When she would lay awake in bed at night, this probable incident would always cross her mind. A background setting of a mall or some public space, ten-fifteen years from now. She imagined herself walking
with her spouse, maybe a child, and she imagined accidentally running into a stranger, or maybe turning around to a tap on her shoulder. And she’d have a whirlpool of thoughts running in her mind at that moment. Strangeness-surprise-melancholy-excitement-dismay-joy.
She would imagine shouting “Hi!” with surprised, gleaming eyes, and hugging him tight! He- her best friend in college. Would he have a wife along? That never entered her frame. But the whole sequence
repeated itself in her pre-sleep time every alternative night.
She would tell him about this probable future of theirs, and he would laugh it away. “We’ll always be friends, stupid girl. That’s never going to happen.” He’d say. And she liked to believe it. But this alternative probability never left her mind.
.
.
.
She ordered her food and turned around. “Hi!” she said with surprised, gleaming eyes. It had been so long since she last saw him. He smiled slightly and replied, “How are you?” They made small talk for a couple of minutes while she paid her due to the cashier and waited for her order. She smiled within. No kids. No spouses. “Call me sometime whenever you’re free.” She picked her stuff and left at his affirmation.
Five minutes later, he saw her crying in her car. He thought of going to her, but quickly changed his mind. Cracked up inside, she cried like a baby who had lost his favorite car he took with him to bed every night. Tears would refuse to stop flowing down. She saw it coming, but not so soon.
It had indeed been long since she last saw him. It felt like just a couple of days ago that she narrated to him a similar story and he had laughed at her vivid imagination. It had been a long time since she last saw him.
A year, perhaps?
with her spouse, maybe a child, and she imagined accidentally running into a stranger, or maybe turning around to a tap on her shoulder. And she’d have a whirlpool of thoughts running in her mind at that moment. Strangeness-surprise-melancholy-excitement-dismay-joy.
She would imagine shouting “Hi!” with surprised, gleaming eyes, and hugging him tight! He- her best friend in college. Would he have a wife along? That never entered her frame. But the whole sequence
repeated itself in her pre-sleep time every alternative night.
She would tell him about this probable future of theirs, and he would laugh it away. “We’ll always be friends, stupid girl. That’s never going to happen.” He’d say. And she liked to believe it. But this alternative probability never left her mind.
.
.
.
She ordered her food and turned around. “Hi!” she said with surprised, gleaming eyes. It had been so long since she last saw him. He smiled slightly and replied, “How are you?” They made small talk for a couple of minutes while she paid her due to the cashier and waited for her order. She smiled within. No kids. No spouses. “Call me sometime whenever you’re free.” She picked her stuff and left at his affirmation.
Five minutes later, he saw her crying in her car. He thought of going to her, but quickly changed his mind. Cracked up inside, she cried like a baby who had lost his favorite car he took with him to bed every night. Tears would refuse to stop flowing down. She saw it coming, but not so soon.
It had indeed been long since she last saw him. It felt like just a couple of days ago that she narrated to him a similar story and he had laughed at her vivid imagination. It had been a long time since she last saw him.
A year, perhaps?
