no curtain call.

She came swinging from the strong cord; hair flying, her dress soaring with the action and she bumped into him and they both toppled to the ground, staring into each others' eyes with such deep emotions.

With that the curtains were closed and the crowd was on its feet, applauding.

She makes sure the curtains have been drawn before hurriedly getting up from where she had fallen on top of him. She dusts herself and looking around, because she doesn’t want to look him in the eye.

'Um…nice show…I got to change' she says and rushes to her changing room.

He raises his eye brows but doesn’t say anything as he lifts himself off the floor and looks around. He can hear the praises of the crowd also the sounds of it shuffling out the doors of the theater. The crew has already started clearing the stage. The director doesn’t looks up from where he's already planning out the next play. He doesn’t comes up clapping his hands and shouting 'good show, brilliant!' like he used to.  Sigh, people change to fast. He signals to one of the men and he hastily gets him a coke can. At least the love of acting remains, he thinks to himself peeking behind the curtains at the bare hall. He makes his way to the dressing room.

She's all changed and washed; Wet hair dripping and hand bag ready on her shoulder. She hangs her costume on the rail and turns only to find him coming in sipping coke.

'Great show right? Coke?' he holds a spare can in his other hand which she hadn’t notice. But she knew he wasn’t sharing his own. Maybe.

'Yes! Thanks.'

'I do like the ones themed on love. So deep, right?' he makes it sarcastic.

'Very! Not that it really matters, it's all acting and people are so easily fooled' she says with a nervous laugh.

'They sure are, but it's only so long till they are fooled. Deep down they know the truth, don’t they?' he really means it this time.

'Yeah I guess…'

'Then why not stop the act for those who know the truth. Why lie to their faces? Why not tell them the truth? Make it easy for both'  he is now standing close to her, looking at her intensely while she looks down at her feet.

'Maybe it's not the right time? Maybe not the truth...... I got to go' she passes him and gets out the door but what he says stops her in her tracks.

'But don’t you see it is. The perfect time or the perfect place might never come; maybe this is the ideal time. Say it! You might not get the chance again'

She smiles, she turns 'but I don’t have to say it when you know it'

'I know it' he says and envelopes her in a heartfelt embrace.

This time there is no curtain call, no music and no applauds. It's real, it's love.

Momina.