Verbalism Personified

Lost in the Moment

Dragging my tired body out of the office that same day, I headed out to town on an errand. Walking along Orchard Road towards Wisma Atria, I was greeted by the sight of a couple standing toe to toe in a kissing embrace.

Three pedestrians behind me made no attempt in concealing the fact that they had seen it too.

With sneers and sniggers, their conversation predictably decended in to a mat-saleh-this and mat-saleh-that commentary long after the couple had disappeared from view. Citing everything from a lack of self control to blatent acts of indiscretion, it was a tirade right out of a puritan sermon.

It was obvious that the moment we had chanced across was lost to them. Though the couple was not engaged in brazen fondling or kissing of the deep-tonguing variety, their need for each other was evident by the way she rose to meet him as he leaned forward to kiss her. Exchanging playful pecks, theirs was a magical moment in a sea of faceless pedestrians.

Had they known each other for long? Did they miss each other after an absence? Or were they intoxicated with the joy of a budding relationship? For all that familiarity, nothing else mattered to them. They were lost in the moment.

And what of my fellow pedestrians, who were quick to point out that society had gone to the dogs? I wondered what their lives were like. To not see the beauty before them but rather to savage a moment of tenderness, I doubted very much that they were fulfilled individuals.

Perhaps it is upbringing and social conditioning. Asian culture has never been known for nurturing affection. Too much paternalistic oversight and you breed an emotionally stunted society. However things are changing and our fellow streetwalkers could be a minority. There may be hope for us yet.

So the next time you see your sweetheart, give him or her a hug and a kiss! Savor the moment. For that may be all that we have.

posted by Teutoburg @ 8:05 PM