What principles define how you live?
It was a bit odd. He was late quite late…. my expected guest. Maybe the homely atmosphere of a Sunday persuaded him to spend more time with his bed. I had a bit of preparation left myself.
I took out a dove grey coloured tablecloth and spread it over the table. The table was not in its usual place. I had moved it to a place I thought would be more comfortable for a conversation. I had also placed a bottle of water on the table and some packets of munchable snacks.
I wasn’t going to be a long conversation by any likelihood, since both of us were facing shortage of time. Just a bit of catching up. It had been some time since we had talked.
He came. We sat down at the table. He had a glass of water, opened a packet of snacks and made a comment or two about the weather, then news, continued by family and finally it was about us.
“You seem bothered,” he spoke as his eyes enlarged with crease forming on his forehead.
“How much time have we known each other?” I asked as my index finger tapped on the table with slow repetitive motion.
He glanced at the painting of two fishes on one of the walls of my room and spoke, “more than two decades it seems….”
“and in that time how would you say you have lived your life?”, I asked. I tilted my body towards the left, into a more comfortable sitting position.
He thought about it while subconsciously listening to the music of flute that was playing on a low volume on the speaker.
“I won’t say everything turned out the way I wanted, but I hold no grudges or regret. I am quite happy with my life as it is, it has always been this way,” he replied.
“What about things which you could have done differently?” I asked.
He took a snack in his mouth, munched it, while not completely swallowing it, he began his reply, “if I just take my age into account and leave the other factors of life…. there’s still time to do whatever I think I could have done differently. In fact, with the added experience of my life till now, I think I can do things in a better manner”
“… and in case you are wondering about it, I don’t think about what I could have said to the people or would have done for the people who are no longer in this world, I think its better that way,” he ended his answer.
That was it mostly, we bid our farewells and when he had gone, I moved the table back from the front of the mirror. Oh yes, that’s my principle, being honest and talking it out with my expected guest, looking for the better answers and solutions which is most of the time within people themselves.
Early Morning Memories 
2 responses to “The Expected Guest”
Interesting post
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Thanks
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