'A magical revelation'

“Are you even listening to me?” he asked with his impatience evident in his tone.

“Hmmm…” was the meek reply.

“Seriously? That’s all?” he asked, this time with his hands stretched, making an obvious gesture, as the person in front of him didn’t even bother to look up from the file.

“Hmmm…” came the faint response.

It was a very tense moment for Saketh. He was trying to make a revelation he had never thought he would make, at any point in his life. His approach to situations like these would normally include storming out of the room and making himself unavailable until things got sorted out by itself. But, this time, it was different. He, somehow, stood glued to the spot. Even though his brain directed his legs to scoot, the signals were somehow not reaching its desired destination. His heart had made it very clear that it was time to stay. The logical Saketh was overridden by his emotional self, a self he would normally acquaint with only in solitude.  The stone face was melting, making way for tension lines on his broad forehead. He had not planned this meeting in advance. His normal meticulous self had deserted him in this grave hour of need. Time was not his best friend, not only now, but never. The well trimmed beard was clearly unable to mask the panic on his face.

He looked at his watch. “Time to leave” said his well trained sense of time. But, it was barely appreciated this time around. The necktie that he had worn for a long time now, felt tighter than usual. His legs refused to budge. Heart, beating loud enough for him to take notice of its every count. His ears, waiting for a response that would relax his tensed posture and eyes, desperately searched for any signs of approval.

For the first time, he despised his work ethics. Of all the events to have ever occurred in his life, the next few seconds felt like the key to his life’s purple patch, a stride he would hit, only with a positive nod from her. A bead of sweat that had formed on the side of his forehead, failed to hold its position, falling gently onto his shirt collar, artistically making a tear drop shaped blot.

Disappointments were not new for this seasoned campaigner in the field of negotiations. He often said, “Disagreements and disapprovals make way for a newer perspectives and discussions, further, opening the doors for negotiations and is overall, good business.” His confidence and street smartness had backed him a long way in business. He strongly believed that his golden tongue was his lucky charm. But this time, it was getting clearer by the second, that his words had seemingly failed to make the desired impact. It was a different playing field than his usual turf, only this time he had failed to recognize its nuances.

Apparently, for the first time in his life, his knees felt weak. He felt the ground beneath his legs slipping away as fast as it could, but, he was in no position to do anything about it. His mouth felt dry. No words escaped his battle hardened lips, that had closed hundreds of deals with huge profit margins, every time a task was entrusted to it. He felt his head getting heavier by the second. Time was running out. His clients were well on their way to the newly furnished Conference Hall, with its plush décor, personally designed by him. His office was in itself, a space to envy about. With ample space, beautiful colour contrasts and well designed work spaces, the second floor of the tall glass building in one of the posh areas of the city, was anybody’s dream place. It was the product of years of hard work and periodic assessment of his timeline, resulting in him chalking out better plans every time he ticked a box in his bucket list. His prudent career moves had reliably advanced him into the top league in his field.

“So much for my hurry” thought Saketh, as he noticed her slowly get up from the black leather chair, closing the file she was working on and walking towards him, measuring her every step. By now, his heart was pounding out of his chest.

“I fell in love with a boy in a white striped sweat shirt and frameless glasses, the moment I saw him in the second floor corridor, on the very first day of college. Now, if the boy took ten more years to realize it, cannot be considered my fault, can it?” she said, as she stood in front of him, hands folded and her face as non- expressive as Saketh's in a multi-million dollar closure.

Over the many years of working with Dia, one exceptional quality that had never failed to impressed him was her straight forwardness. His partner was as efficient in her work as the man himself, shouldering every responsibility equally, matching him step to step in every one of their endeavors. Their association had begun way back in college, that had continued into their professional arena, with both of them sharing a common vision which paved the way for the inception of their firm. With the firm making the headway in the right direction, Saketh had, out of the blue, realized his feelings for the beautiful damsel, who has stood by him all this while. Unable to contain himself anymore, he had immediately dashed to her office as fast as his legs could carry him and made the revelation, he felt, were the most important words to ever flow out of his larynx. His steadfast reaction to the situation had surprised the cool cat himself.

“So, is it a Yes?” he asked, just to make sure if he was on the same page as his newly realised bride to be. His eyes were still wide open, as his brain carefully processed every word Dia had uttered.

“Do I need to sign it for you?” she asked with a smile as he looked at her with a blank expression. “So be it” she continued, planting a gentle kiss on his cheeks, sealing the bond.

It was a done deal. The handshake deal had progressed to a fully signed and sealed one, within a matter of a few minutes. He pinched his left hand to make sure that it was not a dream. It had really happened. She was his as he was hers.

He sensed the colours return to his black and white life, with patterns symbolic of a great journey together. He was suddenly on firm ground. The world running away from him had, finally, found its rightful place. A gentle hug from Dia was all it took for him to rediscover his rhythm. Her smile has calmed down his nerves.

“I’m sorry that it happened this way” he said as he shyly touched his right ear.

“Hmmm… I wouldn’t expect it any other way from you” responded Dia, playfully rubbing his hair as both of them laughed in unison.