Fiction - Graduation Day

 

I opened my eyes after some long - long thought, only to find myself staring at the certificate which I was holding tightly. It was graduation day , and I have sat down after receiving the piece of paper that marked the end of my 3 year journey. The weight of the moment started to sink in.

 

Memories flowed through me and I felt a strange and serene peace. Friends, experiences, classrooms - all were flowing like a river. Amid all those memories I thought about ‘her’. I remember clearly the first time my eyes found her.

It was a cultural day and the stage was alive with many anchors. It was sort of like a competition to find the best . After the first round of anchoring then came a pair. A girl so pretty , walked on the stage and starting delivering her note. Words flew and my eyes got fixated at her. The way she spoke, the way she walked , her confidence … it did not leave my mind. I sat there , captivated with many questions in my mind… Is she a senior? What was her name? Where did she come from ? Why did I find her so attractive whereas my friends did not even feel a thing?? Where did that strong wave come from in my mind? I eventually tried to let it go but that deep curiosity to know her were still embedded in me.

 

Unexpectedly , I did meet her after months. We were part of the same program.

And slowly, I got to know her. As seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and days into months, I began to realise—what I had once called 'pretty' was slowly unfolding into something I could only describe as Beautiful.…

Fast forward - graduation - The 3 year journey was filled with new experiences , friends , laughter and failures . I sat down , looking around and seeing my classmates trying to soak in the atmosphere. I saw her finally, sitting around the side with her classmates. After a while , I noticed her walking on to the stage and suddenly without any warning - my eyes welled up . I knew at that moment, this would be the last time I would be seeing her. I never congratulated her nor even turned around for one last look before leaving. I coudn’t. I would have broken down. 

That was surely the last time I saw her.

And yes you would be wondering why would I fast forward to graduation so suddenly? Well some stories are meant to not unfold fully. Some feelings are lived quietly , deeply and sealed in memories - Beyond the reach of words.

 

“In the end - we were just that - good friends. Maybe that is all we were ever meant to be”