Sarah and Neil had been dating for two years. They met at a restaurant where Sarah used to work part-time as a waitress. They were like two poles of a magnet.
Sarah was working for a law firm whereas Nail was an architect. Both were so stubborn which often resulted in quarrels. Nevertheless, they had adapted according to each other’s life.
Realization
Sarah was getting ready for work. Neil was making breakfast; cooking made him happy. It gave him time to manage his day, and rearrange his thoughts.
Neil’s clothes were still lying on the sofa. While going into the kitchen, she noticed all the mess that Neil had made.
Bothered, she went and started picking up his clothes. Then, she smelled something on his shirt; it’s not Neil’s perfume. She remembered all the fragrance Neil owned, and it was not hers either.
She turned towards Neil, and said, “Honey!”.
While cooking Neil replied, “Yes!”. He didn’t even glance at her to know what’s going on. As if he had nothing to worry about.
At the same time, Sarah couldn’t stop her mind to think about the worst probable reason.
Dismissing her thoughts, she asked, “Where were you last night? Did you go somewhere?” Staring at his face hoping her nightmares wouldn’t become true.
Neil dropped the spoon on hearing the question. And hesitantly said, “What? I went to… a friend’s place. I mean Harry’s place. You know…you remember Harry?”
Her suspicion has moved from her mind to the reality. His shaking voice enveloped with something he didn’t want to tell.
Sarah’s phone began ringing. It was her boss.
She says, “Shoot! I have a meeting; I am late.” She hurried outside and got into her car.
Neil rushed behind her to give her the breakfast, he made. She took it and started driving.
Sarah began questioning herself again. Yelling at herself, she said, “No! It isn’t possible.”
Yet, she felt something was wrong.
Neil came back into the house and sighed as if he was relieved. Last night’s memories overtook him. A smile showed up on his face. Snapping out of his thoughts, he realized he had to go somewhere too.
He got ready and went out.
Sarah’s work was keeping herself busy at work. She thought about the morning incident whenever she had a coffee break.
“Work…work… work” she kept reciting to herself.
Avoiding the best, she could, she passed the day.
She couldn’t escape the reality anymore. She knew she had to question him again. And this time, she wanted an honest answer.
Saying, “bye” to her colleagues, she got into her car. As she was driving towards her home. She kept thinking.
Thinking of why Neil would hide something from her. All this time, they had never had kept secrets from each other. And the shirt was telling her otherwise. She was about to call Harry, but something stopped her.
She wanted to confront. The only person who had the answers was Neil.
They hadn’t talked the whole day.
She was crumbling down inside. “What is going to happen?” Her mind replayed her nightmares so many times that now she had started believing it. Her tears were flowing out of control.
Losing Neil, she wasn’t ready for that.
And “How could Neil did this to her?” a pile of questions was waiting for Neil.
She was furious and scared about what might happen when she confronts him.
She went inside her house. Neil wasn’t there. She grabbed her phone, and there was a message from him that she didn’t notice while driving.
Neil sent a text saying, “I’ll be late. Don’t wait up.”
She didn’t want to question him over the phone. Thus, she called to ask “What he is doing and where is he?”
Neil didn’t pick her call.
It added to her fears. She had now started believing her nightmare.
It forced her to assume it.
Everything had started to feel like her life is falling apart. She wasn’t able to have food. Her hunger was gone.
She was hungry for the answers that only Neil could answer. Neil wasn’t there.
She reminisced the moments they had.
Every little thing, it even surprised her how much Neil had done for her.
They used to get into fights. Neil’s cooking skills came to use when he wanted Sarah to not be mad at her.
How could this humble and loving man betray her? She thought to herself.
She fell asleep on the sofa while searching for answers in a pool of memories.
Night passed.
She woke up in her bed. The view from her bed was breathtaking. Whole room was filled with flowers. By her bedside, there was a card saying, “turn left.”
On turning left, she saw a huge collage of Neil and Sarah’s pictures.
Sarah was confused as to what was happening. The questions which had been bothering her since yesterday, arrested her happiness. To find Neil, she got out of bed.
Neil, the person she had been living with. Her life revolved around him. He told her what it is to love selflessly.
Right now, he was on his knees holding a ring. The time just stopped for Sarah.
Neil was smiling and looking oh so handsome. Neil held her hands and said, “Sarah! I know, I am hard to deal with. But living with you, I have never felt like you are dealing with me. It’s such a smooth relationship that I want to keep it forever. We are friends and lovers. You know me. And I know that you are the person who pushes me to become a better person. I want to be better. But before asking, I want to answer something. I was with a woman last night who was helping me arrange everything. If I answered yesterday, the look you have, on your face. I would have never been able to see it. I want to see this face every day.
I love you, Sarah.
Will you marry me?”
She listened to him intently, and tears started to roll out of her eyes.
Without wasting any time, she cried out, “Yes”.
It was a “yes” because she had never been so sure. The thought of losing him had made her realize that she could not live without him. He was everything to her. Her pile of questions had taken the shape of a river of emotions of realization.