Opinion | Columnists
Spirit of love prevails
Sudha Subramanian writes: I was cleaning my store room the other day. Like always, I really meant to throw away some items for want of space
- By Sudha Subramanian, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 June 6, 2011
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How sweet!! Enjoyed reading this Sudha:) Its amazing to see how such things evoke memories in our mind! Keep up the great writing dear!! Love, Jyothi :)
Jyothi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
I was cleaning my store room the other day. Like always, I really meant to throw away some items for want of space. But then, after thoroughly spending time looking at the many boxes, I re-arranged them and put them back again.
It was then that I noticed a familiar floral blouse. I wondered how it got there. It smelt of paper. I had always fancied keeping it in my wardrobe so that I get a glimpse of the blouse time and again. Strangely, the blouse, over the years, had skipped from my wardrobe to that storage box in the room of the unwanted.
The floral blouse has a special place in my heart. No, not because it is pretty. I think there is more to it than the floral print. It was the 90s and romance was clearly in the air. Because, it was then that my husband had taken me out on our very first official date after our wedding. I remember sitting demurely on the scooter and going to a theatre in Hyderabad. We watched the movie — our eyes transfixed on the big screen and the two of us not as much as stirring an inch from our seats.
Later, after the movie, in his effort to buy me a gift, the man of my dreams walked me to the nearest store. As my heart raced at the prospect of getting a gift I was also thrown into a vortex of confusion. I walked into the store, very carefully, wondering what my next move had to be. I think, on his part, he was as confused as I was, just that my face was writ large with a million emotions. "Buy what you like," he said, pushing me further into the puddle of deeper trouble.
I had many thoughts running parallel to each other in my head. I didn't want to spend a lot of time because I didn't want to be branded as ‘a woman who takes too much time to shop' by my husband. I didn't want to pick up an expensive outfit and, of course, I didn't want to try out clothes as it was definitely very embarrassing. With all these thoughts ringing in my head I was walking among the aisles when I saw this printed blouse sticking out from a whole bunch of clothes. As I walked carefully towards it and picked it up, I saw an approving smile and that was how I welcomed the very first gift into our lives.
Symbol of assurance
I think, the chemistry, the awkwardness, the need for approval, all made up for that fleeting moment of symphony in the racing hearts. The floral blouse, soon became my companion. It travelled wherever we went. It stayed with me in the comfortable cocoon and soon became the symbol of assurance in the most trying times. It occupies the place where it rests in the deep recesses of my heart and stands out despite so many strong contenders.
Now, after all these years, memories came flooding back to me. The blouse, over the years, has become tattered and smells of the storage box and yet, the feel is unmistakably familiar and lasting. I took it out smiling, because the little fabric had withstood the trying test of time. I wonder if there is anything that can bring back the magic of that evening. I guess there are some moments in life that happen just once and yet the magic spreads over a lifetime. Who knew a three-minute shopping could bring back a smile even after many years? I have now hung it up in my wardrobe just so that it will remind me and assure me that come what may the spirit of love will always prevail.
Sudha Subramanian is an independent journalist based in Dubai.
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