Loving Again...

It had been 4 years that they had moved into this house and city. She had established a good routine to live with. Made new friends. Retained old ones and well. Developed new hobbies. Found a job that not only kept her occupied but also happy.

Her husband was well placed in his corporate world. A good title, a great position, grand salary and perks. Yes, he did have to travel a lot as a part of that package but the family did live comfortably thanks to that! A picture perfect family with her husband and twin boys well into the fag end of their teenage... She always wore a smile. She always seemed happy. She set themselves up skillfully into the beautiful 4 bedroom house displaying their passions, their loves, their victories and their memories.

Her husband was her love of 20 years now. Life had changed with increasing responsibilities, a wider job profile and generally age and the physiological changes that it brought along. He still had his charm that had attracted her to him. He still did something very insignificant or said something so special that it gave her goosebumps to go with the smile she would sport. She did love dressing up for him, feel his eyes on her, see him smile a unique smile when his eyes began to look naughtier and just experience love which was spoken rarer than unspoken.

Her boys were ready to leave the nest soon. They shared a loving relationship with both the parents. They adored the mother and showered their love on her whenever an occasion arose. But they were growing up now, ready to step into their lives awaiting in the universities abroad. And the dynamics were about to change significantly.

It was indeed the ideal life in so many ways. Something that all wanted, craved for. But somewhere things were not the same. She had been questioning an emptiness she had begun to feel. Was it because her sons would soon be ready to leave home and her? Was it because her husband was travelling even more these days? Was it because her schedules allowed her more than ideal time for thinking? Was it because even her close friend was too caught up in her own life and its responsibilities to be available as much as she would like? Was she simply over thinking everything? Was she amplifying the magnitude of emptiness she felt?

She had begun sensing a restlessness in her. She had been longing for something unknown and yet bothersome. Was this the way marriages and relationships should be expected to evolve over time? Was this evolution not going down too well with her? Her husband was a nice man. He was, technically, still there for her despite the demands of his work. Was that not enough for her now? After all these years? She had no convincing answer.

And then, he moved into the flat right across. There were only two flats on each floor. It was a small family of three. The older couple was perhaps only a few years older than her. They had exchanged pleasantries since they had moved in. She was not really looking for anything beyond from them and with them.

But it was he who had caught her eye. He had been staying in her thoughts. He had been visiting her mind a lot. He was definitely not her type. He seemed quite young too. This was the temptation she had trained herself to resist over the years. Despite all these lessons of sanity, she still felt her heart skip a beat whenever she saw him. She started waiting for glimpses of him whenever their door was open, her eyes navigating the view through their safety door. She waited for an opportunity for him to leave his house. She began training her ears to hear him. She loved this thrill of having him as her neighbour.

She was quite enjoying this new occupation for her mind and perhaps, even her heart. She began longing for him more than she would have liked to admit. And then she had her first encounter with him. Her joy, the thrill, the pleasure, the satisfaction-it knew no bounds. And then she simply longed for more. "Could this experience be mine forever?", she wondered.

She finally spoke to her close friend after a long time. Someone she trusted to understand her no matter what. She knew her friend would understand, no matter what. She knew that she would not be judged.

And so she spoke almost fearlessly but sheepishly, " You know what... I really was waiting to tell you this. I tried a lot. You know how I feel about such things..., right... But you know, I think I am in love....again...after all these years. He is right across my house. I can't have him forever, you know, but I am thinking what if not him, what if I get another?"

The phone line went silent. But her friend knew her better than she knew... She simply said, "You bitch! Tell me what breed is he?"

"He is the cutest 4 year old beagle I have ever seen! And I just love him! He fills a void in me like nothing before!!!!! And I think I will get one for me!!"

And they both laughed like the school girls who had shared a little secret!