LIFE AND LIES #48 | He and She

He was having a really good time.

She, too.

She was finally in the same place as he was. In love. Until this moment, she had never before confessed her true feelings to him. She took his hand and interlocked it with hers. Then she put her head on his shoulder. The cool breeze ruffled her hair. He tucked them back. In doing so, his hand brushed her cheek. She welcomed his touch.

They didn't say anything, just sat there until they realised it was time to go back. But he didn't want to move from there; just sit there till the whole eternity came to pass.

Nevertheless, they both got up. She was smiling. How he wished for the time to stop, the moment preserved forever. He took her hand and kissed the tip of her fingers.

Daylight was fading. Soon, they left for their homes.

They were saying their goodbyes at the street crossing when someone from behind pulled him by his shoulders. He turned around and saw his mother. He could feel the anger on her face burn through him. And before he could do anything, she slapped her. He tried to restrain his mother but she kept on raining curses at her.

People started gathering around them, whispering to each other. She ran away, tearing through them. She was crying. He wanted to follow her but he couldn't. He was withheld by his mother's firm grasp, her nails piercing his skin. He begged his mother to let him go so that he could comfort her. But she didn’t. Ultimately, he shook his hand so hard it rattled his mother. Her expression turned grimmer. But he left without pacifying her. He wanted her to know that he was hurt, too.

Back in his room, he arranged all his belongings in a small bag. His vacation was over two days ago but he had made an excuse, both at school and at home, so that he could spend a few more days with her. Now, he could barely stay for a moment more.

She would never recover from this. He was sure about that. Whatever little affection she had shown him, she would lock it away, to rot in some deep crevice of her heart. It wasn't fair for her in the first place. He wasn't always around. In fact, two weeks at a time with his family was more than enough for him. His parents weren't bad. It's just that his home never felt like home. And that is what fuelled his feelings for her. Whatever time he was on vacation, he made it bearable only in pursuit of her. He never knew when he fell for her. It's as if the feeling had always been there, like the most obvious thing in the world. He had laid his feelings bare to her a long time ago. And then over and over again. She neither accepted nor declined. She just let it hang in the air or cracked up like he had made a joke. And when he turned serious, she tried convincing him that it was not possible. Still, they met and talked, and had a good time together. Although he was never sure if she felt the same way as he did, there was always that tiny hope that she would come around. And just when he had a glimpse of what he so impatiently desired, in the next moment, all of it had gone puff.

His father appeared in the room, measured the scene but didn’t say anything. The next morning, his father accompanied him to the bus stop. On the way, he told him everything. That he hadn't crossed any line. He just loved her.

He promised his father that he'd never see her again if he saw to it that nobody ever said anything demeaning about her. His father agreed to this compromise with a nod. After waving him goodbye, he got on the bus.

His heart felt heavy. Out of habit, he typed her a goodbye text but then remembered his promise and deleted it. Stuck in traffic, the bus moved slowly. The vehicles behind honked. The bus driver honked in return. The honking grew louder and louder.

He woke with a start, his hands reaching for the empty air as if to grab the remnants of the dream he had just woken up from. It was raining outside. He could hear the thunder.

True to his promise, he got on the bus and never looked back. At times, he wondered where she was; what she was doing. Some random things led him involuntarily to her – her memories.

Especially that last moment together at the street crossing.

Their last conversation – he didn’t know that then.

“Mariam, don’t you worry. I’ll get into a good college. Get a good job. And then we’ll elope. Go somewhere far from here where nobody knows us.”

“You are an idiot, Vishal.”