Affairs Of The Heart

People said relationships are quite volatile. They said they would come and go. But my relationship with her started as love at first sight. Right from day one, I loved that soft and warm feeling she gave me; that’s why I named her Cuddles. Winter or summer, I could never think of having anything other than Cuddles around me.

We were inseparable and our togetherness earned a lot of compliments. People said we looked good together! My friends and family members said we were made for each other. Of course, I knew she was made for me. My granny gifted her to me. Some days, I felt like I could still smell that special floral scent from granny’s house on her.

I loved her so much that the thought of having to part ways with her one day never occurred to me. But after seven years of togetherness, it was finally time for the inevitable tears. Those tears soon turned into gaping holes. I tried to ignore them, telling myself that over time, all would be fine; all she needed was time. Meanwhile, I tried to take care of her and her delicate constitution to the best of my abilities.

But she didn’t get any better. In fact, with the passage of time, everything got worse and worse. Right from the day she’d come into my life, I always fell asleep with her wrapped around me. But last night, when I tried to snuggle into her, trying to keep the winter chill out, my efforts were futile; her warmth was gone.

No matter what people said, I still loved her. Over the passing years, she had become worn out. What was once beautiful, velvety, soft, and silky was now threadbare, frayed at the seams, and lay in tatters.

In a royal purple color with a beautiful floral design all over her, she had been my princess quilt for years. Granny had stitched her especially for me and gifted her to me on my tenth birthday. A few years later, my granny passed away, leaving “Cuddles” as my keepsake in her memory.

Eventually, with a heavy heart, I decided to replace her with a new one. But nothing in the world would make me throw her out! She would go into the back of my closet.

When things were going badly for me, I would pull her out and breathe her in deeply. I would be sure to drift off to the smell of my granny’s house once again. And all would be well!