Rant 187 : How long is forever?

“Where’s the key?”

“On the bed, right there. You go down and get the car ready, I will join in a minute”

I took the keys and went downstairs. Took the cover off the car and wiped it clean.  Rolled down the windows so the stale smell goes off. Arranged the seat towels and the dashboard. All this took some 20 minutes. We were home after a long time and I would be driving today. Seldom do I get a chance to drive in my hometown. I cleared off the car and kept it ready at the parking to start.

He came downstairs and we began. It was the first time that I had come back on a vacation and my parents weren’t home. I was here in my homecity with one of my closest friends and I really wanted to take him around the city. We started at some 5.30 in the morning, so we could go around the city in the least traffic.

“Its cool, the wind is so nice. No wonder why you hate that place”, he said.

“Yea, I am used to this place, the greenery and the good people and comfortable life from here. The metro cities feel like a mad rush. I like it much better here. But job concerns, you know!”

“Hmm”.

I took him around the marine drive road, the one built next to the river for around 9 km. For a city of our scale, it is big thing. He was excited to see how a river abutting such a highly industry based city was not polluted to an extent which rivers in the metro’s were.

Suddenly he saw a spiced cold-drinks shop.

“Oi, is this the same shop you talk about all the time?”

“Yea yea”, I replied.

“Stop the car, I will get a glass for both of us!”

“Sure”

He took two glasses and gave one to me. He returned to pay him, but he was short of change. I handed him over my wallet and sat back in the car. He paid the vendor and came back inside. We moved next to an interesting place, a spot from where you could see the furnaces of the steel factory. But he wasn’t responding properly.

“What’s up, not feeling well?”, I asked.

“No, I am fine”, he said while we walked upto the point from where we could see the whole of the city.

“You look off man! Whatsup?”

“I saw her photograph in your wallet, are you still not out of it yet?”

Took me a second to realise that he was talking about her photograph in my wallet. It was long back – some 7 years ago, that I’d promised my 3 closest friends, that I will move out of her memories and move on. He was one of the 3. No one had known of her ever since. These 3 hated her for whatever she did to me. They could never understand what she did not express.

“How much more? What would it take for you to get rid of her? Was all of it not enough?” He asked as he pulled my arm.

“Forget about it. There is no use thinking or chatting over this issue. It’s a personal issue for me now and I don’t think you should interfere now. Its beyond the world to persuade me to forget her. I cannot. Not in this life. For whatever she did, was what you all saw. But what she didn’t, only I could see.

Sometimes, things don’t fall in places, as you think they would. So, that absolutely doesn’t mean your affection for the things decreases. And surely, the presence of something so close in me, shouldn’t be affecting others. You saw this photograph and I let you see this, this is my mistake. I should be a little careful henceforth.”

“How long will you carry those memories with you? Isnt it already too long to just let her go?”

“I’ve let her go. That very day. The memories you ask? They will last for ever.”

“How long if forever?”

“FOR-EVER!”

Always Ranting, Rantzaada.