Moment to remember- the conclusion

(**Those reading this for the first time may kindly read part I first)

The first year went by in a jiffy. He spent the remaining half of the academic session focusing on tennis and resurrecting himself from his dark beginnings. Exam fever was a good way of getting rid of unwanted friends. Come summer and he was on his way back to the cool hills. It was time to meet old pals and eat good homely food. She, on her part, enjoyed a lot with friends. They’d go to the movies, shopping, discotheques etc. She did always have the desire to learn how to play the violin but who’d care to teach her. Besides, there was no time to do anything else. Exams came and went within a month. All the hullaboo meant that she completely forgot about him. It was a good thing. If things were meant to happen it would happen no matter what are the odds against you. That was her belief.

The new academic session was a welcome change. Once you get the hang of life in the big city, you can’t really stay home for long. What once seemed heaven felt constricting, now that one had developed a taste for bigger things. So our protagonists get back to the university with full enthusiasm and hope. He has promised his mother that he’ll be more open and friendly, especially with people from his own community. She, on the other hand, has promised just the opposite- to be more reserved and not let others take her for granted at all times.

The first major event of the year is the University basketball tournament. She’s there to support her friend Iris, an ace basketball player since school days. He is there too. Ryan, his friend, is interested in Iris. The first time Ryan saw her was 2 years back when Iris was visiting his school for a friendly. Poor guy, he's been smitten by her since then.

The game starts and she gets a first glimpse of him sitting in the gallery. Something is wrong, she thinks. He looks even better now than ever before. Is it his clothes or is it just him? Forty minutes later the game is over. Iris, the leading scorer, is being congratulated by everyone. Ryan walks towards her and Iris cannot stop smiling. When she saw him two years back she felt a thud in her heart. What a shy guy, how unknowingly naive he was- with his ways, his smile. The day had finally come when he had gathered the guts to talk to her. The world was beautiful again.

Things happen fast. Ryan and Iris are an item now. They look good together. It’s their second official date and they are still a tad shy of each other so they decide to have a double date. He doesn’t know she’s going to be there. She doesn’t know this is a set up. When she sees him trailing behind Ryan she feels like taking the earliest train to god knows where! He’s uncomfortable too. They are sitting in a separate table- she just keeps staring at the menu as if it were an interesting novel, as for him- he just looks at his watch, his leg stammering at an uncontrollable speed. Finally, after a whole ten minutes, and a lot of guts, four words pop out of his lips,

"So what’s your name?"

"Oh I am Kunzang, what about you?" she replies.

"Leon here", says he.

The conversation takes off from there and they go on to talk about everything. There’s so much similarity between the two- their thoughts, their likes, dislikes, tennis. How come I never had such a good time before! He thinks.

Its 10 pm in the hostel. He cannot stop thinking about her. This is the first time a girl has managed to grip his attention. What’s wrong with him? They’ve decided to meet on their own tomorrow, in the same place they met the first time- the University market. She is excited too. The hostel girls are irritated now. The whole evening was spent with her talking about him. If only they could understand the developments. Thankfully she has some pocket money left. Afternoon time she bunks her classes. Iris is sweet enough to accompany her. There is loads of stuff to choose from. She finally settles for something white.

Time: 4:00 pm. She looks like an untouched angel in the white tunic with her hair blowing in the wind. Its already time. Where is he? What’s taking him so long? He was too busy preparing himself for the occasion, he loses sense of time. Running late, he borrows his friend's bike. First impression (at least on an official date) should be a lasting one. Damn the traffic had to be busy today itself. Due to the urgency of the situation, he takes a quick right turn which puts him directly in the path of a speeding bus. He has no helmet on his head. Fading light, a blurry image of a man running towards him, he can hear honking.

……. and then there is pin drop silence.

That day a girl in white sat in a coffee shop till late night. She left pearly drops on the table as she finally gathered herself to accepting that he wouldn't show up. Little did she know he would never make it for any meeting. Ever.
........................................

It’s been five years since the accident. Kunzang is here to attend a wedding reception today. Its Ryan and Iris’s big day. It hurts the bride to see her best friend hurting for a decade now. Of course life goes on, but some thoughts still linger in our minds. For her it started and ended with two words- What if? 

She wishes them well and is on her way to a new town, a new job, a new beginning. People think she is lonely but she is the farthest away from it. She has memories from her university life neatly tucked in a corner of her heart to give needed company and of course also that fateful meeting in the university market- her one and only Moment to Remember.