Henry

Have you ever met someone and thought that you just 'clicked' with them? There are many times in our lives when we cross paths with interesting people and feel like we have known them for a long amount of time. For a long time, I have had a fantasy. It is not sexual, but merely, romantic. During my travels, I have wished many times that I run into  an interesting guy and share a level of comfort with him, seen only in couples married for several years. What a completely fantastical idea! Cynics would say. And I couldn't agree more. I am a frequent traveler. I take all sorts of transportation from planes to ships and I love doing that. I have run into folks of various shapes and sizes ranging from pungent, monosyllabic responders to magniloquent, jabbering baboons. The balloon of hope has been deflated then inflated by someone showing an inkling of intellect, only to be deflated again numerous times. I had almost given up on meeting the 'talker' until I met this guy. I cannot obviously reveal his real name for fear that he would  be tracked down or worse still, if he ever reads this and finds out how I feel about him, he would be devastated and I would be extremely ashamed. Let us call him Henry.

What was so special about this Henry guy? For starters, I didn't meet him while traveling. He met me while he was traveling and I was stationary. He took refuge in my house for a few days. Refuge would be stayed with me while traveling the world! Henry was English, affable and had a great sense of humor. From the instant we shook hands at the bus station, I took an immense liking for him. We were talking to each other like we had never been separated. He was a talker. No. He was THE talker. Why is this talker so important? It is because I believe that these momentary relationships we forge with people have an impact on our lives so deep that we don't even realize it. This talker I talk about, is actually none other than a part-soulmate. Someone we are destined to meet but not for long. He teaches us some valuable lessons in life and goes away, leaving a yearning in the heart but wholesomeness in the soul. Whatever I shared with him for those lucky days, some may call it chemistry, some infatuation and some may go far by terming it love, those feelings were unique towards him and I would rather not give them a name. He fit the archetype I was looking for. The talker, a simple person at heart, not very rich in the materialistic sense, but having an open heart and a great smile. His eyes sparkling with mischievousness ready to tease you  at the slightest hint. It was not purely physical attraction and it was not only a spiritual connection. It was a mix of the two and that is what makes Henry my part-soulmate. Part because I do not want to spend my life with him. I don't have knowledge currently of whether I will be meeting him again.  There are many such people out there. You may or may not marry one of them, but you will definitely bump into them at corners far and near. Henry had a profound effect on me. I sincerely hope I made myself a tiny place in his heart where he keeps his happiness. I also hope that in future when life leaves a rancid flavor in his mouth as life is known to do, he thinks of me and smiles and it becomes bearable to go on.

Here's to the talker then!