Expectation

Three days since she last saw him. Even though every passing moment felt like a million years, she endured because she knew that the spark in his eyes when he walks in through that door will wash away even the slightest speck of dismay from her eyes. Which makes waiting worth it. But why did he go? and where did he go?

They met at the hospital where she worked as a nurse before she quit to move in with him. He came there with her little niece who was down with the flu. What happened between them later was a dream to her and brought a content smile on her lips whenever she thought of it. She remembers everything down to the last detail. Even though he only stays with her for two or three days every week now, her life was never this full. Growing up in a broken home with nothing much to look forward to, he brought with him a spell that changed her. A kind of change that she never knew was happening to her but began to feel and love after realising it in retrospection. All because of the way he looks at her. That adoration is what made her give herself to a man who is as much a stranger to her as he was her lover. A shadow and an enigma. He fascinated her and she loved it.

 

What she loves most about what they have is the amount of silence they shared. The way he touched her, hugged her, kissed her and brushed her cheek with the back of her fingers while she smiled with pride seemed to speak volumes. Those moments were poetry to her.

“How did I live before this?” she often thought. “What would I be doing now if not for him?” It doesn’t matter because she knew that he is with her and what they have is real.

She did however feel uneasy while kissing him good bye the last time. He stayed only one day and they couldn’t sleep that night. He still had those intense eyes but they seemed to hide something. Since they spoke little, she came to understand his silence more than he realized. His heartbeat sounded a little too anxious when she hugged him, hiding herself in his arms. His forehead was a little more moist with sweat while his eyebrows came closer due to an uneasy frown. But when she hugged him tighter, things came to normal. Or so she believed.

Three days later, she woke up early, got herself dressed up in a gala gown that he had bought her. She clearly remembers the way he looked at her the first time he saw her in that dress. She hoped any sign of distress he might have had the last time or he might have faced in these three days must wash away and make way for all the silent songs they sing to each other with their eyes. She put on her heels, decorated the living room with flowers and let her hair loose, just the way he liked. Expectation of what was to come was overwhelming to her. She sat in the chair dressed all fancy waiting without even realizing that she hadn’t eaten anything. Nothing mattered to her anymore. It seemed as if everything in the past happened because it had to lead her to this exact moment. It is her destiny to face him while he opened the door and walked in.

She dozed off soon but was prompt in waking up when she heard the familiar car drive in. She quickly rubbed her eyes and went to check herself in the mirror just to make sure she was how he would want her to be. Her cheeks began to turn pink as her heart began to sing ballads of joy. She realized that she fell in love with him all over again in these three days and that he was never really away. He was within her, she thought, while reaching the door knob when she heard the door bell ring. That is unusual. He always had a key with him.

A little girl was standing on the porch. It was his niece. Her eyes were swollen probably from lack of sleep or because she was crying a lot. His car was parked on the road at the end of the drive way with an older woman in the driver’s seat. No sign of him. The little girl came close to her and handed her a note, walked to the car and left. The woman in the car did not even look at her. Closing the front door from behind, she knew instantly that it was all over. She felt as if her body was set on fire and was about to melt. Her legs no longer had the strength to support the growing weight of her heart. As she collapsed on to the floor, she managed to open the note and read…..

“Please leave my daddy. We need him.”