When The Novelty Wears Off

They were celebrating their 8 year anniversary over a long distance call.
They had known each other much before then but it was 8 years ago that they physically met.

They reminisced each and every detail.
How they never thought it would last this long.
How in spite of drifting apart so many times
they kept coming back to each other.
The aching and longing to be together;
the preparing, the anticipation.

The moment he knocked on the door of the hotel room
and was immediately gratified to see she had gotten dressed according to his wishes.
He was expecting her to be shy and hesitant,
instead she stifled himwith a fierce embrace.

How they discovered ways to please each other,
using parts of their bodies in ways they had never imagined.
Days and nights, sightseeing and food, were utterly neglected;
So obsessed were they with discovering each other’s bodies and minds and souls.

Anyone who saw them would not believe that these were two individuals who were prone to bouts of melancholy.
In the beginning it was their penchant for sorrow which had attracted them to each other and their mutual affection for poetry and literature.

As they basked in the memories, she asked him if those were the happiest moments of his life.
He said they were but so was the day he got married.

Eight years ago, on this very day, in between tender kisses
he told her that his wife had been his parents’ choice.
He had said to her that he came from a conservative South Asian family
and it was expected that he would marry within the extended family.
He had reassured her that nothing would change between them.
Taking her in his arms he said “ She can never take your place.”

As she recalled those words
which had seemed like the truth at that time,
she slowly disconnected the call.
The wife had taken her place.
Justice had been served.