Two days after Madav spoke to Shekar, Madav stood at their door step again. This time a little calmer to make things better between the two families.

"Your daughter needs your support and love, especially from her mother"

"I'm sorry Madav, I know I have been such a fool all this while but I need time to let all this sink in. Susila will be there for Padmini" Shekar said with his head down all the while, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry as well uncle for speaking harsh to you that day" both Shekar and Madav smiled accepting each other's apologies.

*-*-*-*

Days gone by Padmini begin to behave as she used to be unlike during the past month. She was no more forcing him to forget about the letter, to leave her and ask him to start a better life with someone else and to never see her again.

Padmini's forgetfulness had been putting her in a very devastating state for the past six months and she knew she will be an added trouble to Madav if he knows about her condition.

She even tried convincing herself to leave Madav and everything but she couldn't just leave him, she loves him as much as he does. Knowing that leaving him will only hurt him more, she didn't want to do it again intentionally.

Once was enough even though she wasn't responsible for what had happened.

Padmini found the letters Madav have safely kept in a box and laid them out on the bed. Each letter had sentences underlined. Underlined by Madav, she knew it was him. He had the habit of underlining all important points in everything he reads.

Reading it all over again, those letters were only showing how bad has the disease been progressing for her

------underlined bits from the letters------

- I was supposed to do a show on Fascinating History of England today and I eventually embarrassed myself on a live show. I knew, Madava I was prepared for the show a day ago but
I went completely blank during the show, I didn't know what say next or even cover up. Totally messed up the show.

- I missed the route to my office again. I don't know what I am even thinking while driving, Madava.

- Jason told me I have been asking the same question repeatedly during the marketing meeting today. I wonder what's happening to me?

- My mood swings way to often, I'm unable to control it. At times I feel anxiety shadowing me everywhere and sometimes I tend to stand at a corner in my office feeling extremely depressed. I just don't know over what I am even depressed for.

- Pankaj got for me an I-pod today. It had some amazing features and the music quality was good too but there I am again with this problem. I'm finding it hard to use the gadget. He has been tirelessly teaching me to use it for the tenth time today and I'm being dumb. I don't know how to use it.

- I feel something is seriously wrong with me.

- I'm unable to concentrate or give any inputs during the discussion with my team.

- Something worst happened today. My show went live without me talking for five whole minutes until someone from the broadcasting team came up to me. There is surely something terribly wrong going on with me.

- Madava I found out what's wrong with me. I'm diagnosed with an early-onset Alzheimer's disease.....

*-*-*-*

"Paddu?" Madav opened the door slowly and peeked in. The bed had letters spread on it.

He walked to the bed, Padmini sat on the floor leaning her back on the bed frame facing the window. She was lost in thoughts.

"Hey, what's up? Why are you sitting on the floor? Come, get up." Madav tried to pull her up on her feet but she refused to move.

"What's wrong?" He sat next to brushing away few strands of hair from her face.

"That's devastating, isn't it?"

"What?"

"These letters." She pointed her thumb to the bed where the letters were. "They are terribly devastating. Why don't you just burn them all? Get rid of them!" Padmini got up on her knees, started crushing and throwing those letters off the bed.

Madav realised that she was going through an emotional turmoil and she is not being able to control herself. He learnt from Dr. James that during such situation, he have to always remain calm and try to get them away from the situation or eliminate anything that is provoking such emotions.

"Let's leave this place, okay. I'll get rid of them" Madav coaxed her to leave the room and took all of it, dumping it back into the box. He kept it elsewhere, a place she can't find nor see them.

*-*-*-*

"Durga ma, I think I should start packing my stuffs" Padmini held her head that has been aching since she came out of her room.

Handing her a glass of mango lassi, Durga took Padmini's hand in hers. "Don't even think about going anywhere sweetheart. Or I'll have to call your mother to put some sense in you" she said softly tapping in Padmini's forehead.

"I guess amma will chase me with everything that she finds on her way" Padmini laughed and winced in pain the next second. "Ouch!"

"Good! You are lucky today because I did not want to throw anything of Durga's decorative" Susila let go of Padmini's ear that had gone red.

"Amma! That hurts"

"What did I hear just now? You want to leave the house? To where?" Susila sat next to Padmini at the kitchen counter.

"Nowhere" Madav interrupted just before Padmini could speak. "She is not going leave to anywhere" Madav said ignoring Pamini's intense glare.

"Absolutely! What makes you to even take such decision? Aren't we taking good care of you?" asked Durga.

Rolling her eye balls left and right, Padmini spoke. "That's why. That's why I want to leave. I'm troubling everyone I...." before she could speak and further Madav placed a finger on her lips.

"Didn't I say, no more talking about this matter. You are not going anywhere and that's final"

*-*-*-*

"Where are we going" Padmini watched Madav as he drove them to a surprise place.

"It's a surprise, Paddu"

"Surprise" she mumbled and turned to the other side as she watched them passing by many tall buildings.

"Are we going to the museum?" she asked as Madav slowed down the car at the South Kensington road.

"You wanna go in?" he asked in amusement as he looked at Padmini gaping at the stretch of huge buildings. "We still got forty-five minutes before they close the museum"

"It's been ages since I went in those buildings......... nah, they are too boring. Let's go" she said changing her mind in fraction of seconds and sat back upright.

Stepping on the gas, Madav headed to their secret dinner date destination.

*-*-*-*

"I have been here before, didn't I?" she asked standing at the entrance of the familiar looking restaurant.

"Yeah, we have been here before. Like about five years ago, when I came back from my first deployment" Padmini linked her hand in his arm as they walked into the restaurant.

A calm, soothing feel engulfed her as they entered the quiet, dimly lit restaurant. Madav leaded her to the inner part of the restaurant, to a table with the river side view.

"How do you feel?" he asked after a long silence, watching her enjoy the view. The best part of having dinner at the river side, watching brightly lit boats pass by every now and then.

"I feel good, I feel light" she replied. A satisfactory reply. "It's been almost a year since I came out of the house at night. This feels great. Thank you"

"Anything for you, darling. I'll take you around from now on" he winked at her.

"haha, only until you are on holiday. What about after you get deployed?" she asked, wiggling an eyebrow with a twitched corner of her lips.

"Hmm... we will see then" he gave her a mischievous smile. 

Padmini knew there was something behind those smile, she just couldn't figure out that is it. 

This could probably be the first time Madav made a decision without her knowing. That is to take an early retirement from the Royal Navy or ask for a transfer to the London headquarters as a trainer so he could always be reachable whenever she needs him. 

"I want to know something about you" Madav spoke, wiping his mouth with the napkin.

"hmm..." she hummed sipping her lemon squash.

"What do you want to do? I mean do you have any plan that you want to start doing?"

"Yeah... I do... have this in mind... setting up my own radio station. I wanted to continue my job in BigWheel but working in BigWheel in such condition will be risking the company's reputation. I don't know if that will even work"  

"I have thought of something about it too. If I help you set a small radio station at home, you will do it, right. " Madav asked, looking at her curiously with a half-smile knowing what her answer would be.

"Of course, I will!" she beamed. "Madava, are you serious in setting up a radio station at home?" she asked to be sure.

"I don't prank my darling" he said, with a contented smile. 

Her face glowed on knowing Madav's plan, her eyes glowed. A glow of hope that she is still independent and that she can still do things and handle task by herself. Padmini smiled broadly. Madav could do anything to bring back that precious smile on her face. 

And there's one more thing he needs to do.

Madav got up and stood in front of Padmini, getting down on one knee. Madav open a small red velvet covered box with a band blinking under the moonlight.

"Will you marry me, Madhu Padmini, again?"

She covered her face with both her hands and fight back those happy tears flooding her eyes. She took some time to gather herself, rubbing the tears off she said, "but we are already married Madava"

"Yes, we are married but there wasn't any wedding for us, right?" Madav slipped the ring into her ring finger that fits her perfectly.

"but it isn't necessary" Padmini stood up.

"but you want a wedding, don't you? Listen, all these while it was you who have been sacrificing and doing a lot when I'm not here. The most I appreciate is your time, what a man I am if I can't even do this for you, for waiting for me this long, for this moment?" he held her face in his palms and made her brown orbs look into his eyes.

"still... isn't it too much, Madava. The radio station and the wedding..."

"Shh... leave it to me, I'll take care of it" he spoke in a low voice, leaning in gently kissed her warm lips.

~~~~~~~The best thing about memories is making them~~~~~~~