Swara woke up,rays of sun bothering her eyes.But she smiled.Switzerland and wasn’t the sunniest place,and she did miss London.But this was home.Don was not next to her,of course,he always got up before she did.She stretched lazily and felt something with her left hand.She realized Don had left a note for her over his pillow.She smiled.She had always enjoyed these small tokens of love,which she didn’t find cheesy at all.
“So delicate, so pure you are As April’s snow-white cherry bloom;
An angel come to earth,a star
That does within my chamber loom.
The silken carpet at your thread
Whispers softly and you seem,
From tiny foot to high poised head,
To float as lightly as a dream.
Amidst your mantle’s hanging folds
Your hands like burning marble glow.
Your magic all my spirit holds,
Your eyes that brim both joy and woe.
Your beauty like a dream beguiles,
Fair as a bride’s in legends told;
Smile not, dear heart, because your smiles
Are beauty in your face retold.
How surely ‘neath the cloak of night”
Swara smiled ear to ear.The last stanza she knew,of course.She remembered just exactly when he had whispered it into her ear.
As she was re-reading the poem he had written for her,her gaze fell on her wedding band,right next to her beautiful,vintage diamond ring.Don was always showering her with little love notes and what not,but she knew the poem was special.
After all,it was their one year marriage anniversary.She got up and headed into the bathroom to take a shower.As water was pouring over her she couldn’t help but fell as though it was the very sum of blessings she had received in her life.She genuinely felt happy.The wedding had been intimate and wonderful.
Just the way she had dreamed it would be.
Her name was now D’Souza and they were leading a relatively low-key lifestyle still.After much debate,Don agreed that she should take a job of her own. After all,she couldn’t bare the idea of sitting at home all day long.Even if that meant sitting in their wonderfully renovated mansion which was also decorated completely in her taste and to Don’s liking.She was a martial arts instructor for children and she loved it.Don was apprehensive at first, especially since she knew she couldn’t have children of their own.
But it had proved to not affect her.Lately though,she felt more and more sentimental towards her kids at work.She felt like hugging them more than teaching them how to kick.She didn’t like it.She had never been the kind to coochie-coo children, which of course she refrained from at work,but she felt like ruffling their hair and rubbing their shoulders …she felt like asking them about their day and patting their backs whenever they got hurt.
It wasn’t professional.And even though she had always been close to the kids,she didn’t want to get too attached.Because she knew that one day they’ll stop attending and it would probably break her heart a bit.She stepped out of the shower and put on a pair of light denims with a white t-shirt and looked into her lingerie drawer.She got out a box and opened it to look at Don’s anniversary present once more.It was a TagHeuer watch she had had engraved for this special occasion:
“Already from the day we met
Was my freedom mortal shot ?
She’s but a girl as they,and yet
There’s something more, I don’t know what.
No matter what we speak, or do,
The moments in sweet silence fly For somehow there is music too When she is mute,
I don’t know why.”
She put the watch back in its box and hid it behind her back as she exited the bedroom.She knew she’d find him in his study, where her coffee was waiting for her every morning.She propped herself in the doorframe gazing at him.He was always so busy with his work,looking so handsome with those glasses on.She couldn’t bare to interrupt him.But of course he had sensed her coming from meters away. His senses were heightened by her proximity,as a lion is drawn to and aware of the blood of his prey.
Don:Mrs. D’Souza I believe
he said placing his glasses on the tip of his nose looking over their rim at her
Swara:Yours truly
she smiled and he smiled back gesturing for her to come sit in his lap as she would most mornings.
Swara:Thank you for your beautiful gift
she kissed his right dimplehiding the box behind his back this time He just chuckled leaning in to kiss the nape of her neck but she decided to present him his gift before things escalated.She just kept the box in her hand in front of him and his attention was captured entirely, as though he werea kid
Don:Yeh kya hai?
he sounded excited
Swara:Tumhara present,aur kya
Sgr giggled he quickly glanced at her and then took the box and opened it with widened eyes he stared at the watch for a few moments then took it out and looked at it closely with
Don:It’s the Carrera Mikrograph na?
he sounded even more excited which made Swara grin.
Swara:Yes
He looked at her again and quickly gave her a peck on her cheek before proceeding to try it on She giggled at his clumsy peck.He had obviously not expected her to gift him anything.Actually,it was the first thing she was ever gifting him, and he was thrilled,just like a little boy unwrapping his Christmas gift
Swara:Wait,wait,turn it over
He furrowed his brows questioningly and did as she instructed.His eyebrows immediately went up in surprise seeing she had had it engraved. And he was all the more surprised to see that she had memorized the poem he had once recited to her.He looked back at her, completely taken aback.His chest swelled in pride and he couldn’t hold back his ear to ear smile
Swara:Well…do you like it?
she tried to get him to talk
Don:I…
he exhaled
Don:This is the first gift anyone has ever given me
He was right.She,for one,had never gifted him anything material.This was the first time she did so.It also broke her heart.No one had ever bought him anything before AS A present.She smiled
Swara:I’m glad.I saved up for this the whole year round
He stared at her
Don:Swara.This is around 50.000 $
She shrugged
Swara:So it’s really a gift.I didn’t want to buy it out of your money
Don:Don’t be silly
he frowned but said it sweetly
Din:There’s no such thing as my money.It’s ours,baas.I know how much you must’ve sacrificed to buy me this
Swara:Not at all
she leaned in and kissed him
Swara:Waise bhi,I have everything I need,I don’t need anything else.It was a piece of cake to save up my earnings as I didn’t need to buy anything out of my own income
Don:No one has ever done anything like that for me
he looked deeply into her eyes then took her hands and kissed first the inside of her palms then the outside,reverently
Don:Thank you, sweetheart
he then kissed her lips tenderly
Swara:Try it on na
she grinned He grinned back as he did so
Swara:Looks great on youdarling she leaned in nestling into his arms
Don:I’ll cherish it forever.It’s my most prized possession
he smiled at her as he kissed her nose She laughed
Swara:Yea right.Did you forget what beasts you’ve got hidden in our garage?
Don:Nothing compares to what my wife gifted me
he stated and it made het immensely happy After a while he said
Don:Let’s have some breakfast and then go about,our day.I’ve got something special planned he winked at her She smiled.Of course he’d plan something They stepped into the kitchen and she opened the fridge to see what the cook had prepared
Swara:Ufff,I told Suraj not to cook fish anymore…it’s making me nauseous
Don:You used to love fish
Don pointed out Swara sighed
Swara:I don’t know,my stomach just doesn’t agree with me these days
Don:I did notice you’re looking rather pale
he said coming closer and checking her temperature with his lips
Don:Maybe you’re coming down with something.
Swara:Ihope not
she said
Swara:I have the tournament with the kids in 2 weeks.I need to be in good shape.Yesterday I was feeling out of breath so easily.Don’t know…
Fon:Maybe I should phone Doctor Hussain
he said already searching for the contact on his cell
Swara:Arre, don’t disturb him on a Sunday
she pleaded but Don was already talking to him He hung up
Don:He said to drop by tomorrow morning.You should also bring an urine sample just to run a full set of tests
She sighed
to be continuef