"She felt the essence of herself pulled finer and smaller like those streams of spun glass that pull and stretch till there remains but a glimmering illusion. Neither falling nor breaking, the stream spins finer. She felt herself very small and ecstatic. Alabama was in love." ~ Zelda Fitzgerald, Save Me the Waltz
This line felt so intimate that I don't have words to explain my feelings.
I am not quite satisfied with the outcome though I tried. Sorry about the length😳.
She woke up with a bad headache. It was usually called hangover in the words of people who drink. She knew it but didn't want to spell it out loud because she was neither a regular nor a casual drinker. The memories of the previous night came flooding back to her. She cursed him in her crackled voice. Since she wasn't used to it, she was high just after 2 glasses. She recalled everything. How Raman was trying to propose to her even with terrible pain after the unsolicited tooth extraction demo during the conference. She desperately wanted to hold his hand during the demo but the circumstances weren't supportive enough.
Cutting back to the restaurant, she was trying all possible ways to irk him so as to make him divert his soreness towards her. She couldn't see him in any kind of suffering any given day. She very well knew why they were here and what he wanted to say though didn't knew how he would utter the 3 magical words. Nonetheless, she irked him more and more and was thoroughly relishing his testiness.
Now she knew how he had fancied the entire sequence - by presenting a diamond for his diamond. It gave her goosebumps. The diamond was the cause of the chaos and she chuckled at the events that followed. At that instant she remembered the diamond. Where was it? Did she leave it at the restaurant? Ayyo Murugan. All she thought was about the loss it would be for him.
Just then she turned her head and saw a letter. She was pleasantly surprised and a smile crept up her face when she read the first word "Madrasan". Her heart quivered. She continued. The next line said she mutters a lot in her sleep. She fretted at the things she might have said. She could only remember till the point where she cheerfully dozed off on her husband's shoulder clutching his shirt. She anxiously read the next line and was relieved. The mention of Nimbu pani and then mirror. She looked at her reflection. The diamond pendant, there it was, shining brightly around her neck. Her face shone as bright as the diamond looking at it. Her heart leapt in joy. She kissed it fully basking in the glory. The letter also asked her to pray for him and added a note saying he would take her to doctor today. She felt butterflies in her stomach.
Love letter for her? She couldn't contain her excitement. It was so Raavan Kumar. Love coupled with taunt with a touch of tenderness and lots of affection. She hugged it to her heart's content and lay immersed in the depth of his love, beaming.
Mangal Lakshmi
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