Remember me?

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Indira Gandhi International Airport. Local time is 16: 00 hours, and the temperature is 45 degrees celsius. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign."

As usual, all the passengers were in no mood to listen to the announcement and started pulling out their luggage from the overhead bins, pushing everyone aside to get down first. Some of the clowns even managed to take their phones out and started taking selfies in that chaos with their luggage. I can actually assume the cheesy captions, "Finally landed! Oh, what a journey!" Or the patent one, "Mr. Clown is at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi and feeling happy, excited, sad, angry Bla Bla Bla."

I took a deep breath and looked outside. "45 degrees! Who the hell calls a reunion in the months of summer."

I said to no one but my co-passenger while searching for her specs in the seat pocket replied. "You are so right, my girl! It's only the beginning of May, and the sun seems to be showering all the heat it has got."

I stared at her with a formal smile and finally got up from my seat, pulling out my luggage from the overhead bin. It was only a one-week stay, so there was no point carrying so much luggage all the way from Singapore.

My cab sped from the airport and took me to retrospection I had been avoiding all these years. I was back in that city where I had left all my memories and emotions to die. But life isn't any easy. It will find every way to push you into a labyrinth whose end is hardly reachable.

While I was putting all of my concentration on that blue line bus whose driver was spatting out slangs to an auto driver, my phone rang, "Oh, thank God! You took my call, and it means you have landed."

Some things change, and some don't. This friend of mine, Ravi was definitely in the latter category. He neither said hello while starting a convo nor a goodbye before hanging up. School reunion was his plan. "Yes, Ravi, congrats, you got it right!" I replied sarcastically.

He laughed and then continued, "Okay, now Aisha! Listen to me. I know you are now an independent and successful woman, and whatever, you already might have booked your room in some luxury hotel of Connaught Palace or Karol Bagh. Cancel it immediately and come to the address I have texted. You will get all the facilities of a hotel at my house."

Before I could have said anything, Reena, Ravi's wife, took the phone, "Come on, Aisha! We haven't met, but I have heard so much about you from each friend of your group. Please come."

Now that was a kind of invitation that was hard to refuse. "Okay, I will be there." I hanged up and gave the address to the cab driver. I cursed myself for not reading the message earlier and replying because now I was traveling all the way back to the airport area.

Within an hour, I was standing in front of a huge and posh society complex of Dwarka. The guard called Ravi from the intercom, and within few minutes, Ravi came to receive me. He hugged me tight and lifted me almost 2 inches from the ground. I was embarrassed for a while and then embraced him back.

"You haven't changed a bit. I wonder how your wife is still tolerating you!" I remarked.

"Haha, so funny!" He made a face and took me home.

I was startled to see the grand feast Reena had prepared. I am never comfortable with such grand hospitality, and this was too much. But I was happy to see my best friend and his happy family. After dinner, we three sat on their balcony, facing the main road, looking at the city beaming with innumerable lights, immersed in the honking and beeping of the vehicles.

"So, how's it to be back after ages?" Asked Ravi.

"Honestly, 80% happy," I said jokingly.

"Why not 100%?" Asked Reena.

"Calling a reunion in May, in Delhi? What do you expect?"

Hearing my exclamations made them laugh their hearts out.

"Seriously, Aisha," finally putting a halt to his laughter, Ravi said, "Your sense of sarcasm is still on point. I like it."

"So, you didn't bring your husband with you?" Reena said.

"Nope, he wanted to but couldn't manage," I said.

"Ohh, that's bad!" She exclaimed.

Meanwhile, my eyes fell on Ravi. He must have remembered something. And I was scared. It should not be the old topic I had buried deep in the nights of this city.

But I guess it was inevitable.

"Ravi, anything serious you are thinking to talk about? Spill it. I am fine, I guess." I said almost expressionlessly.

Reena, too, I guess, knew the big secret Ravi was planning to talk about, for she cleared her throat and excused herself.

"I am confused, Aisha!" Ravi said after staring into the infinity for ages. "I don't know if I should bring this up after all these years. You are settled now. You have built a happy family for yourself. No one can ever blame you for you had waited forever for him...." He sighed.

A part of my mind predicted the unfinished portion and wanted to escape the conversation. And the other half wanted to complete the story that still awaited an inference for the last 10 years.

I closed my eyes, hold my breath for 30 seconds, released, and looked into his eyes. "Pritesh!" I said to myself.

"Hmm," Ravi said.

"What about him?" I asked.

"I know where he is now." He said.

"Will he be there tomorrow?" I asked expressionlessly.

"No"

"How did you find him?" I couldn't hold back my curiosities anymore.

"I went on vacation last month to Dharmashala. I saw him there, at the hotel we were staying at. I still can't explain what type of accident or coincidence it was. I ran into him at the reception, and the ID card and voter card he was holding fell from his hand. I picked it up, and my eyes fell on the name written over it. Pritesh Roy. I looked hard at him. His eyes are still the same. Got a little healthy and a face full of beard. I took a chance and called out his name."

"Are you the same Pritesh Roy, like this?" I interrupted.

"You still don't have the patience to listen to a story." He frowned.

"This is going too dramatic to believe actually. Sorry, go on!"

"I can't help it if it was dramatic. Complain to Pritesh when you meet him." Ravi continued. "I called him by the patent name we gave, 'Pratty'. I also confirmed if he passed out 10th boards in 2008 from Paschim Vihar DAV school. It was then he recognized me, and it dawned upon him. I punched him hard on his face, and we fought till the guards came running to stop us."

"Funny. Now get to the main story. I don't want to listen to the reminiscences you both had." I tried my best to control my emotions that began to well up in my chest.

"He lives in the small town of Himachal Pradesh, Bir. He is a school teacher there. Though happy with his simple and easy life, he's still single. He said, after our 10th exams were over, his father got a better job in some other city and he had to leave. Also that, they were actually in some sort of financial debt. So I am guessing his father escaped."

"So that idiot could have called at least one of us. He could have mailed us?" I was infuriating.

"Pratty said it all happened in one day, and before he could have understood whatever was going on in his parents' lives, he was on the flight to Bangalore. He couldn't have explained anything. He was not allowed to discuss anything. Why, how, when, nothing." Ravi said, calming me down.

A fresh set of tears rolled down my cheeks as I remembered how I had spent six months to almost one year calling on his landline number and mailing him. Yes, that story of his father leaving for Bangalore was confirmed by Pritesh's next-door neighbors. But what about my emails? He could have answered at least one of them? Didn't he bother to read any of my messages?

Ravi got up and came back with a glass of water. I gulped it at one go. I stared at the silent street that looked bustling and energetic till an hour ago. It was all calm and quiet now. As was my mind.

I wiped my tears and found back my voice. "How did he get to Bir all the way from Bangalore?" I continued.

"He went there on some vacation and fell in love with that place. He wanted to stay away from everything and everyone. He doesn't talk to his father for parting him from us."

"Childish. Utterly childish!" I said with disgust clearly visible in my voice. "He could have reached any of us."

Something suddenly came up in my mind. "I want his address and number. I am going to Bir."

"Aisha" Ravi got serious, "You don't have to do this. I was sharing it with you because you deserved to know." He was genuinely worried.

"I will be alright. I have a husband too, remember?" I said sternly, "I just want to hear this version from him."

Ravi didn't have the exact address, naturally. He gave his number and the name of the school where he teaches. That was enough.

I had exactly three days in my hand. I had made up my mind. I decided to leave exactly after the reunion party.

The next day came with bits of happiness. Meeting old people gave me a good time. Moreover, my fears of running past bad memories didn't exist anymore after yesterday's conversation with Ravi. No one brought up that topic. We discussed our lives, spouses, things changed in life, and that's all. Few faces, I had almost forgotten, those files were refreshed and installed again in my memory. But, my mind was still waiting for that one specific file to restore from the bin again.

Ravi dropped me at ISBT that night, and I booked my seat in an AC sleeper bus.

"Aisha, do tell me how it goes. And text me when you reach. We will meet again." Ravi patted me on my shoulder, and I started my journey.

It was dense and dark all around, and yet, I could feel the mountains approaching after the bus made it through Chandigarh city. The roads gradually began to turn circular after a while, and I knew my destination wasn't that far. I made a pillow of my backpack and lay down. Sleep was nowhere to be seen. I kept staring at the velvet sky and tried counting the stars peeking from the leaves of tall trees.

And then that day when I had seen Pritesh for the last time reappeared. On 5th April 2010. I remember the date.

"What a relief! Exams finally over!" We both managed to finish our papers a little before so that we can sneak out and manage some time to see each other. Teenager moments.

"A loooong holiday!" Pritesh sang in a playful voice. I giggled.

"What will you do in this break? Did you plan something?" He asked.

"Before I could have made any plans, my dad came up with a superb plan of ruining my holiday." I had said with a sad face.

"Means?" He asked.

"Means, he wants me to join maths and physics tuition to be totally ready to take up science."

"Cool. So you will be super busy as usual." He said.

"I guess so. What's your plan?"

"Nothing yet. Maybe I will convince my mom to let me go somewhere." He said while playing with a branch.

"Are we going to be in the same school once the results are out?" I asked, suddenly remembering that parents might decide to shift us to some other school.

"I am not going anywhere. You still got to ask your dad," he remarked sarcastically. The bell rang, and students came out rushing, all with gleeful and smiling faces. It was time to leave.

"Pritesh!" He turned and looked back.

"We won't be meeting for the next two months. I have days already planned. Boys are always at an advantage like I say, so maybe you will be on a complete adventure. We might change schools. There so much that can happen. I know it's my fault that I didn't argue when my parents said that I am not allowed to have a FB account till I am out of school. We both don't have personal phones. Even against these odds, you are not going to forget me! You will always remember me! Promise?"

I still wonder how I had said this long childish, and utterly foolish speech in just one breathe. Again, teenager things, I know.

But he had promised. He had looked into my eyes and had said that he won't forget me. He still hasn't forgotten me. He has not got any family. It's me who has moved on. I could have searched more, but I got hopeless after all those years.

It was strange when all the friends of my group called at least once in two weeks, but his call never came. I called him, but he didn't receive it. After two months, when the school reopened, I didn't see him. I went to all other sections. He was nowhere. We all went to the school office, and it was the admin who gave us the news that he didn't take admission to our school.

The boys who knew where he stayed went to his home. Neighbors confirmed that he had left.

I waited for him till my graduation. I thought he would come at least once when we won't need to take permission from anyone anymore. But he didn't. Finally, after waiting for eight years, I got married. I had no choice. My husband was the nicest man I had known after Pritesh. He gave me a new world, and I forgot the old one gradually.

"Kangra" The conductor screamed for the third time, and I woke with a start. I hurriedly got up from my seat, and to escape the growling conductor and driver, I got down with my bag, shoes, and sweater in my hand. The bus moved ahead.

The chilled wind made me shiver. People were staring at my half-opened sleepy eyes and untied hair flowing on my face as if they saw some sort of living Anabelle doll. I went to a tea stall, sat on its bench, wore my shoes, and tied my hair into a bun. A boy handed me a cup of tea. The warmth of the cup was soothing. I turned to see the mountains, and it was so mesmerizing. Usually, the icy mountains melt at the beginning of April, but some parts of the snow decided to stay at this time of year. The rays fell on the white snow, and it glimmered like a piece of gold. And rest of the place was unimaginably green and greener.

I don't like taking out my phone all the time, but I was forced to take a picture. I absorbed everything of that beauty and archived it in my memory to take it back home. I asked the owner of the tea stall about the address of the school. The school was not in the Bir village. It was in the main town of Kangra. I imagined him traveling daily from Bir to his school.

I hopped onto a trekker and started towards the school.

It was a beautiful and colorful small building down the valley. There was a small garden and a playing area with swings, slides, and see-saws for children. I kept my bag on the grass and sat on one of the swings. The school had already started, and I was late by just a few minutes. There was nothing more to be done except for waiting.

I looked at fewer people and heard soft melodies of birds I have never seen. We get so busy hustling and racing in life that we forget even slow experiences have their own grace. I played with that extra woolen thread of the sleeves of the sweater. This had been the first impromptu trip of my life, and I didn't bring woolens. It was out of the question in Delhi summers. Reena gave her cardigan to me.

"Come on, Aisha! This is just a woolen, not any diamond-studded billion-dollar jewelry. I would be happy if you wear this." She had said. I am never used to affection. I wore that sweater and hugged her tight. I now think if I have found a better friend in Reena than in Ravi.

It was recess, and students came out into the garden. Some of them looked at me for an eternity to decide who is this grown-up child sitting at our swings. I smiled at them. Suddenly I felt someone coming up close and looking intently at me.

Pritesh! He was gaping at me. I had initially decided to burst out at him. Complaining, screaming, crying, bringing the whole earth down. But I couldn't do any of those things. A smile automatically crossed my face as soon as he appeared in front of me. I took my bag and went near him. People were gaping at us.

"Remember me?" I asked in an inaudible voice.

A single drop of tear rolled from his eyes. "I never did forget to remember you. I have always remembered you. I made a promise. How could I have broken that?"

I thought something heavy was kept on my heart and has now been removed. He asked the principal for a half-day, and in few hours, we were sitting in a Tibetan cafe.

"You still look the same," Pritesh said.

"And you don't."

"Then how did you recognize me?"

"Ravi did a good job in describing you."

He giggled, sipping his soup.

I ate in silence for some time. I remembered I didn't eat anything since last night.

"Just a few questions Pritesh, I can't stop myself from asking." I started, after finishing my bowl.

"I know. I deserve it. Go ahead." He said, not looking at me.

"Why didn't you reply to my emails. Compiling them can create a library, those many letters I had mailed. You just needed to say everything just once. Do you have any idea how much we had tried to reach you?" Suddenly, I started feeling the anger again that had vanished for a while.

"I know I could have. But my parents didn't want me to stay in touch with anyone in Delhi. They did something, had something, I don't know still what were they hiding and from whom were they running. Much later, I learned from one of my relatives that my parents were in financial debt, and we had actually fled without paying them back." he kept on saying.

A sarcastic and small laugh escaped my lips.

"Why everyone these days are having stories so dramatic? Or am I the one who is so tired of life and made it all dull?" I said, toying with tissue paper.

"Hmm, it is dramatic, but that's that. They were scared that me discussing with anyone can spread the word of my parents' whereabouts." He paused.

"And you used to taunt me that I could never rebel with my parents," I said.

"I know. I am a bigger coward." He looked down.

"I would have done the same thing, maybe. It was just...." I trailed off, not finding exact words.

"It's just that you believed that I would come back and meet you at least for once, and you had waited for 8 years and 4 months and 5 days exactly." He finished my sentence.

"Wha..." I couldn't make out what he was saying, such exact calculation, how he knew?

"How I know the exact days and months you had waited? Because I curse myself even more now. I wish I could have made it on the 8 years, 4 months, and 5th day? I arrived on the 6th day in Delhi. 11th August 2018. I went to your house. I saw the decoration and instantly guessed what it was for. I asked the security guard of your colony, and he confirmed it. You were getting married. I sneaked in and saw you on the dais. You were looking like a princess. I had no right to ruin your life."

He captured me on his phone, and he kept it with him.

Finally, emotions decided to come out. I started crying like a baby. "You idiot! You should have come IN FRONT of me. MEET ME. I could have left everything for you. It wasn't late then!"

"It was Aisha! I would have appeared out of nowhere on your wedding day and say that I still love you and come with me? I don't need to teach you that this world, society doesn't work that way! You had always been a good daughter, good friend, the best lover! You deserved someone who's like you. Not an eloper like me! Trust me, I don't have any more regrets. I am happy because I know that man keeps you happy." Ravi kept his palm on top of mine.

"How do you know it will remain the same after you telling me that you came to meet me, but I got married on the same day?"

"Now you are being dramatic. Your man deserves you, not me. And if you still care about me, you will not destroy this beautiful and sweet life you have created for yourself. " He pushed a handkerchief in my hands.

We sat in silence. Later, we strolled on the streets of Kangra. I suddenly remembered someone waiting for me back in Singapore. I know this story of the impromptu trip will give him goosebumps, but he deserved a souvenir. I bought a woolen cap for him.

I decided to return that night. I checked my flight timings, and taking the next day's bus could have made a close call of missing my flight.

It was time to leave. I was about the board the bus when a voice called me from behind.

"Aisha!"

"What happened?" I turned and saw Pritesh smiling wide with moist eyes.

"I don't know when we will meet next. I don't know even if we will meet again! Even if you come to India, it's natural you would stay with your parents. Coming to this town is going to be a remote possibility. But, can I ask you not to forget me? Please remember me!"

I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Pritesh remembered me and my entire speech.

I nodded.

"Yes, I will remember you. We will remember each other, always!"

And the bus and my life decided to take on a different journey...