“Hi I am Mandy. Sallie, how are you? Can you meet me?”

A text that Sallie got from him one fine day. When they first met after years of marriage, there was complete silence between them. She watched him coming close to her and he looked rugged and handsome as usual. The cologne that drifted across the air overpowered her senses. Sallie kept wondering why he hadn’t gotten married even after all these years. He said, “Hi” and smiled. Sallie heart skipped a beat. His smile was indeed charming. Sallie replied with a short “hi” and Mandy came to sit next to her.”

“How is Peter and your daughter?” He asked breezily.

“Everyone’s fine.” They went to a place that was secluded and where very few usually came. The walkaway path was lined neatly with small white rocks. There were beautiful small sprigs of new fresh grass and white blossoms peeping from among them. A handful of light-winged and colourful butterflies were fluttering from one bloom to another sucking nectar and rejoicing merrily at the honey sweetness. The shade of trees and the silence prevailing all around made for a serene walk. The only sound that could be heard was the merry chirping of birds and the soft wind rustling as they played with the dry leaves scattered on the meadows.

They parked Mandy’s car and started walking the three miles to reach the ultimate point of seclusion. They started walking in silence. Both were drowned in stored emotions of the bygone days. Everything was bottled up waiting to be released. It just needed the prick. Both expected each other to break the silence and start talking about little nothings. Sallie could almost hear her heart beating. Her mind went blank busily searching for a few random things to share with Mandy. After a few minutes, he reached for her hand and Sallie let him hold but silence continued. The heartbeats went louder maybe. Each one still immersed in their own thoughts. Suddenly something came to Sallie’s mind … maybe her guilt that now she is married to someone else ... but here she is strolling with her hand in Mandy’s hand. She couldn’t decipher her clouded thoughts. Because, love she knows, fuzzes all rational thoughts. She let go off his hand abruptly, surprising him, and walked along with enough distance between them so that they wouldn’t accidentally touch each other.

Sallie looked at him with a sideways glance. He was walking with his head down. He seemed to be still shy of other people; a reserved, mature man. She remembered his other traits, strength and passion and wondered if they were still intact.

It is through this same silence that he had conveyed his love for Sallie. “What are we doing here?” Sallie finally broke the silence and asked.

Few minutes later, he replied thoughtfully, “wanted to get that personal touch, which I have always longed for.” Some more silence prevailed.

He then changed the topic and started walking faster to which she responded by requesting him to move slowly. That gave him the chance to mock her lightly, urging her to eat more and gain some energy to walk faster. That was needed in order to have the stamina for a brisk walk, he chipped it. His voice turned a shade huskier as he continued, “You are still lean and thin and beautifully dressed. There is that magic and elegance in your gait that I haven’t yet found in any other girl.” Was there remorse or was it something deeper. Now Sallie had her answer why he was still not married.

“You still know your Sallie to the core. You still know how to make me feel comfortable. You still make fun of my antics the way you used to do in college. And last but not least, you still won’t convey your actual feelings to me in straight words; you still dump at me those meaningless sweet nothingness.” Sallie smiled at him.

This was the moment when they both felt like hugging each other tightly; curling up comfortably in each other’s arms but alas the circumstances were not in favour.

They both had that love within their hearts which they were never able to convey to each other in a proper manner or in formal terms. The pent up emotions were all ready to be expressed. But was it too late now! They asked themselves silently. They could read that hesitation when they looked at each other. They understood their dilemma. They knew that the situation had changed. And Sallie is now married to someone else. The love existed in their eyes, and when their eyes met, they spoke through them.

The silent and comforting love is what they both were missing in their present lives is what they realised that day when they met after a gap of a few years. The feeling of personal human touch, where words are meaningless, where the inner voice speaks.

Jolted back to the present, Sallie suddenly stood up from the sofa and made up her mind to call Chan.

The phone started ringing, making her feel nervous. She glanced at the clock. It was 9.30 am.

“Hi Chan, Sallie this side.”

“Is this a good time to talk.” Chan’s voice sounded concerned.

“Yes of course, Peter has left for office. What happened! Is everything fine! Is he alright? Anything urgent?”

“Hold on Sallie, everything is fine. Take a deep breath. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you much.”

“Hmm okay.”

“Actually, the thing is that Mandy came here a few weeks ago, and he met with a motor accident. Though he is not serious but he is in hospital and sub-consciously muttering your name. So his mother wanted me to call the girl whose name Mandy has been chanting.”

Oh god! Now his mother knows about us, thought Sallie. She was extremely shocked to hear about Mandy’s accident and now extremely perturbed upon hearing that his mother got to know about her.

Chan, “Don’t worry Sallie, Mandy’s mom won’t go about spreading word about you two; rather she would be happy if you make her son come out of his state of semi-coma. Even the doctor has advised his mother to get in touch with the girl who occupied Mandy’s subconscious mind.