Lakeside stroll wasn’t so amazing after she left. ‘I wasn’t a rich guy, I didn’t earn that much’ she said before leaving me. I was happy, for at least she told me the truth and gave me a reason. Reason that might be stupid and invalid, but it was responsible for breaking our relationship, so I’d call it strong enough! The only person who knew about my relationship and breakup, was my best friend – Smita.

I received many proposals from family side, my paternal and maternal uncles swore to never rest until they saw me on a mare, getting married to a girl, but I had different plans for life. The way she had scarred me and hurt me before leaving, I wasn’t going to rest until I made bigger money than her husband!

Starting from a job, I finally did start my own business and within five years, it rose up higher and higher, at a height that it touched the mark of Rs 1 crore. It was small, I told myself, and that I had to grow much bigger than this. I worked selflessly, hard enough to break my muscles and crush my bones but didn’t rest. 20 hours a day was average output I gave to my company, and we were the biggest name in travel and tourism industry.

10 years had passed. I didn’t know her whereabouts. I was mad only after my company, still working equivalent to my ten employees. That day, I heard a knock on my cabin door. Hastily, I said – ‘C’min’…

‘I want a trip to Bahamas…’ a lady said. I didn’t look up at her face, the figures on my laptop were holding me for good.

‘It’s an online website, ma’am. Use the Internet.’ I wasn’t in a mood to explain all this when I was busy comparing the shares of the companies I had bought last month with, the shares that I left.

‘But I want a trip with you…’ finally she said something that diverted my attention from my computer screen to her. It was her. My ex-girlfriend who left me for money issues, ten years ago.

‘Why do you want a trip with me? I’m very poor. I don’t have that much money that I can afford Bahamas…’ I had too much bitterness inside for her. The way she left and broke me, I swore never to accept her in life if that time comes, and that time finally came.

‘Look, I’m sorry…’

‘Ten years. I am still unmarried because of you. It took me ten years to finally fall in love with something and that’s this company and now you want to destroy that love too?’

‘I’m sorry, I realized my mistake soon after I married him. I took a divorce from my husband. I’m no more his wife.’

‘Congratulations, but this is no place to be celebrating. It’s my office, my building, go to a five star hotel and have a lavish meal there, but leave me alone.’

‘I said I’m sorry…’

‘No, you’re not. You’re not sorry because you left a guy who really loved you. You’re sorry because you left a guy who owns a million dollars company now, and earns 20 times more than your poor husband!’

‘No, it’s not that… Listen to me I have something to say…’

‘I know what you want to say. You left me when I was poor and held the hand of your husband. Now you left him because I’m richer than him. Tomorrow, you’ll leave me again for someone who’s even richer than me. Girls like you, belong in the museum! You’re no more than a miserable, selfish prick, who has never earned a penny herself, and talks about money! Even if you die, I’d never shed a tear know why? Because I’d be happy that this world has one less money minded and cheap person who values money more than love!’

She was crying, incessantly. It didn’t affect me. 10 years had made me strong enough to see anything, and witnessing her tears, was not so difficult either.

‘Here, fill it out…’ I handed over a blank check to her.

‘What’s all this?’ she said, wiping her tears.

‘Fill in the amount that you want, get lost and never show me your face’

She picked up her bag, and walked out. I wasn’t expecting this. I thought she might fill in an amount and get out with a check but rather for the first time in life, she walked out with ‘self-respect’ instead of ‘money’.

Soon after my breakup with my girlfriend, Smita was the only girl who confessed her love and asked me hold her hand because my family was pressuring me. I didn’t want to marry her for my family’s sake. I was waiting for a final closure. Today was the day that I finally got it. I called up Smita who was now working in my company and was unmarried herself.

‘Do you want to go to Hawaii?’ I asked.

‘What? Why?’ she was laughing, she thought I was mad.

‘Because it’s better than Bahamas and it would be a great place to enjoy our honeymoon!’

‘What?’ her laughter vanished.

‘Will you marry me?’

‘Come out and show me your face!’ she shouted.

I walked out of my cabin and bent on my one knee, proposed to her with a ticket to Hawaii in my hand.

‘This is the most stupid proposal ever you know, but this… This is all I ever wanted…’ she hugged me wiping off her tears. My broken heart healed up, after that final closure…