Life is Beautiful

7.00 a.m. He rolls over the bed lazily and walks into the bathroom. He has been having these terrible attacks of migraine headache. Today is no different. At three thirty in the morning, he woke up to what seemed like a hammer pounding on his cranium. He has decided he is taking a day off from his work. Sleeping hours are extended.

10.30 a.m. She has already left for work by the seven o clock cab that comes to pick her up. She hates missing work. She even brings work home, stays late in the night to finish up the pending tasks.
Late night schedules are cruel. They have been skipping their regular love making sessions. He misses them. She is too busy with her projects and her laptop light post midnight hours just puts him off. He smiles, thinking how he had sulked and stayed with his friends for a night.

Three days ago, they had an argument about how tough it was to balance work pressures, chores at home and, more subtly on the growing distance. She had been quite upset. Finally they had made up and decided this weekend would be the salvation time. He had felt they should have a quiet weekend in a nice resort away from the city. She wanted to go bowling or watch a movie and then go over to his folks’ place for dinner. Not a great plan for spending time together, but he had agreed.

He walks into the kitchen for a glass of water. He can see she has prepared upma and fresh fruit juice for breakfast; next to the plate lies neatly folded newspaper. He shakes his head. Stubborn woman. How many times have I told her not to bother with breakfast? Of course, it feels good to have things ready in the morning.
They had always enjoyed weekend breakfast together that stretched up to noon. Of late there have been very few instances of those magical times; both are so very busy.

A combination of adequate sleep and a good breakfast is great by way of relaxation. That done, he saunters into the garden. After months, he has come out to his small but tidy garden. He used to love gardening; now they have a gardener. It’s cloudy - the weather is just perfect for a chair in the lawn and a book in hand.

1.40 p.m. She walks in to the house. He is surprised. She too wanted a break and a good nap. The work has forced her to miss out on her sleep. As she sinks into the sofa, he wonders about the new brand of perfume she is wearing. She catches him watching her.
She hits the bed with a vengeance. He is bored; too much of sleep will cause lethargy and depression and he is in no mood for that. A DVD is lying around; Life is Beautiful, the movie that he had planned to watch three weeks ago. He picks it up and inserts the disc into the player. He is completely absorbed; looks up only to realize the sun is signaling in the west.

5.45 p.m. She wakes up to see him making coffee for them. It reminds her of those carefree times of the not-so-distant past. She feels fresh and energized. She studies his face for a moment, noticing the light stubble in his cheeks. She had always found them irresistible.

They walk into the balcony with their coffee cups. He imitates the deep, guttural cooing of pigeons that fly away on their arrival. She giggles. He looks up and smiles at her. She smiles back shyly, not knowing why she is swept by a sudden surge of happiness. He feels years younger.

Once again a connection is made, somewhere deep down. As the cool breeze tickles their face, both of them sip coffee in the balcony silently, content in their newfound camaraderie.