Tino had had enough. He missed Tasha with every fibre of his being. A visit to Tasha’s home town was now due. After all, what is a couple of hundreds of miles to cure a heart’s aches?

They had been enduring lengthy phone calls ever since Tasha’s graduation. However, there comes a time when a physical meeting should replace a virtual one. 

A fortnight after they parted, Tino started his engine and drove to Nuam. He would arrive after about two hours of imbibing the solitude of a much-desired journey through the wilderness. The entire road was enveloped by a beautiful cacophony of myriad trees with intermittent spasms of agricultural endeavours. 

There was something deeply therapeutic about the green scenery. The classical music playing on Tino’s radio at a decent volume added an almost reverent ambience to the affair.

When Tino arrived in Nuam, he gave Tasha a call. They had agreed to meet at Tasha’s favourite eatery, Pot’s Depot. No discussion was made to meet at Tasha’s home. It was not yet time for such a big step.

Tino found his way to Pot’s and was pleasantly surprised to see Tasha seated. It was now time to address the elephant in the room.

Will a long-distance relationship work? If two hundred miles and two weeks could puncture the heart so thoroughly, how about a thousand miles?

Something had to give. Either Tasha or Tino had to make a compromise or otherwise break things off. The current status quo was untenable.