A slice left behind!
Living Daylights Spring had started showing up her magic and the lone yellow flower peeping from the garden fence looked as if it was smiling at him! It has been 2 decades since he befriended with the city where he lived and worked far away from the small village he was born and grew up. Few foreign tourists hung around the sprawling garden that had a variety of ‘Daliyas’ blooming up. The city always witnessed harsh summers and he knew that all it gets is a small window of time to display the riot of colours flowers brought in briefly. Before him lay the carefully manicured lush green velvet lawns the restaurant owner has built on the highway just outside the 13th century aging fort built by the bygone rulers. The rising sun painted a special glow to its ramparts built in sandstone at the backdrop of grey mountains. Reflection of the looming minaret in the artificial pond inside the restaurant reminded him of the visit he and his wife had made to the fort long time back. Sun had come up and yet the chill in the air lingered like a love-smitten teenager hesitant to leave her beloved in the middle of a romantic discussion! The huge banyan tree with its sprawling canopy of fresh leaves fluttered above and he felt a comfortable cool under it. He had carefully chosen the corner with a big circular wrought iron table and comfortable chairs. From where he was sitting, he could see the entrance gate and the long drive-way. He knew that he cannot miss her when she arrived. He was trying to figure out how she looked now….’after all these years!’ The frail frame of a tall girl of the disciplinarian parents with bright eyes and long trusses flashed before him. He was amazed that he still could capture the faint smell of jasmine flowers came out of her hair as he took her in his arms behind the temple by-lane near to her house as if it was just yesterday…. even the moon hiding behind the clouds was there…” He was aware of the faint smile escaped on to his face without his permission. “Hi…. Surprised?”
He was trying to figure out how she looked now….’after all these years!’ The frail frame of a tall girl of the disciplinarian parents with bright eyes and long trusses flashed before him.
Living Daylights
He jumped out of his skin looking at the tall and elegant woman who was standing before him wondering how he could manage to miss her! The same eyes sparkled and he hugged her. He felt the thud of her heart, the same thud he had felt on that night... “You have not changed much,” she said in the same cheerful voice. “Nor are you,” he tried to match her voice. “It is good that you don’t dye your hair, the salt-pepper style matches you very well…. when have you started wearing glasses?” she said in the same cheerful voice like a marathon run. He was aware of her glances rolling all over him. “Your dimples are still intact, how do you manage to bring them back,” he replied with a naughty smile and saw her cheeks adorning a tinge of pink momentarily. “Oh…that…” She remembered how he used to speak about them whenever they had met…. She wanted to ask whether he remembered all those encounters but chose not to. Life is never what you want it to be. It can never be. “Bringing back certain things to try and make it what you wanted it to be can never make it what you want it to be!” she thought remorsefully. Moreover, how can you reverse the clock that is irreversible. She simply payed wit handbag revealing her chiselled nails smiling at him. She had chosen a peacock coloured silk sari and a matching stud for her ears. The snugging diamond necklace she knew suited her well. It gave her a graceful look. His glance lingering on her face made her heart beating fast.
Life is never what you want it to be. It can never be. “Bringing back certain things to try and make it what you wanted it to be can never make it what you want it to be!” She could see a question mark on his face as he looked at her neatly chopped hair. It seemed to tell her, “Why have you cut it off girl?” and she wanted to tell him, “Man, you don’t know I just survived a 2nd stage cancer,” but chose not to. She sat on the chair opposite to him and began playing with the shoot of yellow flowers with beads brought in by the sudden splash of a breeze from the nearby fully bloomed Golden Shower tree on to her lap.
Living Daylights “What will you have Sir?” It was the waiter. He had already fixed up with him the finest breakfast they have in the restaurant much before she had arrived, but the waiter stood as if he is all ears to take the orders. “Don’t order much, I will just have something cold to drink. They served good breakfast in the flight,’ she said smilingly at him. “Sir, our cold coffee is very famous. Ma’am would love it, I am sure,’ said the waiter innocently. Soon a light breakfast arrived. He could see her going for the neatly cut freshly made plum cake sitting prettily on the plate. He knew she had loved plum cakes. They walked through the long walk ways which had flowers all over on both sides and then on to the open ground before entering the dilapidated entrance gate of the Fort. An array of water sprinklers rhythmically splattered water-jets on to the lawns as a battery of white cranes looking for insects walked around them. A group of tourists surrounding a guide were asking all sorts of questions about the Fort. A policeman was passing instruction to the driver how to park their caravan trailer. He held her hand for her to climb through the difficult entrance with big sandstone steps and barrier railings. She was panting and remembered her doctor’s advice not to exert much, but felt very secured and happy with him. A strange sense of excitement enveloped her as she walked near to him. She was consciously aware that it is only few hours left for her return flight to take off. But pushed that thoughts off, what matters is NOW. “Later” can wait! Now is what she did not want to lose, now is all that mattered now! Before her, lay the sprawling fort complex that ran into hundreds of acres with long stairs, granite pathways, numerous living quarters and moats around it. They seemed to blend with the silhouette of the mountains that stood far away. There were discarded buildings built in solid laterite stones, and several unfinished structures strewn all over making her wonder what they are... There were flowering plants in full bloom all around and gardeners working to keep them in order. A large group of labourers were rebuilding the ramparts and broken moat, their pickaxes kicking up columns of dust into the air. She stopped before a large blue metallic board that said, “You are here.” “Do you know why those structures are unfinished?” he asked her and began telling her about the history of a large Muslim dynasty from Turkistan that crossed over to India in 13th century and wanted to set up their capital here and rule the city.
Living Daylights “The king annoyed a Sufi mystic, a saint who was revered and that invited his curse. There ensued a confrontation between the saint and the king which became legendary. The folklores say, that the king died soon after and the dynasty decayed causing its untimely death!”
She listened to him with her eyes wide open like a teenage girl wanting hear more and more from him and he felt that he has so much to tell her…. tell her endlessly!
She listened to him with her eyes wide open like a teenage girl wanting hear more and more from him and he felt that he has so much to tell her…. tell her endlessly! “I want you to see a place which you know,” He said hurriedly as they were climbing a flight of stairs. “Me?” she asked with surprise and added, “It is not possible! I am coming here for the first time!” At the end of the stairs was a door and it open to a courtyard. One look at it, and she remembered that old song sequence in a famous Hindi movie they both had seen together long long ago clandestinely. She broke into a laughter and tried singing a line of the old forgotten song that surged again into her mind all of a sudden! “Not like that,” he said, coming closer to her, lifting the loose end of her sari and covered her head showing her graceful face that had suddenly turned pink without her permission. “Remember, this is how the heroine sang the song!” he said mischievously and both laughed, laughed and laughed. It was getting late. “Time, it runs fast when you want it to walk, crawls when you want it to speed up, stops when you want it to run! Who said God is kind? She thought disappointed. He is a cruel tyrant who never allowed wishes to become horses!” They had a quick lunch on the roadside Dabha. She was aware of the oily food they were gleefully taking which was taboo for her, but did not care. What matters is NOW, later can wait! Now is what she did not want lose, now is all that mattered now! And yet she knew that she is going to lose that NOW.
Living Daylights Now is what she did not want lose, now is all that mattered now! And yet she knew that she is going to lose that NOW. She thought of her husband who did everything to please her, became her shadow during those bad bouts of illness she had. “I will reach home before 8. Flight is on time,” she said while munching. Her face bloomed up. Her husband had promised that he would receive her in the airport….and she knew he would. “Ok then,” he gave her a half hug as she took the cab. He was aware that his loving wife is waiting for him at home and that brought a smile on to his face too. ****
C Devidasan New Delhi, July 09, 2021 cdevidasan@gmail.com