It’s quarter past three in the afternoon. I am sitting at a crowded café sipping at my coffee. I don’t like it black so I add in a little cream with latte. There is one empty seat at the other end of my table. A guy, not so old, comes close to me and says, “Buddy, can I share this seat? I need to rest my feet.” “You can”, I said. “It’s not occupied.” The moment he sat, he thanked me and introduced himself to me.
“Milburn”, he said, “is my name”. “I come here every afternoon to cultivate a feeling that I am not alone.” And then he went on telling more about him. He spoke about where he works, what he does, how he spends his time in the evening and during weekends. And I just listened to what he had to share. And, well, I also mentioned to him a little about me. He seemed surprised at the fact that I work for long hours with lesser time to give for my family & friends.
I asked him if he always comes here alone; to which he remained silent as if he was lost in space. His eyes focused on the small crack at the ceiling and then to me. He said, “I have something to show you”. He fished out an Iphone 4 from his pocket and searching through its contents, he showed me a picture of a beautiful woman almost his age. “This”, he said, “is my friend. I have known her for a very long time.”
“I first met her at this very place”, he went on. “She was seated right there”, he pointed at one corner, “waiting for her colleague to come and discuss on a company project. I don’t really know what made me leave my seat and go speak to her. It was just a brief meeting where she only revealed her name and what she did for a living. From that day on, I kept coming here daily just hoping I could see her again.”
“And then one day, she did come back. She sat at the same place she did the last time. I went again to meet her. She didn’t seem to be waiting for anyone this time. So, I considered myself lucky. I sat at the table and began a lively conversation. She felt relaxed to discuss on any topic.”
I saw his lips turn to a smile as he tried to remember the events of that day in detail. “We then took a walk,” he continued, “until we reached the bus station, still talking about different things. I gave her my contact number and took hers in return. And now I was just a friend.”
“Time passed by. I kept in touch with her very often and so did she, either over the phone or at the café. It was then I discovered that neither was she engaged nor did she have a prospective life-partner. She was on her own, doing simple things that made her happy. Slowly, but steadily, she felt she could trust me with all that she said and that I would never let her down. She also felt the care I had for her. Well, what can I say? Now, I am a special friend to her. ”
I gazed at the clock on the wall. It had just crossed 5pm. And I really had to go home. But something in his story made me want to hear more. I wanted to hear it until the end, until now, until the time he was ready to end it on his own.
He took a long look at the cocktail he just ordered and continued, “She used to come along whenever I needed her to. She was more than a friend to me. I felt excited everytime I knew I was going to meet her. And, as the time to depart came nearer, my heart sunk. I felt like I wanted to be with her all the time – just to see her smile, to hear her voice and to feel her next to me. I felt a strange feeling all around me when I was with her. I was her special friend after all.”
He pulled out a small card from his shirt pocket, placed it in my hand and said, “Last week, this is what she gave to me.” I examined the card. My eyes got bigger as I read through it. She was getting married. I looked back up at my new friend in surprise. He said, “It’s true. And I am not the one. When she slipped this in my hand, she said that I am still her very special friend and walked away. As I looked from a distance, I could see her walking away from me. And as she walked further, her image had become blurred. And that is when I realized that a tear had rolled down my cheek.”
I felt sorry for him. Gave him back the card and told him this – Life is a game. It is never easy to identify the thin line between Friendship & Love. She was with you all the time and she was your friend. Now when she has gone away, you just realized she is the only one for you. Don’t worry, my friend; we both travel in the same boat.
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