Paul gazed far into the horizon, the sun was starting to disappear into the sea, and the thirteen-year-old mind couldn't comprehend where all the water and the Sun were going, what's there at the end of this sea? Is it a big cliff where the waterfall and the hot burning sun is drenched so that the light disappears and the night starts
Suddenly he was startled by the girl sitting near him in the bus seat, she held his hands tightly as the bus suddenly came to a halt,
"come its our stop" she shouted enthusiastically
Paul wondered why Sarah was willing to accompany him, she was a tenth-standard student in his school and always showed interest in his talks and stories, she reminded him about someone he knew but couldn't remember who it was, maybe in some other life she was his close kin so he thought. But if it wasn't for Sarah, he wouldn't have taken the bus to see Annah, he wouldn't have the courage to go to her home.
Annah and Paul have known each other since their nursery days. Studied in the same class and sat on the same bench many times, but he never felt like this before, one day in their seventh class suddenly out of nowhere during prayer time he saw her looking at him, when their eyes locked he couldn't breathe it was like a sudden jolt into his belly, he sat down. Maybe she was looking at something else, why would the most beautiful girl in his class have to look at him, he couldn't make sense of what was going on, for the next year Paul was caught in this cat and mouse game. He was too afraid to talk with Annah, Sarah was sure that Annah had a crush on Paul, but Paul wasn't so sure.
As the class ended for the year Paul heard that Annah had taken transfer from the school, After the summer holidays Annah and her parents were relocating somewhere else and that was his last chance to meet her and tell her what she meant for him. Paul approached Sarah and told her he wanted to visit her Annah for one last time, Sarah without even hesitating for a second agreed to go with him.
Sarah pressed the calling bell of the house, it was a small but beautiful house with bougainvillea forming an arc-like entrance into the home, there were trees everywhere, and on the side, there was a garden. Suddenly a man in his mid-forties came near the door,
Sarah looked at Paul and then said to the man "We are close acquaints of Annamma, paulichan and Annamma are classmates. He greeted the duo warmly and received them into the dining room, there were other people sitting in the room, and on the table, there were tea-filled glasses and snacks. Sarah took some snacks but Paul looked around to see Annah. Seeing Paul looking around the man said with a smile
"I have heard a lot about you in the past year, but didn't expect to see you, she would be very happy, come she is in the garden I shall take you.
Sarah watched them both walking away sipping her cup of tea. A septuagenarian sitting next to her placed her hands on Sarah's hands and the other hand pointing in the direction Paul went, she gently asked
"Isn't it Paul"
Sarah replied," Yes granny, how do you know him?"
"That birthmark on his forehead, Annah always talked about it, she thought it was like the mark on her cat's face, beautiful! For the past year, she didn't have much to talk about, for Alzheimer's has drowned her memory" There were tears in Annamma's sister's eyes when she talked
Hearing it Sarah jumped "What! Paul Achaachan is also suffering from Alzheimer's, he hasn't talked to anybody for the past few months, but the previous week when he saw Annamma's obituary, he couldn't stop talking about his seventh class, probably he only remembers that"
"well that can't be a coincidence, Aannah was talking about the same period only, I wonder what they would have shared if for once they could have sat somewhere and talked" exclaimed Annah's sister
Somewhere in the garden, Paul sat a little far from Annah's grave. His eyes were still as if he could see her spirit, he sat there like the thirteen years they were looking at each other, fearing to go near and talk, but if eyes could converse then they had talked enough for a lifetime
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