It was a pouring heavily outside as me and my friend rushed into a popular café joint at MG Road in Pune. The place was relatively empty, it being a weekday. Just as we were waiting for our steaming cup of coffee, I saw a middle-aged lady entering the café. Following her was an elderly man. There was something striking about them, I cannot say what. Maybe something in their eyes….or their face…or their smile! They entered, and though the café was almost empty, they went straight to a corner of the room, which was less ventured by the people, because it was behind this big standee, and one needs to jump cross this huge metal stand to go on the other side. They looked very happy doing this small stunt, as the gentleman held the lady and helped her cross, almost like young college couples getting the reclusive corner seat in a theatre. By this time I was much fascinated by this couple (that's what they looked like). They sat face-to-face, and within seconds were deeply immersed in conversation. From where I was sitting, I could see both of them. They were both animatedly talking to each other about something, could not make out what (listening to that would have been eavesdropping). But there was something striking about them…their eyes. There was so much warmth, care and love for each other. Just at this instant, I snapped back into reality, what am I thinking? Am I out of my head? I don't even know these strangers, and here I'm building up a story out of them. Then I realized that my friend had so long been sitting and saying something, which I had not even bothered to listen. I gathered up all my concentration and focused on her. She was complaining about her 'Bai', who is never turning up to work on time, and her 'Boss', who has driven all her happiness out of the window, and her children, who ever allow her a minute of rest….stories of OUR life! While listening to these heart-wrenching stories of my friend and trying hard to sympathise with her, something…or someone from deep within me said aloud
– “What do you think you are doing, lady?”
I was zapped, who is this? I hurriedly looked around me, but there was no one. But I clearly heard someone, or so I thought. Am I losing my head? My mom always predicted I would, coz I apparently always used to talk to myself. But today for the first time, someone else apart from me is also talking. Whose voice can this be?
“I'm YOU”, replied the voice from within again. “I'm your Soul, someone who is always been with you through your ups and down. Have laughed and cried and rejoiced with you. Have shared all your secrets, but never spoken a word. But today I had to speak.”
To this I could hear myself meekly mumbling, “Why today?”, I made sure that my friend, sitting right across me cannot hear me, so I pretended to be speaking on the phone.
“Well, today because you're stopping yourself from being who you really are, and I cannot any longer allow you that”.
I was quite amused by now, “What did I do?”, I asked.
“Well, look at the lady in blue at the corner table”.
I looked up and saw the same lady, who is now leaning on the table and laughing like a little girl, arefree and full of life.
“What can you see?”, asked the voice again.
Now I looked closely, she must be 48, or 49. But the glow on her face and the glint in her eyes overshadowed her age. Then I turned to the gentleman. He must be around 56, with grey hair and a charming smile. His face and eyes emitted a sense of peace and calm. It was like standing still on a busy road-junction, with fast-paced cars zooming around you and people walking and talking in a fast mechanical manner.
By now, my friend had to go and collect her kids from their dance classes. So she stood up to leave. But I didn't want to. Today I will have to listen to the voice from within, I have ignored her for a long time now…..no more. So, now I'm all by myself, sitting alone and sipping my 2nd cup of coffee, listening to the musings of my Soul.
'So what did you see?”, the voice asked me.
I took a deep breath, and said, “I can see Love, pure and unconditional, the kind we don't see much around nowadays. The kind that can sweep you off your feet and take you to the world of your dreams. I do not know what relationship they share; they can be husband & wife, very good old friends, office colleagues, estranged lovers or blood relatives. But one thing I know about them is that both of them are gifted with the most powerful gift of God – the power to Love!”, I paused, almost breathless.
For about a minute or more, there was no response. I could hear some college students chattering and laughing aloud from behind me. A little girl was running around the shop with her Winnie-the-Pooh, the couple was still sitting at their corner, lost in each other. But the voice that I wanted to hear was silent. I got scared. 'Are you with me?” I whispered.
“Yes”, came the reply from a distance. “Do you really believe this?”
I was silent, because I didn't know what to rely. The voice continued, “Young lady, may I ask you to please take some time off your busy life to just stand and stare. Stop worrying about the pending office work, the upcoming meeting, what to cook for dinner, and so on. Instead, think of the last time you had spent a few moments with your loved ones, saying or doing nothing, just being there for them. Think of the last time you had called your Dad, to say you have reached home safely, so that he does not worry. Think of the last time you have picked up your Mom's favourite flower and kept it beside her bed. These are simple things, much simpler than taking time off and going shopping with friends. But these simple things show that you care. These are little nothings that can make your loved ones feel special. But how many times have you done it?”
I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks, but I made no effort to wipe them off.
The voice continued, “You said that the couple sitting at the corner of the café is gifted with the power of Love. But ain't we all? Yes, we do. It's just that some are lucky to explore it, and others live their whole life thinking that – 'Ohh, she's so lucky to have Love in her life, but I don't'. But it is not so. It's just that our life in the fast lanes have made us so engrossed with ourselves that we have forgotten about the 'gift of Love', and the wonders that it can bring to us. Success, money and fame have blinded us. It takes us minutes to fall in love, and seconds to fall out of it. That is because we are too obsessed with ourselves, and without realizing we stop caring about the other person/people in our life.”
By now I was sobbing uncontrollably, and realized it only when the little girl with the Winnie, stood and stared at me. I rushed to the washroom. When I came back, I saw a small cake on the couples' table, and the lady was blowing a candle, as the man looked on lovingly. I called the waiter and asked him, if it was her birthday, to which he replied that they are celebrating their 26th Anniversary.
I paid the bill slowly and walked up to their table. Both of them looked up. “Congratulations, 26 years must have been quite a journey”, I said.
“Yeah”, the gentleman replied, “We grew 26 years younger with each other”.
