It was a hectic Friday afternoon. I had just finished my clinical posting at the teaching hospital. I couldn't wait to get home, but first, I had to make it through hours of classes till 6pm. I got on a bus going to my school. We waited for the bus to get filled.
As we waited, a strikingly beautiful lady came onto the bus and sat just beside me. She left an instant impression. As she sat, she looked tired, just like I was. I could tell she had just finished her clinical posting as well. We began the journey to school. There was an awkward moment of silence, while we kept stealing glances at each other.
Eventually, I broke the silence.
"Hi. You seem exhausted." I said.
"Yes. I am famished. I can't wait to get to my hostel and take a long nap", she replied.
"Well, I envy you. I still have classes till 6m despite the fact that I'm famished" I said.
"Oh, sorry about that" she said, with pity for me.
"Thank you. I'm Victor, by the way. What's your name?" I asked.
"I'm Jane. It's nice meeting you Victor" she replied.
"Same here", I said.
Jane and I talked throughout the entire duration of the journey home. We talked about the basic details about ourselves, we also talked about school. As we arrived at our destination, we exchanged contacts, said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
As time went on, we got to know a lot about each other. We spent a lot of time chatting, sometimes late into the night. Our conversations were always fun. We hung out often. I always enjoyed her company. There was never a dull moment with her.
One interesting thing about her was that she loved music. She knew the lyrics to every song I knew. I don't think I ever met anyone who loved music like she does.
One day, we were together while I played music in the background. As soon as the song "Mount Everest" by Labrinth came on, Jane lit up. There was so much excitement in her face.
"This is my favorite song. I love it so much" She said as she nodded her head, enjoying the music.
She made me repeat the song about 6 times, as she sang along every time. Eventually, the song got stuck in my head. Unconsciously, I associated her with that song.
As time went by, we grew apart. It all started when my exams came up. I had to study very hard, so I barely had free time. We went hours without talking. This was something that never happened before. Just like that, our communication level continually reduced. We went days, weeks and even months without talking to each other.
Before my exams, I told her that I wouldn't be readily available for that period, and she understood. But by the time I was done with my exam, our friendship was long gone. There was so little left to be saved. Even when we ran into each other, the moment seemed awkward and plastic. There was no affection left. It saddened me and broke my heart that something so beautiful was now reduced to this. We were such a wonderful duo. Our friendship was a blossoming one. The time we spent together were some of the happiest of my life.
Occasionally, I would hear her favorite song being played, and my mind would automatically go to her. That song became a constant reminder of her.
On her birthday, I decided to call her. After giving her my wishes, we got talking
"What really happened to us?" I asked.
"I guess we just grew apart. It happens and that's life", she answered.
"It was so hard for me to accept that we are no longer like we used to be" I said.
"Same for me. But I accepted a long time ago that things change, people change. It's a natural process. We just have to learn to move on. I had a nice time with you, and I don't know if what we had can be salvaged, but I've moved on, and you should do the same", She replied.
"I had a nice time with you too. You were one of a kind. It's sad things ended that way" I said.
I knew she had moved on. She probably barely thought of me. However, here I was, stuck with remembering her every time a particular song comes on, and being sad about it.
They say time heals all wounds, and maybe it would heal this wound too, but I don't know if time is capable enough to take care of the resulting scar.
