Every afternoon, like clockwork, they show up. A little early, never in a rush. He carries the flask. She brings the biscuits. Both carry books.
They walk up the gentle slope behind their cottage in the hills, to the quietest corner of the community park, where a lone champak tree leans just so, like it’s listening. The wind carries its scent; rich, sweet, captivating, floral and almost nostalgic. Like a memory you can’t name.
They don’t talk much. But they read.
Hardcovers and paperbacks, borrowed and bought, tattered and crisp; their books often swap hands, but their silence never does. They are perched on a bench under the tree, knees occasionally brushing. She reads with intensity, pausing to underline. Lately, she’s been hooked on Indian suspense thriller novels. He reads like he’s slowly sipping a long-forgotten poem.
Sometimes, one of them gasps or chuckles softly, and the other looks up like a question mark.
“What now?”
“She finally gave it back to him.”
“Ah. Took her long enough.”
They return to their pages.
Some days, the tea stays too hot. On others, the ‘kapi’ goes cold. And neither of them notices until it’s too late and it doesn’t matter anymore. Because what matters is the story one of them will tell the other on the walk back home.
They never read the same book at the same time. That would spoil it. The retelling is half the joy. The way he describes a plot twist like a scandalous piece of gossip. The way she mimics a villain’s drawl with impish flair. That is the evening entertainment. And if you had heard her speak, I can bet you that you would head right to the nearest bookshop to purchase your own copy of the Indian suspense thriller novel she talks about.
They’ve been doing this for years now.
No selfies. No social posts. Just fading footprints in the grass on the way to their cottage close to the champak tree.
If you ask the park’s gardener, he’ll tell you he’s seen a lot of readers over the years. But never two people who seem to love reading each other, and retelling the stories they read quite this way. Hai na amazing?
In the comments below, why don’t tell me about the latest Indian suspense thriller novel that you have read, and why did you like it. What relationship does the humble popcorn have with suspense thrillers? Find out