Sunday, February 19, 2006

Rose Colored Glasses...


It’s funny how you can see the same things day in day out and never really take notice of what you’re seeing. Then one day *poof* just like that it all changes. I was wearing my wonderful rose colored glasses yesterday when they abruptly fell to the floor and I was forced to see a shade of reality I never knew existed.

The husband was finally coming home; he had been away for a month on business over seas and it was his birthday as well. The wife asked the friend to accompany her to the airport to pick up her spouse. I was asked to make the trip to record his homecoming for posterity. At the airport I watched the wife as she fixed her hair, refreshed her make up. The friend noticed the large crowd and reached into her bag for a sheet of paper writing the husband’s name on it. “Here this will make it easier for him to spot you.” After an hour or so we spotted the husband they called out his name, the wife held up the sign with his name on it. When he saw them he smiled broadly running towards them. The friend stepped to the side wanting to give him plenty of room in which to get to his wife. Instead he grabbed the friend giving her a long and tight embrace. He held her close to him inhaling her perfume, as he stroked her long curly hair. Finally he stepped back and held her face lovingly in his hands, kissing her quickly on the lips. He then looked deeply into her eyes and told her he had missed her. The look on her face was one of embarrassment. As she freed herself from his embrace she grabbed his wife’s hand pulling her towards them. Only then did he turn around to the side and embrace his wife. I felt my rose colored glasses sliding off the bridge of my nose, I pushed them back.


Shortly after arriving to their house the relatives and friends started pouring in to celebrate his birthday/homecoming. The wife and friend made sure everyone was taken care of before heading into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the evening’s meal. The friend sat at the counter pulling her waist length curly hair back into a ponytail as she got ready to make a salad. The wife stood over the stove stirring the sauce as they joked around about what had occurred at the airport. The husband entered the kitchen on his way out to smoke a cigarette. He stopped in front of the friend looked at her focusing his gaze on her hair. He swept back a stray ringlet that had escaped the ponytail. Before tucking it behind her ear he looked at the long curl feeling it in between his fingers, he kissed the ringlet and then kissed the friend on the forehead thanking her for being there and left. Again I felt my glasses sliding off, again I pushed them back.


Finally dinner was served and as they placed the last dish on the table the wife and friend sat down next to each other. The husband asked me to move over so he could sit next to the friend. I watched them all throughout dinner. He fed her food from his plate, from his fork. Her protests were of no use he insisted on feeding her. He would rip the garlic bread in half dipping it into the sauce on his plate bringing it to her lips for her to take a bite before biting into it himself. I noticed that whenever she put her glass of wine down after taking a sip he’d pick it up and drink from it as well always placing his mouth exactly in the same spot where her lips had been.
The friend was entertaining her tablemates with one of her funny stories. Everyone at the table laughed and as they applauded the story she waved her hands in front of her face with dramatic flourish as if she were taking a bow. The husband then took one of her hands into his own placing a kiss on it. He intertwined his fingers with hers holding her hand as he addressed questions about his trip from his guests. She slowly withdrew her hand from his and stood up clearing the dinner dishes. Why did those damn glasses keep sliding down?

When almost all of the guests had left the wife and friend sat back kicking off their shoes and got into a deep conversation. The wife put her head on the friends shoulder and the friend stroked her hair complementing her on every aspect of the meal. The husband walked in and sat next to the friend looking at her face for several seconds before caressing her cheek, declaring her to be beautiful. His friends agreed that indeed she was a beautiful woman. She arose from her seat and said it was time to clean the kitchen. As the wife stood up to help her, the friend put her hand on her shoulder telling her, “No you have been on your feet all day stay here with your guests and your husband I will take care of this.” The friend reached out for his tea cup as he handed it to her he looked at her and said, “Thank you my love.” I have heard him say this phrase to her thousands of times but today it sounded different. As I adjusted my rose colored glasses I swear I heard “I love you” in between the lines. The wife came into the kitchen to help. In reality she just wanted to get away from the remaining guests comprised mainly of his family, people that she is not too fond of.

As I helped put the dishes away they noticed the look on my face. The wife elbowed the friend and said, “Something is troubling her, I think I know what it is.” I said nothing I waited for some sort of explanation, something to make sense of what I was seeing, what I was sensing. The wife faced me and said, “Ours was an arranged marriage he does not love me nor do I love him. We are more like room mates than husband and wife. I am happiest when he is away. She is the one he loves. He has loved her from the first day he met her.” I focused my gaze on a cucumber that was on the counter. It’s amazing how many bumps a cucumber has…why is it so damn shiny? Do they put oil on it rub it with pledge or something? I know for a fact a cucumber is not that shiny when it’s growing in the ground. I really didn’t want to hear this. I looked up at the friend, “Before you ask, NO I don’t love him, not that way. I never knew he was in love with me until she told me. This is the reason I stay away for so long only coming around when he goes away on business.” How long have you known? “Longer than you’ve been alive child”, is the wife’s reply. I wave my hand in the air I don’t want to hear anymore. My rose colored glasses have fallen to the ground. I look at the floor hoping to find them and slip back onto my face but they are no where to be found. My heart breaks for both the husband and the wife.

Finally it is time for us to leave; the friend is giving me a lift home. The friends embrace and kiss each other as they head towards the door. The husband tells the wife he will walk the friend to her car. As we walk the block to the car he holds her hand and says nothing. We get to the car and he pulls her towards him holding her close again. He kisses her on her forehead and then kisses her hands; he asks when she is returning the friend answers, “Soon, I promise my friend, in the meantime you make sure to be good to your wife.” He tells her he loves her and hopes to see her again before his next trip. We back out of the parking space he stands to the side looking at her through the window he has the look of a man deeply in love. He waves goodbye and blows her a kiss. I had seen him do this many times through the years but today for some reason I saw it with different eyes, my veil was lifted. Had he always looked at her like this? Why had I never noticed it before? I didn’t want to see this, I rummaged around in my bag hoping to find another pair of rose colored glasses but there was none to be found all I found was a lousy stick of gum and some scattered tic tacs.

Labels: Love

Posted by @ 9:06 PM
7 comment from:  Aisha,  Emory Mayne,  Mr. Khurram,  Mia,  Mia,  Goggles Piasano Ritardo,  Mia,