A Journal of Time
It was like a movie. It began with a school romance and ended with us running away to a world where nobody knew us, where nobody cared. It was a short movie but a fantastic one yet still a painful one. They said time heals the greatest of the pain. Does it?
21 January 2017
Aarav wrote these lines in the little journal he kept.
Years ago this journal first spoke of the beautiful girl who was from a totally different world. She was lively, she was carefree, and knew about the world more than he did. He was no less passionate and wild yet loving. They learnt from each other, cared about each other and loved each other more than anybody could ever think of.
The journals spoke of everything from the first touch, the first kiss, to those endless conversations. It was like a memoir, giving an existence to the love story that not many people knew. But among those pages, love wasn’t the only destiny. Those pages also saw tears of heartbreak, fears of separation, and the inevitable end of the beautiful journey. Consequences once led them to a different city, running away from the world they lived in, hiding their identities. Some hard decisions had to be made, a test love took from them. Everybody else misjudged it. It was not selfish, it was not wrong but it did not end well.
But it was necessary. It’s true that nothing is perfect in the world. The few friends who were a witness to this great story would often be jealous of the fact that how perfect they were together. Inseparable and consistent. There was no ice and fire in that relationship, it was both, both were fire to one’s ice and ice to another’s fire. Even when the worst came before one of them, they took it together holding hands, trying to run away from it. And somehow, the worst waited for them, lurking, seeing them be more perfect than ever.
In that new city with those new identities, it was a just pure thrill, the lover’s thrill. They explored, discovered and voyeured into a new level of understanding, love and compassion for each other. When they were broken apart by their families, these moments helped them to held their grounds. They remained strong, stronger than before now because they knew they were there for each other.
It’s funny how life gives birth to the brightest and the most colourful flowers and then make them rot to decay the next day. It’s also funny how new flowers take their place another day and nobody notices the difference.
Life had given him chance to move on, as it gave him today. A chance to either move forward or a chance to decide. As the clock struck midnight Aarav’s phone buzzed twice. He had two very special birthday messages from two special people. There were no ranks in being special. One was his incredible past, beautiful and passionate, but painful. The other was the present, uncertain but equally beautiful. Somehow for Aarav, this wasn’t a war of priorities, but a war of time and memories. He took his time, basking in the moment of the special day, the present, and finally replied – it took him some minutes to find the appropriate words but he did somehow.
It had been nine years since it all began, three years since the separation, and few minutes since the new beginning. The old cycle of love.
This story was written by Snehanshu Shome. He calls himself a Rahagir. A voyager in its true sense. He has packed his bags and is ready to take you on his escapades, which he narrates through his blogs and photos.
Do you believe it is possible to let go of your first crush? What is it that makes your first love so powerful? Let us know in the comments below!
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