Half A Wish

Old story written for a contest, according to their specifications...

************************************************************************

"Mary had a little lamb….", "At least she had someone!" said Tippi, thinking aloud, while passing a group of kindergarten students learning the classic nursery rhyme in typical sing-song voice.

Many people who will look at Tippi will not exactly call her alone. She had friends to call upon, talk to and shout at, which is more than some can even hope for. She was bright, beautiful and healthy, in prime of her life. Now don't get the impression of a poor little rich girl, mind you! She was definitely not one. She had a nice cushy job as an executive assistant in an upcoming law firm. Only thing that she did not have was warmth! You see, she was not the foolish kinds to believe in love, at first sight or any other kind, and she also did not have any kind of faith in love being the essence of any relationship. She believed in mutually building trust on the foundations of commitment and if there is such a thing as luck, falling in love with the same person.

While crossing the kids singing the rhyme, she felt an overwhelming yearning, arising from deep inside her belly, to have someone to share her thoughts, life and apartment with. "What I will not give to have someone, ANYONE be with me whenever I want him. We can take care of each other, hold each other's hand and when necessary, curse the world together." It is said to beware of the spoken word and be sure about what you wish for, because it may come true. If only Tippi realized how her wish was going to come true!

Tippi spent the day in her office doing her usual work, making the same gestures, smiling at regular intervals and getting upset on the usual things. It was a Saturday that was working on and the thoughts of loneliness in the morning had not made her any happier. Eventually, she finished her work and by three in the afternoon was approaching the familiar and well-worn steps of her little apartment. She opened the room and immediately sensed a certain kind of uneasiness in the air. She flicked on the light switch and ran a cursory glance around the living room. Nothing was out of place. She checked the phone. It was working. She apprehensively stepped towards the bedroom door and pushed it open like she had seen cops do on TV with a baseball bat in her hand instead of a gun. It was empty. The only place left to check was the bathroom. It took her shaken nerves ten full minutes to approach the door handle and by the time she had reached the shower curtain, she was shaking with the combination of fear, nervousness and excitement.

Slash!

Behind the shower curtain was a man crouching with his head bent, holding something close to his body, and blood was oozing from between his hands. Tippi screamed. So did the guy. Then came another high pitched noise that could anything from a samurai war cry to a banshee. It turned to be a cat instead.

"Please, please, o please save my Leo! He is hurt and so am I. I was running from the cops and tumbled down and hurt myself." The man pleaded to Tippi. He seemed to be around thirty-five with a part tough, part gentleman looks and had a large, black and dignified even in injury, Persian tomcat with him. Tippi was already in love. The emotion that she had deemed futile all these years had sneaked up on her and taken her with surprise. Oh, but what a pleasant surprise it was!

By nightfall, Tippi had both the intruders bandaged, fed and settled in comfortable beds. She had given up her queen-size bed for the handsome stranger who seemed to have a very interesting profile. The cat was settled right beside and was already in very deep sleep. Tippi sighed and collected her book and glasses from the bedside table and labored towards the living room.

Sitting near the fireplace, Tippi thought over the events of the day and mused over how her wish had come true. There was no point denying in it. It was meant to happen and it will happen, the only question was when. The stranger was a Mexican businessman traveling from California where he had stayed all his life. Today, he was going back to his roots, back to Mexico to help his uncle after he had lost all of his family in a plane crash. He was planning to settle there. "Mexico! How exotic!" thought Tippi, letting out a deep sigh of contentment mixed with pleasure.

Sunday morning was bitter-sweet. Parting is always painful whether from a loved one or from a car or an apartment where one has lived for seven years. But she had met Patrick only yesterday and he was leaving. Though it was a little saddening, the gift that she had received was worth everything! Sher Khan, the Persian cat, was purring on her shoulders and grooming himself. He had filled her heart with warmth and fulfilled her need to taking care of someone. Wishes do come true, and how!