It is March 14 and the woodland has undergone a complete metamorphosis. Sitting on the park bench, I see the lush green leaves, squirrels playing about, birds chirruping, butterflies moving from one flower to another. I feel so jealous of the nature, for they have spring every year, but deep inside my heart, there will never be a spring again.I sit by the edge of the pond staring at its murky green water.Seems silly to others maybe. Everything I look at seems ugly to me, as if I am looking through a window that distorts the true forms of this world, giving me a vision of darkness and shadows. My life has been this way ever since something happened, that changed my life forever. Memories flash in my mind with every pebble I throw into the pond.
March 14, Eighteen Years Ago : My first day at a new school. I join class one and introduced to my classmates by our teacher, and given a seat next to a girl named Tina.Since it was Tina's birthday, she gave sweets to everyone in class. This was our first meeting and we became very good friends.
December 13, Sixteen Years Ago : Tina and I get on very well and our class is practising for the annual day. Both of us were dressed as cuddly teddy bears. We were supposed to dance along fairies.But on the day of concert we both scared the fairies instead of dancing with them!
August 12, Eleven Years Ago : The day I will always remember, both of us were caught throwing paperballs at others in class during class time We were sent to office and the way we both shivered in front of him as if he were a Ghost!
January 9, Six Years Ago: The most joyous - We received our final exam results, Scanning the result sheet, we jumped out with Joy. We had passed with flying colours, topping high in our class.
These were just memories,golden memories of all good times we had together. The sun is setting now, and sky is tinted with pink and gold, the last few moments of sun for today,before darkness shrouds the world.
As evening blends into night, the dark sorrowful memories of our friendship cascade into me. They seem to settle in my mind.I now wear a crown of guilt studded with unforgiveness.
It all began on a rainy day. Tina rang me up to say she got admission to a famous University in England and had to leave in two weeks. Her family was also shifting with her.It was sad news for me, after so many years of friendship, we would be separated.Soon the day arrived. My parents and I went to see her off. It was very sad moment. " I promise I would write to you til lwe meet again" said Tina with tears and I also hugged her promising the same. When will I ever see her again ?? I wondered.
Soon, I got admission to the local University and joined for Medicine. We stayed in touch with each other through E-mails like for about a year. Slowly Tina began to send fewer and fewer mails, until she stopped sending me any at all. She wouldn't even reply to mine.
After a few months even I stopped sending her , well if she wouldn't send me why would I bother? May be she got better friends than me. She may have forgotten me.
Though I got busy in my studies, I felt a sense of betrayal. She has broken her promise of writing to me till we see each other. I would often tell myself. All these bad thoughts filled my head, and sort of erased all good memories we had together.My affection and friendliness towards her turned into hatred and enmity It was as if anger had cut the thread of friendship that held us so close.
Years rolled by and I emerged out of college as full fledged Orthopedic Surgoen, waiting impatiently to begin practising at a hospital abroad.My Parents and I went on a vacation to England that year. It was cold and frosty morning when we reached our hotel. We were walking along the pavement near a shopping mall later in the day when two young boys rushed by, knocking down an elderly couple. I helped the gentleman ease up. Somehow I felt I knew him. He turned to me and said " Thankyou .... I ..." He was speechless for a moment. He then turned to his wife and said, " Look its Priya, Tina's best friend". We were invited to their house for tea.
"Yes, It's been a year since Tina died of Cancer", said her mom sobbing.
A twinge of guilt overcame me as she told me, when Tina was diagnosed of disease it was too late. Wiping her eyes she told me how my best friend spent her last moments in this world on the hospital bed. She had been asking for me. But I was far away, unaware of her misery.
Her mother went upstairs and brought back an envelope which she handed to me.I hurriedly ripped open the cover and two things fell on my lap - a photograph of Tina and myself dressed up as Teddy bears for the school day years back and a letter.
This is what the letter read,
Dear Pee,
This will be the last letter I'm going to write to you, for I wont be here any more We got the bad news really late and doctors said I didn't have very long time to live and it was too late to be cured. Good bye my friend. Although I am not there in person, I will always be there in your mind.
Your Best Friend,
T
Suddenly I was plunged into a sea of loneliness, being lashed with a whip of guilt. Tina had kept her promise, but it was I who had broken it.
March 14, Eighteen Years Ago : My first day at a new school. I join class one and introduced to my classmates by our teacher, and given a seat next to a girl named Tina.Since it was Tina's birthday, she gave sweets to everyone in class. This was our first meeting and we became very good friends.
December 13, Sixteen Years Ago : Tina and I get on very well and our class is practising for the annual day. Both of us were dressed as cuddly teddy bears. We were supposed to dance along fairies.But on the day of concert we both scared the fairies instead of dancing with them!
August 12, Eleven Years Ago : The day I will always remember, both of us were caught throwing paperballs at others in class during class time We were sent to office and the way we both shivered in front of him as if he were a Ghost!
January 9, Six Years Ago: The most joyous - We received our final exam results, Scanning the result sheet, we jumped out with Joy. We had passed with flying colours, topping high in our class.
These were just memories,golden memories of all good times we had together. The sun is setting now, and sky is tinted with pink and gold, the last few moments of sun for today,before darkness shrouds the world.
As evening blends into night, the dark sorrowful memories of our friendship cascade into me. They seem to settle in my mind.I now wear a crown of guilt studded with unforgiveness.
It all began on a rainy day. Tina rang me up to say she got admission to a famous University in England and had to leave in two weeks. Her family was also shifting with her.It was sad news for me, after so many years of friendship, we would be separated.Soon the day arrived. My parents and I went to see her off. It was very sad moment. " I promise I would write to you til lwe meet again" said Tina with tears and I also hugged her promising the same. When will I ever see her again ?? I wondered.
Soon, I got admission to the local University and joined for Medicine. We stayed in touch with each other through E-mails like for about a year. Slowly Tina began to send fewer and fewer mails, until she stopped sending me any at all. She wouldn't even reply to mine.
After a few months even I stopped sending her , well if she wouldn't send me why would I bother? May be she got better friends than me. She may have forgotten me.
Though I got busy in my studies, I felt a sense of betrayal. She has broken her promise of writing to me till we see each other. I would often tell myself. All these bad thoughts filled my head, and sort of erased all good memories we had together.My affection and friendliness towards her turned into hatred and enmity It was as if anger had cut the thread of friendship that held us so close.
Years rolled by and I emerged out of college as full fledged Orthopedic Surgoen, waiting impatiently to begin practising at a hospital abroad.My Parents and I went on a vacation to England that year. It was cold and frosty morning when we reached our hotel. We were walking along the pavement near a shopping mall later in the day when two young boys rushed by, knocking down an elderly couple. I helped the gentleman ease up. Somehow I felt I knew him. He turned to me and said " Thankyou .... I ..." He was speechless for a moment. He then turned to his wife and said, " Look its Priya, Tina's best friend". We were invited to their house for tea.
"Yes, It's been a year since Tina died of Cancer", said her mom sobbing.
A twinge of guilt overcame me as she told me, when Tina was diagnosed of disease it was too late. Wiping her eyes she told me how my best friend spent her last moments in this world on the hospital bed. She had been asking for me. But I was far away, unaware of her misery.
Her mother went upstairs and brought back an envelope which she handed to me.I hurriedly ripped open the cover and two things fell on my lap - a photograph of Tina and myself dressed up as Teddy bears for the school day years back and a letter.
This is what the letter read,
Dear Pee,
This will be the last letter I'm going to write to you, for I wont be here any more We got the bad news really late and doctors said I didn't have very long time to live and it was too late to be cured. Good bye my friend. Although I am not there in person, I will always be there in your mind.
Your Best Friend,
T
Suddenly I was plunged into a sea of loneliness, being lashed with a whip of guilt. Tina had kept her promise, but it was I who had broken it.
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