Not your average fairy tale

Not your average fairy tale

My love story is not a fairy tale, no way! In August, 2000, my prospective husband was coming over to see me. I misunderstood his elder brother to be the eligible candidate, and I lost all hope that such a good looking man would ever marry me. Eventually, I came to know that the ‘candidate’ was yet to arrive. My mother’s words kept ringing in my ears: Do not go by looks, try to look at the heart of the person.

When he finally arrived, neither bells rang nor scarves fluttered in the breeze, as is the norm in movies! But, a small incident made it apparent to me that, yes, he is the one. As he entered, his niece who was about two years old was crying and not ready to listen to anyone. He did not bother to look around, but simply took her in his arms. The way he carried her and cajoled her took my breath away. If he can love his brother’s daughter so much, then how much will he love his own children? That moment I fell for him. And yes, it was God’s way of making me believe that a good heart is more precious than good looks.

These 14 years of my life with him have been a beautiful journey. He never says I love you, but his actions and deeds do. He never gives me surprise gifts, but he never forgets to be sure that I have taken my medicine on time. He never takes me on a special holiday for our anniversary or my birthday, but he is always ready to listen to me calmly when I need to speak from my heart.

These little ways of showing that he cares for me and our children makes me proud of my decision to have married him. What else is love?

Of course, all love stories are beautiful, but ours is my favourite!

From Ms Anju Chhatwani

Dubai

Just like the movies

Well, I wouldn’t hesitate in saying that my love story is a complete movie-like love story with a hero, a heroine and families not agreeing! It goes back some time, when I met my husband in an exhibition and, at the time, I didn’t believe in love at first sight.

From Ms Maheen Jafri

UAE

Everything happens for a reason

My love story is not only unique, it’s also an experience that has transformed me into a better and more patient human being. I was in a serious relationship with someone until the end of 2014. I was so sure and confident about this relationship, that we had nearly planned our marriage. However, as the year ended, so did our relationship. The person left for reasons only known to him. I later discovered that he married another woman and moved on.

His marriage came as a shock to me for I still held onto hope of reconciliation. I was shattered and depressed and vowed never to fall in love again. But this promise was short-lived as there was someone out there who made me feel special and gave me the courage to love and trust again.

He was a friend of mine for the past eight years. I never thought of us as a couple. Our bond was merely based on respect and care. I had confided in him during times of distress. He was a keeper, who guided me and supported me through thick and thin.

Our love story is special because I am now with my best friend, who understands me like nobody else. He accepts me for who I am with all my flaws. He has seen me at my worst and yet feels we belong together.

I am extremely happy that I found my true love and a sincere friend - all in one person. I believe everything happens for a reason. If it wasn’t for my failed relationship, I would have never realised my worth and the magic of true love.

We are madly in love and marriage is definitely on the cards!

From Ms Fatima Suhail

Sharjah

Love is indefinable

The time I met the girl I fell in love with is still etched in my mind. I even remember the scorching sun when she finally spoke to me. I told her that I fell in love with her completely.

We met for the second time and I was blissful with a new found energy. Time froze whenever I saw her. Those eyes… I won’t forget them for my whole life. She became my best friend. I asked her to wait for me for three years while we were in school and she smiled and said yes.

Since that beautiful day, I had been impatiently walking down those streets where we used to spend time with each other, in hopes of another glimpse of her presence.

All I can say is that I waited for her. After the years went by she was shocked to see me looking differently. The warmth, the touch and the love that was between us had gone. Even though I knew that her love had gone, I asked her to contact me soon and I left with a forced smile.

The very last time I saw her, I was waiting for a teacher in a parking lot beside my college when I saw her passing with her friends. She took a look at me and those eyes were causing me so much pain because I understood that she was saying a final goodbye.

Was she scared? Was she in love with somebody else? In short, I was never her love and life wrote for me a never ending story.

From Mr Hafiz Mohammad Chuhan

UAE

Closer together, harder to find love

In this period of extraordinary modernity, finding a unique love story is very difficult, but still we can find pure love. Love has been replaced with material goods, making finding love stories very difficult. Now it’s easy to find a partner for marriage, but difficult to fall in love. It has created a very difficult situation. People are rushing for shortcuts for everything. Sustainability in life is not possible because love has gone. Marriage and divorce are now two words not far away from each other. Shortcuts have made life miserable.

Where is pure love? I think that love has taken a back seat and desire, shortcuts and selection has become a priority. Society’s values have been completely changed. Globalisation is good for everything, but not good for love. People have lost love even though they come closer to each other due to globalisation. Now the world is one village, but still the aspects of globalisation have overpowered our minds. Valentine’s Day is a symbol of love but, in our world, Valentine’s Day means togetherness, but not necessarily love.

From Mr Aijaz Ali Khuwaja

Karachi, Pakistan

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