When in Love

I would have never believed that after being married for twenty years, I would be having an affair. My marriage had been arranged; I met my husband on the night of my wedding. Though my husband and I shared the same roof and have grown to be good companions, I never knew what love was until this stranger came into my life.

It was our tenth date and we were sharing lunch at a local restaurant. The restaurant in the centre of Dhaka was considered our safe meeting place for it was not popular among our friends and family. In the conservative society of Bangladesh, middle-aged married women did not go out with other men. But fate had brought us together and I sat with my heart beating fast. If we were caught, the social scandal would be unimaginable.

Love has its own magic and its own strength. The time I had stolen from my usual family routine to meet him was magic. When one is in love, no matter where or at what age, the world finds a new definition. I only cared that I was with him, that my eyes were looking deep into his. We have been seeing each other for over three months, but we have not yet even held hands for more than a few seconds. We always met in public places and we dared not. What if someone saw us? When we were together, we would close our eyes and hold back the deep urge to collapse into each other's arms. I could feel my whole being yearning to touch him and he would feel the same. When our hands touched while passing the food, we were aware of how much more we desired from each other. But we were also aware of prying eyes. At times, our feet touched under the table and again that electric spark would be there. We wanted more of each other but did not know how to get it.

On that tenth date, as we sat down for lunch the electricity went off. Nothing unusual for our city. We sat engulfed in sudden darkness. But I was not aware of anything. For, just as suddenly, my lips were sealed under his. All the sweetness of love could be tasted in the pressure of his lips on mine. I had never shared a kiss so fiery with desire. And then, ten seconds later, the generator started and the lights came on.  

Our food stared at us; we stared at each other. There could be no more holding back. Neither of us knew where we would go after lunch, but we could no longer live away from each other. We only heard our hearts pounding, set in motion with that kiss.