Away

Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he could spend his whole life answering. When she laughed, he thought he saw the angels descend from heaven to hear the most beautiful sound on earth, like the tinkling of so many silver bells. When she smiled, he thought he saw the entire ocean rise up to see the most beautiful pearls in the whole wide world. When she danced, he thought he saw the little faeries of the jungle peek out from where they hid, to see the graceful sway of her hips, the enrapturing beauty of her face and the delicate movements of her dainty feet.

He watched her all day- on their way to school, in the class, on the playground-everywhere. He always walked by her side, silently, fearing that anything he would say would ruin the moment. He was her best friend, but what she didn’t know, was that she was more than that to him. Then one day, a seismic shift shattered his life. She was moving away.

He tried so hard to hold her back, but there was nothing that could be done. He cajoled and begged for her to stay-he tried convincing her timid mother, her obnoxious father-but to no avail. He tried and tried ad nauseum, so much so that her father had to throw him out every day, finding it strange that he tried so hard. What the father didn’t know, was that he was destroying the boy’s world. And, the most ludicrous thing of all was that the girl found the prospect of moving away exhilarating, for she was going someplace new, someplace beautiful in its own unexplored way.

When the boy realized she too had a secret desire to go, he suppressed his own feelings. He knew, that it might be to surrender to happiness was to accept defeat, but it was a defeat better than many victories. He was silently raging at the girl, for he felt it was because of her that their family was moving away, but just because he hated her, didn’t mean he’d stopped loving her. Finally, the day of her departure dawned.

He sat next to her in the car all the way. Just to hear him speak one last time, she asked him who was the one person he loved the most. He lied, saying that he loved everyone to varying degrees. She giggled, and said, “If equal affection cannot be, let the all-loving one be me!” Oh, but you already are, my love, was all he thought. Aloud, he only mysteriously said, “In spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart.” She thought he meant her dad. He thought he meant her. But he knew he did not.

As they finally stood at the station, waiting for the horrible puffing monster to come and take her away forever, he turned to her and said softly, “You have played a pivotal role in my life.” He thought, you are my life. He said, “I will never forget you.” He thought, I will never stop loving you. He said, “Farewell.” He sobbed inwardly, don’t go! He looked into those dancing hazel eyes for the last time, the ones he had spent hours gazing into, the ones whose depth he could never fathom, the ones whose sincerity and pure-heartedness he knew he would love for ever and ever. And as they moved away, he heard the sound of something breaking, like shattered glass. He realized it was his heart.

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