never felt his arrow strike. It was an absolutely ordinary day in my ordinary life. Neither too hot, nor too cold. I was neither too busy, nor too relaxed. Neither happy, nor sad. My colleagues and I were gathered around my cubicle, contemplating going for a movie that night.

Somewhere in the heavens, Cupid was busy shining his arrow.

"A little bit of gold dust, a dash of angel powder … Ah it's almost ready," he said to himself. Then he picked up the love brush that lay beside him, a gift from his mother Aphrodite, and wrote out the seven-letter name with bold strokes on the arrow. "All set for today" he thought to himself, his impish smile betraying the mischief he was up to

I was never introduced to him, but I was aware of his presence. My boss had called him down to help me out with some configuration settings on my machine. I sat and followed his instructions, but I wasn't fast enough for him.

"Mind if I drive for a while?" he asked and without waiting for a reply, took control of the mouse and keyboard. I sat patiently by his side, watching.

Cupid took aim. "Must get it absolutely right, the first time", he said to himself. Twang!! He released the arrow from his bow and watched it glide downwards from the heavens, slowly at first then faster as it made its way towards the Earth.

"So you're coming for the movie?" he asked me.

"No" I replied.

"Why not?" he queried.

It was a question I wasn't prepared for. Well, I don't know you and your friends was what I wanted to say. "Generally" was what came out.

"That's not a good reason at all," he said softly, still looking straight into the monitor while tinkering with my machine settings.

The arrow was gaining speed. It cut through the clouds creating a silver path of light behind it, which illuminated the bright blue sky.

He turned to face me, caught my gaze and held it. Our first eye contact. Then he arched his eyebrows, looked straight into my soul and said, "I don't mind".

Zonk. The arrow went straight through my heart and I never knew what hit me.

He'd turned away but I was still staring. Was he just flirting, I asked myself? Did he want me to go? Why am I so nervous all of a sudden?

The only person who knew the answers to that was watching from a far away place. "Through for the day", he snickered as he wrote down the two names in his diary.

I was still in a daze. I went for the movie, but didn't follow it. We all went to a diner for dinner. I couldn't eat. I laughed at the chatter but couldn't speak. All I did was smile. A smile that originated from where the arrow had struck and grew in intensity as it moved towards my lips. A smile that put a glow on my face and exhilarated my soul. A smile that I took to bed and woke up with, in the morning. The sky was blue the trees were green, yet I had not seen their beauty the day before.

Meanwhile Cupid was shining another arrow. Another name, another life, another day. For him the ritual was unchanged.

I followed him around like a love-struck puppy for a few months. Was a passionate lover for a short while, until the green-eyed monster caught up with me. Next came the phase of the heart broken romantic - still waiting, still hoping. How many more phases are there? Haven't I seen all the hues of love already?

The only person who knows the answers is watching from a far away place. When I get up there, I'm going to take this up with the management. The winged child should not be allowed to fire a single arrow. For when he fires two together he creates joy and happiness. But when he fires one, he puts a little bit of sadness in along with the love.

No, no day would ever be ordinary again.