The Unexpected Tackle

As he walked back from the gym, he mused over the week. It was just a Thursday and the week would be ending soon. But it had been such a damm good week. He had just been in a marathon yesterday and the body pain was exalting. His body was in pain, but it was splendid. His legs were stiff but they moved intensely under the harsh summer sun. He smiled and looked up to the sun, “ You lost yesterday! Better luck next time.” As his office building neared, the thoughts of bourbons and hot milk was a welcomed relief. His stomach grumbled in a very audible tone. As he quickened his pace towards the building, he saw her exit out of the building.


Today she had attended a conference, something she thought would be boring but turned out to be quite informative and fun. Yesterday she had seen a marathon. On Saturday, she was planning to watch a very acclaimed cricket match. It was just a Thursday and the week was ending soon. But it had been such a damm good week. The conference had just gotten over and she was in a hurry. She had to catch the 1 p.m. bus or else she’ll miss the next flight back home. She didn’t want anything to spoil the good weekend she had so far. As she hurried down the hall towards the door, she regretted wearing those high heels. They were biting her feet, but the thought of sleeping in her own bed made her accept the pain and hurry up the pace. If she missed the plane, it would delay her the comfort of her home by at least another 7 hours. She would also have to spend gruesome troublesome painful and extremely long boring hours at the airport; something that she wasn’t really looking forward for. Her week had been tremendous and she wanted it to remain that way. She exited the building, groaning at the hot sun shining down at her. Her comfortable bed and the bottle of Chardonnay wine in her cabinet whispered, “A few more hours”. As she stepped into the pavement, the sun was clearly glaring down upon her, testing her endurance. A boy, much younger to herself was walking towards her. She saw him smiling broadly as he walked up to the door. She smiled to herself, at least someone can find humor under the sun.


As she got closer to him, he looked down at her feet and saw the insanely high heels. He wondered to himself as to why women tend to wear such uncomfortable shoes. He grinned at her at which she smiled back at him. As she got closer, he said, “Be careful, You’ll trip!” She laughed at his response “I know, but I need to rush. Got a plane to catch” At that moment, he had served enough of a distraction for her. In that particular moment, the smile on her face was replaced by surprise just for a second as it transitioned to an alarm. As if the world had slowed down to that moment, he saw her, frame by frame inching towards the ground. Her blondish hair’s gentle symphony was disrupted and it flew over her face as if trying to hid the rising anxiety which was now clearly reflected on her face. He eyes saw her motion as something familiar; similar to a football being passed to him, falling in front of him, waiting for him to receive it before an opponent does. The thought of reaching the ball and taking it from or before his challenger immediately triggered him in motion. As a smile drew up on his face, he crouched for a nanosecond and immediately shot forward towards the ball with all the potency his body could muster. Instinctively his upper body moved back slightly as his lower body slid into a tackle in a desperate attempt for his legs to reach the ball, to receive it before it touched the ground, to steal it from the opponent. As his body slid on the rough concrete, his eyes caught a glimpse of her blonde hair which was now chaos personified. As his mind slipped back in reality, his smile now broad enough to fit a hanger in his mouth, he swiftly straightened his hands and just like a dream an angel fell into his arms.

The Gun Club

The drive up the hill was a long one. As the car rolled up the narrow winding road, she looked at him. There he was, the best thing that had happened to her since puberty! His strong slender arms controlled the driving wheel precisely down the perilous road. He looked into her eyes and smiled. Though the journey was a long one, she was enjoying it. After all, she had him; she had time and she was happy. They were driving to his cabin. Located near a lake and surrounded by comforting trees, it was an ideal sport for them to celebrate their 3nd year anniversary. She hated long rides but this time it was different. This time, she was with him. This time the drive led them to a haven of love. He had recently dragged him to a gun club. She was reluctant at first but when she got a hang of it, she enjoyed the experience thoroughly. At one point, her shooting even scared her. She had never thought she would enjoy a sport as wild as shooting. But the feeling of cold steel on her skin, the shock of recoil on her shoulder and the power to decimate the target brought a strange comfort into her body. He had to gingerly drag her away as the night drew to an end. The anger that he had made her spend their anniversary night a gun club had faded away. Happiness crept in when he told her that the gun club was a prank and he had a surprise for her waiting at the cabin.


He had taken her to the gun club as a surprise anniversary present. He hoped that he would be able to reveal her ‘wild side’. The look on her face clearly showed a strong hint of anger with a touch of annoyance. He was never good at reading girls and he wasn’t ready for this. But something changed with time. After a few shots at the target, he could very clearly see a smile across her face. A smile which he found very scary. Why was this girl, who was into music and art; smiling while decimating a target with high velocity projectiles? Her accuracy was remarkable; needless to say she was as good as one of the guys. As each of her shots pierced the target, her smile grew. It was not the wild side he wanted to see in her. He hoped she would miss a few, slip a few and enjoy a few. He remembered the initial anger he had glimpsed. It was likely he was the target; she was imagining him in the target and shooting, taking her rage at it. He missed the girl in her when a plan flew into his mind. Ignore today and make a better tomorrow. His cousin had a cabin up a nice lonesome hill which looked by lake. It was the perfect artistic spot she would have loved to be at today. Today’s present will be a prank and tomorrow will be a surprise. It was clear that she was enjoying herself today so it would fit in perfectly. She would be escalated by the new surprise. He would visit the cabin, fill it with paint, brushes and canvas. Bring out the girl in her again, the girl he very much wanted to see right now. He glimpsed at her, firing off at the target, hitting it close to a man’s vital spot. He smiled. He was lucky, to get a girl who surprises him so much; To get a girl who would fit in with the guys; To get a girl who was his for the keeping, and he was hers. As he walked towards her, now with a smile on his face, he made a mental note for himself, “Keep her away from guns!”.