He walked calmly out of his office, mind still on the work that he was supposed to have left behind. Mechanically he kept thinking of it. His computer brain couldn’t stop analyzing the details, going over figures and re-checking numbers. He took some time to snap out of the trance… Absent mindedly his vision wandered towards the sky… The smoky grey clouds mildly surprised him. He remembered the weather forecast on morning news; it was supposed to be a clear blue summer day. The overhead cover of thunder clouds though assured him that the weather department had lived up to its expectations.

He trudged along the edge of the untidily paved road. A slight gesture of an outstretched hand would prove insufficient today; he would have to verbalize his urgency for transport…

"Taxi…" He yelled in an assertive but droning tone. It took a painful five minutes before he secured a cab. Just as well. The rain gods had commenced their dance. As he guided the cabbie the tiny droplets of rain started showering inside the cab. He shifted inside, not bothering to roll up the windows. It was out of character for him to break the monotony.

The skies roared and thundered – The cabbie made small talk. He nodded politely as the heavens cried down with all might… unrelenting, unforgiving…

He hadn’t realized he was smiling. That was more unusual than this mid-summer’s watery mayhem which was getting wilder by the minute. He would have to roll up the windows now. Oh such exhaustion… Just as he was rolling up the second glass, he saw her… flailing her arms helplessly calling out to merciless cab drivers, on the even more merciless, rain plugged, roads. She was drenched completely... her hair soaked wet, jacket awkwardly clinging on… pants smeared with grimy splatters of mud. She looked like she had always looked to him, undeniably beautiful. A split second later his taxi stopped a little away from her… He stepped out of his taxi braving the monstrous rains, enjoying them even… Yes, today was full of surprises. He called out her name and heard it escape his lips like it had a countless times before this evening. He motioned her into the cab smiling apologetically… not knowing what to say. She turned and stared at him one long moment and then smiled with an ease that made him feel warm in this unfortunate cold. "Thanks". She got in... relieving herself of the sprinkles of mother nature. She looked pure. He wanted to say "you’ve not changed a bit" but she had. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered. He wanted to ask her how she was. Had she gotten the job she wanted so desperately? Was someone new in her life now? He stayed silent. He knew she was in the same predicament. Once or twice she opened her mouth as if to say something but stayed wordless all the same. The silence prolonged. They both stared out of their viewless windows. The curtains of trickling water had blurred the world outside. Their moment was perfectly guarded. He looked at her… a mere glance at first but then couldn’t help staring. For all that had changed between them seemed unfixable, yet here she was right beside him. He longed to hold her in his arms once again… She smiled at him. "This is me" she said as the devil cab driver steered the rickety vehicle to a halt. She clicked open the door handle… he thought he heard his heart break. She turned back, smiling at him… with inescapable hints of sadness. He saw the familiar twinkling in her soft eyes… he smiled back and all the things that were yet unsaid, had been wordlessly expressed. "I miss you too" he thought. She had already shut the door of the cab.

He didn’t turn back but he knew she waited till he was out of sight. And on the taxi went leaving behind, what had once been his, what was still precious to him. He rolled down the glass… the rain had stopped. He took a breath of fresh air… invigorating. His eyes wandered to the clearing sky. "This must be love." he said to himself… breaking the long silence.

Copyright 2007 Heena N.
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