I Open A Window
There was a faint blush on her cheeks as she set her eyes on
me; most of the colour seemed to be drawn from the deep well of emotions her
heart was. It seemed to be the result of an effort by her spirits rather than
the voice of her conscious self. The colour courted comparison with the red
bridal attire she was in.
I could almost hear her heart pounding with the thrill of
touching new destinations in a while. The journey of life had not been easy for
either of us so far. Although we had been through different experiences till
now, life had put us together on the same coach of the same train.
We were to look out of the same window. The perception of
the scene through the window was to be different for each of us, but some
adjustments are always required. She was to cast herself in the mould of my
lifestyle, while I was going to accept the altered faces life was to put up
before me. It certainly simplifies life if one sees it as an entity that
requires perpetual adjustment, where every concession has a recognised
equivalent.
What mattered at that point was that she seemed to have a
clear perception of what was passing through my mind even as I stood beside the
bed. She held out her hand as a gesture signifying a complete comprehension of
the inarticulate conflict in my mind.
I wanted time to pause there and then, or at least slow
down. But the problem is that time cannot be trusted to move at a recognised
pace. It moves at a customary speed, but just when one has come to count on its
slow speed, it suddenly breaks into a wild irrational gallop. The moment was so
beautiful that I wanted time to come to a standstill, but the truth is nothing
can ever obstruct the flow of time. The monotonous drag is to continue till
eternity.
Life was going to be back to square one for the rest of the
world from the very next day. There were going to be the same intimate domestic
noises in houses and homes, the same screeching of school-buses on the road,
and life was to revert to its normal routine. The two of us were the only ones
who would carry a sense of novelty into countless weeks to come.
The very idea of
facing the novelty did scare me in the beginning, but I was stimulated by the
distinct force of the resolution to take the plunge. I did waver for a second,
but I had to correct myself the very next moment. I was aware that every avenue
of escape was now unpleasantly illuminated. I braced myself for the challenges life was to put up
before me. After all, life was going to be easier, it was going to be a great
deal easier than I had imagined. A
casual look at her was all that was required to complete the message. She was
the one who was going to help me stand straight in the world.
My experiences with life had taught me that the only way to
maintain a firm footing in the world is to fight the world on its own terms,
but I had also realized that the fight can never be won alone. The fact had the
distinctness and clarity of a morning in April.
I am glad I opened a window to a new part of my life. The
window is supposed to show a clear sky and a cloudy sky alternately as long as
it remains open. I hope the window is never shut.
