It's Wednesday evening, the clock just past four thirty, with dusk wrapping itself like a gray wool blanket over the city sky. A once busy city is gradually slipping into night. Yet the pulse of life takes you through the chaos of evening traffic. Two souls, tired from the day, silently riding carefully through the aggravating mass of rush hour commuters. They both are in their thoughts, thinking over whatever challenges the day brought forth, listening to the radio in the background to ease their mind from exploding on each other for no particular reason.
In the cozy comfort of their four door sedan, Mark and Ella sat in complete silence, too wrapped up in their thoughts to strike a conversation. Their Wednesday ride home from work was a silent pilgrimage, marked only by the occasional turn signal clicking, the radio softly playing their favourite classics. There was not even a glance towards each other direction her eyes on the road his out the window, no discussions of how their day went, not even a sigh uttered. Both of them too exhausted or perhaps, too lost in their own thoughts. They were just upset. About what? Who knows.
Maybe it was something from work, the long meeting that went over into Ella's lunch break, the problematic co-worker Mark had to deal with or perhaps the everyday wear and tear of life taking its toll. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the growing silence between them, something both recognized but neither had the courage to address. The same routine of life stretching them thin. Each wound around their daily grind, their minds consumed by never-ending to-do lists. And in this run-of-the-life, their connection had gotten lost somewhere.
Meanwhile, the radio kept playing.
It sang their song, a slow dance number from years ago when they were just two naive souls learning about each other. It serenaded their dreams, about those exotic vacations they promised each other. The soft melodies cornered their regrets and whispers of reconciliation. All while the city passed by them in a whirlwind of twinkling lights and obscure shadows.
Each song stirred a whirlpool of emotions inside them, perhaps making them feel even more isolated. For the music evoked memories that now felt like nothing more than echoes. Each melody, a pointed reminder of how distant they'd become from one another.
And so they kept driving, turning at the usual intersections, stopping at familiar traffic lights, hands occasionally meeting at the gearshift – an inadvertent touch sparking memories of old intimacy. All the while, their faces illuminated only by the warm dash-lit glow and the outside city's cool light – presenting the silent of everyday life.
It was just another ride home. Just another typical Wednesday, full of obstacles and struggles with small battles fought within themselves. An unsaid promise lingering between them, hinting towards a better tomorrow. After all, home was waiting. The one place where they can shed their grievances and slip back into being Mark and Ella, the once star-crossed lovers, bound together by dreams and hopes. Because tomorrow is another day, and who knows, the next car ride could be full of laughter, conversation, and love.