reunion


Reunion

Today I came home ecstatic. I met a boy who was as old as me or maybe a year younger.  He was the best human being I’d come across; he was my friend Ralph. Ralph, who was a mason’s son, lived in a small shanty near my school. Owing to which I will have to keep our friendship under wrap as this will not go down well with my parents considering that we belonged to the crème da la crème society. Ralph lived with his parents and little sister, his thirst for knowledge and the madness for life was what drew me towards him. I was always surrounded with not so real people, people who had all the riches, yet whined for more. Every evening, I used to spend my play time with Ralph; we both shared with each other a piece of our lives. Our friendship grew thicker as days passed, and so did our love for each other.
The stars hid behind the dark clouds; the wind howled as the rain battered the window. Meanwhile, I entered my house to avoid volley of questions which would be thrown at me. To my surprise, my parents were in an unusually good mood; this sight brought a broad smile on my face. My mother said in an excited voice, ‘Steve, your dad wants to give you some good news.’ On the dinner table, my parents broke the news to me, which was probably the reason for their happiness and uplifted mood. My dad got a transfer to New York – we were going to move to the United States of America. A tingling feeling in my feet and hands, and my head felt like a ball of fire. The dreadful rainy night was the worst night of my life. I didn’t have the courage to give this news to Ralph. Reminiscing of the good times spent with Ralph, I dozed off.
It has been a decade since the last time I saw Ralph. My anxious heart was waiting to see him while many questions running in my mind. Will he remember me, How will he react when he sees me. Holding his photograph close to my heart along with his memories I walked towards his house. There was a sea change in the surrounding-gladly the change was for the better. The houses were now cemented with every roof having a water tank. The narrow lane which was leading to Ralph's house was widened, yet I couldn’t find Ralph’s house. Where did it disappear? People around were indifferent, definitely things had changed. I was feeling completely hopeless. In the meantime, my search for Ralph continued. After looking out for nearly two days, I came across a man who was kind enough to talk to me. Finally, it was this benevolent man who knew Ralph’s whereabouts.
He kept saying things which were beyond my understanding. Did I really care or did I hear him out, none of it. I begged him to take me to Ralph as I was longing to meet him. In a disgruntled tone he said, ‘I can show you where he spends his time, but don’t expect me to come along.’ His words kept playing in my mind like a broken record due to which I was reeling. Not that I wanted him to accompany me, but now I certainly needed his help. His thin, long fingers directed towards the huge rusted gate, this time with a smirk he told me, ‘There.’ Flushed with triumph I turned to thank him, but then he was gone. Still, I walked towards the gate only to witness a weak man sitting inside the cemetery. I couldn’t bring myself to entering the gate, the overgrown trees, the smell of the moss and the decaying leaves, and the broken tombstones were not welcoming.  What is he doing inside? My thoughts were running through all this when suddenly, I saw Ralph digging out something from the ground. Those were the toys which we both used to play with. He started talking to some imaginary person and was playing the same way as we did in our childhood days. For a brief moment, I thought I would drop the idea of meeting him; I too freaked out watching Ralph’s behavior. Nonetheless, he was my best friend, and the very reason I was here today. With a broken smile, I entered the enormous gate of the cemetery as though I was entering the gate of heaven. I slowly moved towards him and called out his name. Neither did he respond, nor did he acknowledge my presence. He simply knelt down and he removed a rose from his pocket and placed it on the beautifully engraved tombstone. What I saw on the tombstone it almost took my breath away. Name: Steve White, Date of Birth: 21st April 1990. Date of Death: 14th July 2007.
That gloomy rainy night was my last night on this Earth; the rains had played havoc with my health to take me away to those dark clouds.

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