The New Dawn (Continues)

In the month of June we had our convocation and on the same evening we had our farewell party. This was the last day I met Nisha and that too like strangers.

It was still dawn when I stepped out of the cab and walked towards the entry gate of the Delhi airport. The early morning February air was pleasantly cold.

I was travelling to Bengaluru to attend a college friend’s wedding. It had been four years since we graduated from the same college. This wedding was also going to be a reunion of our batchmates. But what I didn't know was that the reunion would begin much ahead of time; right in the queue in front of the airline counter. 

I was almost sure it was she. Same height! Same long hair! Same complexion! Curiosity had my eyes glued to her. And then about 60-odd seconds later, when she turned, she proved me right. My ex- girlfriend stood two places ahead of me in that queue. We had never met after the college farewell.

Our eyes met again but this time it was all different. When she was not an Ex, whenever our eyes met we felt livelier but today our eye contact has given me a cold feet. 

We kept standing frozen for a few minutes trying to compose ourselves.

“Excuse me” the person behind Nisha murmured. 

We were not yet composed enough to notice the movement of the queue. The person ahead of Nisha had already cleared his formalities and it was now Nisha’s turn.

“Oh Yes! I am sorry” Nisha murmured and moved towards the counter.

“Oh shit! I was almost sure and not fully! It was just four years back when I could have recognised her from anywhere. Is this me?” I was musing, surprised, while she cleared her formalities. 

“Times change so fast” I was thinking “It is true that with time feelings do change”. I had heard this lot many times but this was the first time that I have realised this. 

I had never been philosophical ever in my life but I don’t know why I was becoming like one, at this moment. “Is it really the time that changes or is it us who do?” 

Utpal Kant Mishra
Mumbai

P.S: This write is linked to Half Marathon 2016 by Blog Chatter, This story is a work of Fiction. In this part lines from "It was still dawn ..." to "We had never met ...." was the prompt of the author on which this story has been written. Day 10 #Blog Chatter