The Forbidden Path

Chapter 17

Racheal reached a restaurant and stood in front of of the serving counter to read the menu on the stand in front it. It had "today's special." Written on a black board with a chalk. "Bye dear," I'll call you later she told her daughter as she rambled endlessly. She listened quietly and said again," baby I need to go. Have you done your homework? Finish it then I'll call you later." "Bye mom bye mom bye my momma."She giggled in a chorus along with her melodious bye. Racheal smiled as she switched off the phone.
She walked inside and her mind reeled back to the man. She felt possessed. Shaking her head she headed for the corner table. The restaurant was almost empty with s few tables occupied randomly.

She flipped through the menu and ordered a plate of spaghetti bolognese and cold coffee as the Indian curries were too spicy for her taste. She looked out of the tainted window and watched the cabs, cars, rickshaw, scooters and buses racing up and down the charred road. The road was four laned yet packed with traffic. She preferred the south Delhi which had more trees, more space and was cleaner. This part was the old Delhi, so it was stuffy and highly populated. She gazed out of the window trying to put together the pieces of her dreams and the man she had met. His face looked familiar when she had googled a few hours earlier. It wasn't making sense. She smiled and a warmth rushed through her veins.

It was a queer sensation. A feeling of calmness, excitement, longing and mild heartaches all mixed together in one package. It was a feeling unlike any other feeling she had experienced. It wasn't lust, it wasn't love.. the love you read about in books, there was no butterflies, no skipping of heartbeats. It felt like she had met someone who she had always known. A part of her.. a missing part of her which was herself..a mirror which completed her image. The piece of puzzle she had missed and was searching for all of her life. She felt complete. She didn't need to explain or be understood. She felt that she could read his entire life in that flip of a second. She felt she had shared hundreds of years with him. She closed her eyes and tilted her head trying to remember the voice she had always known. His words resonated and it felt as if she had been speaking to him all her life. She couldn't remember when she met him but it felt more than one lifetime. She sighed and a drop of tear rolled down her eyes for some unknown reason.

She didn't know what was happening. A flip of a second couldn't generate so much of emotions, she thought as she quietly wiped the tears. It was something beyond her comprehension. It felt frightening in an exciting way. She wanted to believe that it was more than just a coincidence. Everything in her life was falling apart and she wasn't ready for any more drama. It felt as if all she wanted was some peace of mind. She thanked the waiter who placed a cup of cold coffee in front of her. Racheal stared at the coffee art on the frothy cream with two little hearts over lapping each other. She always hated sipping the art floating on the froth. Staring outside at the heavy traffic, she wondered why everyone was busy running to an fro and smiled." Life is a rat race and people are constantly running towards the other destination and greener pastures. Until they reach there it's the best pasture or destination only to realize they want to run to the next." She shook her head as she had always been a laid back woman ever since she was a kid. She loved to look around, enjoy the moment and savor every little detail.

But that was the reason she was loathed by her husband, her colleague, her friends because she simply didn't believe in competition. She listened to her heart more than her head which often made her believe that she had been dropped to a different world at a different time. "I wish I could queitly slip into a parallel world where I belong." She had often told her friends. "I belong to a different dimension ." She had often thought at times when her thought and beliefs didn't coincide with her family and friends. So she generally preferred to keep quiet and pretended to agree even when she didn't. As she didn't want to rock the boat she quietly agreed with what they said because every time she opened her mouth, she triggered a world war with her thoughts. So she kept quiet. Which of course built up resentment and frustration inside her.

And to everyone's horror, she'd turn ice cold and cooler than the coolest. Whereas others banged their heads, yelled in frustration instead Racheal froze and smiled and walked out enjoying their anger and the confusion. That was Racheal... a story in her own way. Never gossiped about , rarely discussed about, often ridiculed but never forgotten. She touched every one in a weird way. Some hated her, some envied her, some even admired her but she was happy she wasn't understood as she often introspected and wondered, " Am I normal..!" But deep inside she was lonely and hoped some day someone would stop judging her and envelope her in his arms and accept her flaws and love her for her follies.. the faults in her character as she understood.
All she was looking for was love, validation maybe a partner who would love her. Alex had troubled her entire life and the truth was she was breaking each passing day.