The not so ordinary couple [Short Story]

I think it was about four months back. A friend and I were dragging our feet to finish one round of a lake, famous amongst joggers and fitness freaks. The crisp and cold air, the lovely greens, calm sky, sleepy birds and the shimmering water had marked the morning.

It had become a habit to see the usual faces, to unknowingly make a note of their peculiar styles. A man who walked with so much grace - it made a young girl like me jealous. There was a girl who jogged at a pace slower than we walked at, her foot would rise about an inch from the ground and she would give it an act of a jog. Her elbows perpetually stuck to the sides of her body, we wondered why she didn’t rather choose to walk? An old lady sat near a bench somewhere about a kilometer from where we started, her paper like skin, soft features and light coloured clothes had a soothing effect. Exchanging some smiles and words was always a pleasure. There was also a really fat guy who jogged as we walked; we drew silent inspiration from him. Though he coyly lowered his head when people passed by- to all of us he was a hero.

There were also others who came and went. Their routine lasted few days and then they disappeared into the small city and we never saw them again at the lake. We didn’t care much for these people. But we would smile when we saw the regulars, note if they had lost weight, ran faster, got new company, and wore new attire. Something told me they did the same when they looked at us.

That day was very ordinary, very usual until we saw them- a husband and a wife. I didn’t know it for sure, what their relation exactly was but it was something about the way they were that left no room for doubt. They were running at a good pace, not a sluggish jog but proper running. Her shoulder length hair billowed in the light breeze. It gave away a shine of dark golden brown when the sunlight danced upon wisps of her silken tresses. She looked refined and dignified in a well picked pair of running shoes and a comfortable green t-shirt over black tracks. They looked like they were in their mid thirties though with her pretty face and a passing glance she could have been mistaken to be much younger. He was wearing a vibrant yellow t-shirt over dark blue tracks- not a handsome face but charming, covered by an ugly pair of sunglasses.

Their feet moved with unbelievable synchrony. Her foot and his foot landing on the ground at the exact same second and the distance covered by each of their step- fixed- no deviation, no gaps, and no mismatches. They looked fascinating. The man’s head was tilted a little upward, like he was looking at the sky and her eyes were fixed on the path with rapt attention. When they came closer we noticed their smiles- genuine and heartfelt. But what we noted next saddened us but also stirred us deep inside. The woman’s one hand was fixed in the same position, her right elbow bent at an exact ninety degree angle and the man’s hand clutched on to it. The second hand of the lady safe sealed his grip on her hand, to ensure it didn't slip as they ran. The ugly sunglasses of the man suddenly made sense, and didn't look even one bit odd.Before we could get over what we had just witnessed -  the not so ordinary couple, the woman and her blind husband disappeared from our sight and we never saw them again.

The End


P.S: Based on a true incident