For Words Not Spoken

When the sun-kissed shores of the coastal gem of Goa beckons, there are few who can resist her call. A hopeless victim, I made my way among the throng of devotees who came to bathe in her bounty. We ate, drank and made merry while the sun bronzed my skin and the sand smoothed my feet; there isn't a shred of doubt as to why this place is just like paradise. Another lazy morning that glided into the afternoon and my friends and I found ourselves at Britto's. Overlooking the sea and lovingly cuddled in a briny lullaby, we look through the menu in a haze. Not long after, plates filled with fresh catch and bottles brimming with beer are spread on our table. We dig into this meal with gusto and feed our soul with warmth and a sprinkling of kokum.
I think that I must be living out a chapter in the book of Utopia but the full stop is not far behind. Rolling my head and trying to keep the flavours of the fish on my tongue, I notice the couple who sit beside me. I nurse a momentary twinge of jealousy over having a special someone to sit across to in, what can only be described as, the most romantic scenario. The couple seem to have spent a while together as they have gone past the elementary stage of holding hands over clumsily hidden googly-eyed stares. Their deep footprints and the beads of water streaming from their glasses reveal that they've been here for a while. Unfortunately, this middle-aged gentleman with a generous tum and a hirsute appearance is fervently clicking away on his Blackberry. His better half, a plump woman with gorgeous skin, is buried deep within the pages of her book. I rudely stare, hoping to be corrected of a horrible suspicion. In my naive and inexperienced realm of thought, it was somehow impossible to be in such a position. I sat, unable to fathom why they cannot bring themselves to look at each other if not speak. Perhaps, they themselves didn't know when the charm was gone and it's too late to bring it back. They can sit in each others company, completely alone and absorbed in a world that has kept the other at bay. Despite all the chaos that surrounded them, they could create a space of utter silence that managed to keep out each others voice as well. I do not know anything about them. I don't even know for sure if they were a couple. Whoever they were, whatever happened between them, it was heartbreaking to see that they couldn't enjoy the tingling and soft breeze together.