Just Love

“Wake up! Come on wake up! It’s Already 6 AM”.

He tries to pull the feathered blanket which is so dear to her and which she loved to be wrapped in. But he only manages to pull half. She has already wrapped the other half around her legs.   He looks at the clock, it still says 5.30 AM. Then he looks at her and thinks about the origin of the phrase “sleeping like a baby”. He bends down and gently kisses her lips, twice. He likes to do that, watching her sleep and kissing her innocence. He likes to love her when she doesn’t know about that, When she doesn’t seems to notice. He likes when she wakes him up in the middle of the night just to kiss him. He likes when she wrestles with him over the blanket.

No reaction. Not even a flicker even after the third time.

“Well, that is expected”, he thinks and while admiring her innocence, imagines his unborn Princess. Even though they haven’t thought of starting a family yet but his heart skips a beat by a mere Feel of having a daughter. He has always thought of his sister who is 8 years younger to him, as his kid. Sometimes he wonders that how can fathers having a baby girls leave home every Morning and go to work. How can they manage not to have their sunshine in front of them every moment. He remembers how he used to become restless upon not finding his sister in the house. And now she has gone to study thousands of miles away, trying to find the secrets of the universe. She is his angel, just like his daughter will be. And according to him, she is the most intelligent girl in the world, just like his daughter would be.

In that single moment, he visited past, future and thousands of miles in present. That is how Nature has empowered mind and heart. He wonders again. But during this thought process,  his love of life, his soul mate, goes back inside her shell, the so loved feathered blanket.

“You love your sleep more than me”, he says loudly and pulls the blanket with full force. She moans for a moment, braces her legs towards her stomach and pulls the pillow over her head.

He looks at her again and admires her curves. He does that sometimes, silently. She is still in the same position. So beautiful, so care free, so calm. He bends down to peep inside the pillow and notices a drop drooling from the corners of her lips and he falls in love with her again for the umpteenth time.

“I am going to get the newspaper and milk. You should be up by then”. He says while opening the window, and leaves the room with the blanket in his hand, which he puts on the couch on his way out. He knows the only thing which can wake her up is the lack of warmth.

“Yes, i love my sleep” She murmurs from under the pillow.

On returning, he finds her still on the bed but sitting, with legs crossed and eyes closed.”Why do you have to wake up so early even on Saturdays” She complains with eyes still closed. “And I am cold. I want you, or the blanket”. She demands.

“Because we go for swimming on Saturdays” he pauses and says again “and there are so many other thing to do today, and you are not going to get any of those, so open your eyes”.

She waits in the same position for a minute, hoping him to shut the window and leave, so that she can sleep for 5 more minutes. But she knows too well that he is standing there and will not leave until she will get down from the bed. Just like he knows too well that the moment he leaves the room, she will shut the window and will go to sleep again.

“It’s your turn to make tea” She takes the last chance. Eyes still closed. “Wake me up after that”.

“No, today is Saturday. And Saturdays and Sundays are yours” He replies back.

“Why is it Saturday today”, she finally opens her eyes, gets down from the bed, and takes the milk bottle from his hand on her way to the kitchen. He heads towards the balcony with newspaper. He loves the early morning breeze. She hates it because it is early in the morning. The only thing she loves about morning is the morning tea. He just drinks it to give her company.

“Let’s go for a movie tonight. Check for the new releases” She shouts from the kitchen.

“So”? She looks at him with a question mark on her face while keeping the tray on the bamboo cane table. He looks up and sees her expressions. She has always been so expressive with her face and pitches of her voice. He smiles as if he remembers something from the past. She still has the question mark on her face. She clearly wants to know about the movie. Their Saturdays are movie days, The tradition which they have carried on since their college days. They used to watch a movie every weekend. No matter how bad or boring it is. This is one of those interests which they share, even though their choices for movies are different.

“Yes, there is one action, one romantic comedy and one biopic” He informs. “And why do you eat these spicy snacks in the morning, How many times have i told you that they are not good for stomach” He adds.

“Because i love to eat them, and they are not as spicy as you are, and i love to eat you too” She whispers with a wink. “Alright, the biopic is boring, actions are meaningless, so book two tickets for the romantic comedy, the actor in it is so cute”. She declares while taking the newspaper from his hands and handing him his cup of sugar lemon green tea. He wants to say something more about her habit of eating spicy snacks, but stops himself.

“Yeah, as if romantic comedies are so meaningful” He retorts and looks at her cup of milk tea with no sugar.

 

******

“What would you like for lunch?” She enquires while checking capsicums in greengrocer’s shop on their way back from sports club.

“Anything”. He answers while checking his phone.

She gives him a frustrated look and this time, directs her question to the green grocer. “Do you have ‘anything’? My husband only wants to eat ‘anything’. I don’t know if there is some food called anything. Do you know about it”. The grocer is confused and blank. She turns again towards him and says, “See they don’t have ‘anything’ so what else do you want to eat except anything”? Emphasizing on the word anything each time. This happens with him often.

He sees the red sign and speaks instantly, “capsicum and potatoes will do”. And pretends to be deaf for another 15 minutes during which she buys load of other things which she will cook for him and argue with the shop keeper over prices. She is a tough bargainer. In the end, the shopkeeper has to surrender. He remembers her mother. She is a tough bargainer too.

“Why do ladies come to the gym as if they are going to some fashion parade”? She says while unlocking the door. “That girl Maria, she really works hard. She was constantly on the treadmill for 45 minutes. How can she manage that. And i had an argument with the Rita in the locker room. I was standing in front of my locker and she pushed me as if she is the only one there who needs all the space. In fact she do needs all the space, she is like a baby elephant”. She pauses and looks at him. He was removing his shoes. After few moments of silence, when he realizes that acknowledgement is needed, says “yes, i agree with you, That Rita is mean”.  She smiles because she knows that even if he doesn’t know who Maria and Rita are, he is listening to her.

“Ok, you can do some house cleaning and get a shower and i can prepare the lunch” She continues. “And i will bake brownies today, i love them”

“Good, just call me if you need any help in the kitchen” he says and kisses her, which she doesn’t seem to notice. He likes that.

He finishes the cleaning and she finishes the cooking nearly at the same time. He is putting the clothes in the washing machine when she enters.

“The lunch is ready, and I know you don’t like to eat before a bath. So let’s get shower together if you are done” She whispers in his ear while putting her arms around his neck. “Of course, and that way we can save water also” He replies back.

******

“Why did you cook so many things, you should have cooked something easy and fast, you get yourself stressed”? He says while looking the table full of dishes. She loves to cook and to cherish the meal. Even if they are just two souls in the house, she cooks as if guests are coming to lunch or dinner. She manages that often, even with her hectic professional life.

“Because i love to cook for you and i know, you love to eat”, She replies with a smile.

“After lunch, you get some sleep and i will do the dishes” He says. This is their mutual understanding. She cooks and he cleans.

She helps him in cleaning the table, and moves towards the bedroom, but not before kissing him. He can see, her eyes are full of sleep after swimming, shopping, cooking and eating. He enters the kitchen.

*************

 

“What are you doing”? She asks from the doorway of the room which he has turned in to a library and study. After waking up and not finding him in the bed, she knew he will be in his study room.

“Nothing, just clearing some bills and answering some emails” He replies. “Did you get a nice sleep?” He asks.

“Yes, i slept for nearly 2 hours. You know how much I love to sleep. Come in the living room if you are done, i am making tea”. She answers and yawns at the same time. He shuts down his computer and follows her.

He is flipping the news channels when she enters with tea and brownies. They both enjoy the evening tea time together. In fact they enjoy every time together.

“They telecast the same thing again and again, nothing new on these channels except bad and negative news. Let’s watch some comedy shows, I love them” She says while putting down the tray.

He is also fed up with these new channels now. He changes to a comedy show. They both know that no will watch or pay attention to the TV. But it gives them a feeling that someone else is also there in the house. They need it sometimes.

“I am confused” She says while sipping tea. He can see a confused look on her face. She is so expressive. He wonders again.

“Over what?” He asks while he puts a piece of brownie in his mouth. It’s very tasty. He admires it silently.

“Sofia, who works in my office, has her birthday on Monday”. She continues. “What should i give her? A handmade birthday card or a hand painted t-shirt? You know how much i love to give personalized, handmade things to people”. She is good at arts. As far as he remembers, he has always seen her painting. She used to complete his drawing assignments in school. He still wears t-shirts painted by her. Every decorative item in the house is hand made by her. Her gifts and presents are the most admired ones.

“Yes i know” He replies, and proposes, “if she is a very good friend than paint a t-shirt, if not, then go for a card”.

“She is a nice girl, i will paint a t-shirt. I have a pink plain t-shirt and i will paint Tulips on it. I love tulips, you know that. This tea is so good, i love it” She says with a shine in her eyes. He smiles at her habit of talking about two things simultaneously.

“Yes i know how much you love tulips and tea” He can see by the look on her face that she is really cherishing the drink. She cherishes everything. She cherishes life. Always full of ideas to have fun and celebrate.  Suddenly he remembers his sister, he remembers that there is no dull and quite moment when she is around. And he smiles to himself.

He reads a novel but looks at her after every few minutes. She is completely indulged in her work, delicately dipping the brush in the color and moving it on the cloth. She is a great artist, really creative. He cannot draw but knows how to admire and appreciate a good art work. He wonders, even after being poles apart in their likes and dislikes for everything, except few like painting, they are happy with each other and have stayed in a relationship for so long. They are the best friends. May be the reason for the happiness is that they complete each other. They fulfill each other’s void of interests with their own passion. They respect each other’s likes and dislikes. They argue but never fight. Their silent treatment never lasts for more than 10 minutes because they cannot stay without talking to each other. He depends on her for certain things, and she on him, for others. When he says something, she listens and when she says, he listens. They compensate for one another’s lack of knowledge, and interests. She loves to be under his umbrella of securities and logics. He loves to be wrapped with her love and passion for life.

“What do you think of my tulips?” She asks while spreading the t-shirt over his book.

“They are beautiful, really awesome”. He replies and admires the colorful tulips more in his heart. He has always been a man of few words. Never been expressive. She has been complaining about it for last 15 years. He knows that he is not going to change his habit. She knows that too. He knows that she will never stop complaining about it. She knows that too.

“All right, stop reading as i have finished painting. Let’s go for a walk. And you should write more often. It has been so long that you have not written anything. What would you like for dinner?” In a single moment she demands, instructs and throws a question at him.

“Don’t bother about the dinner. We will eat out after the movie”. He answers. She seems to be pleased.

*******

“Let’s walk home, the weather is nice and it’s not very far”. He proposes as they come out of the restaurant after having dinner.

“OK, and i can always hop on you if i feel tired”. She says with a naughty wink.

They start walking, discussing about the movie, music, cinema, theatre, food, restaurant, politics, religion, traffic, pollution, city, relatives and about many other useful and useless things. They are never short of topics to discuss, never short of events, people and ideas to talk about. It seems they can talk and listen to each other for infinity. At some instances, he describes and she understands. At some instances, she describes and he understands. At some instances, they both describe and they both understand. At some instances, they both describe and no one understands. It has always been like that for them.

“Time flies when you are with a person you love”. She says as they stand in front of their home.

“Time also stands still when you are with a person you love”. He says as he opens the door for her.

They have different angle and perspective to see things. It never matches. Many a times they try to convince each other to see things according to their own view. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they not. But the difference in their approach in understanding the world has never been greater than their approach in understanding each other as a person.  At the end, they both win.

“Do you want to eat or drink something?” She asks while slipping in to her pajamas.

“No, i am good, but you drink a glass of milk before going to bed”. He replies

“We are 30 years old” She says while unfolding the blanket as he enters the room, after locking the main door and checking all the electric switches and stove. “And we have known each other for last 26 years. We have been friends for 18 years, best friends for 16, in love for last 12 years and now married for 1 year. We have practically spent all our life together. Isn’t it a story to tell our kids”. She adds with a smile.

“Yes it is”. He smiles back, and continues further for 2 minutes about understanding, compensating, complimenting and few other philosophical reasons behind their togetherness, and finally asks while lying down on the bed, “What do you think the reason behind the success of our story”?

“I love you, I have always loved you since childhood and i will always love you till i die. There is no other reason for me” She replies with smiling eyes.

He looks into her eyes and feels guilty. He wonders why he as to be so logical and rational about a simple thing like love. “She has far better understanding of love than me”. He thinks, and again falls in love with her.

“It’s late, let’s go to bed. We have to wake up early”. He says, removing his eyes from hers.

“Do you really want to sleep so early”? She whispers as she rests her body over his.

“No, i don’t. And you know that i won’t”. He whispers back. “But still we will wake up early in the morning”. He adds as he embraces and kisses her.

__END__