Destiny's Gamble

Coffee Date

Manik's POV

"Hey there!" I jump, dropping the purple, elongated vegetable I was holding. Turning around, I find Angel standing behind me, a warm grin spread across her face.

"Hi," I reply awkwardly. Lord, I've never been this formal with Angel, so now I just feel quite uncomfortable and out of place behaving with her in this manner.

"I'm your friend's girlfriend, remember? We met yesterday." Girlfriend - that word rams into me like a bulldozer. "In all honesty, I didn't think you're the kind of guy who I'd bump into at the farmer's market." I cast a wary glance at the vegetable stall behind me.

"I'm not," I reply. "It's a surprise you knew though, considering we're barely acquaintances." Angel shrugs. 

"Call it a woman's instinct. I mean, it's either that, or the fact that I know you, but my mind refuses to cooperate with me."

"And why do you say that?" I question, tilting my head to the side curiously. "I-If you don't mind me asking," I add as an afterthought. It's imperative that I remember Angel isn't my wife anymore. Unfortunately, I must now treat her like an acquaintance - someone I know the bare minimum about.

"Not at all," Angel says. "The only thing is, it's a long story. A six month long adventure."

"We're in luck," I say, nodding towards the left. "I know of a great coffee shop that's just around the corner." She stares at me unsurely for a few seconds, before smiling and nodding her head. 

"Let's go." I turn in our desired direction and begin to lead the way. "By the way, I'm Manik." Stopping, I extend my hand towards Angel. 

"Nandini," she introduces herself. Shifting the bag she's holding to her left hand, Angel takes my hand in hers. At once, frown lines mask her forehead. "Um..." Angel's breathing speeds up, her grip around my hand tightening. Narrowing my eyes, I watch her reaction to my touch. I know I shouldn't expect her to recollect everything by just a mere handshake. Alas, my heart's not as logical as my brain. "M-Manik," she mumbles, staring right into my orbs, as if she's desperately trying to see through them - seeking answers. Unblinking, I meet her gaze head on. Lord, every fibre in my body is yelling at me to smash my lips against Angel's, and tell her about the past we've shared, and the future I've got planned for us.

"I'm sorry," My wife says, letting go of my hand. It drops limply against my side, my heart sinking in a similar manner. "Please do pardon me for my weird behaviour. I'm someone who suffers from memory loss. In fact, I'm a victim of the severest kind of memory loss; one in which my entire life has been wiped clean from the memory chip in my head. As if someone has pressed, control-alt-delete, and played a sick joke on me." 

"I understand," I say, as we begin to walk once again. "So it happened six months ago?" Angel nods her head. "I'm sorry if I'm overstepping on a fragile matter."

"Oh no, not at all." She says, flicking her wrist dismissively. "I've learnt to live with it by now." 

"How'd it happen?" I question further. Sure, I've heard different versions of what happened, but none have come from Angel herself.

"Apparently I was trying to cross the main road one fine day," she explains. "God knows where my mind was, but I met with an accident. Some vehicle slammed into my side - must've been a heavy one - because the force with which my head made contact with the road caused ruptures in my head and a handful of other injuries."

"I'm sorry," I whisper, casting my gaze away from Angel, so as to not show her my clogged up tears. If only I could've been there through those painful days for her. Angel must've been so confused and frightened during her initial days. The mere thought has a shudder running down my spine.