Never Say Goodbye!

It’s all gloomy. The sky is damp, the weather is shrewd and the wind is hissing like snakes in a pit.

The artist was sad, for he was confused. Confused of what he should do. Should he pursue his dream he has been waiting for all these years or pursue the dream he is living in now? He was helpless; he wanted to talk but would she listen?

He called her and immediately disconnected the call. He looked at her picture. Smiling he said: “You are nothing short of my everything”

From yesterday, it's coming... from yesterday, the fear; It calls him but he doesn't want to read the message here. Looking back alone...we have no choice but to try, for our curiosity and for our fear of what will happen if we don’t.

He paints the same emotions on his wall. He finishes it and then he sits back and sips a cup of coffee and says: “Hey, it’s not that bad!”

“Yup...not bad either”

He was shocked to hear her voice coming from behind him. He looked back...she was there standing by the window looking at his act.

“Now if you please open the door. I don’t want to stand here all day”

His smile returned. She completes him...he knows that well.

“Just a moment”

***

She: “I see”

Me: “I know you are upset...even I am...but this assignment just happened so fast”

She: “We are talking of how many weeks?”

Me: “It’s actually close to a year”

She: “A year?”

Me: “I am not sure honey...it can extend too...I can explain...”

She: “wait...shut up...when this did happen? You are telling me now?”

Me: “I received the news yesterday”

She: “Hmmm”

Me: “Say something at least”

She: “What do you want me to say?”

The silence

Have you ever felt the silence? The silence that pierces your spine or the silence that makes you wait. The one that makes you think. It drives you insane. Endless permutations and combinations, but you still won’t be able to solve the situation.

I noticed her eyes are glued to mine. The same eyes I drown in every time I meet her. Those eyes!

You know I got a lot to say to you. But right now I can’t think. How can I decide what’s right when it’s you I am counting on.

She seemed very upset.

She: “I can’t accept this...I’ll be in my room”

Me: “Are you mad at me?”

She: “Leave me alone”

Me: “You seem depressed”

She: “I just want a little bit of time for myself”

Me: “Tell me please”

She: “No! You leave me alone please” I could feel her eyes teary.

I can’t see her cry. For me it is my greatest guilt to be the reason for her to be unhappy.

Me: “Come with me”

She: “You know I can’t”

Me: “What do I do?”

She had a huge sigh and she said

“You know what...I'm so tired now, suppressed by all my childish fears. And if you have to leave...just go!”

Me: “I am not leaving you...”

***

Nothing beats a quiet evening alone, with just the two of us.

She: “Why do you have to go...is it so important?”

Me: “It’s once in a lifetime opportunity. You know it was one of my dreams”

She: “Yes...but still...It’s a long time”

Me: “It will be over in a flash”

She: “You kidding me...not helping at all”

Me: “I can make it up for you”

She: “Oh please...what possibly can make up to this huh?”

Me: “Why are we fighting now please?

Well...on the other hand, you know what...Let’s be more than this tonight!”

She: “What do you mean?”

Me: “Will you marry me?”

She was confused, she was shocked. She saw him going to pull the box out of his pocket.

She shouted: “What are you doing?” and then she cried hysterically.

***

He:“I will call you”

She: “Daily, twice a day at least”

He:“Yes master”

The Display Board beamed: Flight 8501!

He: “About time”

She: “Hey” she held his hand tight. “Tell me one thing”

He: “Ask me anything”

She: “What if you couldn’t...what if you did lose me?”

He was taken aback. He did not thought of it once. For him to live without her is like the night without a moon, the fish without the water, the flower without the light.

He says: “It’s the moment to live and the moment to die. It’s the moment to fight...and honey, I will fight this fight till the end!  But I just can’t lose you now”

She (crying): “Don’t go please”

He says wiping her tears: “I will be back like I never went anywhere”

What do we generally say? We will say good bye and look back one last time...But know that wherever you go I will be with you.

***

“Breathe...breathe. Buddy you got to breathe”

Placing the heel of one hand on the centre of his chest he continued to compress vigorously.

“Common man...breathe”

Then he coughed...spilling water from his mouth.

He coughed more...his life came back with it. He coughed and looked at him helplessly who was having a sigh of relief.

“Phew...man you gave me a scare. Thank god you are alive”

He was puzzled. For him it seemed like he just woke up from a horrible dream. He asked: “Who are you?”

“Me...Oh...I am Anton”

He looked around...he could only see the vast ocean ahead and the dark forest behind.

“Where are we?”

Anton: “That my friend...even I am not sure of”

***

“Is there even a body?” She broke down asking the same question.

It’s been four weeks now since the tragedy happened.

“We are doing the best we can miss...we will get back...” she cut the call midway and threw the phone in agony, shattering it into pieces.

She was broken, she was strewn. She looked at their picture for some time and then wiping her tears she said: “Where are you? I told you not to leave me alone”

She wept again holding her dear frame close to her chest.

While far away, there he sat with Anton...being helpless.

It’s all gloomy.

He: “I should not have left her”

Anton: “It’s okay now”

He: “Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. Her presence marks my existence. And I think about what I would give to spend another minute of that...”

Anton: “It’s not healing yours pain, it’s making it worse. Don’t lose hope my friend.”

He: “You know the last word I said to her before boarding the flight? That I would be back like I never went anywhere”

He cried too...with the tides sweeping past before them again and again.

I have loved you for a thousand years; I will love you for a thousand more.

If only they could hear each other.

***

AirAsia Flight 8501 was an international passenger flight of AirAsia flying from Indonesia to Singapore. On 28 December 2014, the aircraft operating the route, an Airbus A320-216, crashed into the Java Sea during bad weather, reportedly killing all the passengers and seven crew on board. Two days after the crash, debris from the aircraft and human remains were found floating in the Java Sea. 

Till now only 113 of the 162 bodies have been recovered.

The search for bodies ended in March 2015.