Mutual Feelings
After so many years of our marriage and some years after our kids got married, I realised one night while we were having dinner that we don't talk much like we used to. Sometimes I forget what your voice is like, until you call for me. Must be the old age.
We invited the kids' in-laws over for dinner and you laughed at one of their jokes. Has your laughter always sounded like that? It didn't sound so melodious anymore.
Your eyes used to light up when you opened the door to see me back from work. Nowadays the light doesn't reflect on them anymore.
There's only a few days left before my retirement and they've already started letting me off before the closing hours, something about being concerned about my health and staying long hours in the office at this age. Young ones, seriously!
My mind wanders back to the times when I felt anxious to get back home early just to see your face. I don't feel that anxiousness anymore as I slowly walk home.
When something funny happens between us, like when you forget about the rice in the stove while you're watching TV or when I search the whole house for my glasses, forgetting that they're on my head, we used to laugh at these situations but now we just smile at each other. And the smiles don't quite reach our eyes.
Is this only happening to me or are you feeling these things too? I can't tell.
After a few more years, when our kids will visit their grandchildren once or twice a year to celebrate festivities, I will realise that we actually meet eye to eye and smile, really smile, with both of our eyes sparkling, only at these moments.
And the secret message is wordlessly conveyed.
Thank you for giving me this joy, for walking together on this bumpy road. We may not know each other anymore for love works in mysterious ways. But I'm grateful to you for deciding to see through it till the end.
The feeling has been mutual.
The writer is a class 10 student at Monipur High School and College.
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