yin and yang

except that they didn't fit

I am running late again. The coffee shop i work in is just a ten minutes walk but i’m already 25 minutes late. My manager will surely give me a piece of his mind.

Thankfully i didn’t meet him. My coworker told me he has the flu. I am happy. The shop looks deserted today, probably because it is a Sunday.

The first customer arrives. A short, light skinned lady, with a bag that looks too heavy for her small size. She orders a medium sized latte, and sits by the window. Staring at nothing. I place her order in front of her and leave, she looks like she wants to be alone.

A few moments later, a man arrives. Tall, dark and brooding. Dressed in black with a calm demeanor. He orders a venti and sits directly opposite the lady. I place his order before him, he doesn’t even acknowledge me. Rude, i thought. His eyes are on the lady by the window. I return behind the counter and observe them. She feels his gaze on her and turns. He smiles, she waves. And i just know, this is the start of something beautiful.

‘That man has been here for a week now, our coffee can’t be that good.’ Amina says, teasingly. ‘We all know who he’s here for.’ I reply. The lady hasn’t been back since that day. I am enjoying this. How expectant he looks as he enters, and the dejected look on his face when he looks at the window seat and she’s not there. He spends 2 hours and leaves, every day, for a week now.

The bell rings, and she enters. The shop is as silent as a grave, as we watch her make her way to him. So confident, i thought. They sit side by side, no words uttered. Amina goes to take her order, a blueberry muffin. The man asks for a refill. She comes back and we giggle like school girls. They look so cute.

I sit back down and try to focus on my novel. Amina furiously taps me and asks me to look. I gasp. There she was, raising the blueberry muffin to his mouth, trying to feed him. He looks up and sees me gawking. He then takes the muffin from her and eats it himself. i almost jump. The tension between them was electric. You could feel the sparks and see the confetti in his eyes. He was ruined by her, that was easy to tell.

This goes on for 2 months. They become our regulars. Zayd and Asma. Every meeting they share a muffin. He brings a new scarf for her, while she takes pictures of him. Of them together. Of the windowside. Of everything. And he looks like there’s no better place he could be, while they talk about God knows what. I stare at them with tears in my eyes. I’d love to see how he’ll propose.

The bubble finally bursts on Friday evening. An older woman comes looking for Asma. She left with Zayd earlier in the afternoon, i tell her. Who is zayd, she asks. I have no answer to give her, because i do not know what they are. She leaves furious. Asma returns few minutes later with him, all smiles and love-filled eyes. I tell her about the older woman and there’s a cloud on her face. She hurriedly leaves, while Zayd stands looking confused.

She disappears for days. He looks more and more distraught. Amina does a few digging since she has ears in some places.

We find out Asma is a married woman

I was dumbfounded. Married? I couldn’t believe it. Zayd stopped frequenting our shop. Just a random weekend here and there.

Today, the bell rings at 3:15pm. I look up to see Zayd coming in with a taller, beautiful lady. With a baby. I almost vomit.

i take their orders and watch as he laughs with her and plays with the baby. The baby that looks exactly like him. What the fuck?

They finally stand up to go, but he tells her he’ll meet her outside. He comes to the counter and i almost throw hot coffee on his face. He knew, Asma knew.

‘So, where’s Asma?’

‘With her husband and his mother.’

I want to slap him.

‘Why?’

‘There’s no question of why in love.’

‘Oh please, don’t give me that bull crap.’

‘I am not here to justify my actions. I owe you no explanation.’

Is it too late to slap him?

‘So why are you here?’

‘To tell you this is the last time i’ll be coming. It holds too many precious memories.’

‘With a married woman, while you’re married yourself. Do you still talk with her?’ I seethe.

‘No, I have blocked her. Even though i have a screenshot of her number, hidden.’

This man is funny.

‘So, that’s all? She’s just gone from your life?’

‘Yes, that was the agreement. It was nothing permanent.’ He says, as he pays and turns around to leave.

‘Was she worth it?’ I ask.

He pauses, and looks at me.

‘In life and love, there’s no going back. But for her, if i could, i would. From birth. I would take all the wrong turns, all the wrong decisions, if that’ll mean she’s the only right choice i’ll make. She was my truth.’

He leaves.

Fuck me. This was doomed from the start, i was the one looking at it with a rose coloured tint.

Love is never enough, is it?