15:30

Twenty Eight

The day had finally arrived. Bags were packed, passsport and ticket were placed securely. The housekeeper had finished her work and left. All the preparations were done.

Tara had promised to see him off. He wanted to leave extra early, just in case. But he waited for Tara. He tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail. He paced up and down, staring at the door, waiting for the doorbell to ring, and then at the clock. He was impatient. He called her one last time. Same response. Then he waited some more.But when Tara didn't arrive in another half an hour, he knew he couldn't delay it anymore. He locked up his phone (since he wasn't carrying it with him) , and left for the airport.

"She's probably caught up in work," he reassured himself, everytime the thought of Tara crossed his mind.
"But she could have called," he thought ahead.

He reached the airport, with the unrealistic expectation that Tara was waiting for him there. He looked around, and was bound to be disappointed. He hadn't heard from her after he dropped her home from their shopping trip on Wednesday.
He didn't want to come across as needy or desperate, but he did want to see her. But his rationale told him that he was behaving exactly that way. It was just a matter of a few days. He decided to forget about her absence and focused on having a great stay in Netherlands. It was, after all , his first real vacation. But he found out that it was more difficult than he thought it would be.

The security checks were done. He sat in the waiting area , before boarding began. He had a book in his hand, but he wasn't exactly paying attention to it. He kept staring at one page . All his mind could think about was Tara. And the thrill of going to a new place. And then back to Tara again.

"Is your book interesting?"

It was only when he was interrogated, did Jay realize that a man had taken a seat next to him. He was lost in his own thoughts, oblivious of the surroundings.

"I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" he asked, looking directly at the man next to him. This man had brown eyes, a beard and short spiky hair. He was dressed in semi formal clothes. He was a tad bit darker than Jay.

"Yes. Is your book interesting?"

"Yeah, yeah it is," Jay said recovering.

"You must really be a voracious reader to figure out a book's interest quotient from the dedication itself," the man said.

Jay realized he had been staring at the dedication all along. He felt stupid. And embarrassed.

"How long have I been..?"

"Oh just fifteen minutes. Don't worry about it."

"Sorry. This is awkward," Jay said, closing his book.

"Its okay. We all tend to zone out."

"Right," Jay said, awkwardly smiling.

"So , are you headed to the Hague for work too?"

"Oh no. I'm taking a little break. What about you?"

"I'm going to the ICJ to pursue my life long dream. I've always wanted to do maritime law. I've finally been selected for associate training with a senior counsel there."

"Great. Another lawyer," Jay thought. "Thank you universe, for not letting me have a single moment of peace."

"That is really cool man. You must be very talented. Not everyone gets to work at that level."

"I know. You should have seen my face when I got a call back from the counsel. I was beyond ecstatic. You have no idea."

"Naturally. This is one huge opportunity."