Light Years Away

It's a Saturday, and that means I get to go camping with my friends. We have made it a regular routine since we've been to college. 

It's evening already, I should get going, they must be waiting for me - I murmured to myself.

So, I left the room and after a few miles of walking, I see some faces, faces that I recognize, these are my friends - Shane and Drago (Vincent). They waved at me. Let me tell you about my friends. Shane - a good-natured man, a little bit shy (but not with us), dark hairs and green eyes, I met him only in college. Vincent - a happy-go-lucky person, always cheerful, a great fan of Pro-Wrestling: inspired by the wrestlers, he liked to be called Drago. We're school friends. 

After an hour of trailing together we decided to rest and it's time for the fun part: the camp-fire, and today is my turn to tell them about the topic of their choice. I felt a baby elephant running in my stomach as Vincent started mincing some words. 

"So how about you tell us about the girl you met in 7th grade? " 

"But you already know abo... " Shane cut in saying "Uh...uuh, you can't get away with this excuse. You never told me. So, you have to spill the beans, right now. "

I guess he left me no choice. I lit up the fire for our camp. 

"It was 9 years ago, when I had just started 7th grade. One fine day, a new girl - confident, smiling (not towards me), brown eyes, black hairs tied in a ponytail- entered our classroom. I was writing something but as I took a glance of her, my hand stopped, something happened in my heart, eyes locked onto her. I thought I entered a trancelike state only to be brought back by our Mathematics teacher – Ms. Green.”

Vincent jumped in, “Yeah! She told us that the new girl is her daughter.”

Shane is really, really shocked. “What! Holy shit! You’re falling for the daughter of your Mathematics teacher…Mathematics. Oh boy! Hey, by the way, what’s her name?”

I continued, “Jessica, but everyone called her ‘Jessi’.”

“Everyone or just you?” - Both teased me.

I laughed and shrugged it away. “Now, lemme continue and don’t interrupt.”

“Okay, so that’s the time of new admissions and Ms. Green made me sit with a new boy to familiarize him about the school. I was wondering – Why, why won’t she make me sit with Jessi.” I sacrificed a log in the campfire. “I spent the whole day looking at her, soaking her smile and voice, whenever she smiled, I dunno but something happened in my heart. I’d been thinking of ways to talk to her but couldn’t find any. Before I could figure anything out, school’s over for that day and she went her way home and I went to mine but couldn’t stop saying her name over and over and over again in my mind and that day she came in my dreams and guess what, we didn’t speak EVEN in the DREAMS.”

Shane asked curiously,” So, what happened the next day? Did you get to talk to her?”

“Kinda, well actually she smiled to me. She was sitting on the bench near to our teacher’s (her mom) and I went to get my exam checked. So, I was standing right beside her (Again something happened in my heart).” I said taking out the blanket from my backpack as it’s getting cold. “I had performed well. As I was going back, she smiled to me. That’s the nicest smile you could ever receive.” I covered myself with the blanket.

Drago went to pee. Shane was waiting for me to continue.

I continued, “Next few days just went without much happening. I had to do something really fast because summer vacations were about to start.” I sighed in frustration. “But I couldn’t figure anything out and then I had to wait for the whole vacation to get over.” Drago joined us while I was speaking, “That’s the first time I didn’t like the vacations.”

Drago said, “Oh! so you told him about the vacation. That sure was a long wait but it’s worth it. That project work helped you to talk to her.”

Shane was looking confused.

I cleared his confusion. “We had to make a project on Mathematics and if it’s good, we’ll get selected for some team competition and I was damn sure that Jessi is gonna take part in it.” I paused to drink some water. “I completed my project on the very last day of our vacation. I wanted to print some calligraphic writing but the printer just didn’t work so I copied the words with my hand because I didn’t want to lose this chance to be with Jessi.”

They both clapped and cheered me.

Shane asked, “Did you get selected or not?”

“Of course, I got selected and as expected Jessi and me and Drago and some other girl were in the same team.”

I went to pee and collect some logs. I returned shortly with logs and put them in the fire.

“Now, we’re spending time together, we’re talking, laughing, we’re becoming good friends. My ship was sailing. By the way, we came 2nd in that competition.”

Drago jumped in saying, “Hey! How ‘bout those dance classes?”

Shane was listening patiently like a child.

“We’d become good friends till now. Once during the dance class, I was in the back of a row and she’s in the front then she also came to the back of the row. That day, we danced together. That dance class felt different from all other days. I wondered – could she be also falling for me.”

Shane asked, “Did you two go out on a date?”

“Yeah! Kind of. But not until 9th grade.”

“How did you ask her out?”

“I remember it’s a summer evening and I was having some issues with my teeth. So, I went to the dentist and he diagnosed me with teeth sensitivity. On my way back home, I heard a familiar voice call my name, that’s Jessi’s; when she says my name, it felt that I have the best name in the whole universe.” I stopped for a moment and had a look at the sky, it's becoming cloudy. I continued amidst the roar of the clouds. “So, this is how the conversation went:

Jessi: Hey! What ya doin’ here?

Me: Nothin’! I…I ju… just came for a walk. What are you doin’ here?”

They both looked at me suspiciously and I told them why would I let her know that I have some trouble with my teeth.

“Jessi: I just came here for the Apple Juice and If you’re not, you know, busy, would you like to join me.

Me: Nah! I’m kinda busy.

Jessi: Ohhhkay!

Me: Hey! I was just joking, you know, sure I’ll join ya, Apple Juice is my favourite.”

Drago interrupted, “What about your teeth?”

“It’s aching as hell but her smile worked as an anaesthetic.”

I paused to drink water and then continued.

“Jessi: Do you play these jokes only on me?

Me: Of course not. My inner voice- yup, only on you.

Jessi: Ok! Let’s go. 

Unfortunately, those glasses didn’t last much longer and then we both didn’t have any reason to stay, so we went our way home. Ironically, she had to take the road that’s exactly opposite to mine.” It started raining. We had to assemble the tent. We did it in just under 5 minutes.

Drago and I waited for Shane to return to the tent. He had gone to pee when we’re finished setting up the tent.

I continued as he returned, “Now, Jessi and I were getting closer, we played together, studied together, went on walks, danced together. Then we’re in 10th grade. The year I last saw her in.”

My heart sank into my stomach as I said these words. I stopped for a moment to wonder will I ever meet her again.

My friends consoled me. Drago said, “Be optimistic chum! You sure gonna meet her.”

Shane gesticulated me to continue.

“It was the exam times. I got to know that she will be going to leave the school after this and continue her studies someplace else. For some reason she didn’t talk to me until the final exam.” 

The sound of rain could be heard falling on the tent. I hope she’s also feeling this rain just like me.

“On the day of the final exam, I just met her at the entrance of our school. I asked her about the exams. We both were performing well in the exams. I knew that after this day, she will not be there in the school, in fact, not in our city.”

The sound of the rain hitting the tent was getting low. I peeked through the opening and realized that the sky was getting clearer.

Shane said, “Hey! Come back and tell what happened next. Did you tell her that you love her?”

“That day, I soaked her voice and smile and memories inside me. I just couldn’t believe that after all these years, I was not gonna see her the next day. She would be gone light years away. I just wanted to keep looking at her the whole day but, you know, that’s not possible.

Jessi: Hey! Want to hang out after the exam?

Me: Sure. Done, see ya after the exam and best of luck.

Jessi showed a thumbs up and went to her classroom.”

Shane asked curiously, “Did you meet her?”

“Yeah! We did meet. We went to the school roof as that was our haunting place. We reminisced the old days we spent together. I wanted to tell her that I love her and as I was about to open my lips, she bent forward and kissed me and then simply left.”

I stopped for a moment and then continued.

“I was there alone on the roof trying to comprehend what had just taken place. Does that mean she also loved me? I can’t tell because I never met her after that day. I’m still waiting for her.”

I said to Shane, “That’s it pal.”

The rain has stopped and so, we can now return to our lodge.

We packed everything and left the camp site in hope that I will find her or she will find me someday.