By Faizur
The first day at school,
love, at first sight, you might say, they knew deep inside what it was.
Life went well, joy-filled.
So serene it seemed;
so inseparable they were, two bodies but one soul;
till one day, life had something in store for them…
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“What the… you look like shit Hameed,” I told him, shaking his shoulders vigorously.
“Long story,” he said as we walked towards a shop.
On seeing him, the shopkeeper pulled out a pack of Marlboro and tossed it. He pulled out one from the pack looking at me.
I hurled the lighter at him. It hit his head as he stood there motionless.
“Kya Hua Bhai,” the shopkeeper asked him, laughing.
It was our usual smoking joint, where once a horde would sit together emptying packets after packets. Now it was just us left.
He picked up the lighter and lit his cigarette without a bit of reaction.
“Let’s grab a seat,” I said, pulling out another from his pack; it was my fourth cigarette from the past half an hour.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I looked at him. His eyes were a window to the storm that his soul was dealing with.
“Who is that girl?” I asked him, laughing.
“Asra,” he replied.
Tears rolled down his eyes as he sat there smoking quietly.
One might tend to forget the number of people they’ve been with but never the first love. Though time passes by, the treasured memories seldom leave the mind.
Feelings, fate’s favorite pastime. It is something that always ends up getting played with. There is always a heartbreaking story behind every happy face.
It would have been better if we would’ve been warned at birth. When a child comes out of a mother’s womb, the first thing said should’ve been, “Welcome to hell, soon you will fall in love and die each day.”
Love is a beautiful term that holds many meanings within itself. People fall in love knowing the consequences and live with false hopes.
Not everyone who falls in love gets the person; not everyone who gets the person they love can spend their life together. Sometimes things are worse than one can even ponder.
“Asra” she was his world, his first love. Their meeting was not something that would stand out, but their love sure was.
“Never seen a girl before?” she asked as she came towards him.
It was the first day of school, he was with his group of friends and so was she.
“N-no I-I w-was n-not looking at you,” he stammered, trying to hide the obvious. He looked away, avoiding contact with her eyes.
“I expected a filmy dialogue,” she said, laughing at his nervousness. Her voice was so melodious that she would put a Nightingale to shame.
He smiled, she laughed, everyone laughed…
Day’s passed by, stealing glances at each other. The more they looked into each other’s eyes, the more they fell in love.
“CCD evening after class?” he wrote on a piece of paper and placed it on top of her desk as he passed by. He walked hastily without a pause till he reached his desk.
While sitting down, his eyes gazed at her. She clutched the piece of paper tightly in her hand and turned back. Their eyes met. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and then a sly smile crept up her lips. She turned away, embarrassed, avoiding eye contact with him.
Suddenly the horde started howling out his name, she turned back, and their eyes met. They gazed upon each other; she blushed and turned back once again; he thanked all the animals in his heart.
He sprinted to CCD after school, though it was at a walkable distance. He opened the door and peeped inside.
Standing there for a while, he scanned the place. His eyes fell on a table near the wall in the farthest corner.
Grabbing a seat, he sat down and let out a breath. From the corner of his eyes, he could see her coming. A smile crept up his lips.
“Your order, sir?” the waiter asked, looking at him.
“Oh…Siiirrrrr,” she teased him, pulling the word long enough to embarrass him.
She laughed, he laughed, the waiter laughed…
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