Known Stranger!

         It was a perfect tantalizing morning of winter in a village of Switzerland. Wind was fully in its melodious mood. She leaved her footprints so fresh like flowery fragrance a honeybee passes. Her fuzzy, uncombed but straight hair covered half of her face as wind tried to play with that long silky and attractive hair. It was just 9 in the morning and she was tired of having morning exercises including running from one block of the street to another block. She was a cute young muffin seller who knew that the bakery guy at corner of the street, whom she could hardly talked to, whom she got to see once a month as he did a business in a town near to the village she lived was as gentle as the weather there. As the pea cock waits for the mighty clouds to pour the thirst of rain drops to it, she waited for the one day, the first Sunday of every month for him to come. Sometimes she also missed to see him even after lot of efforts as she had to sell all the targeted amount of muffins on Sundays, She also got to talk to him, sit with him, discuss the new ideas for village and bakery products with him but she never could understand whether their 7-8 meetings in those past 4 years were seeming adoring and warm to only her or to him also! She knew that the Bakery guy knew she liked him. But she also knew that he never knew she loved at her fullest, He never knew her pure heart was beating seeing him every first Sunday of the month, He never knew she wished to see him every morning.

         It was a same shining dawn and she looked as gorgeous as a dew drop on lily smiling seeing the sun. She gave a muffin and her tender smile to a 7 year old boy. She knew cross the road an unknown, muscular, very much handsome guy with black shiny bob cut hair style was looking at her with blank expression on his face. She also noticed him noticing her! Number of questions run threw her mind. She felt fear at first, but then she smiled on her own thought for over thinking!

         The same day, in the evening she thought of the Unknown guy. She then remembered him. He was the very famous and the only ice-hockey player in her village. She laughed again being so stupid at very first.

         Days passed. It was again the shimmering first Sunday of the month and she could manage to observe the Bakery guy at distance. She wanted to tell him her feelings since his birthday which was 2 days before on Friday. She wanted to ask whether he felt anything for her the same she felt about him. She wanted to hold the hands forever and run through the piles of ice. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. Suddenly in no time, she went near him. With fear of denial, with trust on her own self, with a hope of acceptance she told him that she wanted to be the half of his existence, that she wanted to share all the ups and downs of his life, that he always seemed perfect to her, that she loved him so much! He smiled gently; he seemed of no interest in her and introduced to his fiancée standing next to the pavement of the structure. She had to smile back so she did.

         “Had she never told him about her feelings, it would have been more comfortable for her to get in touch with him”, she thought! She lived in guilt of telling him the truth. But her heart never stopped beating for him. She remained his soul met from distance. She then used to see him on Sundays from a definite distance and maintained to smile whenever he smiled at her. She was broken from inside but looked soft and blissful from outside. Her beauty enhanced as she was entering in her 20s.

         “Here, you are”, she said giving the pink cherry flavored muffins to an old lady.

She then looked cross the road. The same unknown guy, so tall, fit body structure but with different hair style was staring at her from distance. That incident made her frighten at first. But then she remembered that the guy was the Hockey-player whom she had seen months ago! She wanted to go and meet him, not because he used to see her this way and she wanted to complain, but she really wanted to praise him and greet him as he was one of those famous hockey players! She wanted him to stop there. But one group of children, she had to serve the muffins and he vanished!

“Can you tell me where the guy standing here few minutes ago went? ”, she curiously asked to jack, her very old friend.

“Oh! Yes I know that hockey player. He used to see you every morning. He came to see you daily except Sundays! I don’t know why, but he used to say that he was not perfect for you as he had thought that you already had your Mr. Perfect! Such a great love! He never wanted even you to know that he wanted you to be his so badly.  He had believed that love of his was endless, that would never end for you. He used to say that even for years he could just see you from distance and get the precious feeling in this world! But I guess it’s your bad luck that today was his last day in this village. he will not come back as he told me yesterday. He really loves you my dear!  ”, said the old Jack.  

 It was the second and the last time she got to see that hockey-player- the Known Stranger!