I Miss You

‘I Miss You’, three simple words.

Short, sweet and yet, quite powerful.

When I think of it, I cannot think of a single instance when someone told me these words and it didn’t make me feel special.

I have often wondered how this line came into being, ‘I love you’ & ‘I hate you’ are more direct proclamations of our feelings, but ‘I miss you’-How did this line originate?

Maybe it started when people actually ‘missed’ someone, as in the missed opportunity of meeting someone-like missing an appointment, or missing a train!

Over the years a guess the sentimental area of our brain (wherever it is), realized that the physical presence of a person in our lives no matter how strong our memories of them maybe is very important to our sense of well being.

When someone says ’I miss you’, it makes you feel important, doesn’t it?

There was a time not so long ago when people would hesitate so much to say the words I love you that they would resort to writing poems, letters, secret messages and do thousands of other weird things struggling to express themselves.

Things have changed now, they really have.

Just the other day, I happened to sit behind a couple at an ice cream parlor  believe me when I tell you-I was not eavesdropping, I didn't have to, in fact this couple was so loud that a bulky woman with a walkie talkie had to calm them down so that the other customers (me included) could have our unbelievably overpriced yet delectable ice cream at peace.

There were almost a dozen of us there and thanks to all the drama unfolding before us we too got involved in their conversation.

“I love you honey”- The handsome young man was saying.

“No, you don’t”. The pretty girl sitting across the table retorted.

“I do, I love you baby”. He said, almost pleading.

“I hate you, I hate you Sunny”. She snapped.

As a group we were stunned by this unexpected reaction from the woman.

“But why”? “Why don’t you love me”? He inquired  the expression on his face was one of deep set anguish and frustration.

She paused to take a scoop of the black currant ice cream in front of her before swallowing it and said-

“I don't know, but I hate you”.

Ahh !!!  We all sighed, It was, what I like to call a palpable sigh i.e like the group sigh you hear in a theatre when you see something outrageous on the screen.

“Please Baby, Please”. The Man cringed.

“No, Sunny No, You don’t love me”! I love you but you don’t love me! She screamed at him.

The bulky walkie talkie lady started moving towards us again.

(Meanwhile in the background)
“I thought she didn’t love him”. The stocky person sitting on the table next to me said to his girlfriend/wife/sister (???).

“Wait wait let’s see what happens”. She replied with a sense of excitement in her voice.

“So you do love me”? The man-Sunny asked the girl.

“No, I don’t” she replied.

“Damn it girl pick a lane. Do you love him or not?” ! A tall guy sitting behind them yelled out.

The Bulky walkie talkie Lady turned to look at him.

“Sorry, sorry, I just got carried away” he apologized and sat back down.

“Do you want one more ice cream”? Sunny asked.

“Yes”. She replied.

Another Black currant was brought to her majesty’s table.

We waited with bated breath, as she ate one scoop of ice cream after another, anxious to know what her final decision would be.

When she finally wiped the cream off her upper lip and stood up to leave she said-

“Thanks for the treat, I’ll think about it and tell you tomorrow if I really love you or not”.

She unceremoniously walked out.

I could see that everyone else in the room was sad for the boy, he was a well built young man probably in his early thirties with very pleasing features. He now sat there alone with a dejected look on his face.

I saw a few guys stand up and pat him on his back offering a few words of sympathy.

I felt compelled to do the same, my heart went out to this young man who was apparently in love with a woman who would rather marry a large lump of ice cream shaped like a man than spend some quality time with this person who was apparently doing the best he could.

I stood up, completely ignoring my vanilla fudge ice cream which was by now a gooey mess.

Then his phone rang.

With some difficulty he yanked out a large cell phone from his jeans pocket and whispered into it.

I was really close, so I could hear him talk-

“Sorry honey still at work, I’ll be home shortly, kiss Tiya Good night for me please”. I heard him say, before he cut the call by uttering three words that obviously meant nothing to him – “I love you’.

I returned to my seat, My Vanilla fudge ripple lost its taste; I slowly walked out of the parlor looking around disapprovingly at all the couples in the room.

Just a few moments ago, I had felt a deep sense of warmth inside looking at the very same people, holding each other’s hands, speaking to each other in hushed tones, looking so beautiful. Now I wondered how many of them were really in love, how many were hiding from their spouses, lying to their wives, their husbands and themselves, it made me feel sick.

I cheerlessly walked toward my bike, I was sad but it was time to go home.

Right then my phone buzzed.

A message from a long lost friend.

Just three words.

“I Miss You”.

I must admit, i felt much better after reading that text.

No matter how bad this world gets, or how meaningless relationships eventually become, there will always be true love out there, trust me, you just need to be a little patient.

Until next time,

TGV