Revelation

Anna was struggling to finish her work that day. The cold had set in early, and the window overlooking her seat was covered with mist. She had forgotten to carry her umbrella; the downpour was not too heavy, but enough to dampen her felt jacket. She glanced at her boots, it was a gift from her sister. She could trace the zig zag pattern of muddy water on the suede as it made its way to the sole of her shoes. She reached out for the coffee mug kept on her desk. Her table was cluttered with tons of manuscripts from authors who were waiting to hear from her. She had promised that she would call them by the end of the week and discuss the progress. The week before that, Anna had broken up with her boyfriend.

She had met him in a café that she often used to stop by before heading home. She was always on the lookout for cozy spaces where she could unwind and have a mug of hot chocolate by herself. The day she met Chris, Aana had worn the same felt jacket and her favorite pair of Chelsea boots. She had a copy of Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar in her bag which she wanted to finish before going home. She chose a corner at the far end of the café, overlooking a balcony that housed a beautiful collection of succulents. Anna nestled in a bean bag kept near a coffee table, ordered a cup of cappuccino after taking a quick glance at the menu, and took the book out of her bag. Some time elapsed before she looked up. The sky had turned a deep crimson. She could see people hurrying past lanes of confectionery shops; ice cream parlors selling gluten-free desserts, small kiosks crammed with cotton candy and butter biscuits, and telephone booths painted bright red and yellow like the ones she read about in the book. Anna did not notice when he entered; there was nothing particularly striking about his appearance. He was casually dressed in a black polo sweater and white sneakers.

"One cup of hot cappuccino, please", whispered Chris in hushed tones, as if afraid someone might catch him sneaking out at that hour. It had grown dark by then. Anna was hurriedly packing her things in the bag and was preparing to leave, when she heard the voice behind her and realized that she had not paid for her coffee. She fished in her bag and brought out some crumpled notes to pay at the counter. "That's a good read, the book you have in there", Chris pointed at the book that was jutting out of her bag. She remembered muttering something vague, as she hurried towards the exit. "Have a good day, or whatever is left of the day!", he hollered, as she quickened her footsteps.

Anna bumped into him again in the same café a few days later, and knew by now that it was no accident. He would sit at a different table across her, order a cup of cappuccino, and look away whenever she glanced up from her book. Their clandestine meetings ensued in a similar fashion until she finally mustered the courage to speak to him one day. They spent their evenings talking about their pet dogs, her new obsession with berry flavored coffee, his love for postmodern literature, and occasional bickering about their desk jobs that did not pay enough. "Goodnight", I will see you tomorrow", he would whisper in her ears each night as she would make her way out of the café and merge in the crowd.

It ended on an abrupt note, their brief affair. Anna still remembered the day she received a letter from Chris. It was a hot summer afternoon and she was tending to the plants in her garden, when the doorbell rang. She quickly wiped her mud stained hands with one end of the tablecloth and collected the mail from the postman. "Goodbye Anna, I wish you well in life. I hope to find your work published in a book some day", those were his final words in the letter. To this day, she had no clue what made him leave so suddenly. There was no mention of it anywhere in the letter. Anna's mind darted back to the day when she had left from office later than usual and was caught by surprise when a young man at the reception, whom she had not seen before, wished her goodnight. When she asked him why he said "goodnight" instead of "goodbye", he told her that he knew he would see her next morning. "If I did not know when I would meet you again, miss, I would have jolly well shouted goodbye at the top of my lungs", the young lad grinned as he explained himself to Anna. She stood there stupefied at the revelation of something so simple. That day when she reached home, Anna pulled out the letter tucked inside her book. She read it from the beginning to make sure she did not miss a single word. "Goodbye Anna, I wish you well in life". Anna closed her eyes; she knew she would never see him again.