Till Death Do Us Part

avatar
(Edited)

I didn't quibble at first sight of her rosy white cheeks, yet I was frightened inside. Just before the chilly wind from the north was causing the last of the mahogany leaves to fall down painting the pitch-black asphalt roads of the university campus with a shade of grey, my semester break had ended. Whilst shivering like a withered moss, I was walking up to my classroom, a moderately decorated gallery with glass panes for doors.

প্রহরশেষের আলোয় রাঙা সেদিন চৈত্রমাস–
তোমার চোখে দেখেছিলাম আমার সর্বনাশ।।
-রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর

I was trying to cope with the unnaturally heightened stairs climbing up to the second floor when I saw her. Behind an unfolded newspaper, her rosy chick was visible like bright sunlight peaking out of the curtains in a summer morning.

Sunset and Saintmartins.JPG

Being exasperated by the stairs, I was ungraciously raising the architect's grandmother from the grave with toxic thoughts, when I laid eyes on her.

The exhausting feet I just pulled added to my toxic reasoning of "Who in her right mind would wake up this early in a winter morning, come to the campus, read a newspaper when classes start two hours from now.?" And then my overly enthusiastic consciousness corrected me. "Well, you idiot, you too are doing exactly the same thing."

“Excuse me?”, my speech had betrayed me and nothing came out. I tried it again. This time with a fake cough, and that seemed to do the trick. She looked up.

Those dreamy, greenish, slightly dilated pupils appeared to be holding all the secrets of the universe. I didn’t realize being stunned myself until she moved aside a little, letting me pass. I could’ve just walked up and away, but fate was not having it.

With a little sour note in her voice, she said,

“It's rude to stare at someone you know, did your mama forget to teach you that?”

A few seconds of more “not knowing what to do” later, that gentle pat to my morale made me stutter and utter out one universal word of apology. She looked down to mind her work, but my borrowed self prudishness garnered away.

I depleted my stock of exciting things to do within the first couple weeks of my semester break. Getting mindlessly bored and Joanne breaking up with me only a month ago, I promised to spend time with only myself, doing things I always wanted. And at the very top was lighting a joint inside the class as soon as the vacation ended. And this girl robbed me of that too.

While proceeding past the glass doors, I was cursing at Jesus while thinking what did I do to deserve this my precious Lord and savior when destiny started playing another trick on me. All the benches in the class were as empty as a desert, but one had a stockpile of books that Ratatouille would’ve loved to live in. And on the right side, where the folding projector screen once was, now laid a thin rope on which girly clothes were hanged to dry. And I thought I was the one defiling my classroom, what an irony.

For a moment, I was like that art collector at the sale of Mona lisa and I'm willing to sell my mom to have her. Unbeknownst to me, the mutual craving of degrading the classroom had taken me so close to her despite even not knowing her name. Who ever she was, she had one mean sense of humor.

And then I heard it, a worrying set of high heels clanking together getting close. It was her, the girl from the steps. And this time, she neatly sorted face was not so neat anymore. With pinkish yet blood ridden face, she hurried to drag all of her undergarments down, making me realize, this was no act of defilement. The girl was crashing here.

A maniacal laugh tried to burst out of my chest like the Alien Ripley kept fighting for four movies, but somehow I pushed it back down. Because what came next was pure humane empathy. Nobody in their right mind would crash in a classroom unless they were mentally challenged or had some desperate needs.

I started walking down the middle aisle, thinking, I was the TA, and only I had the keys. How did she en… My thoughts went awry at the sight of side windows being open. She came through there!!

Oh well! Nothing can be done know except doing what I came here to do. At the very back lay the ugliest yet so comfy swivel chair that our chairman uses from time to time. Putting my legs up on the table, I sat down on the chair and lit the joint, when she starts walking towards me. That crafty girl somehow had already hidden all of her evidence of a crime the 30 seconds it took me to walk down the aisle.

With a face that can be compared to only a cat getting caught after pushing down the expensive vase from the dinner table, she stood close to me.

“I didn’t know this was your classroom.” The immense overburdening tone of apology was seeping through her voice. To seem like a true woke savage, I tried to inhale as much smoke as possible, but my body rejected it with the same force. While coughing like a patient of tuberculosis, I decided to save the little dignity I left by not looking at her. But she broke down while laughing like I wanted to do just moments ago.

After a while, the beautiful sound of a Nepalese music instrument that was coming out with her laugh started lowering down. She was sitting down on the carpet looking all messy like a kid that needs to be taken care of. A little while later, she looks up to me and I could see the tears that uncontrollable laugh had brought out. And in those eyes, all I could see was the wet streets of Venice and a passionate kiss born out of unconditional love.

After 14 years later, while I'm writing this, she is laying beside looking at my face with all the curiosity this universe has to offer. And I still can see that messy girl I once fell in love with.




0
0
0.000
10 comments
avatar

Cool write dude! Seeing love strike within yourself is something many fail to recognise.

I like this line the best...

And in those eyes, all I could see was the wet streets of Venice and a passionate kiss born out of unconditional love.

Why?

Faith and I spent her birthday and our wedding anniversary (same day) in Venice one year as we were in Europe.

We'd been there for a few days, but on the day of her birthday it was raining, a lot. We wandered the wet streets of Venice huddled under an umbrella until it slowed and finally stopped altogether. It was one of the best days ever, culminating in a gondola ride and an magnificent meal of spaghetti, a Tuscan red wine, tiramisu and coffee at a small restaurant, huddled on an even smaller table for two. Akiss born out of unconditional love is one of the best things.

Venice day two- Gondola (27) (1).jpg

A nice little piece here mate. Well done.

0
0
0.000
avatar
(Edited)

Holy mother of jesus youve been to Venice? AWESOME!! Did the gondolier sing for you guys! Thats so cool!

My piece is now complete mate. What i wrote here was a complete fiction i thought of ages ago. And here you are, the actual thing. What a coincidence!

A nice little piece here mate. Well done

Thank you brother. This means the world to me, you appreciating my post. Now i feel like Dory :v.

P.S. that boat looks like its the mercedes of gondola. It must have been a hella romantic ride.:)

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yes, Venice was pretty nice. We've been to a lot of places though, some we liked a lot better than Venice. Not to say it's not good of course. The gondola was cool and yes he sang. It was on the day it rained so it almost didn't happen which would have been shit. Every other day was blue skies, just the day of Faith's birthday and our anniversary, or 16th. Still, relationships, life in general, isn't always blue skies so we took it for what it was and have a good time.

The Gondolas are really amazingly turned out. They take great care in their maintenance and upkeep, it's the tradition.

0
0
0.000
avatar

yes he sang

dang Galen. Thats in top ten of my bucket list you know!!.

That part is true brother. life is so random and that is what makes us wanna go forward and see the future. You and Faith are perfect for each other. :)

Sorry i couldn't reply earlier. Went for a short trek today and that tired me out..

IMG20200629113636.jpg

0
0
0.000
avatar

No stress on the late reply...We all get busy. Good to hear you went trekking. I need to get more active...Bloody cold here though, and I'm feeling pretty miserable. I need to shake it off though.

I am lucky to have found someone who is so supportive, loving, respectful and suited to me. Faith is a pretty special person to be honest, most will never see it, but I do. I wish everyone could experience a relationship like we have, but each person needs to forge their own and what seems ideal to me may not be to the next person. I am just very lucky to have a wife and friend like Faith. She is the better part of me.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I need to get more active.

You are pretty fit though.. And you are more active outdoors than ill ever get to be.

Aint that the truth mate.. Like no couple is a perfect match and one has to work hard on relationships to get to that point where you and faith are right now. Of course what do i know.. I am very bad at keeping girlfriends. :V And honestly, ill be lucky to have someone half as great as faith if i ever get to get married.lol.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Not good at keeping girlfriends? Choosing the wrong ones or maybe you're not as committed to it as you need to be. It takes a lot of work to keep a relationship solid, and of course, a person needs to be the right person to attract the right people to them in the first place.

I'm sure you'll meet the one; I hope so anyway, as it is a wonderful state to be in.

0
0
0.000
avatar

you're not as committed to it as you need to be

maybe that is the reason though. i dont know, i think i never tried hard enough cause of not finding the right match and all that.

I'm sure you'll meet the one;

I too hope so. i love talking about philosphy, secrets of the universe, life etc. you know. But i never found one with similar interests; like whats the word, "Being woke" i guess. I know its kinda made up word but thats what i like. Found no one till now. :(

0
0
0.000
avatar

Someone is out there, she may not talk about what you like, but maybe she will grow and develop over time. When I meat Faith she was a different person to what she is now. We grew together, found common interests and developed new ones. It's all about give and take, finding the room to be you, and giving the room to her to be her. Then together it all just works.

0
0
0.000