It’s been a long time since he last saw her. From a little bit afar, he saw her. She didn’t change at all. Grumpy and irritated. Looked angry maybe because he was late a little bit, or because she was always like this when he was not with her. He was radiating pure happiness inside and out. Without saying anything, he just stood beside her and held her hands with a tight grip, like he wouldn’t let her go this time.
She smiled and asked with a soft tone, "How are you?"
And he replied, "I am fine now." He would’ve hugged her by now, but he remembered what happened last time he tried to do that in public place. Rejected. Smiled a little thinking about that. His mind was filled with thoughts. What he should ask, what will be appropriate and what will not. Or will he talk about the past couple of years and how he spent those days. And hundreds more just waiting for a decision to attar a word.
Suddenly, he just said, "I missed you.’’
"Liar," she said with a little small smile at the corner of her lips. And he thought, "There is nothing more beautiful than that."
After that, everything was blurry. He was just listening to her, couldn’t grasp what she was saying, but her voice was comforting enough. The fact that she is here with him is like a dream come true. Suddenly, he breaks out of that mesmerization when he hears that she was traveling alone at night again.
"Why?" --he was angry suddenly.
Not that because he doesn’t believe in her, he just fears that someone might harm her. She removed her hand gently and held both hands firmly and sighed, "Don’t worry.". It was always like that no matter how angry he gets or how much mad he becomes, just some caring words from her calms him down.
"Go home, get fresh, and get ready. We are going to someplace nice"—she laughed.
"No, I am not leaving."
"Why?"
"I don’t want to spend another moment without you anymore."
"I will be waiting here. Just go and get ready" – she was smiling and pushed him from behind.
"Ok. just 2 minutes then"—He said.
"Ok, just go."
He went directly to home and got ready as fast as he could. Then he rushed to the shop to cash out. As she was always paying for everything in the past, he tried to do the same this time. The boy from that shop knew him well. He asked, "You look so happy, brother. What happened?"
"Nothing"-he smiled, "Cashed out some taka. check"-as he looked away from his mobile, at the boy’s face. He suddenly realized that the boy was sad for some reason. "Oi, what happened?"—he asked like a big brother.
"Some guy took this guitar and broke its string. Now he refused to pay for it."—the boy said sadly.
"don’t worry. We’ll talk about it at afternoon, ’he said as he was taking the cash from the boy.
He was so happy that he forgot she was waiting for him. He got on a bus. A little bit after that, he remembers she is waiting. He immediately got off the bus and called her.
"Where are you?"
"I told you not to call me anymore" – She replied with loud voice.
"Don’t mess with me," he said, walking as fast as he could to the spot where she was waiting.
"I see you. Why do you do this all the time?" he laughed and stared at her across the street.
"What do you mean?" she said. "And how can you see me?"
"You are right there, across the road!"
"Have you gone mad? Don’t call me again. This is your last warning." – she ends the call.
The women he thought that it was her, just walked pass by him. Like a thousand times before, he saw her in other women just to be disappointed again and again.
He wakes up from that damn dream, blank white celling staring right back at his face, laughing. He turned over on his side and threw a punch at the wall as hard as he could and swear himself to never sleep early at night.