The Bridge Between Us

Today is a normal day, but tomorrow won't be. Today will be the last day because I'll be leaving for Australia tonight.

My daily routine's been almost the same since last year and me going to that bridge was constant. Strange, how it'll be a whole new routine from tomorrow onwards.

Its 4:30 pm now. Time for my daily walk. I get up from my bed, grab my sling bag and just like every other day leave my house with music blasting through my earphones.

It's a 45 minutes' walk to that bridge from my house. So, when I return its actually dark outside and mom always nags me for it. I don't mind though. She has her own reasons for that and I have mine.

To be honest, my reason is a little lame. It's because of a boy.

Yeah, I know it's silly but the heart wants what it wants.

Anyways let's have some throwback to how it started.

It was a beautiful sunset just like today. Feels like it's going to end just the way it started. I along with my family just returned from our vacation in my grandparent's farm. It was fun. Playing with the farm animals, climbing up the hills, running through the fields and cycling along the dirt road. It was the kind of life I wanted to live. Anyways fast forward to that evening. We were on our car. Dad was driving, mom was in the passenger's seat and me and my sister in the backseat.

The sky was beautiful, tinted in a bright shade of red, just like today. Mom was complaining how tired she was from travelling the whole day. So, my dad pulled up near the convenience store to go buy some ready to eat food. This convenience store lies in the other side of our town so we don't usually come here. But it is located in a good area. The locality is not very populated, very less traffic in the area and there are a few nurseries, too. The people living in the apartments in this area are blessed with the best surrounding.

But the thing that I consider the best in this area is the bridge connecting this town to ours above the river that separates this town from ours. Funny, I guess. The actual thing that attracted me to the bridge is not the bridge itself, but the boy who stood there. He was lost in his own thoughts looking in the direction of our town.

He was wearing all black baggy clothes that really suited him. I was not able to look at his face because he was facing his back towards me. So, when my father returned with the food items and started to drive, I decided that I'll take a quick glance at his face through the glass in the back of our car. So, I did. When our car passed by him and we were right above the bridge, I turned my head to see his face and guess what? He was wearing a mask. A black mask. It was a disappointment that I couldn't see his face but I did see something more interesting and beautiful, his eyes. They felt like they were looking right in my eyes. They felt like they would pierce through my soul any passing second. I will never forget those eyes. I could never.

That night I couldn't sleep for a second. He was all over my mind. Every time I closed my eyes his eyes were there staring at me. In the morning after that sleepless night that I decided to look for him. Look at his face and those eyes once more. And since that day I started to go for walk to that bridge every single day, at the same time I saw him last time. I never walked to the other side of that bridge because I was afraid that every step I take towards him will result in losing myself. I'll be content if I could just take a quick glance at his face and those eyes again. I was obsessed. But to my disappointment, I never saw him after that day.

I've been going to that bridge every day since last year without missing a single day. But it was like he just disappeared after that day. There was no sign of him.

And today is going to be the last day, I can't do this anymore. I'm going to give up. So, I'll try to live this day as much as possible and remember it forever.

I reached the bridge, the walk today felt much shorter. Maybe because I was being nostalgic. The sky is much darker now, the red tint long gone. Maybe its going to rain too. I should've brought an umbrella with me.

Lost in my thoughts, I reached the edge of the bridge. With a wry smile I looked up, trying to imprint the view in front of me on my mind. And there he was. In all black clothes like that day, he stood on the other side of the bridge. But without his mask. Looking right in my eyes. He looked ethereal. He really was. I tried to read his face, more like look for any emotions. There was none. I wanted to look at him from close. And unconsciously, I started to walk in his direction.

First step….

And then second….

And then I stopped. This is not right. This is not why I came here for today.

I've to end this. End this for good.

So, I turned back and ran. Ran as fast as I could without sparing a second glance because I knew if I didn't hold myself back right now, I'll lose myself for ever and I'll regret that my whole life.

Surprisingly, I didn't cry that day. The sky was clear as well. The stars and the moon shining brightly.  

And there was a lingering feeling somewhere within me. The feeling of being free.

I felt at ease. My heart and my mind as well.

He stood there, unhinged but I was moving towards my destination.

He kept looking in my direction but I couldn't look back.

It ended just the way it started….