Together, Apart and in Love

Whenever I go to my mom’s place I wake up at 5a.m. and go for a walk along with her. Initially it just started as a walk, talking generally about people around us, long lost relatives et.al, until one day I saw them. They were sitting close together, heads bent as though telling a secret. It was a beautiful sight. This continued for the time I was there. I made sure I had a look at them when I passed that place every day and they were there in the same place till dawn broke. To this day I see them sitting in the same place and I wonder what they talk about.

• Looking back at our own lives, I wondered how many times have I sat down with the better half to watch a movie or just to talk. I count the times we sat together. Meals are had together sans conversation, as one or the other would have work related thoughts or calls interrupting us. The only speak we hear during meal times is ‘pass the curry’ or ‘pass the roti’ and we get on with our work.

  Back in the hills, I witness another couple who are always together. I have never seen them alone. They finish all their work and sit together for a bit of rest, but always apart. It is a wonderful feeling to watch them go about their work, eat together in the fields, drink some water and then rest a few feet apart from each other. Always. I always know the time they are around and I make sure I see them once a day at that time. I am filled with a sense of awe and peace just looking at them. I am sure they are in love too, as I feel they are together in a companionable silence, where words are never important but being together is, even if sitting apart.

  Looking at them I feel at peace and a sense of compassion washes over me. I compare my life with theirs and feel there is nothing different, we show love in our own ways, in this case even though sitting apart, always being there. A life in comfortable silence.

  For all those who wonder about the two couples in the above story, the couple in the first para are two black ravens and the couple in the third para are two beautiful sparrows. I am only saddened by one fact that I have never been able to capture them on camera. But I guess that is also good in a way. The sights you fill in your heart cannot be captured in any camera. These birds have taught me a valuable lesson in love. I have never felt the need for public display of affection and these birds have reinforced that thought in me. Just being there for someone is because of the inherent love one has for the other. It is not necessary for it to be displayed all the time. One can be together, apart and in love.