The Whisk Away

The night was old; the wide, arterial road was empty of traffic, and a cool breeze gently lifted the corners of her light shawl as Minu made her way home. Her heels tapping gently on the sidewalk, her pace unhurried, she walked assuredly on, glancing only once or twice up at the man who walked silently beside her.

They walked in congenial silence, and as they reached her gate, she slowed to a stop to say goodbye. They were to meet again the next day, so it surprised her when, as she turned to go in, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"I want to ask you something," the man said. He looked tentative, eager.

"What is it?"Minu asked. Her wrist was firmly ensconced in a big hand, and he gently grabbed the other wrist too, turning her to look him square in the face.

"Please don't misunderstand my intentions, and please don't read this the wrong way. I really enjoy our time together, and I would like to see more of you. And... I want to ask you: will come with me on a holiday?"

Minu blinked. A holiday? As she would learn later, there was such a thing as a "whisk away" which Wiktionary defines as “to take (a person) on a surprise romantic journey.” Minu's heart slowly began to pick up pace, as she contemplated this novel idea. A holiday! Alone with this man! It could be the most romantic getaway ever, and she was badly in need of a break from her busy, chaotic life. 

He briefly told her his plans: where, when, and how. "You don't have to do anything except get on a plane," he added. "I'll take care of everything else."

She had to admit, it was very flattering, something out of a Mills & Boon romance! As she stood there in the cool night air, her head filled with a million images of this handsome man strolling with her on white sands, swimming in azure waters, sipping cocktails, watching sunsets... and she smiled to herself, why the hell not!?  

And so it was, that Minu found herself on a plane some days later, heart racing, watching the setting sun's rays reflect off the iridescent wings.

She had pictured this a million times: she standing at the luggage carousel, him walking in from his flight, them meeting again in a hug charged with a million watts. And yet when it happened, almost exactly as she had pictured it, it still felt unbelievable, still as in a dream. His big, happy smile as he caught sight of her standing with hands resting on the handle of her suitcase; the widening of her eyes as she saw him approach, sweater sleeves knotted casually across his broad chest; their fond embrace as he swept her into his arms; her heart pounding at a million beats per minute.

What had gone wrong? Minu pondered. 

A week of island bliss, falling asleep to the sound of waves under a benign moon, eating the most divine seafood, sipping on refreshing cocktails, hours on the beach, in the sun, in the water, strolls around the marketplace, conversations about everything and nothing, dancing into the early hours, it was all rather idyllic.

Back home, she longed to be with him again and he read her mind, sending her tickets to come visit him, which she gladly did. She didn’t take work with her and neither did he work when they were together. It was wonderful all over again. He picked her up at the airport, took her to meet friends where they shared stories and drinks on the terrace of a 100 year old house. Palatial buildings were her dining options, and she only received kindness and hospitality everywhere. The countryside was beautiful and they spent hours walking, discovering lakes, birds, and the village folk who glanced only vaguely in their direction as they walked hand in hand.

What had gone wrong? Minu pondered. 

Back home again, they spent long hours on the phone every night before they fell asleep in their respective beds, in their own hometowns.

Soon, the head rush began to settle. Days grew into weeks. Reality was work, long hours and commitments that wouldn't let up easily. Minu longed to see him again. But he was busy. He said he would come see her but he didn't. And time passed on. She decided she would go again then. And she did. This time he took her to an old haunt in the heart of the city. They sat amongst labourers and enjoyed a simple fare of local food, delicious to her in its raw pungency and newspaper print. He seemed amused that she enjoyed it all.

Later, as she lay in his bed, she watched as he became engrossed in his work, seemingly miles away. Phone calls and emails were all that he paid attention to. Although he apologised, nothing changed. She spent time by herself, also working remotely, wandering the old city herself, paying tribute to legendary leaders' shrines, and sampling local culture. She worked when she could and noticed he didn’t care much for what she did. When he could, they took a long drive out into the countryside, but he barely spoke to her. Even the rare archaeological sites they visited did nothing to move him into deeper engagement.

She left and went home.

What had gone wrong? Minu pondered. Was it really that simple? Had he just lost interest in her?

They talked less. Both more and more involved in their own little lives in their own little hometowns. Minu spoke to him one day.

"It doesn't look like this is going to work out, does it?" She asked him.

"I know I have been busy," he said. "I don't know what to say."

"Well, I'll say it for the both of us," Minu said. "Let's take a break. I'll leave the door open. When you think you want to reconnect, you let me know."

He agreed.

Some time went by.

One day, out of the blue, he called. "Will you have dinner with me tomorrow?" He was coming to her!

"Yes, of course I will!" said Minu, rapturous.

What had gone wrong? Minu pondered. 

At dinner the next evening, they both sat, basking in the warmth of each other's ...love?

"I am sorry for how things went," he said. "I am here to fix this. I want you in my life."

What had gone wrong? Minu pondered. 

He said he had come to make things right with her. She was busy with work and her social life. There had been no plan to include him in her little bubble, but he seemed content to wait. When she came back she took him out to meet her friends. He walked into her rainbow-hued bubble. There was noise, chatter, friends and her - Minu, sparkling like a diamond. He suddenly retreated into his shell. He couldn’t — no, didn’t — want to keep up. He became increasingly resentful as the evening wore on. He didn’t move from his seat. Her friends who attempted jovial interactions with him, started to back off. But when Minu came back every few minutes to check on him, he always said he was "fine". She took him at his word.

At the end of the evening, flushed from her social exertions, she happily linked her arm in his as they walked away. "How was your evening?" she asked looking up at his dark profile.

"I had a terrible time," he said. He glanced at her with a surly, supercilious smile and ignored the look of shock on her face.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier? We could have left!" Minu interjected, deeply upset to have rocked the boat again.

"Well, you seemed to be having a good time," came the response.

"We didn't have to stay. I can meet these people anytime. You just had to ask me if we could go."

He declined to respond. They spent the rest of the night in a kind of face-off, where he spoke to her of all things business and unrelated, while she stewed within, upset that he wouldn’t talk about what he was feeling.

On what was their first night together in over a month, he turned on his alarm for a morning run, turned his back to her and fell asleep. Minu realised this was some childish way to punish her for the suffering he had endured earlier, and clearly laid at her feet.

Unable to talk to him, unable to get a word out of him, frustrated and feeling like she had been bashed in the teeth, Minu could not fall asleep. This is ridiculous,  she realised. We are adults and still seem unable to have an adult conversation about things we do not like or how they make us feel! What use is it to stay like this? She got up and left. Left him.

He didn’t seem too bothered by what had passed or that she had left. All he did was leave too and go back to his own city. 

I know what went wrong,  Minu concluded. It would take a strong man to be man enough to let me be the woman I am. He just wasn't.

As for him, he didn’t look back. Not once. After all, it was only a whisk-away, not a lifetime commitment.