Reunion

I'll admit that I was a bit apprehensive. After all, I was going to see her after a long time. But the moment I did, I was robbed of all my anxieties. Her beautiful face had never failed to put me at ease, and this time was no exception. It almost felt as if I had never been away.

A lot had changed since we had parted some 14 months ago. She looked a bit different. Of course she retained the same grace and charm as always, but there were a couple of new things too, indeed a sign of how she always managed to keep pace with the changing times. I'm sure she'd have noticed some changes in me too. But if you were to ask, she'd probably want the old me back. Truth be told, so would I.

We sat on the sill of the big window in her room. It was raining outside and the atmosphere was lovely. After the initial pleasantries were exchanged and the conversation started flowing, memories came cascading back. We looked back at the first time we had seen each other, the first words that were exchanged between us, even our first fight. Everything was revisited. All highlights of the days gone by, yet today they were nothing more than specks of dust just like the ones the rain was depositing on the window pane in front of us. We laughed a lot that day...we laughed till there were tears in our eyes. And then I couldn't hold it in any longer.

I wanted to be with her. I missed her patiently listening to my rants and her unbiased advice, I missed her when I was in the mood for some fun, I missed her when I was sad. I missed her on glorious mornings, and at the end of long, tiring days. No one would ever be able to gauge the magnitude of my longing for her.

I told her how much I liked being with her. That was about the only time I could be me, and do things I really wanted, when I wanted to do them. The freedom and space she gave me to grow were so difficult to obtain anywhere else. Why couldn't we be together always? Why did this reunion have to have a time limitation? Why did we have to go back to our now separate worlds at the end of it?

She remained stoic, even as I was pouring my heart out to her. She had a far-away look in her eyes which meant that she was thinking. I knew that prodding her to reveal her thoughts at that time was futile. She'd give me all the answers when she was ready. She'd give me all the answers when I was ready.

We passed the remainder of our sparse time together talking and doing some of the things we both did back in the day. Pretty soon, it was time for me to leave. I was quiet. I hate saying goodbye, and this was only the hardest ever.

 "Let me show you something" she said, and took me back to the window. It had stopped raining now, and the combination of moisture from the rain and dust had rendered it a bit dirty.

"Can you see outside?" she asked. "Not very clearly. What's the point you are trying to make?"

"That this teaches us something. Just like you have to clean the window to get a good view of the outside, you have to let go of the past, so that you can enjoy the time that is yet to come."

"But I'm afraid of cleaning the window because a dirty window reflects what is on the inside. I know it is the one place I can always find you. A spotless window would mean letting go of the past and would also mean letting go of you. I can't do that. I don't want to forget you. What will I do with a future that you are not part of?"

"Oh you silly, silly boy! That will never happen. All the things that have transpired between us have left permanent etchings on your heart, as they have on mine. Try as you may, you can never erase those."

I was still not convinced. She then took my hand in hers, and started to join the specks of dust that had been deposited on the window by the falling rain a few minutes ago. While it seemed random at first, when she finished, I could clearly see a zig-zag path. She placed her hand at one end of the line and mine at the other.

"See how we are connected? And we will always be. Unlike the dust on this window, the markings on our hearts will forever remain, you just have to find a way to connect them. Sure, sometimes that way may not be straightforward, or apparent, but eventually you will always find a path to me no matter where you go. Just remember everything that I have taught you."

She smiled, and so did I. I could now see clearly what she had been explaining for so long. Our togetherness was independent of physical proximity. I felt reassured and light, as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. I was ready to move on.

As I was about to step out she called out to me once again.

"When will you visit again?"

"Soon, maa. Very soon."