It’s the Small Things | An Ocean of Hugs |
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There are different types of hugs. One of my favourite kinds is the one that hits in waves – unexpected, rushing towards you, looking for the shore to reach, just long enough to rest before slowly receding. It’s like the ocean: loud, monstrous, dramatic and performative on the surface, but calm and silent in the depths. It is something set out to save you, or make you skip a beat. I remember having experienced this hug only once.
A friend from college, meeting me after a semester break, once crashed into me out of nowhere, knocked the breath out of me. For a second, I was sure I was dying – but no, I had only been pulled into a hug. I had at least three layers of clothing on me (thank you Delhi winters, your Kerala girl sends regards); a shame that I couldn’t feel that hug in my bones. Nevertheless, then came the words.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Now, that is the best of hugs, the one with the yearning. “I missed you,” he........