At the coffee house.......

It’s 4 o’ Clock. I look out the window onto the busy Manhattan streets. There is no sign of her. I signal to the Barista who nods and goes about preparing my 4^th espresso and I continue staring at my laptop. The figures on the screen refuse to register on my mind. All I can see are those memories of days long gone….

We were the hottest couple on campus; Ambitious individuals bonded together by love. We had dreams of a life together and all our careers pushed aside. Things had seemed great and settled until that day….

She seemed perturbed and cautiously avoided me the whole day. Inspite of her supposedly normal exterior, I could see that deep down she was thinking hard. I knew something was wrong. This went on for the next few days and I finally cornered her. She broke. The next few minutes of my life that day I shall never forgot or understand. I left the place torn and confused. All that rattled through my mind was her voice echoing the things she said. Life… Ambition….Love….Favours….Career….Climb…

I understood her dream of climbing high, but the fact that it had to be at the cost of our life together was something I could not accept. She said she loved me and that I knew was true, yet her chosen path was not something that I could agree to. “Let fate decide our life” she said and I conceded….

It just seems like yesterday, but 5 years have gone by now. Today I sit here awaiting the girl that I fell in love with. I know why she wanted to meet me today; To tell me the inconvenient truth that I’ve been dodging all along. Yet somewhere inside of me there is a part that hopes that yearns that she might spring a surprise. After all it was that very hope that made me drop everything and embark on this transatlantic journey.

“Hello”. I look up to find a woman, the woman who once was a girl, the girl of my dreams. “Ananya….” Is all that comes out of me… I pull myself together. “You look great, just like in college” I say. She looks at me, a knowing smile. Her eyes display love and for a second I think I see the heart of the young innocent girl that I knew. We just sit silent, unable to put forth a conversation. This was not how we dreamed it to end. She broke the ice. “Ramesh, I wanted to see you today… I need to tell you…. I love you still, but…. We both know… I’ve put myself into this, I need to carry on, I don’t want to put you through it….You’ll get better than me….

Silence was all that prevailed. I knew better than to argue. It was pointless. She was firm in her decision. Maybe it was for the better, Maybe not…

Minutes went by.

“A lot has been happening. I’m pretty tied up at work. I hope it’s the same for you in Brussels?? ”. All I could give was a blank look. Small talk obviously didn’t work. With nothing else to be said, she stood up. “I need to be going.” She came closer and embraced me. A peck on my cheek and “I will always love you” in my ears. This was her parting gift. She turned to leave and then again turned back. Our eyes connected. I saw a small tear down her cheek. Then she turned and left, lost amidst the crowd…