The Soulful Atom

Mumbai.

He says he has someplace to be for work. It was a last minute thing. The place he talks about is almost an hour away from where I am. My face falls. He probably senses it on the phone but doesn't say anything. I tell him its OK and to go home once done. We hadn’t planned to meet anyway. I go about doing my thing when my phone blinks an hour later. He has messaged to say he is done with work and tries to joke saying he will go home if I want him to. I tell him that I know you wouldn’t be able to come and I don’t want to hear a no so its better I don’t ask. This way you are also under no obligation to come and I don’t have to hear a no. It’s a safety net. For both, so neither feels bad. Or to rightly put it “no one feels any worse”. He applauds me for my logic. I reply with the one thing I always feel that wrings my heart - when there is no option words are all you have.
Some stories last for a precious few moments. Precious moments being the key words here. They touch you in places no one else had or ever would. They remain to be a part of you, till always.