Water your rose

Relationships are like roses, Anu had once read. Give them attention, right amount of water, just enough sunshine and they thrive. You neglect, they wilt, and die, so slowly that you wouldn't know. And then any amount of watering won't make them alive.

If only she watered hers.

The Revival

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

They were out for a walk again. It was late in the night, probably after dinner, but it was safe enough to take a stroll. Anand and Riya were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice their neighbor friend Katya waving at them from her balcony.

"Such love birds they are! Cute couple. I wish my marriage had the charm.." Katya sighed as she gave up trying to catch their attention and went back to her nightly humdrum.

It was a full moon night and there was a gentle breeze, ruffling Riya's long hair like they show in the movies. It was a perfect romantic setting, but neither seemed to care.

Their hands brushed for an instant and she longed for his hold. She hoped fervently for the moment to freeze and wished he would take her hand into his, just like he did eight years ago. But nothing happened. He wasn't affected by the touch. He didn't share the same yearning as she did. But he did share the fear that it might all be coming to an end. Is that all there is to us, was the question both were trying to figure out an answer for, in the stillness of the night.The moon kept a watch over them, as if it was interested in knowing where all this would lead to.

Their relationship had hit a rocky patch. They found themselves arguing for every small thing in the world and neither was ready to mellow down. The list of "I-don't-like-this-about-you' started coming out more in the open and seemed endless, the tolerance levels of each dipping below ground zero. The magic that brought them together seemed to have evaporated just like that. Now both found themselves staring at an uncertain future, a future that might not have the other in it anymore. Each time they had a fight, they came out for a walk in a bid to resolve it. This was their third in this week and it was only Thursday.

It all started when Riya said she wasn't too excited about their anniversary. "We are not where
we should have been, after 6 years of being together. We are drifting apart."

And sadly, Anand didn't seem to disagree this time.

"What do you want to do?", Anand initiated. "Do you think its over between us?", he stammered, clearly unable to digest the fact.

"I guess we should give ourselves some time. We both shouldn't expect us to get better overnight. The damage is way too deep."

"What do you suggest then?"

"I think we are losing patience with each other. I am the same, and you have been the same, but our tolerance has reduced. I read somewhere that "Patience with family is love". So shall we try being more patient with each other?"

"Okay, its a start.."

The good thing about them was they always talked, faced the problem headlong, how much ever distasteful that might be. They realized any relationship needed a lot of work and attention, for it to grow strong. They read books. Found blogs that gave relationship advice and gave space to each other. Basically, they invested in each other.

~~~

Eight weeks later, when they were out for a walk again, and their fingers brushed lightly, he took her hands into his. This time, it felt very different, as if they found themselves again. The moon kept a watch and Katya swooned from her balcony yet again.

                                                            

PS : This post has been selected for W.O.W. !