The seaside stroll brings back the memory of him; we used to amble around the sea strand together. Sometimes to chew over the intent about our future, usually, the crash of waves upon the shore used to make him exhilarated causing him to sweep away the shoreline beneath my feet. Now when I look behind, I ponder how I wasn’t able to cotton on to his perfidy, his betrayal in those unimpeachable set of eyes.
This pleasing wind speed, these breeze wind waves when blows and caresses my body feels like I have flung myself into his arms as always, gratified as he squeezes me harder.
As the beach sand fills underneath my feet when I dig into it to move forward, it still feels like he’s coddling me. This alleviating breeze of the sea takes me to the day he popped the question to me. Exactly right here where I’m standing yesteryear;
He had always intended for our romantic date; but by this very day, he had put up a few bamboo sticks all together, a white net fabric with pastel yellow lacework was put on it, and the cloth was billowing in the breeze. It was giving an impression of being in a tiny adventure hut and that too with dinettes for two in front of it. There were fairy lights that covered all around it; the place had my favourite white tulips and some romanticism tracks. The path from my feet to the place of our date was showered with rose petals as I moved forward. It was as enthralling an outlook as I have had never dreamt of.
I was in a euphoric state when he kneeled down in front of me and as being demure, I buried my face in my hands gleefully after he popped up the question. I still remember his buoyant yet mendacious words, “María, tu es la chica más' hermosa y decente del mundo. Quiero vivir mi vida contigo. Por favor, se mi esposa.” (María, you are the most beautiful and decent girl in the world, I want to live my life with you. Please, be my wife.)
As soon as his words fell on my ears, my eyes shredded tears of exultation and my lips curled up into a beatific smile. My cheeks went crimson; he then stood up wiped the tears off my cheeks; but now I want to obliterate his memory off my brain cells; later he said “no llores, mi señorita” (don’t cry, my girl) and then tilted his head to touch my lips from his. He kissed me passionately, it was not our first kiss but still there was something extremely spesh about that instant. It was something that I would have never forgotten even after his treachery because he meant and still means the world to me.
He then snaked his one hand around my waist, clasping my love handles. He then dragged me towards him so that our faces were inches away from each other, and then from the other, he held my palm. We danced around the bonfire, never breaking our eye contact; everything, every moment used to be perfect with him. He was everything to me but seems like I wasn’t enough for him.
* * * * *
I’m having my lunch just as I had dinner that day but today in an utmost stillness; just as his penchant: smoked salmon, mud crab and rock lobsters with lemon wedges and chunks of bread accompanied by light white wine that wouldn’t overpower the delicate flavours. He used to feed me but now I’m all grown up.
This harsh weather feels like nothing to me, I’m wiping my sweat from beneath my cheeks, even a little bit of my liner got affected. He would have said; “Por favor, no llores, te amo mucho.” (Please, don’t cry, I love you very much.) And then would have embraced me warmly letting me feel jammy; I detest him for everything now. If he would have adored me, he would have never left me for anything.
He then held my hands to leave them forever, kneel down again, and; “Te casarías conmigo?” (Will you marry me?), were his last words to me. “Si” (yes) I replied unknowingly about what lied in our future, I accepted it as being blissfully elated hearing the words as I was not aware about his plans of going to the war, to fulfil his duty of serving for the country, from where he never returned.