Chapter 7 A walk to remember

 

The party seems to be drawing to close, which really was something I did not want. As much as I loathed coming here and attending this party, these few hours I spent with her would probably last me a lifetime and I wanted them to extend for a few more. Families are wishing my parents for today, as they make their way to the car park. Mom was probably tired from the entire ordeal, because her ever cherubic smile seemed to be waning. Dad was giving the old man-to-man handshakes to all his buddies, and there seemed a large loom of satisfaction on his face for a get-together that spanned out well. Surprisingly, Dave seemed to be missing from all this action. Not that I tried looking for him anyway.

 

As for me, I had temporarily left Maya’s side to help with some of the pack-up work – settling some bills, yet another bribe to a few constables for the long line of cars on the road, and so on. Maya told me that she needed a ride home and was willing to wait till I finished here. I couldn’t really fathom what was going on, it had been a weird night. No, weird was a gross underestimation of the night that this was. Nevertheless, I completed most of the tasks at hand, and returned to her. Maya. Each time I call her name, even without a purpose, it seems to bring a rush of blood to my heart.

“Maya” I called out, bracing myself for the rush.

“Hey…Ready to go?”

 

To the end of the world with you, I wanted to say.

 

“Yeah, sure” I said instead. “I’ll go get the car.”

“Andy, I’d prefer it if we walk. It’s hardly a few hundred meters from here.”

The night was getting weirder.

“Okay, sure” I said, brushing the weirdness aside.

I have to admit, ever since we moved away from each other, I longed to spend time with her like today; even if it was just for a few hours. Today however, I did not know how much longer I could take any of this. There were literally times when I felt like getting down on my knees and asking her to give us another chance. Somehow, the end result did not seem very optimistic.

“What a night!” she exclaimed, as a distant owl eerily resonated sounds through the empty streets.

“Yeah, it was great. I mean, it still is.”

 

The streets of Mylapur were magical, especially with her by my side. The roads were reflecting the street lights as a favor for us, as it seemed like we were walking on a silvery path. The trees swayed humbly with the gentle breeze, as if they were in awe of us. With each breeze, a strand of her hair flew across her face, as she resiliently tucked it back in place. I silently watched as she plucked a drooping flower from one of the trees and tenderly stroked it. There was now a silence amongst us that had not been there until a few hours ago. We walked on for several meters without a word between us.

“I have something to tell you.” she said, breaking the silence yet again. Not that it bothered me anyway.

“Yeah? Go ahead.”

Right that moment, a chill ran through me that almost made me shudder in thought. What if she still felt the same way as I did? What if all the things she said earlier tonight was a cover-up and that she could not hold onto it much longer as well? I gazed into her bubbly, brown eyes with bated breath, awaiting something phenomenal to happen.

“Look, I know you’ve not been able to move on from us. Honestly, I know how that feels, because I’d been there for a long time.” she started, as I noticed a small sigh escaping me.

“Last year, when I started working, I met this guy at office. His name is Anirudh. We met in one of the team meetings and hit it off well. We’ve been seeing each other for almost a year now. He’s really sweet and simple, and I’m in love with him. He loves me too.”

 

I was too shell-shocked to say anything. I just nodded quietly, as I transferred some of my rage to a pebble on the street. It clinked against the light post and I watched where it lay. I’d become numb, almost to the extent that I did not know she was still saying something to me.

“I know it is tough for you, it’s tough for me too, which is why I came today. I wanted to make sure that we parted as friends. We’ve been through too much to simply walk away from each other completely. Andy, are you listening?”

“Yeah, I am” was all I could say.

“Are you okay with this? Can we be friends, please?” she asked me in a tone and look that reminded me of a pup.

I couldn’t help but realize that the girl I had been pining for had moved on, and it was time for me to do the same as well. It was the inevitable truth and it hit me real hard. I mustered my strength and said, “Yes”.

 

I’d rather have her in my life like this, than not have her in my life at all. Sure, I’d struggle to come to terms with this and that dumb Anirudh, whoever he was. At the end of all this though, it would only make me stronger. That has been my golden rule for every obstacle I’ve ever faced- it is helping me get stronger, so I will endure it. Endure, I will.

Before I could see her shadow moving towards me, Maya embraced me in a tight hug. Silence prevailed for a long time. I think I heard her sobbing on my shoulder, as I fought really hard with my tears to keep them away. She was the first to pull away from the embrace, as I came to terms with myself over the last few minutes.

“Let’s go, it’s getting late. I will drop you home and head back home too.” I whispered as she pulled away.

There was a dead silence between us the rest of the way. Nature seemed to respect that, because apart from our footsteps, I could not hear a single sound anywhere. After what seemed like eternity, we reached Maya’s house.

“I don’t think I can ever forget this night. Goodbye Maya. Take care.” I said as I headed back home.

 

It was abrupt, even for my standards. She did not reply. I did not wait. As I walked away, I sensed that she was still at the gate watching me leave, but I did not have the courage to turn back and look at her. I would not be able to stay in control for much longer, even if I wanted to. So I kept walking.

A few meters away from her house, my cell phone rang out. In the silence of this night, it was one sound I did not want to hear. I picked it up anyway, because the name on the screen read ‘Dave’.

“Hey, where are you?” Dave blurted out as soon as I picked the call.

“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I said.

I disconnected the call, without waiting for his response. Silence prevailed yet again, as I walked through the streets, this time alone.

 

 

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