The Box | Short Story

The clock was about to strike noon. Every face had supposedly come with the same purpose in mind, and it is the first day, seemed supposedly motivated. The eyes of all focused on a common wall. As time passed by, the motivation diluted. Most people’s eyes stared at the wall blankly, and with utter disregard, their minds were lost in the thoughts of their favourite TV shows, favourite food and favourite superheroes. There were some who resisted the trains of their thoughts and focused on the primary reason why they were there.

His eyes wandered. Sometimes he would see the light, then the fan and then came down towards those who sat around him. His eyes finally rested in the right corner of the room just next to the exit door. Even the one side view was good enough to bring a smile on his face.

…..

The birthmark beneath her nose complemented perfectly her face and the star-like shine in her eyes. The constant movement of her lips as if talking to herself, made him laugh. Almost as a tradition followed religiously by everyone there, she too was busy doodling something. Her hair was perfectly in place, with just a small strand of it coming on her face which she tucked behind her ear from time to time. Her dress was similar to other girls in the room but astonishingly suited her the most.

She turned around casually and for him at that very moment, it all seemed right, altogether. Seeing him staring at her continuously she was at first taken aback. Wondering why the guy was doing so, she stared back at him changing her facial expression again and again. This didn’t stop him, instead, he looked at her with more curiosity. It seemed fun and he enjoyed doing it even more!

…..

In a room that was full of strangers, he made a sweet gesture by waving his hand and asking her to come near and take the seat next to him. She didn’t seem to be amused by his friendliness and looked away from him to concentrate on her doodling. Clueless, he started to stare at other people in the room, but again, his eyes went back to the same corner. A few minutes later, she turned her head towards him. Something was going on in her mind, she couldn’t help being inclined towards the only guy who seemed to care about her existence in the room. This time, she smiled back at him. As they say, a smile is contagious, hence both of them began to do the same.

The distance between them didn’t allow them to hear what the other was saying. Their eyes did the talking, some questions were asked, and they were answered through some gestures which only they could understand. The smiles symbolized affirmation. Finally, the clock struck 1 PM. The bell rang, the lecture was over. The teacher left the room. The students of class 5^th B opened their bags and with their lunch boxes rushed towards the playground to enjoy it with their friends. She stood from her place with her lunch box and went towards his seat. He unzipped his bag, took out some chocolates and offered them to her.

….

“Lunch box?” she asked.

“Parents are out of town. So no lunch box today” he replied.

“No issues, you can share mine” said she.

Both smiled and ate the food.

Years passed, the students of 5^th grade became adults and stayed together. He never brought his lunch box for all these years and his bag kept producing chocolates every day for her.

May be the lunch box bonded them better than a cup of coffee could have!

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Childhood | English Poetry

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The Reminiscence of love |Short Story |Love

And there she was, dressed in an orange bridal suit. As elegant and composed as ever. There was a familiar smile on her face which kept him staring at her. The stage, whose beauty she enhanced, perfectly complimented her. The wedding ring on her finger, shining; reflected her happiness. He always had dreamt her this way. Back then, many times both of them even discussed how this very day, that meant so much to them will look like. Now, looking at the picture of her sitting on stage was mesmerizing. For him, it was as good as reality.

Yes! She was engaged. Not with him though!!

With whom? How? Why?

May be these questions and the answers to the matter no more. They are insignificant now. She’s gone. She has left, leaving lots of memories behind for him, to live a happy and joyful marital life.

They weren’t in a relationship. They were just together. Not for benefits, but just for the sake of giving time to their friendship, just to see if they can go beyond it, just to see if things can work out and if something can bind them together.

But it didn’t. At some point, things came to a standstill. She moved on. She settled abroad. Years passed, their friendship moved through stages of crests and troughs. A couple of years later, she got committed to a smart guy whom she found suitable enough to spend the rest of her life with.

The moment she told him about her commitment, it detached him from himself, creating a void in him. It made him realize that subconsciously, he was living just with hope. Hope for a better future. A hope where they can be together forever.

His heart broke like the scattered raindrops which never come together. Even if these raindrops make an attempt to join, they actually flow downwards and fall apart. His heart was numb. Thoughtless, lifeless.

Later, he thought to himself that maybe they weren’t destined to go this far. Maybe it was his fault. It was less of “him” in “them”. Maybe it was more of “feeling” the love than “expressing” it. Maybe he took it for granted rather than trying to make the love special. It made him feel guilty for whatever happened or for whatever could have happened but didn’t. It made him cry.

But today things don’t matter anymore. She calls him to ask whether or not he is alright? She asks why they don’t talk the way they used to? Why doesn’t he behave the way he used to? Where is their friendship lost? Where is he lost? Why doesn’t he attend the functions of their common friends? She asks many questions. But as mentioned before, things don’t matter now. He hopes that in due course of time she will realize that such questions don’t have an impact on him anymore. They don’t need to be answered. They are self-explanatory.

Soon she will understand that they have to live different lives with beautiful futures and a past which is better forgotten.

She has to accept that between them it will never be the same again. He won’t blame her for the fact that their future won’t be the same as their past was but he has to move on. It will be tough, it will be hard but it has to be done.

He also understands that this phase will be just for some time. Things will change and people will accept the past. The talks will become rare, and gradually, end and this end will be understood by both.

Perhaps, in future they will be exchanging smiles once again. When they will meet somewhere, they might even exchange warm hugs as well. Occasional talks and laughing on the past will also be a part of future. But today, distancing is the most logical solution. 

On his laptop, seeing her engagement picture on her profile makes him feel happy. He wishes the best for her. He has his life ahead and regretting about what he has lost doesn’t seem to be a fitting thing to do. But one fact will stay with him forever, the fact that unknowingly and definitely unwillingly, he lost her.

@ramta jogi

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