The long Wait

A compo by rishik v menon.

There she lay, hidden in the dark deep layers of linen, and velvet cloth. Her eyes were leaking with the insecurity she felt, but her mouth lt out no sound. Sound which should rightfully have been her cries for help and guidance. But there was a reason she would not cry. The mere fact that she was all alone, and that there was no one to hear her, much less help her. She was a sensible girl, and being the sensible girl she was, she did the next best thing; help herself. In that moment of courage, she threw off the blankets, got off from her bed and made her way to the window, of the prison of a room she was in. She was done waiting. She had to do something. She had to escape.

Meanwhile, elswhere within the same premises, a tall, young man of indian descent was shaving in his room. From the bedside he could get a clear veiw of the newly done-up garden. The last of the chairs were just moved in, and the tentages gleamed in all its magic. He smiled, more to comfort himself that anythign else. For deep down he was worried. In his hart he could feels omething was not right. It was not the venue or the time. Both were incredibly auspicious according to the fortune teller. Neither was the problem family. His parents could not have been more proud of him. What was it then, that caused him so much distress at this crucial timing. The guests perhaps? His eyes darted out the window once more to have a good look at the people who have come to share this night with him. Ardusuly studying their faces as they slowly occupied the seats, the man resigned to the fact that all the guests were more than happy to be here. It had become clear to him, what it was he was afraid of: Her. What might she do? She has always had a history of panic attacks and cold feet. This realization struck him hard. Torn between his paranoia and his overwhelming need and desire to trust her, he was at a loss. He had come this far, "not out of paranoia but trust", he told himself. Perhaps this was just a gamble he had to take, he decided as he slowly slipped on his suit. The guests were growing impatient.

"Mother's always know what's bets for their son." This was the motto and the code of conduct the grey haired old lady lived by for raising her only son. She carried herself with such pride and poise, it was nit surprising to mistake her with one of the many foreign dignitaries that resided in this side of town. She was a lady of manners and groomed her son in the same way. "sigh" she would say at the mention of her son. "such a fine young gentleman". And there was no denying that too. He surely was a polite boy. But in her eagerness of showing the world the most chivalrous boy possible, she missed out teaching him a very important lesson. The lesson on bravery. And for that slip, she more than often woudl wear the shining armour to save her son. Perhaps, in her eyes, he was still a small bot, and he still needed his mummy to protect him. and she would do it too, more than readily. Like she was doing right now. Mommy's littel boy had once again come running, telling of all histroubles and worries. worries and doubts that there might be somethign wrong. And so mommy had to check and make sure everythign was alrigth. Sos he marched up the stairs, down the hallway and to the final foor she stood. Gently, she knocked on the door that was meant to contain the lady of the evening. In a sinle knock, the door flung open. Air rushed upon her face from the window. A window as wide and as open as he mouth as she let out a gasp in that realization that the room was empty. And right now, mommy had failed to protect her little boy; in this most important of nights too.

The garden was full with people by then. The sun had fully set and the stars were in the sky. The guests seated became more and more lively and energetic, and many of them left their seats for a short walk or a quick puff. And why not? After all the ceremony had not yet begun and who was to stop them from enjoying this picturesque evening? Then without warning the music started playing. the ceremony was about to begin. The tall man, now fully dressed, and fully comforted by his mother stood alone at the foot of the long blue carpet that led to the strong solitary altar. The preist was already situated there and gestured for him to walk, with a soft, gentle smile. Many of the guests shuffled back to their seats. The man feeling reassured by the smile, made his walk up to the altar. "This was it" he thought. "The long wait is finally over". Tonight was the night all his dreams were going to come true. Everything was so perfect. So there he stood alone. Alone in that momen, before he started wondering, where was his pride-to-be? Anxiety suddenly gripped him as sweat trickled down his nose. The music continued playing asth eguests and the priest continued smiling. From the corner of his eye, he could see his mother amongst the guests. She was not smiling. She nodded to him solenly as his worst fears came true.

The seconds felt like minutes as he stood there. He was lost. He had no idea what to do. He started panicking furiously, but refused to let his body show it. He would remain strong, he told himself. The question to ask, of course, was for how long? How much longer woudl he take it? How much longer could he stand this burning wait. He was about to see. He was about to test how long he was willing to wait for this one girl.

The first sign, that it was getting late, was the sight of some of the guests getting off their seats and going for walks. Time was running. The next sign was the fact the priest stopped smiling. Whispers coudl be heard throughout the audience. twenty minutes had passed. And still he stood. He was going to stand strong. He was just oing to have to find faith. Be it an hour or two, he was willing to wait. He would do it, he told himself.

That was when she rushed down the aile. She was in her wedding dress, her faced wreaked with guilt and regret from cheek to cheek, eye to eye. The crowd hummed and buzzed amongst themselves louder than before. But the couple said nothing. The preist smiled again. No words were needed to express how they felt. In That moment, they embraced, and finally, the long wait was over.