Tuesday, February 13, 2007

A quick tale 172

Today as I sipped my coffee

I don't know how long they have been sitting there. The plate in front of him is empty and he is waiting for her to finish. He does not drum his fingers or click his tongue impatiently. He stares into the vacant distance. Her head is bent and her eyes focussed on what she is eating. Once she is done, she places the spoon on the plate, sips water from her glass, wipes her mouth with a handkerchief and looks up at him. He raises his hand signals to the waiter. A short while later, small porcelain plate with a flapping piece of paper is placed between them. He leans to one side and brings out a wallet from his back pocket. He counts and recounts the money before sliding it on the plate. They get up and leave. All the while I was watching them not a word was exchanged. It was as if conversation between them had dried up a long time ago. And neither one had noticed.