from first in the last column. Martha DeSouza. What a show off?.Some day she would learn. He would teach her a nice lesson, he promised himself. St.Peters was the most coveted school in the city. Parents registered with the school management even before their children were born. It was a school for the elite. It was a school where children were taught the stiff nose, neck up way of life. Where children were taught class distinction from day one. It was the school of the well heeled.

Martha was the only daughter of Harold and Helga DeSouza. Their association with St.Peters goes back three generations. Martha is the fourth generation DeSouza to study in St.Peters. Their ancestors, like most other ancestors of the rich in the city, had migrated from England during the victorian days, in search of challenges and wealth. Like the mayflower, the H.M.S.Regal had brought them to an unexplored island, uninhabited. They named it New Dover Island, after their favorite port city. They transported slaves and workers from other colonies and over years, New Dover Island had flourished into a charming little island. An island where cash crops grew in abundance. Over years a lot of companies had come to the island because of liberal tax policies and made the island as the router of their investments.

Today, though, St.Peters was seen as the last bastion of class distinction. Slavery was abolished a generation ago. The island is actually a group of five islands, placed along the periphery of a circle. The sea that separates the islands is more like a huge lake making it an ideal location for ships to anchor during stormy days. This gradually led to a good influx of retired sea men, bringing with them a very good mixture of different culture. The children of these sailors have not seen any other country. A very healthy culture was fostered by these people and the people who had already settled in there.

Winds of change was blowing across St.Peters as well. The change was more of an undercurrent as of now. Some of the teachers were not happy with the bramhin upbringing of the children. They saw their students as being deprived of the knowledge of other cultures and the scientific advancements they had made. But as long as Mr.Richard Allenson was the principal, St.Peters will cater only to the well heeled. But then he is not going to be around for
long. He is due to retire come september, which gives around 8 months to elect a new principal. A few names are being thrown around. The school board will meet on August 23rd to decide on the issue. Rumors are that St.Peters will relax its admission norms during this meeting. After all the school cannot afford to be seen out of times.

The bell rang, announcing lunch. Alexander Peter Oswald collected his books, carefully packed them into his bag, bent and picked up his lunch bag and stepped out of the class. The sun was shining through the clouds. The climate was pleasent. Autumn was approaching. The trees were beginning to shed their leaves. Just a bit. St.Peters was located
on top of a hillock, from where a magnificent view of the island ensued. It was quite breathtaking, seeing the waves crash in on the rocks, the birds flying, the sailors singing in the port, the ships blowing their horn, announcing either their arrival or their departure, the herons, the bills, the cranes squeaking. Alex was pondering over the English class, where he once again bit the dust. Martha had beat him again. In Mathematics he was always ahead. It was always a competition to see who got the best grades during every exam.

The Oswalds and DeSouzas were pretty friendly to each other. Whenever Harold DeSouza and William Colin Oswald were in town, the families met in the evening for tea and a game of
bridge. Sometimes these occasions would spill over to dinner, where the gentlemen would continue their dialogues over the customary after dinner cigars. Both the families were very successful business houses. The DeSouzas dealt with trading in Tea, Coffee, Spices, Wheat, Rice and such things. The Oswalds on the other hand were bankers. The Dover Oswald Bank was the largest bank around, more due to the fact that the population is not huge enough to accommodate a hundred banks. There were five in the islands the The Dover Oswald Bank was the largest and the most trusted. Trust that was built over generations. Lost in thoughts, Alex Oswald did not see the small stone on his way. DHAM. It was too late, as he helplessly saw his porridge and sandwiches scattered on the ground. He slowly got up, picked them up, packed them back neatly in his lunch bag and looked around. Nobody seemed to be bothered with him and his plight.He slowly made his way to the cliff rock that gave such a splendid view the the sea. It was properly fenced upto eight feet in height. As one sees the seas and birds, the fence fades away from sight. But that day he saw only the fence aware of the hunger. Tears swelled up in his eyes. His heart felt heavy. He felt so lonely. The immaculate crease in his trousers were now wrinkled up. He sat on the rock, folded his legs up and rested his arms on the, his cheeks in his hands. His beautiful black eyes were now moist, almost on the verge of tears.

"Here you can have some of my lunch".

He turned around to see Martha standing there.

"Dad always tells me to help those in need."

"He tells me GOD will be happy with me then and bless me".

"Take it. Its nice. Mummy made them for me".

He slowly took the sandwich , took a bite and slowly looked up at her. She slowly sat next to him.

"Thanks".

She just nodded. Children's heart is always pure. It is only over years that the poison of experience corrupts it. For children everything is nice and green. Without a further word being spoken, a friendship was forged. A friendship that would last a lifetime. A friendship that would see many a upheaval. Oh if only these children knew what would happen to them over years. God's greatest gift to mankind is the inability to see the future. How happy these children are. Without any worries or commitments. How grateful are we to god for not giving us the power to see the future. Or else I cannot be narrating this story to you. Had it been in my control I would have warned these young minds. But alas, I cannot. I can only be a witness. I can only tell you what happened.

"Will you learn me Mathematics ?",

"If you teach me English"

"Sure." , "Done."

From that day onwards Martha and Alex hardly spent anytime alone. They studied together. They played together. They grew up together. They took long walks along the sea shore, picking up sea shells under the supervision of their nannies. The island's rich were a closed society. And in this closed society the two children grew up without anything to worry them. They slept peacefully at nights blissfully unaware that world around them was changing very rapidly. And so time flew. Days became months and months became years.

World Is Wide
"You should go meet those bankers in the wall street"

William Colin Oswald sat listening to the old man who had taught him everything he knew in business. The old man still hasn't lost his touch. The old man was his father, Richard Green Oswald.

"Do you trust them papa ?"

"Our business runs only on trust son."

"We are famous here because of the trust that we have built over generations."

"Some of those bankers are old school. They were born bankers."

William remained silent for sometime. He came to a decision. He will go and meet the bankers in Wall Street. After all it is in shareholders interest that he make more money for the
bank. And in Alexander's interest.

"Winners keepers, losers weepers." Alex was shouting on top of his voice.

"Forget it Joe, you shall never beat Alex in squash" said Martha.

What a fine young maiden she has grown into. Alex has grown into a tall and handsome young man, ready to take over his father's bank someday soon. His father has been thinking of sending him to United States of America for higher studies in banking. And the oldman has also approved of his grandson's sojourn.

"So you have decided to go to USA eh?",

Joe asked him. Alexander looked at his friend. Like Martha, Joe also studied in the same school. But he was a sailor's son and was treated as such by his schoolmates and even some teachers. He was almost the first non elite student to be admitted in St.Peters. Alex and Martha had been his friends since he joined. All three played together and studied together. Thankfully both families had got used to the fact that class distinction cannot be upheld forever and their children will have to mingle with others. Still the children's nannies were told to keep an eye out. Their wards were to do nothing that would not be worthy of their family name. And now the children have become youth, ready to face the world, take decisions on their own.

"I think so. You know Joe, World is wide and big. I heard there are thousands of islands like ours. I want to see them all."

"You got the money. I guess you can go wherever you want."

"Tell you what. I have big plans when I come back. We are going to ......"

Martha knew Alex would achieve his dreams. Not because Alex was anything special, it was because Alex was Alex. Enough for her. She just wanted him to remain his self. She took her umbrella and started walking towards her house. As usual the boys had not bothered to say Goodbye. When will Alex learn ?.

"Honey could you pass me the cheese please ?", Helga called from her chair.

"Honey ?"

"Martha, what happened dear ?. Are you allright ?"

"I am fine mama. Sorry. Just thinking about Alex."

"Anything wrong dear ?"

"No mama, he is just fine. Wonder what will he do in USA alone ?"

"Honey, he is a man now. He has to run his father's business."

"He should learn to manage himself"

"But he is so innocent mama. He'll feel like a fish out of water"

"He has to grow up dear. He is not getting younger. He has to learn the ways of life"

Its true. He has to become a man now. Being in his father's shadow has made him shy and introvert.

Two weeks later, Alexander left for the United States of America , accompanied by his father who had arranged for meetings with leading American bankers. He was going to accompany Alex till Harvard. From then on Alex was to be on his own. Martha and Joe had gone to the harbor to bid him farewell.

That night Martha cried in the privacy of her bed. Joe couldn't cry because he was a man. He knew his father would not approve his behavior. Still they both knew life will never be the same again without Alexander. Everyday they would wait for his letter. Initially Alex was regular in writing letters, but slowly his letters started slowing down. Almost an year passed since Alex left. But to Martha and Joe,it felt like a century had passed by. Everynight Martha wondered what Alex was doing. She never thought she will miss him so much. During youth what more can give you joy than friendship. Yeah there is something called love, but in love the happiness is mixed with sadness, whereas friendship knows only pure happiness. If you have a friend who knows your heart and feelings, you cant ask for more. But if such a friend leaves you, then suddenly the world becomes a huge black hole for you. Nothing interests you. For Martha and Joe, the world was indeed a huge black hole at the moment.

The Great Crash
It first started as a small trickle and soon had become a huge ocean. At first only very few people had got wind of it and had rushed to their bank to withdraw their savings. Once they had their money safely in their hands, they told their friends to withdraw their money and soon the entire population started raiding the few banks in the Island. This is what businessmen and bankers would call a Run On Their Bank. Every bank operates on the principle that not all their investors will come on the same day and demand their money back. So banks usually deploy money on conservative long term investments that pay them more than what they pay their customers. On any day , no bank will have liquid cash to service more than a few percentage of their investors. Thus when all their customers and investors came at once the banks in New Dover Islands did not know what to do. Money dried up quickly in a very short time. Beyond that the bankers tried to convince their irate customers and investors. They asked them to come back a few days later. Their money would be paid, they promised. But the situation was only getting worse. What triggered this ?. What disturbed the peace of these people ?.

In two words , it was "WALL STREET". All the banks in the island had to invest their money overseas since there was not much business in the region. Companies set up offices there just to route their investments. Apart from that whatever money came in, came from Port Charges, Fishing and exports of cash crops. Well from a little island what more could you expect. Since the number of families were limited the money was sufficient to take care of them. They did not need any expensive infrastructure. All their transportation was through sea. Nobody needed fancy cars, since any place can be reached by walk. Since there was not much scope for investments, the banks rightfully invested overseas. In particular they were enamoured with the wealth the new world was generating.

Right from the time when god created man, it has always been greed that led man towards all his agonies. He suffered time and again, he never learnt. Brother lied to brother, son to mother, friend to friend. Everytime he suffered. Still he never learnt the lesson. He went after wealth. He went after disproportionate wealth. He suffered. The Wall Street fever was the same. More money was being made there in one day than money made in a whole year in other places. The New Dover Bankers forgot the age old adage of Not Putting All Eggs In One Basket, invested heavily on stocks in USA. Share markets are always volatile. Everyday millionaires and paupers are made in stock markets. Today it was the bankers turn.

Wall Street Crashed. Half the economies around the world crashed. Economies go through cycles of high growth and recession every few years. A few years back the country that clocked highest growth rate, today is the worst performer. Yesterdays underdogs are todays superstars. The Wall Street Bankers knew this. The New Dover Island Bankers knew this. But not the people. Everyday they heard of economies collapsing. For people it is their hard earned money and they did not want to lose it. So what started as a panic reaction by a few individuals, grew into a giant fire fanned by rumors. Every banker ran for cover. The biggest loser around was Dover Oswald Bank and everyday crowds thronged the bank's office and demanded their money. The reputation that was built over generations now seemed lost.

Martha was in the church when the news came. Harold came silently and stood behind her, waiting for her to open her eyes. Martha sensed the presence of a man behind her and turned back to see her father. His countenance told her something was wrong.

"Come along with me dear"

"What happened Father ?"

"Come cherry, let us talk outside the church"

She silently followed him outdoors.

"William hung himself in his office and Richard was found dead in his desk"

Martha heard no more. She fainted. Her last thought was "What was Alex going to do now ?"

Joe's father volunteered to send Joe to United States and find Alexander immediately. It was decided that rather than an impersonal telegram, it would be a lot better if someone who knew the boy told him directly. The funeral anyway had to happen. It cannot wait for Alexander to return. It may take weeks before he comes back. It was decided that Joe shall leave immediately.

When the public heard of the twin deaths, the run stopped. Everybody respectted the Father and Son bankers. Nobody had any doubt on their integrity. It was too late.

"Ashes to Ashes, Dust To Dust"

as the priest read out aloud, the entire island came forward to bid the dead bankers farewell. Everybody went back talking about the glorious days of the past. Nobody spoke of the last few days.

Alexander's Return
"JOE, Is it really you JOE ?", Alex came rushing out of his dorm room to hug his friend, and stopped dead in his tracks in front of Joe. Joe's facial expression was sunken.

"What is wrong Joe ?"

Joe could not get words out of his mouth.

"Are you in some trouble Joe?. Do you need money ?. Is your father allright ?"

Oh how innocent was this boy. He believed that Joe was here to see him because Joe was in trouble.

"No, No Alex, Dad and me are fine."

"Then what else is the problem"

"We had a run among our banks down there Alex. All the banks suffered it"

"Where is papa?. Where is he now Joe, tell me"

"I am afraid you will never see him again Alex."

"Both your father and grandfather are now no more"

For a few minutes Alexander did not know how to react. He was stunned. Shocked beyond words. Joe slowly hugged his friend as Alexander broke down and cried for the first time he could remember. Oh bless him who has a true friend. Bless him further when his friend is there during the darkest hour of his life. Joe lead Alex back to his dorm room, collected all his belongings. They went to see Alex's professor, who quickly arranged for necessary paper work to be completed. As they left Harvard, Alex took one long last look at the institute that had taught him so much in just about an years time.

Martha was standing with Alexander near the graves of Alexander's Father and Grandfather. Alexander's mother was still in bed, not yet recovered from the twin shocks.Alex closed his eyes briefly. Images of his father and grandfather passed by in his mind. Slowly they became foggy. The fog cleared away slowly. He opened his eyes. With shaken legs he slowly made his way back to his house. The mansion that was so lively when he left now seemed desolate. He went to his father's study and sat down on his chair. Memories started coming slowly. His father teaching him mathematics, explaining how banks worked. He ran his hands among his father's books. Everytime he had a doubt he used to ask his father. Now he must learn to answer them on his own. A slow determined look came over his face. He has to
continue the legacy behind by his father and restore the bank to its former glory.

"I have faith in you Alex. Take over the bank's control. Its time you stepped in"

"But Mr. De Souza, I have almost no experience"

"Thats ok Alex. You shall learn on your way. What the bank needs now is someone who can be identified with trust. You are the best person. If you don't do it now, you might lose control over the bank eventually"

"We are all with you Alex. We shall help you", said Martha.

Next week, the board of directors of Dover Oswald Bank convened a meeting. The agenda was selection of Mr Alexander Peter Oswald as the chairman of the bank. Harold De Souza had talked to all the directors individually and had managed to convince them all that Alexander should take over. The motion was carried through without any problem. No one wanted problems since the bank had just been through tragic times. Everyone knew that only Alexander could restore the public's faith in the bank.
Times were changing. Foreign investments were pouring in due to favorable tax policies. A few foreign banks had already setup shop, ostensibly for merchant banking. It wont be long before they enter retail banking. Dover Oswald bank needed an Oswald to lead it. Alexander was ready by now. It was to mark a new era in banking history in the islands.

A confident Alexander strode forward and opened the door to the chairman's office, the office where his grandfather and father had sat. Early in the morning, the mist had still not cleared out. The air was blowing quite cold. He parted the curtains of the giant window that overlooked the sea to the left and the harbor to the right.

"And pray tell me , who are you ?"

Alexander turned back to see an attractive lady in her early twenties staring at him.

"Oh, sorry. Allow me to introduce myself. Name is Alexander. I was just appointed as the chairman of the board"

She just stared at him and then slowly her gaze shifted up and fell on his father's photo. Then she immediately understood.

"Welcome Mr. Chairman, I am your personal secretary Lucy Bridge, and this sir is your executive secretary Mr. Robert Schulz" she said turning to the door as a tall handsome man entered in. He already had been briefed by the board and had the chairman's schedule ready. Alexander turned to look at his father's photo.

"Schulz, I want to ........"

An Oswald was running the bank again. And more importantly Alexander was back.

Recovery
It has been a full year since Alexander became the chairman of the board. The bank slowly limped into normalcy and has even shown a decent profit. Alexander was a lot more relaxed now, and a lot more lonely too. His mother never recovered from the shock of his father's death and had passed away in her hospital bed. That was more than eight months ago. Now Alex had slowly got used to the loneliness at the mansion. Where there was laughter and gaiety before, there was wooden silence now.

It had been pretty tough in the beginning. But he slowly got used to the fact. The work in the bank lessened his burden. Then the company of Martha and Joe helped him a lot. It was a tough year for the bank as it lost reputation among the public and money as well. Stocks purchased earlier were selling at half the price. To cut his losses Alex had to sell heavily at a discount and lost further money. To recoup his loses, Alex started investing in gold where the prices were going down because of recession in world markets. He also invested in government securities around the world. These achieved the twin benefits of helping the countries get out of recession and offering a good return on investments. Still one bank cannot pull the world economy out. World economy slipped further and further into recession and seemed as if a run away inflation will affect many countries in the world.

To help tide over the crisis, banks started coming together. Mergers and Aquisitions were getting frequently common. Industries cut production to reduce costs. In USA thousands were being laid off and companies frantically scrambled for cover. Market sentiments around the world were going southward. Finally after almost an year of downward trends, the markets started picking up strength. United States

President announced tax cuts and increased defence spending to boost the economy. Interest rates were reduced to wake up a slumbering economy. Taking the cue most governments around the world reduced their interest rates and increased government expenditure in infrastructure works. The markets started growing again. Alex joined a group of influential bankers around the world to kickstart economies. They met presidents and prime ministers. The argued for interest rate cut and tax cuts. They promised to increase their spread in these countries to help them finance their recovery.

In the middle of all this Alexander lost his mother. And then he had to convince all his old customers to come back. He put in gruelling hours in his office. Schulz kept up with his hectic
schedule all through standing by his chairman from morning to late nights. Lucy found herself running out to fetch a late night dinner before she went home every night. After a few months she started reminding Alex about lunch when she found out that he completely forgot the have lunch when working. She interrupted meetings to make Alex have lunch.

When the bank closed its books for the year it had made a small decent profit, its lowest ever, but a profit nevertheless. The board of directors met to consider the auditors reports and balance sheet. Alex was grilled in the meeting about his steps to take the bank out of the tight situation. And he handled all these with a calm composure. Seeing him, one couldnt believe that this was the boy who had no one by his side just a year ago. Afterall banking was in his blood. Finally the board ratified the auditors report and decided to withold dividends for the first time in the bank's history. Alex's first year as the chairman was quite successful. He had put the bank firmly on the road to recovery.

Martha's Wedding

To celebrate Alexander's first year stint in the office, Alex, Martha and Joe decided to take a picnic. It had been a long time since Alex went out with his friends. He felt a bit guilty about ignoring his dear friends in the frenzied business life. They decided to go to the gull peak, the highest peak in the island mountains. When they were young they had come here a lot of times, almost once a week. Alex wanted to recapture all his lost times. He wanted to be among friends again. What a pleasent day it was. The birds were chirping happily. Spring was in. The sun played hide and seek among the clouds. The waves in the sea wanted to come ashore and enjoy the experience, but were pulled back again and again by the sea. They tried to latch on to the rocks but alas the sea won every time.

Nature was in her seductive best. She wanted to enchant everyone with her beauty and so she spread the green blanket of grass everywhere around and trapped the dew drops in them which trapped the sun rays and shone brilliantly. Joe , Alex and Martha were walking happily among all this beauty as they slowly made their way towards the gull peak. Joe was dressed simply while Alex in keeping with his status was dressed in a double brested blazer. Martha was brilliantly dressed in a pink gown with a matching hat and umbrella. Joe was pushing his bicycle which held the lunch basket. Alex was throwing pebbles around just like a kid and Martha was livid in talking about how everyone respected Alexander now.

The top of the peak was quite a flat bed of rocks which then slopped further down before ending in a cliff. That day when the picnic party reached the top, they were quite surprised to a hand glider parked there and a handsome young man attending to it. He turned around when he heard the footsteps and his glare fell on them, no not them just Martha. Did he see Martha completely atleast, no. He saw her face. Atleast did he see her face completely?, no. He just saw those wide eyes that showed amusement. He saw those perfect white teeth that sparkled around. He saw the hair that was trying to escape the hat and blew across her face.

"Oh hi Keith, fancy seeing you here", Alex spoke.

It was Keith Wallace. Keith ran a local flying instruction school and had met Alex in the bank asking for a loan to run it. Alex had approved his loan.

"Hi Alex. Good Morning"

"Keith meet my friends Joe and Martha"

"Hi there, and hello ma'am, good morning"

"Good morning mister ..."

"Wallace, name is Keith Wallace"

"Good Morning Mr. Wallace. You fly that thing over there ?"

"As a matter of fact yes. It is the hand glider. You can float in the air with that and see a birds eye view of these magnificient islands and Ms .."

"DeSouza, Martha DeSouza"

"Ah. Ms.DeSouza, you should take a ride in this. You'll like it"

"No, not me, I get scarred of such heights"

"Try it someday. You will lose your fear. I shall help you out"

With these words Keith took his glider , ran across to the cliff and jumped across and started gliding while Martha eyes widened further with surprise and amusement. They all ran to the edge of the cliff to see Keith effortlessly gliding through the air.

That Sunday Keith and Martha met again in the church. After the service Keith accompanied Martha back home. She learnt more about him during the walk back home. He was an Englishman by birth and had flown around the world in his father's Cessna. His father was a renowned pilot in england and ran a flying school himself. He had taught his son the art of flying airplanes. During the recession Keith was kicked out of his job as a salesman for a champagne manufacturer. During that time he was introduced to Alex by a mutual friend during a luncheon. Alex offered to help him and helped establish the flying school. Alex wanted to establish an airport in the islands and he wanted Keith to help him.

That night Martha recieved a boquet of flowers and box of chocolates from Keith. Soon it seemed they were together everywhere. Be it the concert or the church, walking up the mountains or down the street shopping. Finally after about a month Keith went down his knees proposing and Martha accepted. Alex and Joe were thrilled. Harold and Helga started with the wedding arrangements. Martha and Keith were married in the church and left in Keith Airplane for honeymoon in England. Alexander slept that night a lot more happier than the last one year.

Diana DeLane

"So you have decided to leave afterall ?" , Alexander was heart broken.

"Alex, my father is getting old. He needs someone to take care of his school"

"Why don't you ask your father to move down here Keith"

"No Alex, he wont. He is a stubborn old man. Besides he wont close his school"

"I shall repay all the loan from the bank Alex"

"It's not about money Keith. Anyway I won't stop you. All the best"

Martha kissed Alexander goodbye. She was going alongwith Keith to settle in England. Keith wound up his flying school. There wasnt that many who wanted to fly. The island's size did not help the economics. He sold everything possible, took everything else back to his father's school in Derbyshire. Martha's parents and Alex and Joe waved Martha and Keith goodbye and stood in the strip till the cessna disappeared in the horizon.

"No Joe , you are not going anywhere"

"No Alex, I have to. But I shall come back Alex. Dad wont be alive for long. He longs to see his motherland. I want to fullfil his desire before he closes his eyes. I shall comeback friend."

Alex was shell shocked. Suddenly everything seemed to come apart. First Martha left and now Joe. He couldn't stop Joe from leaving. Afterall he was fullfiling his father's last wish in life. The old man was not going to live for long. He had seen everything in life. Now he wanted to die peacefully in his country. Alex arranged for his yatch to transport Joe and his father. He went to the harbor to bid them goodbye and came back heavy hearted. He longed for a company now.

It is said that when God wants to help humans he does it in the name of luck. One such incident happened in Alexander's life. There was a company called "DeLane shrimp exports" that had taken loans from Dover Oswald Bank. Due to the recession in the market DeLane could not meet the monthly repayments for over six months. Alexander decided to attach DeLane's assets to recover his loses. He proceeded to send the lawyer's notice and asked DeLane to meet him to thrash out all the issues. He was rather surprised when a female called him up and asked if she could meet him with regard to DeLane winding up. Alexander arranged for a meeting the next day morning.

"Mr. Oswald ?"

Alexander turned back and stood still. He had heard about beauty. He had read about people going crazy and losing their mind over beauty. He had read about Julius Ceaser and Mark Anthony. He had read about Romeo and Juliet. But here in front of him stood a celestial beauty that surpassed everything else he considered beautiful. She was dressed in black as if in mourning. Her eyes were black to match her dress and her hair. It was the most beautiful pair of eyes that Alexander had ever seen. They seemed to sparkle with seduction. Her face was round, almost perfectly round. Her hair was tied behind loosely. He had not seen a more beautifullly structured body before. In short he just could not take his eyes away from her.

"Ms.DeLane sir", Lucy interrupted his thoughts.

Alexander stood puzzled.

"I am afraid my father wont be able to meet you Mr.Oswald. He died last week"

"I am extremely sorry to hear about your father's death Ms.DeLane"

Somehow the words seemed to come from a deep well. He couldn't recognize his own voice.

"Please sit down", his throat went dry searching for words. His heart started beating rapidly and he could feel his legs shiver.

"I suggest you dont take any decision in your state Ms.DeLane. I shall personally assist you once you are over the mourning"

"Oh I insist Mr.Oswald, I would like to repay your debt as much as possible"

"Well in that case, maybe next week we can meet and decide on your quantum of repayments Ms. DeLane"

"Thanks Mr.Oswald, Please call me Diana"

"Only if you call me Alex, Diana"

"Thanks Alex. We shall meet next week"

"I shall ask Lucy to make all the arrangements and get in touch with you. Have a good day"

Well I dont have to say how Alexander would have been for the rest of the day, indeed the rest of the week. His heart was not in his work. He was fidgety about everything and generally tensed up. And then the great day came.

He drove to the DeLane house a few minutes ahead of the appointed time. He was met at the door by a butler and was shown inside. The old man DeLane may have been bankrupt but he had style. The house was well annointed. The decorations seemed expensive. There were beautiful paintings in the wall. Vintage furnitures abound including the grandfather clock. In one of the paintings, there was a young maiden taking bath in a rivulet, bright sunflowers along the banks swaying alongwith daffodils. The sun was bright with little clouds. The painting looked so natural that Alexander first thought it was a photo.

"Looks very natural does it not. My father's favorite"

Alex turned around and oh my. There she was , wearing a pink colored gown with golden laces and matching brim hat. Her jet black hair was in curls, her eyes looked a lot more lovely and lively, her smile genuine causing her eyes to shrink beautifully that one can keep seeing throughout eternity. Alex stood rooted to his ground. It seemed he had never left her, it seemed as if they had been together for eternity. It seemed as though he knew her right from time immemorial, right from the time when time was created. Right that moment he was just seeing her again after a routine days work. They had never been apart. Time stood still.

"The attorneys are here ma'am", the butler interrupted them. They both came back to this world.

"Show them in Picard"

"Well let us see how much you leave back for me Alex"

"Ah Diana, I wish I was not running that bank"

With that the attornies came in and it was back to business as usual for Alex. They argued and debated for close to six hours. Finally it was agreed upon that except the house everything else will be sold including the paintings and the expensive furniture. Alexander refused to auction them and instead said that he may have a buyer for these already. The lawyers left and Alexander and Diana went in for dinner.

"Next week there is a concert my the Royal Philharmonic, may I persuade you"

"Would love to Alex."

When he left her home that night, he slowly bent and kissed her on her cheek. The perfume she was wearing made him dizzy.

"Good Night Di"

"Good Night Alex"

Martha would have been proud for her childhood friend. He was a perfect romantic. Too sad that Martha and Joe missed it out.

That very minute Joe was attending to his father and Martha was mourning the death of her husband Keith Wallace.

Martha's Grief

Everybody who saw Martha and Keith commented that they were the perfect pair. It was obvious that they loved each other very deeply. They were made for each other. Keith father also took to his daughter in law like his own daughter. They just led a perfect life. Keith now ran his father's flying school. Martha took care of the oldman just like her father. The three of them used to go for long walks down the country side everyday evening.

In this life came a storm. And when it came it blew all the happiness away, shattered the very fabric of life and replaced it with deep wounds and sorrow. Keith had taken a student pilot for
a lesson in the skies. Everything was fine till the storm came. Keith had anticipated the storm and the lesson in fact was to teach how to drive in a storm. Unfortunately that day lightning stuck the plane, and the wings caught fire. Last anybody heard was a May Day call from Keith. The plane plunged all the way down. No one survived. Nobody knew why nobody bailed out with parachutes.

As Martha stood taking stock of the situation, the only person she could think of was her dear old friend Alexander. Keith's father took to bed upon hearing the death of his only son. His mind started losing control and the old man was on the verge of senility. He started talking to himself. Nobody could make any sense out of what he was talking. The old man had lost his grip over life.

Alexander was dining with Diana when the phone call came. Martha was weeping inconsolably on the other end. It took a while for Alexander to calm her and know the details. When he heard of Keith's death, Alexander stood still. He could not open his mouth for a minute, being shell-shocked. Finally he managed to get hold of himself and told Martha that he would come immediately.

"What happened Alex? Why are you so pale?"

"I told you about Martha haven't I. Her husband died in a plane crash. Listen Di, I have to go over there and help her out."

"I shall also come along Alex."

And so Alexander and Diana left for England immediately. Alexander could not think about anything during the journey. He mind felt numb. Somehow fate had dealt with them very heavily in life. First it was his father. Then Joe's father, and now Martha's husband. It wasn't fair that they had to suffer so much. Diana could only watch Alexander sway in his seat restlessly. She consoled him and brought him drinks. The poor man was grieving too much.

When Alexander saw Martha he could hardly recognize her. Her eyes had become red. She was not the vivacious Martha he knew. Instead what he saw was a Martha not interested in life any longer. All she was waiting for was to see him. The moment she saw him, she fell down and fainted.

When she came to, she saw Alexander and her father starring at her. Alexander had taken charge and had called up her father to come around. Keith's father was hospitalized. He dealt with police investigations into the death and had arranged for a nurse to take care of Martha. The next few days he never left Martha. Both he and Diana stayed with her all the time. They took her out for walks along the woods. Diana played on the piano while Alexander read her books. Martha recovered slowly.

Keith's father did not live for long after his dear son's death. Shortly he breathed his last. Alexander arranged for the funeral. After he had escorted Martha to her limousine after the funeral, Diana caught his arm and asked to speak to him. So Alexander sent Martha in her limousine and escorted Diana to the shelter of a big tree near the graveyard.

"You love her don't you?"

"I love you Di"

"But you love her more than me don't you Alex?"

Alexander was speechless. He did know what to say.

"See these graves Alex. This is the ultimate peace in life. I have lived a very short life so far Alex. But in that life I have seen the good and bad alike. So I won't feel sorry Alex. I know that she needs you as much as you need her. Go to her Alex. I am leaving now. There is nothing left for me in the Islands. I have decided to go to USA and study further. I hope we shall meet someday Alex. Don't forget me."

Alex took is hands to touch her

"Don't Alex. Don't touch me. I might break down."

She turned quickly and walked fast to her waiting car. Alexander did not see her crying. She did not see him crying. They sacrificed their love. It takes supreme love to sacrifice it. Sacrifice is not something achievable by everybody. It needs nerves of steel. This timid looking girl who herself had just been through tough times had it all. For centuries men have tried to study women's heart and have failed. Is this a surprise then that Diana left Alex and went away. This short episode of Diana in this story comes to an end. Some of the readers will be baffled at this short appearance. But I can only tell what happened. This is the end of Diana DeLane's episode in this story. Maybe we shall meet her again sometime down the line. Who knows? For now, I bow my head to you my dear. You have sacrificed your love to resurrect another.

A New Episode

It was now more than a year since the tragic death of Keith and his father. Martha had become her old vivacious self again. She started playing tennis and squash with Alexander again. Her father had retired by now and Martha started running his business. Alexander was assisting her in her business endeavors. She no longer avoided the topic of Keith. It no longer brought her any sadness to her heart. Time they say is the best medicine. Indeed it was.

Spring had set in. The birds started chirping in the air. It seemed as if Nature had crossed her puberty and had attained womanhood. The glow in the beauty of hers was everywhere. How beautifully manicured does this grass look. It was a Sunday and Alexander and Martha were sitting in that rock where they had sat so long ago when they had come to terms. It was their school. It was the fenced rock overlooking the sea.

"You never told me why Diana left you Alex"

"It did not work out between us Martha"

"And you want me to believe you Alex. Look at me Alex. Look at my eyes. You never lied to me. Don't start it now. Tell me what happened"

Alex took a deep breath

"She did not want to come in our way Martha. She felt my love for you is a lot more than my love for her"

Martha sat silently

"I never really stopped her when she left. Maybe she did the right thing"

"Do you love me Alex?"

He remained silent. His eyes said everything. There was compassion in them. There was love in them.

"Then kiss me Alex."

Alexander took Martha in his arms and kissed her on her lips. She came in his arms and he engulfed her.

"Where were you so long darling?"

"Searching for you my love"

Joe looked up from the road. He was back in the islands just in time to see the reunion of two hearts and realization of the love in them. From now on they will be together, forever.

© 2000-2008 Vinodh Dorairajan, All Rights Reserved