Wild Flowers From The Voyager
Wild Flowers From The Voyager
I lingered in the bed for a few more minutes, gazing at the wedge of sunlight which fell in the empty space beside me. While caressing the neatly laid linen, my mind shifted back to all those times when I would find it crumpled beneath his robust frame. I yearned for the days when I used to wake up to his face nestled in the hollow of the pillow near me, with strands of hair falling over his closed eyes and arms clasped around me.
I rouse myself from the bed with a heavy heart and placed my feet on the cold floor. Opening the wardrobe, I flipped through the outfits until my fingers rested upon the dark red vintage wear, the brightest of the lot which he had handpicked for me after a considerable amount of bargaining from a street in Bangkok.
As I crossed the street on the way to work, red roses glared at me from almost all the shops that I laid my eyes upon. Roadside cafes proclaimed cakes and desserts that were prepared for the special day and I couldn't stop myself from stealing glances at the couples who were holding hands in the sidewalks. After reaching the office, I slumped on the chair in my cabin after the long walk and on checking my phone, it buzzed with Valentine's Day feeds from social media. I scrolled through them absent-minded, my thoughts traversing borders and states towards him.
'Really? He's a globetrotter?' , 'You mean...just like a nomad?', bemused family and friends had always asked me, raising their eyebrows at him. But soon enough, I had seen them listening enthralled to his fables from distant places. A surge of pride rose within me, with every gasp that rose from the crowd in response to his tales. Most of his expeditions were unplanned and he would disappear in the blink of the eye with just a backpack, only to surprise me with a knock on the door at the oddest of hours on his return.
The
stack on files on the desk distracted me from the line of thoughts and soon I found myself lost in a world filled with deadlines. I didn't notice the time ticking away so fast. After the hectic day, as I stepped out of the office, I realized that the time was close to twilight. On the way back home, I saw the nightlife in the city slowly blooming around me, with people hurrying up for their favorite shows or for those reserved seats inexpensive restaurants.
I stopped short as I noticed a box that was topped with a ribbon placed at the door of my apartment. Amused, I knelt down and picked it up. My heart started thumping hard when I caught sight of the words 'Tibet' in the address written atop it. I untied the red ribbon around the box and gently opened the lid. To my surprise, a bunch of wilted wildflowers hued deep blue and yellow greeted my eyes, which were fatigued by the sight of red roses all day long. As I pondered over the intricate pattern in the petals, my eyes caught sight of a note attached along with, that was written in his sloppy handwriting which read,
'I know that these flowers would be withered by the time they reach you, but know that my love for you never will, no matter how far I maybe.'
I read it over and over, the flowers still clutched in my hand and my eyes turning moist. The retained fragrance of the flowers enveloped me, as if in an embrace.
The night sky was unusually bright as if it had decided to lift its veil just for one day and reveal the dazzling miracles that it held. I looked up and visualized him lying idly in a meadow in some remote village, his face tanned and the white sneakers turned tawny. Resting his head on the arms and embracing the breeze which swayed his unkempt hair to and fro, I can see him gazing at the same sky which is the only portion of this marvelous universe that we could share at this moment.