The unfinished Love

A Virtual Love Story

She was sitting in the food-court with her two little munchkins. They both were playing with the pizza slices and were just way too excited. Don’t know if it was the pizza or just the new place, making them so happy. They have come back to India after a year. While Daddy was away finishing an official call, Mommy was spending the lunch time with kids. But she was lost in her thoughts.

She was in his city, for the first time.

She didn’t inform him that she was visiting his city this time. It was of no use. They both haven’t spoken to each other from past 4 months. And from the past experiences she had learned that he would not meet her even if she would have informed. She had attempted to meet him three times before. Flew all the way to India to meet him, but he didn’t come. Don’t know what stopped him. He never talked a lot and would never give explanations. He didn’t like giving them. He was a wanderer, she knew it, but Love tricked her every time. Every time, from past ten years !

When her heart was sinking deeper and her mind was lost in the myriad of her thoughts the unbelievable and the unexpected happened. Was it him ?  Yes, it was him. She sees his pictures every day on his Facebook and Whatsapp Display. They have spoken to each other on video chats even if it was just two or three times. She can’t be mistaken. That tall, masculine body, those curly hair, that deep black beautiful eyes, those perfect curves of the lips and no she can’t be mistaken with that baby pink glow on his cheeks. He was not the one who will add filters to his pictures and she will zoom out his picture everyday to the maximum her touch screen would allow just to give a peck on his cheeks, on the screen. She had seen him 10 yrs back when he was a thin young boy and she had seen him growing into a man all these years. Falling more in love with him with each passing day.

He probably didn’t notice her sitting on the table, not very far from the popcorn stall. She couldn’t hear him under the loud music playing in the food court and the loud chatting and laughing of the people while they were hogging their lunch meal. She noticed how his lips curled up and his eyes blinked when he was waiting for the bill. She remembered his white shirt. His favorite and her favorite. Their favorite !  She got a smile on her angelic face. Her eyes brightened up. After all, she was seeing him for the first time in real. This is what she had always longed for after she fell in love with him 10 years back when they both met online. But they both decided that her fiance was a wonderful man and they both should never cheat him. So they continued their virtual relationship, as per his mood and his needs. She was a no nonsense girl, but still Love fooled her every time he would contact her in every few months and sometimes years. He had a habit of disappearing in the middle of the conversation and never come back for few months ! Their love story used to get active for small sessions several times in these 10 years.

While she was admiring the baby pink glow on his right cheeks He turned back from the stall. Now she could see the left side of his fair skinned face. She spotted that small black sun spot he had on his cheeks. He started moving and her heart galloped. But her smile didn’t fade which was glued to her face. And he saw her. Their eyes met for the first time in real. But he was without any expression. Maybe he didn’t recognize her. She hoped maybe her smile will help him. He stretched his left hand. Held that lady in orange kurta in his one arm and grabbed that little baby from her and held him in his other arm. And they left.

She was still smiling, but now the well of her eyes was full. The curves of her lips slowly straightened up. One tear rolled down her fair white cheeks. Second one rolled down too smudging her kohl a little bit. That wetness on her cheeks brought her attention back to the noise of her little ones and the loud music of the food-court. He was here and he didn’t even meet her and just left like a stranger !

She knew about his family. They often used to discuss how they will never let the family suffer because of their untimely love. She felt an ache in her heart. The gulp in her throat was choking her, but she looked at her kids and quickly wiped her tears. She collected herself back. Reality hit her just like many times it did in the past. She just didn’t know how to stop loving him. She loved her husband too, because she was a good wife and he loved her a lot, but her longing for this another man in her life drove her crazy. Ten years of distance relationship was not a joke. There was a connection beyond her understanding, beyond anybody’s understanding.

Both her daughter and the son were busy coloring with crayons they received with the kids meal. Her eyes again started wandering in the hope that just in case he have forgotten something and he might come back to collect it. Oh Lord! She should have asked for more. He was standing right in front of her. He came back, all alone. He was looking at her and the same smirk on his face, the same one she saw on her phone’s screen during the video chat and it drove her crazy. She stood up and smiled with teary eyes. And she saw her husband right behind him walking towards their lunch table. His official call was finished. She moved ahead and greeted him.” Hi ! How are you ? What a pleasant surprise! Never thought you were in this city too!” She shook hands with him and introduced him to the husband as a Facebook friend. Oh, that touch of his wet palms. It was so difficult to pull away from that flesh. Husband greeted him too. Her husband was not too inquisitive.

He left. His family was waiting in the car and there was no reason to stay back

So they met for the first time in their life after a long wait of 10 years. Probably the last time too !

Their Unfinished love !!