{Tiara’s narration}
I
could see the movement of beer flowing down his throat. The touch, the
electricity that tingle our nerves, the kiss, the reactions, the
breakdown, the hormones playing at the background-whatever it was, it felt
exciting to be alive.
“I a---m broke—n into pie—ces”
Richard
starts slurring again. He pauses. Rummaging through his tiny head, he was trying to
pick up a steady train of thoughts.
“I am dooooooomed. Shat-t-ered.”
I
look around the Bar. To get hold of my attention, he starts making funny faces.
“Are you even fucking lis-ten-ing to me?”
His
looks pierce into mine. A chill runs down my spine whenever he fixes his gaze
at me like this.
“Yes”.
I mutter into my beer. “You are shattered.”
“Baby, why can’t I have a bit of fucking luck on my side to give a
little color to my hard work? I worked my ass off for all these years. What the
hell can I do if my damn fate keeps betraying me? I tried. I am tired, Baby.”
He
waves at the bartender to fill up the mugs.
He
asks, “Baby, do you know how it feels?”
“No,
I don’t know how it feels. You are drunk.”
He
slammed his hand on the ash tray. Tears tumble out of his tiny
eyelids. He laughs and leans close to kiss me.
“I have been ripped apart”, he says.
Unable
to support his own weight, he supports himself on my shoulder. I pull him out
of the bar, as we were asked to move out of there.
“Baby, do you know what is para—parado—para--, fuck what the hell am
I saying?”
“You
mean Paradox?”
“Yeah Baby”, a smirk settles down on his face.
“Do you know?”
I
was wondering where Richard’s words were heading to.
“We fight hard to split apart, yet we hold on to each other. Funny
isn’t it?”
He
laughs. He sounded so distorted.
We
settle down on a bench in a deserted and uncared park. His eyes turn sad again.
“Baby, look at those
entwined trees there. We are they. No. They are we…Fuck! ..Ok...Listen, you grew
out to be that strong and independent tree. But mine was like a creep, solely
depending on you. I can't identify with your kind of tree. And you can't
comprehend mine. Our needs have changed and so our priorities .We can't separate as
it will bleed both of us to death. We are entwined, yet we are apart. “
He
holds my hand, our fingers entwined. “Baby,
we are paradox personified. Funny isn’t it?”
He
falls into my lap. His mess of black hair in complete contrast with my cream
colored skirt. I ruffle his hair. I rested my head
on the edge of the bench, as my hands caressed him.
It
always ended this way.
Moments
passed.
Richard
wakes up to find his girl falling asleep.
{Richard’s narration}
I
pull her on to my chest. She snuggles up to me in her sleep. She keeps muttering
something in her sleep. I press my ears to listen, “You are weird”. The
one who talks while asleep, as if this isn’t weird enough, is calling me a
weirdo!!!
I kiss her palm. She always complains that her hands are small. Well, they are small and cute. I touch the ring that’s circling her finger.
We do love each other. Alas! Love is never enough. Can we ever co-exist?
{Richard’s narration ends}
{Tiara’s narration}
I
open my eyes to see Richard playing with the bracelet around my wrist. “Do you still….”
he starts twisting the chain between his fingers. “Love owls?”
“I
do.” I mutter, taking the bracelet from his hands.
He
smiles.
