They walked into the restaurant as the lazy afternoon trudged by. All the tables were empty, with no signs of life except for a silent TV screen tuned to a sports channel. The tables were expectantly laid out, waiting for a nameless family to walk in later in the day.. or perhaps a lonely soul searching for a solitary meal. They chose a table in the corner, shielded from view by an ornate vase filled with plastic flowers. Slats of sunlight streamed into the restaurant, illuminating dust particles tracing random paths through the air, the curtains iridescent a glowing red. In a silent and shaded room, they spoke in smiling whispers.
They placed their order quickly, with barely a glance at the menu. The old waiter smiled at their haste, watching them quickly go through the motions that made their presence at the restaurant acceptable. The food was laid out… and ignored…Cell phones silenced ..their screens flashing with exasperated urgency. They were glad that the lunch hour rush had eluded this place, and glad that they could sneak away in the middle of an unforgiving day. Their families did not know that they were here. Not the parents, or the friends, or the pseudo family at their work place. It happened at the spur of the moment. He called her at work in the morning, and asked her out for a lunch. She had meetings at work, and had to buy some grocery for dinner. She thought, “Come on, its just lunch”. She said yes. They arrived at the restaurant separately, and met like the days in the past. She was looking lovely, and he was reminded of long evening walks when they were students in college. When all a date meant was a cup of tea or a glass of sugarcane juice. For her, it was nice to get away from a life lived everyday, with no in-laws or friends or the attached hassles of being married.
The hour went by quickly. He paid the bill and told her that it had been a great lunch. And perhaps, they should do it again. She smiled, a bit amused at his enthusiasm. And said, yes, we should do it again. And as they walked out of the restaurant, he held her hand. A bit conscious of the knowing glances and smiles of the restaurant staff, and wondering why it took them four years of being married to go on a lunch date again.
Sussegad.... 
Perfect way of describing things :)….i could visualize the complete scene
it really inspired to me to plan a date with my hubby 😉
Original 🙂
So much a part of us all.. and yet so untouched…
Simple..and very nicely narrated…the detailed description makes it even more real-time…
Thanks Sir !!
lolz…
i like the element of obvious suspense & surprise you tried to create!!! You come out trumps! loved it…. ha ha ha..
Keep them coming 🙂
Excellent!!!
So now i see the other side / hidden side of your personality.
Its a very touching write-up.
Great work keep it up.
– Sagar
My mind stuck on the last line. fouuuuuuuuuuuur years…. common Ashish…. or may be it happens after marriage.. yet to experience…
The intent of flow of emotions was wonderful and beautifulluy expressed. Like always enjoyed it wid visulization of the entire scene.
Amazingly narrated!
thanks for sharin’ ur blog link with me today, its for the frst time I’m readin’ a blog and must say it s worth reading 🙂
I’ve read almost all ur & Radhika’s posts…. I liked each one of them… you both are versatile… and full of emotions… n expressions…. 🙂
Hey Rads…simply loved it!!
Keep it coming..:-)
so this is what became of Madhu Gupta’s favourite student!!?
@ Nirja: Thanks a lot for the compliment, let me know how the date goes 😛
@ Anurag: thanks for the comment and the email !
@ Sagar: Welcome to my site, hope to see you around from now on
@ Shamsher: See, there are reasons why you need to tie the knot soon 🙂
@ Shivani: thanks ! hope you are having a lovely time at home !
@ B: All of them ? really ! Thanks a lot for the comment
@Renu: Yeh Maine likha hai 😛
@ Harshag: Trust me brother, things are far worse than they appear on this blog. we need to meetup to discuss the details !
Simply wonderful !!!!!!!!!
This is for the first time I am reading a blog amd I must say I just loved it.
I read all your’s and Radhika’s post and I enjoyed it so much. Keep on posting !!!!!!!!!
Oh its excellent…..
so emotional, so touching & exciting…..
wow !! didnt know the writer in you . emotions detailed to scale aye… great piece ..
@Purvi: Thanks and welcome to our blog. hope to see you around
@Pallo: Thanks, hope you have settled down at Delhi
@Susan: Reason enough for you to return I hope 🙂
Hey its soooo sweet and emotional..by the way,you guys are married for FOUR years !!! time just flies
Nice! You should post more often.
Hi Ashish, I am Neelu’s cousin.. I truly think, you should write a book. You have a unique style in writing. I told this to her and I just wanted to convey this to you.. 🙂
@Shilpa: Thanks 🙂 This is your first comment on my page of so many years !
@ Shantanu: Thanks a lot !
@ Sumathi: I would have know you by just your name 🙂 Thanks for the comment…