Heartbeat - Part 1

"What is closeness? Is it a shared experience of a moment when thoughts collide and become one? Or is it a moment in time where minds fuse without saying a word? Although nobody can say I was quiet. Yes, my soul was quiet yet my heart -to- my- lips brimmed with words, sometimes baring scars, sometimes just feeling your presence by my side. Yet, you said volumes without words. Wish I could do so too. I hold dear your throaty -coaxing- gentle- amused words to my silence. Our hearts sang but hands never brushed, nevertheless, we hugged and kissed and made love without touching". Brrrrr... the sound of the incongruent door bell buzzing roused Mimi from her reverie. She was lost deep in her thoughts and it all seemed unfamiliar, the chair, the curtains dancing in the morning breeze, the hanging plants in her top floor balcony of the high rise, for a moment she wondered where she was. 

Gathering herself Mimi opened the door. It was the delivery man with a bag of groceries which she had ordered night prior and had completely forgotten about in the morning. She sighed and looked inside the bag as if something embedded there in the packages will wake her up from this maddening yet oh so delicious stupor. No matter how she had tried to move away from her thoughts it have had exactly the opposite desired effect. Mimi who prided herself capable of deliberate practice at all times in life felt it slipping away from her and was constantly thinking about a man who she hardly knew. She taught Psychology to under graduate students at a well known college in the city and yet was grappling with her own thoughts it felt completely out of place. This complete obsession had unlocked places in her mind she didn't recognise. By virtue of her training she realised the high oxytocin release was making her so giddy yet she could not pull herself together. She was as dizzy as a sixteen year old in love!

Her chance meeting with Rohit at the conference in Kodaikanal a few months ago was like scores of others she attended previously. He was managing the three-day event for the organisers and warmly welcoming everyone to the inaugurating panel upon arrival, smiling, helping and with politeness. Her flight was delayed and she was the last one to reach the venue, which was a situation Mimi didn't like, but had no choice but to put up with it. As she was last of the invitees to arrive, that too late, the last bus for the invitees had departed for the venue when her plane finally landed in Kodaikanal. But Rohit had taken the trouble of leaving a message for her on her phone and also with the arrival staff that a taxi will meet her at arrival area. Her irritation at the delay melted away at the thoughtful gesture. The voice note sounded young but sincere. Mimi was greeted by the airport staff too who were of the knowledge of her delay and how important it was for her to reach the venue for the inaugural plenary.  As she rushed at the venue entrance a tallish man smartly dressed came smilingly towards her. " Welcome to the conference Ma'am, I'm Rohit your go-to person for anything you need for the next three days. You can now forget all the delays you had to face, from now on we will manage the clock for you, " he smiled and added, "You're right on time, the inaugural session is just starting. If you come this way with me please I'll show you to your seat."  

The gentle tone of his speech soothed her nerves, boosted her confidence and she felt all the gathered irritation of airport delays melting away. Through the semi-lit enormous banquet hall he guided her to a seat in the third row and softly whispered, " So glad you could make it on time, and now if you'll excuse me...", before she could thank him Rohit had disappeared away into the darkness.