Although Sanjib's home was in a rural village, his father worked in the city—Kolkata. Because of his job, he had to stay there most of the time and could only return home at the end of every month. Sanjib loved his father deeply. He always respected and obeyed him, never going against his parents' words. His father also loved him very much and was proud of his obedient and caring nature.
It was around the middle of October. Sanjib's father, Ratan, was staying in Kolkata for work. Everything in their family was going normally. Life was moving forward peacefully.
But one night, something unexpected happened.
It was Saturday, and the time was around 2:30 a.m. Suddenly, a phone call came to Sanjib's house. The ringing sound broke the silence of the night.
"Hello!" a voice came from the phone.
"Yes, who is speaking?" Sanjib replied.
"I am calling from City Hospital, Kolkata. Are you speaking from Mr. Ratan's house?" the man asked.
"Yes. Please tell me. Has something happened?" Sanjib asked anxiously.
"Yes… Mr. Ratan suffered a heart attack tonight. He has been admitted to this hospital immediately. An operation is required very urgently," the man said in a serious tone.
As soon as Sanjib heard this, the phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a loud sound.
The noise woke up his mother, who came rushing out of her room. She saw Sanjib standing still, shocked and pale.
"Babu! What happened? Tell me! What happened?" she asked nervously.
"Mother… Father has had a heart attack! We must go to Kolkata immediately," Sanjib said while crying.
Then he quickly picked up the phone again.
"Doctor, please start the operation. We are coming there as soon as possible," Sanjib said firmly.
His mother stood there, stunned and speechless after hearing everything.
"Mother, nothing will happen. Please get ready quickly. We must leave right now," Sanjib said.
With tears in her eyes, she asked,
"Babu… your father will survive, right?"
"Mother, please don't say such things. Father will be fine. Trust me," Sanjib tried to comfort her.
Within a short time, they hurriedly left their home and started their journey toward Kolkata.
The next two days passed with great tension and worry. Finally, the doctors informed them that the operation was successful. Sanjib's father was now safe.
Both Sanjib and his mother felt a huge sense of relief. It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from their hearts.
Meanwhile, back in their village, Megha had become extremely worried because she had not seen Sanjib for several days. She even went to his house to look for him, but she could not find him there.
Neither Kartik nor I knew where Sanjib had gone.
"Tell me, where is Sanjib?" Megha asked us anxiously.
"I don't know, Megha. If we knew, we would definitely tell you," Kartik replied honestly.
Days passed slowly. Nearly one week went by, but there was still no sign of Sanjib.
Megha's mind was filled with endless worries. Because of this, she could not even concentrate on her studies properly. Every day she hoped to see him somewhere, but he never appeared.
On the other hand, Sanjib was also suffering. Being away from Megha made him feel restless and empty inside. But he had no choice. His father's health was his first priority, and he had to stay beside him until he recovered.
After about one and a half weeks, Sanjib's father finally became strong enough to walk and move around. The doctors allowed him to return home.
Before leaving the hospital, Ratan looked at Sanjib with emotional eyes.
"Son, I'm really sorry. Because of me, you have lost so much valuable time from your studies. I feel very guilty," he said softly.
Before he could say anything more, Sanjib gently covered his father's mouth with his hand.
"Why are you saying this, Father? It sounds as if I am not your son… as if I am someone else's child," Sanjib said emotionally.
"You work so hard every day for our happiness. You struggle so much for our future. Can't I do this little thing for you? Please don't make me feel ashamed by saying such things," he continued.
Ratan smiled and nodded.
"Alright, alright. Now I'm completely fine. There is nothing to worry about anymore," he said warmly.
Then he hugged both his wife and his son tightly.
That very day, after returning home, Sanjib decided to meet his friends.
"Hey Sanju! Where were you all these days? We just heard that your father was very sick. How is he now?" I asked him with concern.
"Hmm… he is better now than before. How are you all?" Sanjib replied.
"We are all fine. But without you here, everything felt strangely empty. Now that you are back, it feels complete again. I pray to God that your father stays healthy," I said.
"Yes… God is truly great, isn't He?" Sanjib said thoughtfully.
Then he suddenly asked,
"By the way… where is Megha?"
"Megha? She is sitting near the riverside," Kartik said.
"You know, during your absence, she was the one who suffered the most."
Sanjib nodded silently and immediately started walking toward the riverbank.
When he reached there, he saw Megha sitting quietly near the river, throwing small stones into the water.
"Megha!" Sanjib shouted.
"Who?" Megha turned around. The voice sounded very familiar to her.
She stood up and saw Sanjib standing there.
Without thinking for even a second, she ran toward him and hugged him tightly.
It was such a beautiful and emotional moment that it was difficult to describe in words.
"Where did you go all these days?" Megha asked with tears in her eyes.
"Why? Why do you care?" Sanjib teased her playfully.
Megha felt shy and turned her face away.
"Alright, alright… Megha. I'm back now. There's nothing to worry about anymore," Sanjib said gently.
Then he told her everything about what had happened—about the heart attack, the hospital, and the operation.
After listening to the whole story, Megha sighed with relief.
"Truly, your father has returned from a very dangerous situation. I pray to God that he always stays healthy," she said sincerely.
They continued talking for a long time beside the peaceful river.
Finally, as evening approached, both of them returned home.
Sanjib and Megha were extremely happy to meet each other again after so many days. It felt as if their hearts had finally found peace.
That night, when Sanjib went to sleep, he kept thinking about everything that had happened during the day. Slowly, his thoughts drifted toward one special person.
He began waiting for the moment when his best friend from Classroom 14 would appear once again in his dreams…
And perhaps, that dream was the beginning of something deeper—
A journey from Books to Hearts.