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Friday, September 2, 2011

The Romantic Couple

They were walking slowly in the direction of the setting sun as the sky turned crimson. The silhouette of the sailboats and gentle lapping of the waves on the shore were almost like a poetic dream. They were both short in height, the man around five feet two inches and the lady around five feet. The man wore a grey suit with a hat and was holding a cane in one hand. The lady wore a dark blue skirt and a silk scarf around her head. They walked at a leisurely pace, in very short steps, on the silver sand. Their rhythm of walking was in tandem with the slow setting sun. Most of the people were packing up to return home after a day out on the beach promenade waterfront. Little children were laughing and running with Frisbee towards the Ben and Jerry ice cream parlor, nearby. I sat on the sand looking in the direction of the couple, while scratching the sand with my fingers! I had lost count how many times, I visited the place. The couple was there still!


I recollect, on my first visit to Tel Aviv, where I had seen the couple for the first time. They sat facing the window and slowly ate the breakfast. The man was dressed in a spotless white shirt and a black pant, was almost bald except few strands of silver hair, pink complexion with deep blue eyes. Opposite him sat his wife with a few wrinkles on her hand and wore a pink long skirt with a matching blouse. She had a diamond ring around her ring finger which sparkled as the morning sun rays kissed it. The man must have been about eighty five years old and his better half had seen around eighty springs. They would speak very little but their eyes spoke most of the time. There was no better experience of mutual love which I had seen before. It was almost magical.

I kept coming again and stayed in the same hotel. It was located right opposite the beach on the Hayarkon Street. Every time I came, I saw the couple. They had also become a permanent feature like the rest of the surroundings! The hotel manager had become friendly and started recognizing me. He would ask me all kinds of questions, mostly related to the Hindi movies and songs which were surprising! One day, I asked the manager about the couple pointing in their direction as they were relaxing on the sofa.

‘Oh! That is Mrs and Mr Garfinkel’ he replied.

Further, he told me that he was a wealthy businessman and his son was settled in the United States of America with his family. The couple had a house in Tel Aviv and every now and then, came to stay for long duration in the hotel to avoid loneliness. So that answered it all!!

I would often see them walking in the street in the evening, sometimes holding hands, or relaxing on the bench.

I was still looking in the direction of the couple, which had turned and was now facing me. They recognized me and gently waved. The sun had set by now. In my heart I wished that they enjoy many more years of togetherness and sun never sets in their life!

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful story, it flows effortlessly and touches.....

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  2. Thanks for your words of appreciation, Alka.

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  3. Aww...Some people are blessed with great partner. This is such a romantic story and your choice of words has made it a delightful experience.

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  4. Did I strike the right chord... Thanks Saru

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