A chain of vignettes. |
The floral dress she wore brought out the sparkle in her eyes and hair. Her complexion shown beautifully. She looked up at me and our eyes met. The world seemed to have vanished and the many voices around us faded away. A blissful silence surrounded us. I wasn’t even aware as to when exactly my lips sought hers and we were locked in a never-ending kiss. She tasted like honey, fresh, delicate and sweet. That moment decided our fate. We were meant for each other, made for each other. What a lovely discovery! I decided there and then that for the next forty or if God willed, even more, she was going to be the one I would face across the breakfast table every single day of our lives. Slowly, we came back to the solid real world from the emotional heights we just scaled within a span of seconds. Ashley was a bit quiet afterwards. It was companionable silence. When we spotted her train afar, both wanted to talk at the same time. Then we giggled like children thinking of what we discovered about each other. “When will I meet you again my love?” I asked. My affectionate address flowed spontaneously. “Oh, Jim give me some time. Let me absorb this wonderful feeling that I have just stumbled on, my newly discovered love for you. Let me be by myself for another day in paradise.” She closed her eyes savoring our togetherness. Her eyelashes fanned out on her face, the delicate nerves showing clearly on her fair complexion. I was once again lost in the sweet depths of my intense affection for her. The train rumbled into the station and soon I saw her off waving and blowing kisses to her as she smiled and waved good bye. I turned back and walked out of the terminal. The night air was cold on my face and I put my hands in my trouser packets for warmth. I recalled the events of the day as I returned home. Sarah and mom were deeply in conversation with one another. Johnathan was watching the TV without much interest. His eyes lit up the moment he saw me. He walked out to the porch and asked me, “Ashley gone?” “Yes, Johnathan, you can meet her tomorrow at her clinic at ten o’ clock in the morning,” I replied. He was satisfied with the answer and went back to the TV. They, aunt Sarah and Johnathan stayed overnight. I went to bed thinking of Ashley and the appointment we had with her. Next morning at seven in the morning aunt Sarah’s older son and my close cousin and friend, Mark showed up in the front porch. He was all concern and was wondering if everything was OK with the family. As we had breakfast, we told him of the events of the previous day. He was happy that Johnathan was going to see Ashley and he offered to come with us. He too... |