One Phone Call

                                            One Phone Call

“Just say it”. You silently reminded yourself. You knew you would regret it if you didn’t. Life had come full circle, heard it many times but experienced it today. You don’t realize the importance of a person unless you feel there is a fair chance of losing him. If you don’t say it today, you will regret it for the rest of your life. These words kept haunting me today and today was an important day.

Sitting alone while traveling on a bus, do you remember the first meeting with a person, yes the special one in life. Our first meeting was very brief, a short introduction where we got introduced to each other by a common friend. Who knew a short meeting where we just exchanged a smile with each other, was going to change the whole meaning of life. You cannot sometimes get over that first feeling for someone even when you are grown up, in your late twenties. It seems strange. The whole memory was fresh as the early morning light. It came into my eyes like a dream which for some reason I did not want to end. Will he still remember those few meetings? What if he doesn’t? So many questions popped up in my mind. It was raining outside. The windowpane of the bus was becoming foggy with the raindrops and the speed of the bus was slowing down for some reason.

 People come and go in your life, but very few leave a long-lasting impact. You might be wondering what made him special and unique. He was good looking and intelligent, you can say witty. Witty and smart! Love isn't blind always. You might be wondering about those meetings where we hardly talked. After the first meeting, he came across me once at University. You can easily guess that the person had paced his walk just to match my pace. He had seen me from a distance.

 Looking back you realize why you can't keep your ego aside for some time. Opportunity never knocks a second time, but in this case, it came. The meeting happened at the marriage of our common friend and we managed to talk, a casual conversation though. Gosh! Why we meet people we love and then part.

 Being an introvert when you interact less, the meetings were very few. So less you can even count them. Just three or four, but even those were enough to bring a smile on my lips whenever I thought about them. Somewhere in my heart of hearts, there was a belief that he still remembered those beautiful moments and wanted me in his life. But what if he didn’t? Those casual interactions with some teenagers are only momentarily.

  So many things happened over the years. A girl like me never makes the first move nor did he. You know when someone likes you, could see in his eyes. Those piercing blue eyes made me understand and realize what first love means. But then fate had some other plans. He went out of the country to pursue higher studies without any commitment. He had left the country for a bright future. You cannot keep waiting for a person because of the assumption that he liked you and that too some ten years back.

The bus suddenly stopped, probably someone had reached his stop. What about the fellow passengers of my journey?

   The wedding was scheduled to be in a month or so and you are still thinking about the past. A phone call suddenly brought me back from the reverie.

Mom was calling and there were six missed calls. Oh no! I Picked up the phone and answered her call. Wondering what was wrong, so many questions came and you have to answer them no matter where you are. One of the queries was, why do you sound so feeble? When will you reach back? Don’t forget to get your dress.

  Mothers get anxious, especially when you are going to get hitched. How do mothers keep track of so many things? You get irritated for a while, but then you can't express yourself when co-passengers are watching you in amusement. They don’t allow you to even talk in peace.

 Finally, the bus came to a complete halt. The rain had stopped but the roads were flooded with heavy rain. By taking some steps on foot and the supermarket was almost there.

 Checking the shopping list, again and again, sometimes makes you even fail to notice what is going around. What if you miss any item? Each item has to be purchased today. While checking and almost lost in thoughts you have to make sure not to bang into someone.

 The Supermarket seemed more crowded than usual. Was there any upcoming festival for which the people were shopping? No matter why this place was thronged today, it wasn’t going to impress me and that too when you are already feeling gloomy. Almost there and now the final thing to buy from checklist, dress. You have to look special at your wedding no matter if you are happy or sad. Are you silly, you still think about him? Swaying here and there I banged into a person and realized that he was our common friend. He was excited and surprised too. After ten years we met and that too today. He had tried to reach me many times, this is what he told me. You don't know how to react, whether be sad or feel happy. He took out his phone and gave me a number. Some people don't get a second chance, but you have been given the third chance when finally you get to know how much he wanted to reach you before leaving the country. Suddenly a phone booth near the dress shop caught my eye. I had to choose where to go first. Today or never. You won’t regret it if you don’t do it today. Two roads are leading to the destination and you have to choose which one you want. You can choose where your heart leads you to or the other.