The priceless touch

A chilly evening it was
Scarves and sweaters were all around the park
I sat there shivering in the cold
Sitting beside me was she, enjoying the sight of the mischievous kids playing..
Not withstanding the cold, I grabbed her hand
The warmth of her soft palm pressed against mine was bliss
I moved myself closer to her, making her cheeks turn a shade of pink..
Resting my head upon her shoulder
I shut my eyelids to open the gates of heaven
Blew a cold breeze then
Her hair caressed my face gently and spread a smile
My grasp on her hand tightened
A moment's fight to take back her hand from mine
But she soon gave in, her palm growing warmer by every minute..

"Shall I ask you something?" she whispered
I tilted my head
And looked into those two beautiful black lotuses floating in the white sea..
"Which is the touch you like the most?" came the question
The eyebrow rose up above my eye
 "The touch of my palm or the touch of my hair?!" she completed it..
I let out a chuckle
But those black lotuses remained stationary determined for an answer
What was love without such silly questions?
And I decided to give her the answer..

Raising my head, I took it closer
Our breaths battled against each other
The mole beside her right eye looked like a star in the endless sky
The lotuses in her white sea had grown bigger
And I placed a kiss
A kiss on her cheek!
Even a botanist would have mistook them for roses
So blushed were they
She had gotten her answer for my most favorite touch
And she looked away, smiling and letting me rest my head on her shoulder again..

But I felt guilty
As guilty as a child with a broken toy
I hadn't told her the truth
The kiss was just a cover-up
But how could I tell her?
The warmth of her palm
The way her hair stoked my face
Her rosy cheeks
All were my top favorites
But there was a touch I loved more than any
An addiction from my birth
A touch she might not understand
A touch with a power of its own
A touch that fed and cared and blessed me

The touch of my grandmother's wrinkled hand!!