The arrival of spring

Having a weather change is really awesome. Especially when you know that it's changing. We have decided to go for a pleasure trip keeping this in mind. This time we changed our format of going to a resort as we usually do. When we decided, my wife told, this time we will go to Lover‘s Park and spend some time there.  Instantly I got surprised then thought let’s have a changed format this time.

On the way to the park she discussed about the schedule right from sitting on the grass, looking at the wide blue sky and having some snacks blah. blah...  When we reached the park and decided to sit on the green grass, the grass wasn't that dry. There's still a thin layer of snow on it, because the winter still shying to leave. We just sat on the bench looking at the snowy grass. My wife got disappointed and murmured that she wanted to do another picnic once the spring sets in properly.

When you think of spring, you tend to memorize so many things. Some memories are like immortal melodies and the more you recap the more it gets refreshed in your mind.

“Hey dear, how are you?” someone asked me from behind.  I turned to check. It was she.  She came near me and stood in front. I shook her hand and said, “It’s really a pleasant surprise”. Unexpected things started happening.

“Yeah really! I was out of this world for some time!” she said with a smile. I was tight lipped due to unknown reasons.

She blinked to me and said “See you later”. She must have noticed that I am not alone and insecure. She waved at us and left the place in a hurry.

My wife was observing the episode, which was happening in front of her. 

“How do you know her?” she asked me with curiosity.

“It’s a long story connected with my bachelorhood” I continued with a smile. “The bachelorhood, which had seen so many funny evenings and crazy nights”.

On that particular day I was in the pub and getting my friends a round of drinks.  Suddenly she walked in.  She looked as if she had a couple of drinks.  I don't think she noticed me because I was facing the bar. She came next to me, sat facing the bar and ordered for a beer. I noticed that she was wearing one of those red colour "cheesy" tee shirts. She sipped the beer slowly with an expression of relaxation.

A guy just came in and sat between us. He started staring at her relentlessly but she was not minding him as she was in her own world.  She was sipping the beer with utmost concentration keeping her eyes on the painting hanging on the wall.

He started attracting her attention by smiling at her but she didn’t take any interest in him and neither did she return the smile. Suddenly, the guy kept his right hand on her shoulder and she started screaming,

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!"

The guy looked cool and gave a mischievous smile without taking away his hands from her shoulder.  Irritated with his actions, she got up and wondered where to move.

I turned to that guy and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Is she your girl friend or what?” he asked

“Yes! Of course!” I answered without having a second thought.

By the time my friends arrived in full quorum and stood near us. 

“What’s up?” one of my friend asked.

“Nothing, be cool!”  I made him calm down.

The guy smelled the probable mess and went and sat on a table away from us.  He was restless and I presumed that he must be waiting for his friends but none of them turned up.  

She walked up to our table and introduced herself and sat near to me. She stared at me for a while and said, “I don't know how to express my gratitude,"

"Don’t worry. There’s no need for that." I said with a smile.

Then she greeted everybody with a smile.

We spoke so many things concerning our life. My friends were eyeing us because they know that I have a habit of taking the conversation to greater heights.   They all got up and came to me on the pretext that they are in a hurry to go. I said bye to her and left the pub in a hurry.  My friends mocked at me on the way about the intimacy we had and warned me to take care.  I knew that they were jealous.   

I couldn’t sleep properly on that night. In most part of the night, I was in a dream and got up in the midnight. I went to the balcony looked at the peaceful night and lit a cigarette.  Her face was appearing like a slide show in my mind and I thought how I could afford to dream like this in the middle of the night.  I have decided to go to the pub once again in search of her and thought to express my feelings.  I killed my time by thinking about her and practicing the possible dialogue with lot of intimacy.  In the afternoon I had a nice nap and dreamed about her.  I got up with a scare in the evening knowing that I am late to go to the pub. I dressed so fast and flew down to the pub. 

I sat at my usual table and scanned the entire pub.  I couldn’t find her and thought I have wasted an opportunity to talk to her.  I ordered for a beer and started sipping it slowly.  Suddenly the guy who was there yesterday appeared with his friends and sat near to me.  They have started passing unwanted comments. I kept mum because I was alone.  By the time she arrived. She went to the bar straight away as she did yesterday.  The guy slowly went to her and kept his hand on her shoulder. She objected first and cooled down knowing that he is with the gang of friends. The guy turned to me and said “Dear boy you are the savior ha-ha. Save her if you can” She was looking at me with helplessness. I didn’t stare at her and acted as if I was invisible.  He came to me and provoked me for a tussle.  But I kept mum and didn’t say anything. He caught hold of my right hand and turned it badly.  I heard a cracking.  His friends came and separated us.  I hurriedly left the pub with a heavy heart and shame. 

I spend the entire night with a swelling hand. My friend asked me what happened. I told I had a fall and my right hand got a swelling.  We went to the doctor in the morning and he told me that my hand is fractured and insisted me to put a plaster around my wrist. Experiencing the plastered hand is a terrible thing as I had it for the first time in my life. That bastard did all the damage. 

I took rest the next day and didn’t visit the pub. I became used to it and forgot about her. 

After two weeks when I was standing in the queue to catch the bus, I saw someone waving at me.  I couldn’t recognize her because she was behind me and couldn’t see her properly.  When I got in the bus she called me and asked me to sit beside her.  I sat beside her.  She touched my plastered hand and said, “I am really sorry, I didn’t expect this to happen”.  “Don’t bother! It happens sometimes!” I said to her.  Then she told “I am going back to Spain tonight and luckily we met.”  We didn’t talk for some moments. She lost on her thoughts and I didn’t want to disturb her.  When my stop came, I got up.  She bid me goodbye.  On the way to my office I realized that I did a blunder by not asking her contact details. It was so silly of me. I gradually forgot the entire episode.  It’s now that we met again during the spring.

I put a pause to the story and my wife told “It’s like a mills and boon story! How many more such stories do you have?” she had a teasing smile on her face.

I just smiled at her and thought if I say innumerable, what she would think about me, so I just smiled at it.

“Can we move now?”  I could feel that my wife got bored and disillusioned.

While driving back she told looking at the wide road “Now Lover’s Park has one more story to tell”. I pretended to be busy in driving by looking at the unending traffic but disturbed by the curiosity to know about her in detail.