An Evening by the Lake

An Evening by the Lake(Nalini Priyadarshni) I saw them sitting beside each other, near the lake, looking into each others eyes as people do when they are in love. She, then, slipped her arm inside his arm and squeezed it. He was tall and fair with a mop of black hair and she was short and petite and dusky. Her long hair had an orange tinge of henna. They sat there quite oblivious of the world that bustled around them. They had eyes only for each other. They did not speak much. They did not have to, for love needs no words. She looked up in his eyes and smiled, spreading the radiance on her face. Suddenly, he gave a short laugh and turning almost completely to face her, asked her, "If we ever meet again, later in life, would you recognize me? or would you turn your face away pretending not to know me?"

Smile left the girl's face. Her eyes grew sombre and her face ashen. She quietly withdrew her arm before she turned to face him. Pain could be seen writ large in her eyes, so much so that he could not see it and he closed his eyes. She, then, straightened her back and in a very steady voice replied, "No, I won't ever recognize you if we happen to meet again. You are, either a part of my life or you don't exist."

They both were quiet for some time, silently pondering over the words they had just exchanged, their meanings and their repercussions. But the evening was beautiful and they were far too young to let the sorrows and heart ache of tomorrow spoil the moment. When I got up from there, they were still sitting there, their arms intertwined and her head on his shoulder.