Childhood Wife...

Vidya, she is looking prettier, he thought. Her curly black hair was waving in the light breeze that passed by her. She was smiling with those lovely dimples on her pink coloured cheeks. Sporting a ‘Police’ sunglass covering up her eyes, she stood there in front of him. The silky skirt had zebra designs on them.


Its after so many years he is meeting her, to be precise, after eight years, on her wedding day in one of those plush 4-star hotel. She had married Gautam, her boyfriend from her college. He never felt bad for that incident, but somewhere deep down his heart; he had once nourished a soft corner for her.


The very same Vidya stood in front of him and he couldn’t believe his eyes. When deputed for a major project on global warming here in Tokyo, he thought this would be the last place he could find some long lost friend on the busy streets. Before quipping a ‘hi’ he noticed a kid tugging at her jeans. He stared at him in surprise. “This is my son Abhinav!” she said sensing his surprise.


They used to play husband and wife. That was around twenty years back. Vidya did all those kitchen chores in their act. She used to boil water for him to take bath, when he returned from office she made omelettes using their plastic pan, he helped her in cutting the onions, she washed their cloths, he ironed their dresses, she fed the pet animals, he sang songs to her, she cleaned the room and he the bathroom.


“What’s up with you these days?” Her eyes were bright; those were the most sought after eyes in those college days of theirs. The conversations went on and on, as if they were sure of not meeting in the future anymore. The coffee table was getting well populated with coffee cups. Talks flew over their college days, career days, her marriage, she raising her offspring, his professional stints in various cities of the world, her husband’s flourishing ‘curry powder’ business in this land of the unknown, his various bride-hunting saga’s, her driving classes, his new car, and her new apartment which is under construction and what not. It was when Gautam’s call came that they realized they had stepped into the last hours of the day’s dusk.


“I will have to leave now”, she said after disconnecting the call from her hubby dear. “Gautam does’t has the keys of our flat.” They exchanged their mobile numbers and address. The hotel where he stays is quite far from her place. After hugging each other and with his promise to visit them over the weekend they bid good bye. He looked at her while they were leaving. Abhinav was jumping and bouncing like a rubber ball and she was adeptly handling him. With a smirk he took his laptop bag and that was when he noticed the bunch of coffee cups and pizza plates on the table.


It was he who cleaned the table; twenty years back, when they were husband and wife. He couldn’t abort his laughter but just realized they were still on the game. He picked the coffee cups and looked for the trash bin.