He stole a glance at his watch. It was 7 already. Even if
were to start from office now, he would make it to the restaurant by 8:30. His
wife would be upset. She hated waiting. The Manager was certainly crazy to come
up with an urgent meeting in the evening. It was the fag end of the day and everyone
had plans. The meeting went on for a few hours. He knew his boss was certainly
headed for a divorce! Who keeps meetings on Valentine’s Day?
She knew he would be late, again. After all, it was Friday.
Valentine’s Day was particularly insignificant for them. They never celebrated
it when they were courting so now after marriage it seemed ludicrous to celebrate.
She thought of all the previous Valentines she had dated on this day: men with
smoldering looks and generous wallets; with swanky cars and sexy jackets; She
often compared them with her husband and counted her blessings. He was her man:
rich and sexy he was not. He was not a gallant;no knight in shinning armor. But, he ensured that she was
comfortable economically. She felt like a queen when he treated her with a
chocolate. He did not promise her a fortune. But she knew it was sheer good
fortune to have him in her life. He anchored her blithe and reckless spirit. He
had been there for her, always. And here she was angry that she had to wait at
a restaurant all by herself. She should have brought a book to keep her
company.
He hurried down the stairs and somehow made it to the
station. Trains! Why can’t they run on schedule! Would it really kill them to
stick to timings? Well, he somehow managed to squeeze himself into one and
started preparing a short speech to impress his wife. Maybe mix up two quotes
and pass them as original. It was awfully hot and humid. He needed a shave and
bath. The clocked ticked on.
She waited first furiously and then anxiously. It was 11 pm.
There was no sign of her husband. His phone was not reachable. Her texts did
not receive a reply. Finally, she went home. Alone and humiliated. How could he
possibly do this, she wondered.
As she opened the door, her house seemed silent and strange.
Suddenly, someone swept her off her feet, literally. He took her to the
kitchen. All he could manage was wine and pizza and of course a black forest pastry
(her favourite). There he was waiting for her to smile at him mischievously. He
knew what would follow: a tirade of scathing criticism coupled with girlish
laughter and passionate reconciliation. She loved him dearly and he knew it.
I gasped at 11 pm, soon to realize it aint the bollywood stuff, good one, actually have a smile on me....I paraded to r-city to catch up with these shurveer premi's only to be caught n bold by the fact that most of the valentine fever was over....thanx to shiv sena n bajarang dal kept busy with election plans. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment rama...
ReplyDeleteI so so loved this post!
ReplyDeleteYou have been attempting some unShamini-like fiction these days and although I appreciate your evident skills there, I missed the natural feeling in those posts. This, however, is YOU and how you will sound when you really arrive with your writing. :)
thanks Saroja! the comment is so YOU. honest and clear. keep reading and commenting. I value your feedback. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! A write-up filled with feelings and emotions so simple yet so important in our lives. It made me want to fall in love. :D
ReplyDeleteThe husband is damn good at cover-ups, though. :P
Also, it didn't end on a dark note. :P
thanks Deep Thinker. Reading your blog is an inspiration. I am glad you left a comment on my post. it's difficult to express the most simple emotions because we try so hard to be profound all the time :)
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