A ray of light forgot its path. And it was shocked that it did. After all, how difficult is it to fall from the Sun down to the Earth? But no, this particular ray just threw all caution to space and decided to make it a little complex: It let itself lose its memory.
Of course, forgetting was not part of its plan: It had a samba planned for the first half of the journey to Mars and then an elaborate complicated tango from Mars to Earth. But by the time it was set to dance the tango, it fell so in love with Venus, that it lost its way and fell right into Venus' lap.
So, another ray took its place and jostled the clouds, brushed aside the wind and the smoke and the fog and fell straight onto the glass pane that so lazily shooed off the rain and the dust that begged of it to let them in.
Well, the pane must have been bribed for I don't see how this particular ray walked into my room and dragged in a million others. My room shook off its gloom and dressed in light so bright, I had to yank my covers up onto my eyes.
A minute later, I let my guard and the covers down and walked to the basin.
"I see you've got up."
"I see you've your lines ready."
"What do you mean - lines ready?"
"See - if I had to say 'yes', you would have said: 'For wonders you are up so early.'"
"And if you had to say no?"
"Well, you would have said: 'Oh I know what you'll do now. Spit, brush and go back to sleep.' Wouldn't you?"
"Well, I have other things to do as well."
"Oh I know that line too."
"Will you shut up?"
"Alright."
"Okay."
"Okay."
The sink had wrapped itself in the Sun's glowing embrace as well. And it splashed a little of the sparkle onto my face. I tried not to look straight into the dazzling beams that spurted out of the sink's border, but my eyes were in love with them. No sooner had I realized this than the usual line knocked on my eardrums.
"For wonders, you are up so early."
"There - now you're starting it."
"What? It's a harmless comment."
"Will you let me finish? I have no time for all this."
"When do you ever have the time?"
"No, don't start that."
"Why?"
"For if you do, I can throw a whole list of the times you have had no time for me."
"Oh yes? Is it? Okay go on. Throw it at me."
"Look," I said, as I banged the brush into the holder and wrung the towel off the stand, "why don't we do this after lunch - okay? I am a bit late."
"That's always your line of deflection."
"My line of deflection?"
"Yes!"
"And what am I deflecting?"
"Oh you know what I am talking about."
I banged the toothpaste down. "No I do not."
"Well, that's what you say when you want to avoid an argument."
I picked up the toothpaste and rectified its shape. "Okay. Fine. Let's just do it."
"Do what now?"
"Let's have the argument."
"Now?"
"No at lunch. Say 2?"
"Fine by me."
"Okay."
"Okay."
And I forced the toothpaste to throw some paste onto my brush.
---
I worked three buildings away from what she considered her office. She insisted it was four buildings away. I insisted the gasping hut in between didn't count.
"That's very mean. It's a shelter you know."
"That I don't approve of."
"It's a shelter all the same."
"Fine. Have it your way. Now let's go lunch."
Lunch began quietly till the menu slipped onto our table.
"You're ordering?"
"You want to order?"
"Order order. Or else you'll hold that also against me."
I was about to slap that with a fine sarcy line. But my tongue just would not cooperate. So, I turned to the waiter and ordered.
"So you have to tell me something?"
"No. I thought you fixed lunch to settle that argument."
"Which argument now?"
"I am not going to take the effort to remember."
"Neither am I going to do that either."
"Then why did you waste my time and call me?"
"Look okay - can you - can we at least talk sometime?"
"We talk. We are talking. You ask me questions. I give you answers."
"I lost my cool."
"For God sake!" I yelled, "Will you shut up and listen?"
The table quivered and the glasses of water nearly fell in fright, but this woman did not let one sign of fear escape her.
"Okay," she said, that word not interested in letting me hear it clearly, "tell me."
I told her how I loved her, how I was ardently passionate about her, and how I could not do without her.
But she lifted not an eyebrow - not even a lip - but let her fingers wrap round the glass of water.
"I have heard it all before," she said as she jerked the glass towards her lips, "what's new?"
"This means nothing to you? Nothing at all?"
She dangled the glass near the edge.
"Well, it did, a year ago, when you said this - it did."
"I did not say the-"
"More or less, it was the same. You raved about how you - well - loved me, told me how much I meant to you even though I did not tell you everything and how you were willing to not get irritated by my habit of not telling you whom all I met all throughout the day."
"You disgust me."
"Well, it might come as a surprise to you but I do think you are disgusting as well."
"I know that."
"Then why arrange for all this? This, stupid little luncheon where you play the ardent lover, I play the actress and then we both kiss and make up?"
"Is that what you think this is? An arrangement?"
"Oh I am sorry. Actually, I think this is an act!"
"An act!"
"Well, yes, don't you think so?"
"No."
"Of course, that's because you are its director. No director will call his act an act. He thinks it to be as real as ever."
"Will you stop, already?" I said, really disgusted and all set to walk away.
"Well, you want to walk away now," she said as her dress made way for her legs to entwine, "fine, walk and go away."
"Listen okay? I know I haven't spent time with you. And I am trying to make up for all that lost time."
"Really?" she said, spitting that word out with a heavy phlegm of sarcasm, "I thought you are gonna tell me about that woman."
She knew. There was no point in denying now.
I unmasked the ardent husband from my tone and face and slapped up a guise that was my true self.
"So you know," I said, as I let water run onto my tongue.
"Yes I do."
"So I am not gonna act."
"Breathe some life into your words then."
"Alright, now since you know, let me tell you I plan to separate."
"Expected."
"Will you let me finish?"
"Okay."
"I plan to separate because we don't seem to be in a mood to reconcile."
"Very obvious."
"And we know who is to be blamed."
"Is that even a question?"
"You want me to turn it into one?"
"I still have half an hour. I need to while away my time. Sure, go ahead."
"Who is to be blamed?"
"You of course."
"Really."
"Yes." She got her shoe to slip off her left foot. "You had no time. You were never there. Blah blah blah."
"I see."
"Besides, you weren't that interested in marrying anyway."
"As if you were?"
"Of course I was."
"And so was I."
"Yes, I can so see that. A year later and look - here we are! Happily never after."
"See it's the way you look at it."
"Yes, absolutely."
"It was a year well spent."
"True."
"It was a year in which I learnt a lot about you."
"Right!"
"Your ways."
"Oh come on!"
'Your moods."
"Right right!"
"And of course - your current boyfriend."
I did not want to say that, but my tongue just rolled it off. And it slammed into her face with so much vigour, she knew not what hit her.
"When did you get to know that?"
"Oh it's a common thing you see. The husband not here - neglecting you, so you get someone who doesn't neglect you."
"If you put it that way, then I am in the wrong."
"Haha, so what's the other way then?"
"I needed someone to talk to. And he needed someone too."
"I can talk too. You know that very well."
"You hardly talk."
"I! I! I hardly talk?"
'You specialize in interviews."
"I can't believe you said that!"
"Well, here's how our conversation would go: 'Hi?' 'Hi.' 'How was your day?' 'Nice.' 'How are things at work?' 'Fine, you know-' but you don't wait to hear anything at all. By the time I realize I have to say something, you are onto your next question: 'What's for dinner?'"
I was so embarrassed, I just sat and looked at my plate. My plate was blank and so was my mind. That excerpt she had recited reeked of truth. And when truth comes dressed so plain, you cannot fall in love with it. But you have to accept it as is.
"Why didn't you bring this up before?"
"You ever had time? If it wasn't the meetings, it was the conference followed by power lunches etc etc. There just was no time."
"Okay look," I said, trying my best to stop my eyes from working up a flood, "is it too-"
"-late? Yes, it is. You have that one. I have that fellow. There's no going back."
"You sure?"
"Oh yes, why else would I have let you go on with her."
"Because you went on with him?"
"Oh no no no!" she laughed, quite composed by now and suddently added, "actually yes. And now can we go?"
"But the lunch hasn't?-"
"Oh that's okay. I am on celery anyway."
"Okay. Alrightey then. I'll see you home?" I asked, not quite sure what was to come next.
"Oh see, I won't be coming home."
"Not coming? But your things?"
"Oh you can send them later. I think it's best this way."
She turned then, took her purse, and with one broad pretty smile - the one that I had fallen for - she was gone.
Of course, forgetting was not part of its plan: It had a samba planned for the first half of the journey to Mars and then an elaborate complicated tango from Mars to Earth. But by the time it was set to dance the tango, it fell so in love with Venus, that it lost its way and fell right into Venus' lap.
So, another ray took its place and jostled the clouds, brushed aside the wind and the smoke and the fog and fell straight onto the glass pane that so lazily shooed off the rain and the dust that begged of it to let them in.
Well, the pane must have been bribed for I don't see how this particular ray walked into my room and dragged in a million others. My room shook off its gloom and dressed in light so bright, I had to yank my covers up onto my eyes.
A minute later, I let my guard and the covers down and walked to the basin.
"I see you've got up."
"I see you've your lines ready."
"What do you mean - lines ready?"
"See - if I had to say 'yes', you would have said: 'For wonders you are up so early.'"
"And if you had to say no?"
"Well, you would have said: 'Oh I know what you'll do now. Spit, brush and go back to sleep.' Wouldn't you?"
"Well, I have other things to do as well."
"Oh I know that line too."
"Will you shut up?"
"Alright."
"Okay."
"Okay."
The sink had wrapped itself in the Sun's glowing embrace as well. And it splashed a little of the sparkle onto my face. I tried not to look straight into the dazzling beams that spurted out of the sink's border, but my eyes were in love with them. No sooner had I realized this than the usual line knocked on my eardrums.
"For wonders, you are up so early."
"There - now you're starting it."
"What? It's a harmless comment."
"Will you let me finish? I have no time for all this."
"When do you ever have the time?"
"No, don't start that."
"Why?"
"For if you do, I can throw a whole list of the times you have had no time for me."
"Oh yes? Is it? Okay go on. Throw it at me."
"Look," I said, as I banged the brush into the holder and wrung the towel off the stand, "why don't we do this after lunch - okay? I am a bit late."
"That's always your line of deflection."
"My line of deflection?"
"Yes!"
"And what am I deflecting?"
"Oh you know what I am talking about."
I banged the toothpaste down. "No I do not."
"Well, that's what you say when you want to avoid an argument."
I picked up the toothpaste and rectified its shape. "Okay. Fine. Let's just do it."
"Do what now?"
"Let's have the argument."
"Now?"
"No at lunch. Say 2?"
"Fine by me."
"Okay."
"Okay."
And I forced the toothpaste to throw some paste onto my brush.
---
I worked three buildings away from what she considered her office. She insisted it was four buildings away. I insisted the gasping hut in between didn't count.
"That's very mean. It's a shelter you know."
"That I don't approve of."
"It's a shelter all the same."
"Fine. Have it your way. Now let's go lunch."
Lunch began quietly till the menu slipped onto our table.
"You're ordering?"
"You want to order?"
"Order order. Or else you'll hold that also against me."
I was about to slap that with a fine sarcy line. But my tongue just would not cooperate. So, I turned to the waiter and ordered.
"So you have to tell me something?"
"No. I thought you fixed lunch to settle that argument."
"Which argument now?"
"I am not going to take the effort to remember."
"Neither am I going to do that either."
"Then why did you waste my time and call me?"
"Look okay - can you - can we at least talk sometime?"
"We talk. We are talking. You ask me questions. I give you answers."
"I lost my cool."
"For God sake!" I yelled, "Will you shut up and listen?"
The table quivered and the glasses of water nearly fell in fright, but this woman did not let one sign of fear escape her.
"Okay," she said, that word not interested in letting me hear it clearly, "tell me."
I told her how I loved her, how I was ardently passionate about her, and how I could not do without her.
But she lifted not an eyebrow - not even a lip - but let her fingers wrap round the glass of water.
"I have heard it all before," she said as she jerked the glass towards her lips, "what's new?"
"This means nothing to you? Nothing at all?"
She dangled the glass near the edge.
"Well, it did, a year ago, when you said this - it did."
"I did not say the-"
"More or less, it was the same. You raved about how you - well - loved me, told me how much I meant to you even though I did not tell you everything and how you were willing to not get irritated by my habit of not telling you whom all I met all throughout the day."
"You disgust me."
"Well, it might come as a surprise to you but I do think you are disgusting as well."
"I know that."
"Then why arrange for all this? This, stupid little luncheon where you play the ardent lover, I play the actress and then we both kiss and make up?"
"Is that what you think this is? An arrangement?"
"Oh I am sorry. Actually, I think this is an act!"
"An act!"
"Well, yes, don't you think so?"
"No."
"Of course, that's because you are its director. No director will call his act an act. He thinks it to be as real as ever."
"Will you stop, already?" I said, really disgusted and all set to walk away.
"Well, you want to walk away now," she said as her dress made way for her legs to entwine, "fine, walk and go away."
"Listen okay? I know I haven't spent time with you. And I am trying to make up for all that lost time."
"Really?" she said, spitting that word out with a heavy phlegm of sarcasm, "I thought you are gonna tell me about that woman."
She knew. There was no point in denying now.
I unmasked the ardent husband from my tone and face and slapped up a guise that was my true self.
"So you know," I said, as I let water run onto my tongue.
"Yes I do."
"So I am not gonna act."
"Breathe some life into your words then."
"Alright, now since you know, let me tell you I plan to separate."
"Expected."
"Will you let me finish?"
"Okay."
"I plan to separate because we don't seem to be in a mood to reconcile."
"Very obvious."
"And we know who is to be blamed."
"Is that even a question?"
"You want me to turn it into one?"
"I still have half an hour. I need to while away my time. Sure, go ahead."
"Who is to be blamed?"
"You of course."
"Really."
"Yes." She got her shoe to slip off her left foot. "You had no time. You were never there. Blah blah blah."
"I see."
"Besides, you weren't that interested in marrying anyway."
"As if you were?"
"Of course I was."
"And so was I."
"Yes, I can so see that. A year later and look - here we are! Happily never after."
"See it's the way you look at it."
"Yes, absolutely."
"It was a year well spent."
"True."
"It was a year in which I learnt a lot about you."
"Right!"
"Your ways."
"Oh come on!"
'Your moods."
"Right right!"
"And of course - your current boyfriend."
I did not want to say that, but my tongue just rolled it off. And it slammed into her face with so much vigour, she knew not what hit her.
"When did you get to know that?"
"Oh it's a common thing you see. The husband not here - neglecting you, so you get someone who doesn't neglect you."
"If you put it that way, then I am in the wrong."
"Haha, so what's the other way then?"
"I needed someone to talk to. And he needed someone too."
"I can talk too. You know that very well."
"You hardly talk."
"I! I! I hardly talk?"
'You specialize in interviews."
"I can't believe you said that!"
"Well, here's how our conversation would go: 'Hi?' 'Hi.' 'How was your day?' 'Nice.' 'How are things at work?' 'Fine, you know-' but you don't wait to hear anything at all. By the time I realize I have to say something, you are onto your next question: 'What's for dinner?'"
I was so embarrassed, I just sat and looked at my plate. My plate was blank and so was my mind. That excerpt she had recited reeked of truth. And when truth comes dressed so plain, you cannot fall in love with it. But you have to accept it as is.
"Why didn't you bring this up before?"
"You ever had time? If it wasn't the meetings, it was the conference followed by power lunches etc etc. There just was no time."
"Okay look," I said, trying my best to stop my eyes from working up a flood, "is it too-"
"-late? Yes, it is. You have that one. I have that fellow. There's no going back."
"You sure?"
"Oh yes, why else would I have let you go on with her."
"Because you went on with him?"
"Oh no no no!" she laughed, quite composed by now and suddently added, "actually yes. And now can we go?"
"But the lunch hasn't?-"
"Oh that's okay. I am on celery anyway."
"Okay. Alrightey then. I'll see you home?" I asked, not quite sure what was to come next.
"Oh see, I won't be coming home."
"Not coming? But your things?"
"Oh you can send them later. I think it's best this way."
She turned then, took her purse, and with one broad pretty smile - the one that I had fallen for - she was gone.
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