It has not been more than 5 minutes since he entered the
coffee shop. And he has already looked at his watch at least a dozen times. In all
these years of being together, he has always been early and she has always been
late.
Not wanting to waste another minute, he pulled out his
laptop and started working on his presentation. He still has two full days to complete
it, but he prefers it out of his way sooner than that.
The friendly coffee shop owner came with the usual order. His
hello smile was ignored.
The shop-keeper turned away, showing no signs of disappointment.
He has seen this routine umpteen times in last few years. On turning he saw the
same old smiling face. They exchanged pleasantries. She asked his opinion about
a new flavor which was introduced last week, and ordered the same on his
recommendations.
She sat down quietly, knowing best to keep quiet. A few
minutes passed in silence. Finally he closed the laptop and looked at his watch
again. “Are you done with your coffee?” he asked, without noticing that the
glass was still half filled. She nodded her head.
They headed straight to the airport. It was a long drive. And
a long flight. And for most time, she was glued to the window and he was glued
to the phone.
They checked into the hotel room. She headed for the coffee
machine and prepared two cups of coffee. He made himself comfortable on the bed
and switched on the television. “Do you mind if I see it for ten minutes? I just
want to relax for some time.” He looked at his watch again. She didn’t respond.
He knew it too well that she didn’t like it. But silence was taken as
acceptance.
They had a light dinner. “We can start exploring the place
around tomorrow. Let’s rest today.” He looked at his watch and continued with
his dinner. She smiled. Food was good. So was the conversation. She was happy. Tomorrow
will be another day.
She woke up next morning to find him sitting on the study
table, immersed in his work. She got up. She prepared two cups of coffee and
placed one on his table. “I just wanted to finish it before you get up.” He looked
at his watch again. “Then I’ll be free for the rest of the day.” She kissed him
lightly on head and headed to the balcony with her cup.
At night she retired to bed early. It had been an exciting
but tiring day. She left him sitting on the sofa, glued to his phone, his
laptop by his side and television in front.
Next day morning she found him still in bed. He turned and
told her that he wasn’t feeling too good. He felt slight heaviness in his
chest. She insisted on calling the family doctor. “Let me just have some lemon
soda. Maybe it was last night’s food.”
She wasn’t convinced but still ordered a glass of
lemon-soda. And also called the resort doctor. He seemed little annoyed. He wanted
to go for an early morning walk on sea-side. All this meant they’ll miss the
morning breeze. He looked at his watch but kept quiet.
They rushed him to the nearby hospital. The resort staff was
quick and efficient. Senior doctor at the hospital assured them that things
were under control. However he suggested a small surgical procedure.
Inside the room a nurse was helping him get ready. Outside she
was coordinating a conversation between their family doctor and the surgeon. They
all agreed that this was the correct approach.
When she entered the room he was all set in his surgical
clothes. She walked up-to him. Held his hand in hers and patted it lightly. She
had a reassuring smile on her face.
The nurse came and announced it was time to go.
She removed the watch from his hand. “You won’t need it for
next two weeks at least. You have to be on complete rest.”
She sat down in the waiting area. The watch was still in her
hand. She looked at it. And kept it inside her bag.
