NOSTALGIA

HOW DO THEY SAY GOODBYE?

“9f you know the true meaning of words, goodbye is the most difficult to utter”

The first rays of the sun woke Annie from her slumber. She looked at the watch beside her bed. It was six, and it was July. “Isn’t it supposed to remain cloudy or rain? The sun is supposed to take a break after June, but it wasn’t happening.” She thought to herself.

Now that she was awake, it would be real easy to go back to sleep, but there was only a tiny problem, her mom. She wouldn’t let her sleep, again.

Just as she was yawning, her mom came into the room.

“Get used to waking up early. In 10 days you are going to stay in hostel, who will wake you up then?”

Her eyes flew open. Only 10 days were left before she went to join college? Only? How wonderful!

Mom told her, at breakfast, to start making a list of things that she wants to take with her and start packing, and then she left for work.

When she went to her room, she tried to fish out things from her cupboard and soon realized that she would never find things unless she turned the whole place upside down. Now she had to clean her room first before trying to find things.

 After 2hours of hard work, and lots of dust and useless junk, her room looked ok sort of. She thought that mom did this whole thing in just 10mins and the room looked wow. She will never be able to do it like her.

While cleaning her room, she found many things that she had forgotten even existed. She found an old album, some random pics of her and her friends, an old scrapbook, some birthday cards, New Year cards and other stuff.

While going through each of them, memories came back. It was as if her whole life was lying in front of her. All those she had spent, growing up, without even realizing it, were in her hands.

Some silly things that she and her friends had written in her scrapbook now seemed so precious. And then the realization came, she will be leaving all these behind in just 10 days.

Her whole life, her friends, her city, her family, her home! There was so much to do and so less time. She wanted to meet her friends, she wanted go on some trip, she wanted to watch the sunset with friends, she wanted to eat at her favorite places, she wanted to go to her favorite places. There was so less time and she grew up way too fast.

She took a look at her home. She was born and brought up here. Each corner held memories. She will have to stay elsewhere, away from home. The warmth of home suddenly felt so dear and leaving it would be so difficult. Everything looked so dear, even the ugly piece of wood that her mother had bought some years ago, she had always hated it, but it all seemed different now, maybe her perception was different.

She knew in her heart that once she left home, she will never come to stay here again like she had done for the past 20 years of her life. She would be coming only in holidays, maximum for a week.

 She had seen her brother go away to college 6years back. He only visited twice a year now. She wanted to ask him how he gathered the courage to leave what he was  to become what he would be, but then again, that wouldn’t be such a good idea.

10 days passed in a blur. She met with friends, went to places and tried to live each moment.

Now that packing was all done and the moment had arrived, she thought to herself that before admission she had been so eager to leave the house, now each moment is spent in thinking how she will bid farewell to her home.

She was ready to make a career, but the price to be paid was heavy, she will have to do it anyway.

She was being taught to fly, now that she is ready to fly, she must leave the nest.

While standing at the gate, she looked back at the most beautiful building in the world to her and said, “someday I will be back” but even she could hear the echo of lie in it.

With moisture in her eyes, she left.