All’s well that ends well, indeed

‘Well what do you expect if you are determined to walk the way you do?’ He replied, stopping briefly for me to reach him. ‘But this is a stroll, not a jog, yet you walk as if you wish to fly,’ I complained. ‘Yes it is stroll but it is an exercise not a cat-walk. […]

‘Well what do you expect if you are determined to walk the way you do?’ He replied, stopping briefly for me to reach him.

‘But this is a stroll, not a jog, yet you walk as if you wish to fly,’ I complained.

‘Yes it is stroll but it is an exercise not a cat-walk. You are expected to walk briskly, burning fat, chasing cholesterol. But when you walk as if on a fashion parade, do you expect me to join you?’ He asked.

‘But I was walking briskly too perhaps you were too fast to notice.’ I insisted.

‘If you call that brisk walk then I must have been flying, period.’ Tahir taunted.

‘Once upon a time, you couldn’t bear the thought of me walking ahead of you or behind you. You wanted me right next to you, talking and strolling casually, sometimes even holding hands.’ I reminded him, wistfully.

‘Yes, but back then we were not exercising for health reasons we were just strolling to keep fit. Today, with approaching old age, the ticking of our biological clocks, we either exercise or we end up with serious health issues. You see why I can’t afford the leisure of your leisurely strides.’ He added.

‘Speak for yourself Old Man I can’t see approaching old age being a top concern of mine right now. However I agree we need to keep fit now more than we did as newlyweds two decades ago, but all the books say ‘take a walk’. I haven’t read anything about ‘take a jog’ every morning, except for people in competitive sports.’ I argued.

‘Bint, if I had my way, I will take a run every morning. This is how much I need to keep my heart in check.’ Tahir declared.

‘Then you would have had to miss the beauty all around you. Just look at the green turf spread everywhere.  Check out the lovely flower-beds, look at the neatly arranged and well-manicured yellow and green-leafed hedges spread across this expanse of land. You would have had to miss seeing any of this because when you run you don’t get to see much. And the one reason I prefer coming to Millennium Park for my morning walks is this great landscaping. Can you find another spot in this country that rivals it?’ I asked rhetorically.

‘Yes I can, if I searched hard enough.’ He answered, unimpressed.

‘But surely none would remind you of the lovely morning walks we used to take when we first got married and were living abroad. Do you remember the early morning gardeners and street-cleaners we used to see busy at their work but still sparing the time to share a smile when answering our greetings? All around us they kept the streets clean and the flower-beds captivating. There was no sign of dirt anywhere as we walked those streets with love songs in our hearts. Oh those were the good old days. I wonder whether you remember them and if you do whether they mean as much to you as they do me. Those were great memories for me Tahir. I shall forever treasure them.’ I pledged.

‘Stop romanticising about those morning walks Bint. It wasn’t as if they were all rosy with you jumping out of bed, observing the prayer and getting set for our long walks cheerfully. If my memory serves me well, I always had to struggle to get you out of that apartment after you’d prayed and drifted back to sleep. I vividly recall having to sometimes drag you foot first from the bed before you will agree to rise and join me. Now you talk as if the whole thing was your idea or was something you gladly subscribed to.’ He mocked.

‘But that was because of my first pregnancy. I was going through morning blues and there you were demanding that we walk further and further because we needed the exercise, how could you expect me to like that?’ I defended.

‘There, see how you’ve caught yourself? Thank God for my good memory. Just minutes ago you were rhapsodising about those morning walks and now you’ve confessed just what an unwilling partner you were even in those days. I remember one particular day when you were so grouchy and uncooperative I had to tell you about my elderly relative who was even worse than you were. I told you about how I used to force him to leave his room every weekend and go for long walks with me after his illness, even though nobody else could get him to even leave his self-contained room on other days. I remember telling you that if I could handle him, you were only a small fry.’ He recalled.

‘Yes I remember, but that doesn’t prove anything because I’m sure I enjoyed my morning walks, the beautiful clean scenery and the love that hung in the air, everywhere we went.‘ I replied.

‘May be so, let’s just turn back from here’ Tahir suddenly said making a U-turn at the end of Millennium Park’s smooth walkway. ‘Let’s go home and start getting ready for work. It’s been an eventful morning with you going way back down memory lane and me correcting your historical amnesia.’ He boasted.

‘No need to gloat hubby dearest, and I have one more stop for us before we go home. Did you notice the river we crossed below the bridge when coming here from the other side of the park? It always reminds me of the beautiful lakes we used to pass in those days of our disputed morning walks. Anytime I pass by it, I feel inspired to write something about its endlessly flowing beauty. A poem or an inspiring short story. In fact it is one of the reasons I invited you here instead of letting you go for your usual morning golf. I just didn’t know you will decide that I’m too slow for you, and instead of a romantic leisurely stroll, you’ll begin to demand a brisk, join-me-if-you-can walk. And here we are.’ I said as soon as we reached the bridge above the river. Both Tahir and I stood by the railings and watched silently. Just then one of my favourite country music songs came to mind as if on cue.

Let’s get the blanket from the basement

We’ll go walking once again

To that spot down by the river

Where our sweet love first began

Just because we are married

Doesn’t mean we can’t sneak around

To that spot down by the river

And lay the blanket on the ground

At this very moment I raised my eyes from the river to see Tahir’s softening gaze and the hint of a smile. It was almost as if he had heard the song I recalled in my mind.  Impulsively he reached out for my hand and we began to walk again in the slow, romantic stroll I had hoped for when we arrived. A case of all is that ends well, no less.