Morning

If you were to ask Heart Surgeon Rohit Sippy about the most favourite part of his day, he would think a little before saying "Morning", with a slight smile on his face.

"What about the days when you have to perform surgeries through the night or stay at the hospital to care for some patients? Do you still like mornings when you are exhausted?" You might ask next.

"Even then, mornings are the best," Rohit would reply, instantaneously this time, with an even wider smile on his face.

The most natural follow up question you'll put forth next would be, "Any specific reason for liking mornings so much?"

This time Rohit would pause and think before replying, the charming smile never leaving his face.

He would think of all the mornings he woke up to Sona sleeping peacefully in his arms. When he pushes her hair back from her face and kisses her softly on the forehead, an almost imperceptible smile adorns her face. How's he to put into words what that smile does to him?

When Sona returns early in the mornings from her night shoot and curls into him, his arms encircle her out of their own volition and he pulls her closer to himself. His sleep hazed mind knows that he'd have to start his day soon, but he just wants to stay there with her for the moment. Rohit wonders if his feelings at those moments can even be described in any existing language.

Whenever their crazy schedules allow them, he and Sona go out to jog together around the neighbourhood. They talk, they laugh and sometimes just stay silent and enjoy the calm, which only early mornings can bring in a city like Mumbai. Though he'd hoped that people would just get used to her presence in the neighbourhood with time, some of Parvati's fans track them down and ask her for photographs and autographs. He's made the cameraman more often than not and tries to act all annoyed at the mirth shining in her eyes at his plight. He knows that she sees right through his false annoyance, laughs heartily at him but still squeezes his hand just an extra bit when he takes her hand in his. Can the feelings behind this gesture be captured in any form?

Then there are mornings when he returns from the hospital after attending an emergency in the night. Sona wakes up as her alarm goes off and scans the whole room with half open eyes when she doesn't find him in bed. The moment she locates him, she gets up from the bed in all her tousled hair glory and pads her way to him. He swears that's the most beautiful sight in the world, and doesn't know who to thank for letting him be the one to be able to witness it regularly. In that moment, it seems as if all the exhaustion of last night leaves his body as she hugs him. He can't help but just smile as he rests his head on top of hers. He tries putting the reason behind his smile in words, but fails.

"Because mornings bring a feeling of... contentment." He would finally say.

You'd probably nod but Rohit Sippy would go about his day, knowing that he'd never succeed in articulating the perfect response to that question.