A long long time ago

I see him walking towards me, I can see his smile widen as he realizes its really me he's looking at. I am reminded of the many times I have spent with him, how long it has been!
 
As he comes closer to me, he stops at a distance. We stand apart looking at each other for a while, regarding the other person with some apprehension, has time taken its toll on him? Has he changed a lot! Does he even remember what I meant to him then? Does he feel the same way about me?

Million doubts crop up in my head! I panic. I should not have come, it was a really bad idea! I want to go back in time n undo this. But in a flash, all my doubts melt away in a loving hug!

Oh, he remembers n he feels the same, still.

He holds my hand n gives it a tug indicating we must go some place else. I revel in the familiar feeling of his hand in mine. Not a word has been exchanged yet!

I want to ask him a million questions, answer another million, but I dont want words to amalgamate the moment. I love it as it is, I am really glad I came back, to see him.

We go to a nearby only-too-familiar park with benches in it. He finds a vacant one, sits on it first indicating me to sit next to him.

I do it wordlessly.
We sit there holding hands, looking at the lawn ahead.

I can hear children playing in the swings behind us. I am reminded of us playing on those very swings! I am reminded of the fights we used to have because I was too scared of the slide which was really steep. My mind reels back to when we used to get back here after school eating icecreams, trying to catch butterflies. The walk home used to be my favorite time with him. We'd play with pebbles as we walked back, stop by to look at boys playing cricket in the street. When we reached home, he'd take me to the li'l garden he'd ve made all by himself n offer me the best flower there. His mom would get me something to eat which I would accept, too polite to refuse.

Suddenly I am taken back to the present with the sound of his voice saying "didi, aap itne din kahan thi?" Its been an year since I last saw him! I begin explaining in simple terms so his ten year old brain understands what I say.