The wind
was picking up. He’d been waiting on the curb for what already seemed an
eternity, albeit probably closer to twenty minutes. It’s true, he wasn’t going
far; he could already be there by now. However the lost time was beginning to
turn this “coup de tete” into a rather stubborn matter of principle. As pointless as this train of thought was, he
was rather satisfied with his resolve, and rubbed his hands together in
satisfaction. At least the wait would give him time to think, he mused.
He had a
few rather pressing, yet not wholly uncommon, issues on his mind of late; namely
work, studies and a somewhat incomprehensible relationship. The tediousness, of these recurring themes,
had recently begun to envelop him in an unprecedented degree of irritation.
As he
mulled over these rather colorless thoughts a minivan began to flash its side
light, and pulled up next to him. The occupants of the green and
stereotypically suburban vehicle were a couple, both in their late 40s, from
what he could tell. “Where are you headed?” asked the woman in an abnormally cheerful
voice. “Not far, just a km or so down the road.” He replied absentmindedly.
After receiving the invitation to “Hop in”, he gingerly opened the door and
flopped down on the backseat. The car pulled away, and he resumed his rather bland
musings.
As they got farther down the road, his gaze
gradually shifted from the window, and the altogether unpicturesque scenery, to
the observation of his would be “good Samaritans”.
He noticed the couple
was holding hands. Which was really nothing unusual, except perhaps, for the
mere fact that they were both wearing wedding rings. The rumors could be true he thought; the
notion of a long and happy marriage was not to be restricted to the domain of
myth and legend. However, blissful as a marriage could be, there was something
rather peculiar about these two. An ethereal sensation of ecstasy seemed to
have impregnated every nook and cranny of the car, a sensation that was clearly
not derived from the vehicle’s esthetics.
It was
strange actually, they appeared not to even notice him, and didn’t have very much
to say to each other to add to that. Yet the woman couldn’t tear her gaze away
from the figure that was most assuredly not her chauffeur. Her eyes sparkled,
in a way that would make the Beatles jealous, and the smile that adorned her
lips appeared to be irreversible. He almost felt as if he had walked in on the
most intimate of moments, a feeling that had gradually begun to settle awhile
back.
He began to
fidget, attempting to move one leg to rest on top of the other. He was terribly
unsuccessful in this endeavor. He was
blocked by some form of oversized furry contraption. He realized that he was
surrounded by an assortment of various children’s toys, from pacifiers to kid’s
chairs, and the occasional used tissue. It had “stressed out parents” MO
written all over it. Yet these two looked
more elated than spiteful. He meditated on this, and thought of how wonderful
it was that despite all the hardships of marriage, children and parenthood in general;
this couple seemed at peace and still fiercely in love.
He was
ripped from these thoughts quite rudely as the car began to slow down.
Eventually coming to a halt, nowhere near his destination, I might add. The fuzzy
feeling his previous thoughts had brought him was quickly being washed away by
the entertaining prospect of the walk ahead of him. He began to reach for his
bag, when the man looked at him and said: “Wait, we’re just changing cars”, He
then got out, walked over to the driver’s window and tenderly kissed the women,
whispering “I’ll call you as soon as Camille leaves, I miss you already”. A
brief wave of incomprehension pulsed through our young man, but it was quickly
replaced by a more permanent feeling of discomfiture. He was a little dazed.
All of
sudden this relatively amiable situation had become horribly awkward. As the
woman began to drive the latter emotion was palpable. He dared not even look at
her; perhaps feigned ignorance would dissipate it, he hoped. However he
couldn’t shake the unmistakable feeling that she was staring at him. As he
glanced up, his eyes met hers in the rear view mirror, and darted, erratically,
in any other direction. The woman just smiled and said: “Why should the young
have a monopoly on love”. He joined her in a half hearted laugh, and began to
pray that all the next lights would turn green.