Thursday, December 15, 2011

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

17 comments:

Yuvika said...

the power of observation...

CookieCrumbsInc. said...

Have you considered writing a book? Short stories or full length?
You should.

Like I told Phatichar, give us all a break from the recent crap masquerading as fiction, stories and whatnot.

And I'm jealous. Jealous of the fact that you can take such a tiny thing and turn it into something like this.
:)

Adam said...

moving.. and more so because its true.. Well written Sam :)

Saru Singhal said...

Sigh! Seriously Sam, it was so touching and the way you narrated it left a vacuum inside.

Red Handed said...

I am tired of complimenting you.Seriously,, you leave no room for criticism...
WRITE A BOOK!!!

Abhra Pal said...

Nice touch and well written.

Sameera said...

@Yuvika- That is the biggest ingredient that goes into all the stories I write. :D

@PeeVee- :) I have considered both. But I realized there is scope to learn more.. before I jump to the get published frenzy.

@Adam- True. Thanks! :)

@Saru- With that comment I feel I did some justice to the story. It is really beyond words.

@Red- :D :P :] I am I am working my way towards it!

@Abhra- Thank you! :)

ashish said...

This is brilliant! Just Wow!...:)

Gayatri said...

Wow! This is so moving. Please write more. You have a gift :)

shash.destroyer@gmail.com said...

speechless :s

Anonymous said...

Lost for words.... Thank you for sharing

JANU said...

WOW!

Corinne Rodrigues said...

Loved it, Sam. However, it made me think of a couple I knew - he was blind too and she accompanied him all over. I don't think she worked, because she needed to be by his side, while he worked at an NGO. Then one day he met a donor who came from the UK and the next thing we heard he went off with her....leaving his wife...the one who had put her life on hold for him...Can you imagine what became of her? She became a little demented...lost....
Sorry to rain on your story...but the association was made and I had to share.

Sameera said...

@Ashish- Thank you :D I knew you had to like it.

@Gayatri- Thank you, really kind of you to sat that!

@TGITM- We too were speechless. But, how amazing!

@JANU- I know. WoW. Seriously. These people were amazing.

@Corinne- That is so sad. :[

Sameera said...

@Sparklemezen- Thank you for reading this with the kind heart that made you see the beauty of this.

photos by jan said...

Wonderful and inspiring story for you and for us thank you for sharing.

Sameera said...

@Jan- True. Very inspiring. Thanks for dropping by.

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