Unexpected

He faced her across the small table in a seedy little Chinese restaurant. One of the many which populate the by-lanes in Delhi's university area. He was beautiful, in the way statues are. Tall, dark, and well built. She remembered the winks she used to trade with Annie whenever he passed. It was such a fun game: the mock sighs and the slight flirtations. But his eyes drew you the most. Dark and intense, they were usually crinkled with laughter. Today, they were quiet though. And a bit unfocused. She wondered if it was the whisky or the situation. After so many days, he sat facing her, looking at her as though he'd never seen her before. For the first time in so many days, he was silent. For the first time, he didn't know what to say, and how to say it. She was in charge: of the the conversation and of the day. She suggested a walk later, to ease the strain. She hadn't expected this. She knew that she would never see him again, and it didn't matter to her. Because each step she took reminded her of another step, lost in time, and lost in space. Each sip of coffee reminded her of a forgotten flavour. Each word in the light conversation reminded her of the easy words which had burst forth earlier. She realized that the haunting memories hadn't been exorcised as yet. He was beautiful, but it didn't matter. He probably understood, but that didn't matter either. She smiled. She realized that life would always teach her the unexpected.