“Writings are just a waste of time”, the writer said, exhausted after reading a critics comments on his social fan page, “What is it that these people want? If they don’t want to read it then don’t. Who asked them to put in such awful comments?”

Kim looked at her husband, he certainly looked exhausted. Perhaps his time as an author was over after two consecutive bestsellers, or perhaps people wanted him to outdo himself this time… expectations too hard to catch up to. She sighed in her seat and went to make breakfast.

It was early in the morning, the location of this house let the writer hear the birds chirping. “Oh, what a bliss this is”, were the words on his first morning at the house. The writer would often get up early and look outside the window as the sun rose. Nowadays, the sound of these chirps was muffled by the voices of new comments and even though his eyes welcomed the rising sun, his thoughts kept recalling the critics words. The harder he tried to ignore it, the harder he tried to write the correct words, the more difficult it got with each passing day.

As time rushed forward, deadlines were missed, and thoughts became more chaotic. Less people followed him and there came a time when only a couple hundred were left. Scared to lose them as well, the writer tried to make the story based on the comments these followers commented… and went as far as to leak the final edit to a few to make sure that the words were appreciated. But as they say, conflict will arise if there is more than 1.

Slowly these couple hundred were reduced to a mere 10…and then one. Yes, there was one follower who always supported him, irrespective of what he wrote. That one was the only thing that kept him going, kept him sane. Even though he never listened to the changes Kim asked him to make, the words of that one follower was like law, needed to be thought on.

It was another five years when he realized that his wife was that follower, when he saw her laptop open by chance and matched the username of the follower. Tears rolled out his eyes for not seeing and understanding something right in front of his own eyes. That was the main purpose of a writer, to understand the feelings even if they are not said and yet he failed to see!?

As much time had passed in their relationship, he didn’t know how to communicate this to his wife even after knowing this fact. Nor did Kim know how to convey her feelings to him after all this time. And so, they kept on communicating online as a follower and the writer… knowing each other too well and yet not having the courage to break the ice.

Often, or rather almost every time it so happens that people forget to embrace and understand the ones closest to them, who always remain by their side. And they don’t get a chance to embrace them when they finally understand.

-Siddarth