The Exes
- Writers Pouch
- Jul 14, 2022
- 11 min read
Updated: Nov 27
On a rainy night, Naveena arrived ten minutes early at the restaurant they planned to meet at and without wasting a minute, she ordered their meal and waited for him. Pouring herself a glass of water, she thought about how to approach the topic she very much intended to talk about that evening. As much as she knew he would understand, there was a part of her that couldn’t help but wonder how he would react. But to calm herself, she kept reminding herself, “After everything we have been through, he will understand.”
Taking a sip, she checked her watch, and unless she could magically make ten minutes disappear, she knew there was no way he would arrive early. Taking a deep breath, she rethought if this was the right time to discuss her decisions and decided to maybe not talk about it. She felt two hands on her shoulders.
When she turned around, there he was. Not just early but even dressed formally in a formal full-hand shirt. He looked sharp in his haircut and neatly trimmed beard. With his eyes widened, he said with a smile, “Look who has become an aunty!”
Returning a beaming smile, Naveena replied, “And look who has finally become a man!”
As he widened his arms, Naveena embraced him tightly before he embraced her back nearly four years later. Settling on either side of the table, both of them sat in silence for a moment before the waiter placed a plate of spicy noodles with a bowl of Manchurian. Putting a plate of vegetable fried rice before Prachin, the waiter spilt diced onions on the noodles and Manchurian before Naveena picked up the ketchup bottle from the centre of the table and squeezed it in a zig-zag fashion on the whole.
The waiter spilt chopped coriander on the fried rice and placed a bowl of Raita and a bowl of chickpea curry on the side. He then placed a glass filled with ice cubes and cola beside Naveena and a glass of water with a lemon on the side beside Prachin.
Wishing them to enjoy their meal, the waiter left before Naveena picked up her fork. Glancing at her, Prachin asked, “As much as I want to appreciate your memory regarding my choice of food, I’m more curious to know why you summoned me.”
