As Naina and Kushal bid a teary eyed goodbye to their son who left in the pursuit of his own dreams, Naina dreaded going home to an empty nest. Their pet had passed away a month ago and with their son moving abroad, it was just the two of them again. Kushal looked at Naina and said, “Do not be afraid.”
Naina smiled and responded in a meek voice, “It’s just the two of us again.”
“It takes two to tango, right?” Kushal said in a chirpy voice. “Let’s go out on a date. Coffee followed by a romantic walk. How does that sound?”
Naina smiled. At least one of them knew how to keep the spirit up. Kushal and Naina never realized how time flew by, they were a kind of couple who lived life ‘you live only once style.’ Kushal always knew how to make Naina laugh. He was often amused at her ways. She walked fast and worked fast and often got herself in a lot of trouble due to her temper and impatience. Kushal loved her, nevertheless.
They enjoyed their coffee in a nice open roof café and spoke of all the years that had passed by in a blink of an eye. Before their son came along, they would have a lot of “we” time together. And now again, they do.
Kushal took Naina to the park they visited the most . It was one of the oldest in the city and they had memories of them going for picnics, dog walks and their family time together.
Naina was pacing swiftly, lost in her own thoughts feeling nostalgic, while Kushal walked at a slower pace with his eyes fixed on her. Her mind was racing thinking of all the troubles her son would have to face in a new country and suddenly her foot got stuck in a bunch of twigs and she stumbled.
Memories of her stumbling and crashing on the ground flashed through her mind. Kushal always burst into a laughter whenever it happened. Through the years, he had learnt to hold his smile back and make a serious face to express his empathy.
This time, however, she heard Kushal’s voice scream out in panic. He came running to hold her and helped her regain balance. “Are you hurt? Mrs Kushal, why can’t you be more careful?
“Oh wow.” Naina said in a rather sarcastic tone as she looked at Kushal’s face and then realised that he was indeed very anxious. She felt a sense of satisfaction, “I am beginning to like this phase of our lives. Seems like growing old isn’t so bad, after all.”
Kushal sighed in relief and said, “There is always an upside to everything.”
“Indeed. Mr Older and wiser. This is gonna be fun.” Naina responded as she reflected upon her life. She was smiling. She realised her empty nest wasn’t empty after all and she will always have the love of her life to grow older and wiser with.