A writer's pleasure | Abdullah Lakdawala

I had this woman reading a poem of mine from a book I had written long ago. I had heard rave reviews about it from many of my colleagues and well wishers.

This woman, a friend of mine, we were traveling on a fine summer afternoon. We had travelled to a faraway college to enjoy a fair. We roamed around with some of our friends and explored so many new things. We were enjoying our time there eating and drinking juices. Cracking jokes and what all friends do. Living to the youthfulness at fullest with a dull innocence. We left and reached the station just in time. Our friends took a different train and we were left to each others company. We waited a little while for the train. Once the sight of the train was visible we hopped onto the same train as we lived in the same locality.

It was a long day already. I was thanking my lucky stars to find empty seats where we could sit side by side. I asked her if she was tired after all the charade that had happened earlier. She asked me about the book to which I was a co-author. I always kept a copy just incase if anyone ever asked for it.

Notions, Emotions and More

Buy Now

So for when I got the book out of my back I could see the glittering excitement in her oval shaped face and those dark eyes of hers. Once in her hands, my only job was to wait. But I made that waiting interesting to myself for I kept gazing at her secretly and while she was searching for the right page, I tried to overlook the anticipation in her eyes but alas I failed in a miserable way only which I know of.

When she finally started reading the piece of work I wrote, I could finally see the beauty she had, the beauty which was hidden from me all along. A certain charm I hadn't noticed before. She looked different, not like anything I had seen of hers before. It was as if the world had stopped to give me time to take notice of her salient features, of her blemishes, of her eyelashes and the slow breaths she took in between.

My world only existed till her sight. I could see her eyes jiggling and my heart pushing against my chest. Was it all real? How could she be so clam while I was in a havoc. And to add cherry to that was the smile that swopped up on her face. The blemishes adds a flavour, while a strand of hair tries to hide it's mistress's flaws. She looks delicate. It's routine when she pulls the strand of hair back but for me it was a melting point. A point where I had to gather my conscience back and pretend to be just a friend.

And the only bad thing attached to a moment like this is that it doesn't stay for longer. She finishes reading it and turns to look at me. I look her straight in the eyes and I'm assured of an another rave review.

We went on talking about trivial things, from books to movies and back again on those trivial things until we reach our station. It came too soon, too early today

Abdullah Lakdawala

Guidelines for the competition : https://www.fanatixxpublication.com/write-o-mania-2023