The Falling Petals...🌺

Five kisses...

It was another weekend and I was in Gwangju, sitting in the balcony, busy with my reading Comprehension- RC-section(exam). I was annoyed, having scored rather badly in my self-exam. I was about to advance to the next passage when she called.

"Hey, hi..." I said in a depressed voice.

"What is my baby doing?" she asked. I loved it when she talked that way, when she called me "baby" in her cutest voice. It sounded so caring. As if she had taken over all the responsibility of looking after me.

"RC is screwing up your baby and I'm in a very bad mood."

"Then talk to me for a while and you'll be in a good mood again."

"No dear. I want to start a new passage and score better this time. Only that will change my mood. Can we talk at night....please?"

"Hmm...Ok. See you later. But atleast say one good thing before hanging up."

There were so many things specific to Dae, the little things that were important to her. Like this unique idea of listening to one good thing before we hung up. I liked it, most of the time, unless I was too tired to think up something new and good for her.

"Dae! Please understand. My mind isn't working. I cant think of anything good at this moment. I will tell you two good things at night. Ok?"

"Ok. You take care."

"Bye."

"Not bye, see you," she corrected me again.

"Oh yes, see you," and I hung up, still in a bad mood."

Hardly 15 minutes had passed when I heard my cell-phone ringing again. It was her.

"Now what?" my voice was a little loud.

"You know why I called you earlier?"

"Oho....! Why?" I was annoyed.

"Because it's raining here. And I feel like holding your hand and dancing in the rain."

"DAE!" My voice grew louder.

"Ok okayyy, I'm sorry. See you later," she said, innocently.

She was about to hang up when I feel bad how I behaved and said, "Hey wait. We can talk for a while. I needed a break from this damned RC thing."

And she was happy again.

In a little while, the focus of our conversation changed from rain to our promises and priorities. The things we wanted to accept and the things we wanted to give up for each other. No boozing until she was comfortable with it, preparing myself for a vegetarian environment (at least at home) and a few other things were on my plate. And talking to my family and taking care of them was the most important thing I put on her plate.

None of our expectation were forced upon each other, though. It was mutual understanding, an attempt to do the best we could for each other. After all, we were supposed to live together for the rest for our lives.

That evening, I asked her mischievously, "Hey! Do you mind quitting your job after marriage? I never heard you fulfilling my expectations, and this is one of them. It's not like I hate that but I just want you to be at home. I am and will be working so that's enough for our living. Right?"

"And if I say I won't quit working even after marriage, what will you do?" she teased me and laughed. I imagined her jumping off her bed and running to the window to catch a few raindrops.

"Then I will take you back to your home in Busan and leave you there."

All she said was, "Shillang...?" I could hear the rain falling on the ground outside her window. I realized what I landed up saying. My attempt at humor had badly failed. I did not know how to react. Before I could say anything, she said, "Shillang, you carry on with the passage. See you later". And she hung up very quietly- something she never did.