Ring! Ring!

"Hello.......Helloooooooo......Hello". It had been a long time since i’d heard her voice. That sweet girlish tone with just the trace of a maturing woman who knew exactly what she wanted, had for a long time been my comfort when everything had been falling apart around me. It was the same voice, one which could burst into a laughter and lighten up my day or turn bitter & shatter the fabric of my Universe.

"Hello", she said more urgently.......I felt so tongue-tied. It was hard to say anything. I couldn’t even reply to her hello. That was laughable though, perhaps pitiable. We had spent more time ’Yakking’ (as we loved to put it) than anyone else we knew. Our entire day used to be spent together, talking nineteen to a dozen about everything; ourselves, our lives, the people around us, which smurf did we like the most, why Pluto was the only Disney character that couldn’t speak...and then at night we’d while the hours away similarly, until it was time to meet again. Who would have thought that one day i’d be on the phone with her and be saying nothing.

"HELLLOO", this time there was a slight trace of annoyance in her voice or was it perhaps a recognition of who might be on the line. Great! I thought sarcastically, "The connection between us never died...that’s all i need..for her to know it’s me on the line". But then who could have denied that it didn’t exist. None of our friends at least. They had been rooting for us from the word go. Phrases like "Oh! my God! you guys look so beautiful together", "WOW! what a couple", "Hey! find me someone who matches me perfectly like she does you, will ya?" had dogged us and we had basked in the glory of knowing that we had found the ’Holy Grail’ of any relationship. The soulmate. The person who completed you in every possible way. We had been proud of each other, of ourselves, and pride had to have a fall.

"Do you intend on using the phone for too long". The voice cut through my thoughts like a shard of ice, rushing through the wind. I hit the mute button and then replied "Erm! Just give me a minute...I..I..won’t be long". He went away and I went back to listening to her. She had heard the last question too and became silent. I too was silent. Perhaps in that silence between us i said whatever it is i wanted to say to her. Told her i loved her & that i always would...words unspoken & yet voiced and then slowly as the first traces of a tear appeared....I hung up.