A to Z Series Post # 4. The Dinner Date !!

Our days of proximity brought us much more closer and soon, we were close friends, on first name terms.

She was a good conversationalist , and I shared with her almost all my thoughts. She was a patient listener, and always knew how to lift my spirits, when I was disturbed.

She learnt to read my thoughts ; that delighted me beyond words, I found it endearing. She was well read and intelligent and could enjoy a good joke.

Bestowed with oodles of positivism ,she was everything that I wanted my wife to be.

Which unfortunately she was not.

She, Kamini.

We had been married for the past eight years. Kamini’s father was my grandfather’s junior at the Telecoms, and she had lost her mother early in her life, very much like me.  It had been my grandfather’s wish that I marry her. She was a nurse by profession, and a dedicated one too.

I had obliged, as I couldn’t disregard his words. My wait for the love of my life wasn’t giving any results, either.

I’d known that she was different from me in every single aspect of life, but I’d thought I would grow to love her as she was.

And I did, too.

But I could never feel her love for me.

I believed she loved me, but somehow the vibe was missing.

I thought a child would change all that.

But Kamini wasn’t keen on a baby.

“  Why can’t we have a child, Kamini ? We’re well settled in life. We need a child to bond us further, why don’t we go the family way ? ”, I’d ask her.

“ No, Vinod. I don’t feel ready for the responsibility yet. Let’s wait ”, she’d say , every single time.

Our life had been reduced to sheer monotony, both of us busy with our respective jobs,  though we tried to keep the passion alive with occasional treats, surprises ,  dine-outs and vacations.

Yet, I felt the hollow in me aching for more love.

Which, the graceful swan Mahita had come to visit.

One fine evening, as we were winding up for the day, I got a call from Kamini.

“ I’m sorry Vinod. Forgot to tell you, I have night duty today. Some of my colleagues are on leave, so I’ve been asked to fill in. Some urgent cases to be handled, “ she said.

“ That’s fine,”I replied.

“ What can I do, it’s my job. I’m sorry, dear. We’ll have the dinner party some other day ”, she said , apologizing again before hanging up.

That’s when it hit me. We had planned a dine out that evening at the Grand Hyatt  as a treat to ourselves ; We would  enter the ninth year of our marriage the next day.

And she’ d just said she couldn’t come.

“ What’s it, Vinod ? Anything wrong ? “, Mahita asked.

She just  knew that Kamini was a Head Nurse at one of the very famous Government Hospitals in the UAE, and that we were childless . Nothing more about my family life. I hadn't told her much about that.

I told her that our dinner plan had been cancelled and how much trouble I’d taken to get the booking done, despite the high rates.

“ Hey, is it ok if I accompany you there ? I don’t eat much, but we can go there and relax  for some time , if you don’t mind. You’ll not feel guilty of the lost chance then. I’ve heard they play good music at the Hyatt, “ she winked.

I couldn’t believe my luck !

“Are you serious, Mahita ? ”

“ Of course !!! I’ll just need to inform home, that’s it. I’ll join you at the parking in a few minutes, and we can go. Are you ok with it, though ? ”, she asked ,beaming.

“ Yup, sure ! There’s no asking at all, see you at the parking then “, I replied, grabbing my car keys from the table and running to take the lift.

God ! What was all this !

I had a wife of eight years, it was my wedding anniversary tomorrow, and here I was, going on a dinner date with another pretty woman !

I felt myself being drawn into the whirlpool of love, for the first time in many years.

As I looked at Mahita’s smiling face while I drove, I couldn’t help but wonder about one thing, though.

And that made me uneasy.