A Good-Bye !

12 Jan

He always used to make a farting kind of sound on her cheeks. ‘What kind of a kiss is this,’ she used to say in a fake angry tone. She obvously liked it a lot… but did not want the last kiss to be this one. “I dont wish to give you a last kiss,’ he said, “I dont want this to end.” There was a sense of defeat in his voice today. He was feeling weak and exhausted. But she was determined, her job in the new city awaited her.
Most of their byes have been very dramatic. She remembered his dramatic bye after the first date. He wouldnt let the doors of the metro train close. Standing there, his arms around her waist, not letting her go. The doors kept slamming his young shoulders. She retorted but finally melted into his arms for a deep, long kiss, until the security guards arrived.
She cherished every memory of the byes they have ever said to each other. At bus stops, train stations, airports, office premises, verandahs of the their houses. Lovers tend to leave some fragments of laughters, some love making sounds, even pieces of arguments at various spaces they have visited together. These spots later become shimmering memories of the days spent loving eachother. Staring at them and thinking about the good times used to make her smile. Once she caught herself just standing staring at her own empty bed, remembering their unending cuddles. Then smiled at her foolish behaviour and moved on.
He worked as a surfing instructor and her new job was in a land locked country. Their love had to end here. As it had no future. He had reluctantly agreed to her request of not seeing her off at the airport. “I dont want to make this even more difficult for the both of us,” she explained. “I am excited to start a new life and I dont want to be sad at the onset of it. Lets act like grown ups and do what grown-ups do. Being practical !” He smiled with disdain at her intangible rationality.
He was feeling claustrophobic even on a fairly windy day at the beach. All the ifs and buts had already been battled. There was nothing more to be said than just a bye. So breaking the uncomforting silence, she said ‘Good-bye,’ and turned to leave. This time she thought she would not turn around to fall for his many tricks. His feet just lost the strength to stand, he tried to reach her hand as she turned around and walked away from him. His voice choked and couldnt say her name aloud. He couldnt say anything for that matter. Within second his entire body started sweating, he was going through a heart stroke. Wiping a tear rolling from her cheeks she turned to see if he was pulling off a prank for this last goodbye. She saw him on the ground and smiled, thinking that he is at some dramatic act again. She shouted loudly at him, “this time I am not going to fall for your craziness… I am going …” Her voice was thinned out in the breeze. The sea had suddenly turned wild. Big waves had started reaching out to the shores. She kept looking at him, from a distance, waiting for him to be woken up from his acting stint by the mighty waves. But he did not move. She rushed to him. She wanted to reach faster but treading in sand isn’t that easy. She called out his name, but his body lay still, perched on the sand, undeterred by the big waves. This was his most dramatic of all good-byes.