Love and reality – short story

The room was exactly as i left it the previous day. Dirty dishes lying around, clothes strewn all over the place and all the books that i had been reading scattered all over the house.

 

I sighed to myself and started tidying up the apartment a bit just so i have space to walk around freely.

 

A new day had begun and it was time for me to do what i came here to do and that was to see ‘Him’.

Time and distance had lost all its meaning in my eagerness to see him everyday. That was all i was living for. 

 

After cleaning the house a bit and freshening myself i went to my wardrobe and selected the best dress that i could find, prettied my face with makeup , blew dry and styled my hair which best suited my face and started out to meet Him in the usual place where i would, everyday.

 

But today i felt something was different. I knew something life altering was going to take place. I didnt know what was going to happen but i was praying that it better be something good.

 

The walk to the coffee shop which i always went to, to have breakfast was always an eventful one. I could see people of all walks of life on my way. 

 

Women hurrying along pulling their kids behind them to drop them by in school on their way to work, husbands grumbling at their wives for something which they did before starting to work, wives throwing daggers with their eyes for something which their husbands did/didnt do. Roadside vendors setting up their store for the day, poor children sitting on the roadside with their family, vehicles hurrying past to go to their destination. 

 

I always wondered how fast the life went for each person . I wished my life went by that fast since all i did everyday was to come sit in the coffee shop and always wait for ‘Him’ to appear in front of my eyes .

 

Today nothing jumped off the page to take into notice any unsual happening but i did notice my vision was getting blurry a bit and i thought to go check my eyesight later in the house. It was probably due to my not so great sleep last night i thought to myself.

 

As i entered the coffee shop, i was greeted with a big smile from everybody who were seated in the shop. Now i generally dont get noticed by anybody anywhere but that today everybody noticed me and gave me either a smile or a wave of hand acknowledging my presence. 

 

Though i felt weird i responded to each person’s greeting and went and sat down in my usual place. I generally brought along my journal where i write down whatever i felt like. Mostly my journal would be filled with doodles which got inspired from seeing something or either poems or short stories which my mind thought up during the time i waited for ‘Him’ to come into the shop.

 

Somedays i used to wonder what was the purpose for me to wait for ‘Him’ since i didnt make an effort to go talk to him or even say a hi. I just kept staring at him without a blink till he had his usual cup of coffee and bread toast and chocolate muffin which he never failed to have.
The wait to see Him was the only thing agonising in my whole day since each second would seem like years and the impatience to set my eyes on the one thing which kept me alive would always get the better of me. As each second passed by,  my doodle would become angry strokes and my story or poem starts getting more intense and deep until He arrives and like the calm after a storm all my muscles, mind and body relaxes.

 

I ordered chocolate muffin and bread toast today just as he would order and sat down to continue the story i was writing about a long lost love till he came to the shop.

 

As i was waiting a small girl ran up to my table and sat down opposite me giving me a big smile. She looked pretty in a pink frock with a nice big matching ribbon on her head.

 

“Hi Priya aunty.”

 

I was dumbstruck because the kid knew my name and i never have uttered even a word to anyone in that coffee shop except probably to the waiters there to place my order.

 

“Uhmmm hi little angel”, i replied with a tentative smile.

 

“Today is a big day for you aunty. You finally get to go home!! Are you excited?”, she said.

 

I was surprised since everyday i did go back home and this child here was telling me something which i already knew.

 

“Well yes darling i do get to go back home everyday.” , i smiled.

 

“No aunty. Today is the day you finally go back to your real family and live your life happily and normally from now on. You should not come back here aunty. Please. Dont come back ever again.”, the little gal exclaimed.

 

Now i was going crazy listening to this child speak such things to me. I was just thinking to tell the kid to go back to her mom when i noticed Him coming through the door out of the corner of my eye.

 

All my attention was whisked back to Him as if i was a magnet drawn to a magnetic surface. He became the center of my attention and universe and everything else in the background started to fade when He was there in front of me. I never understood why i got attracted only to Him and noone else there in the restaurant but then i had lost my interest to investigate the way my heart worked long back.
His face was even more handsome today than all other days. His gentle brown eyes dancing with excitement, his nose sharp and neatly shaped and his soft mouth curved in a crooked happy smile and his steps had a bounce to them today as he approached the counter for giving his order.

 

As i sat there gaping at him as i usually do He suddenly turned his face towards me and gave me a gentle smile. It was as if the heart inside me just melted like ice cream on a slow flame and butterflies started fluttering in my stomach. 

 

I almost ran into his arms and professed my love for him. But no voice came from my mouth.

 

By the time my heart rate slowed down and i came to my senses he had ordered and finished his breakfast in record time and was making his way towards me.

 

My heart literally stopped beating when he stood so close to me. He outstretched his arm as if to caress my face but he kept his hand on my hand which was placed on the desk and said, ” Its time Priya my love to get back to your beautiful family and life. Your time is done here and am now here to say a final goodbye to you. Goodbye my love, take care of yourself.”

 

As he was talking to me, everything started going out of focus and i struggled to clear my sight. All my efforts were in vain.

 

As a battle to clear my vision was raging on, He bent and gave a gentle kiss on my forehead and turned to go.

 

I observed him carefully as he walked to the door. I knew that time was running out but suppressed the urge to check my watch. I took a deep breath and started counting in reverse under my breath. “Ten, nine, eight, seven…” to clear my vision and focus my thoughts in one place. I always counted along with the seconds in my watch in order to focus my mind on things.

 

I passed out while counting and the next time i opened my eyes, i was lying there stretched out on a hospital bed with all sorts of tubes attached to me and a nurse staring with wide eyes at my face.

 

“Uhmmm hi?”, i muttered since my throat was all dried up and the voice came out in a mere whisper.

 

The nurse cried out in happiness and ran out of the door to get the doctor. My mind was all fuzzed out and as i was struggling to clear my mind and understand the state of things and remember what happened i saw a man coming through the door.

 

Tears filled my eyes as i saw HIM running towards me with his hands outstretched and he hugged me as tight as he could constantly muttering, ” My Priya, my darling , my love!!! You made it to me finally!!! You came back!!!”

 

I finally remembered what had happened after he hugged me!! I had met with an accident and had had a serious head injury wherein i had gone into a coma after the surgery had been done and the guy who was hugging me so tight was my husband! 

 

“Yes love am finally back to you and where i belong”, i cried.

 

“I have been waiting so long for you and been visiting you everyday for the past year that you have been in coma and begging and pleading for you to come back to me and not let me live my life alone. Am so happy love that you listened to my voice and found your way back to me again!”, he sobbed.

 

“Seeing you each day was my life line and the longing to speak to you and declare my love for you everyday was the only thing that kept my hopes up of retaining my sanity in the place that i was in.”, Priya cried.

 

“Its ok darling all that is over now. Let us just concentrate in the present and live our lives happily and peacefully from now on.”, he said with tear filled eyes and shaky voice.

 

All that has a beginning has an end they say. But in my case my life had a beginning, almost a full stop which then converted into a comma and now it is just going to be ‘…’.
-Nithya❤️