Before I started to turn and run away from the moment, I
guess I kept staring a little longer and gave her the time to notice me. As
soon as she started walking towards me with the confused look, I started
searching for something to stare at and walk away from the place. I failed, and
she stood there, right in front of me.
“What are you doing here?” with a totally puzzled look and
the voice showing more of a concern than the surprise.
It’s been 5 years since I have heard her and plus one day
since I have seen her. I was equally surprised seeing her at that moment.
That’s the only sentence I could frame at that moment, and she stole it from me,
right before I could react.
I stood silent - the
longest 30 seconds of my life. She broke the silence again with a much
simpler question and a lot calmer – “How are you? What were you doing all these
years?”
She is full of
questions, I thought. “I’m – I’m good!” I said bluntly. That’s how we are
trained, right? How good or bad you may feel but when someone asks you, you
always respond that you are fine.
“You are seeing me after years and this is the level of
enthusiasm you show? Ok anyway. Where are you traveling to?” within moments she
looked upset, but I could sense she was trying hard to stay calm.
I have known her for a long time since college and the
initial couple of years into work. I have not spoken to her in college. We both
got into the same company and the same joining date at Bangalore. When nobody
was there on the first day at work – We had no choice other than to keep
company. It’s a roller coaster 3 years where we grew from acquaintance to just
friends to best friends. I would say a little more than best friend and she
would always deny it. And, then it all changed overnight when she said her
parents are looking for a groom for her to get married.
“Ahmm.. Bom-di-la, may be Dir-an..” before I could complete
the sentence, she started walking back to one of the agents and spoke
something. She came back after minutes of discussions with the travel agent and
told me “Next cab is at 5:30 PM”.
The next one hour she was full of questions and I could
hardly answer any. I was silent most of the time. Actually, I was trying to
process the fact that she is sitting next to me and talking to me – for real,
after years. Maybe, I am still staring.
“How are you?” I
asked her. She smiled, the same smile
after all. We just sat by the Brahmaputra river and staring the majestic
river flowing with full power. This should have been Brahmaputra sea – I
thought. She broke the silence again with the same question.
“What are you doing here? How are you?” She never answers
the questions with answers but questions. We got into the shared cab and I
started talking.
“I switched companies. Changed rooms. Changed numbers. I did
not have anyone to share cooked food anymore, so started going to restaurants.
Ate my lunches and dinners - alone - staring at a wall. I started traveling
alone – I got the window seats by the way, took our... my bike – to Ladakh and
every single state I could think of. Fractured bones – right hand and people
advised not to drive bike again. Clearly nobody had any influence over my
decisions after you were gone and rode my bike again to Ladakh. I kept changing
the areas and companies again for every street we walked and every food joint
we ate kept reminding me about you. But, could never run away from my thoughts.
I know I missed you every moment but what other choice did I have?”
She looked at me keener as if she is getting into my brain
and validating the statements. Moments later she started fuming, “You fractured
your hand? You think I will be sympathetic with that summary of yours? Don’t
talk. You did not even care to make a call? Not even a text message?”
I was
wondering did she even hear anything after my fracture – particularly the sentences
that had ‘you’. In the next 4 hours of journey – she learnt everything about
me. I felt I am still at the same point – I just knew she is fine and nothing
else about her in the past 5 years. It was well past midnight 1:30 AM, Bomdila
– it was complete dark and freezing cold.
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