Around the corner I turned back to see where we came from, we had left the place far behind, just like the memories.
“Where to?” I asked.
“Nowhere!” She answered.
I just walked along with her. I had no destination, that day, or maybe any other day. I just liked to take walks. Walks that defined nothingness yet had everything in it. We just walked and walked.
“Where do you guess we will be in five years from now, exactly at this time?” I asked. I just wanted to make a conversation.
“Why do you think so much?” She wondered.
“Just wondering.” I always have a mind for wondering. I wondered if I would even remember the day exactly after five years. But memory is such a funny thing. I exactly remember what we said, where we went and even what I saw that day.
We walked toward the temple nearby. There were some children diving into the ponds, some ladies dressed in colourful dresses. People burning incences, and some ascetics sleeping under the shades. We bought two oil lamps outside. We went around the temple. And lighted the candle where we were supposed to lamp it. She was happy to be lighting that there. She closed her eyes and must have wished for something, I never asked.
“What did you wish for?” She asked.
“You don’t tell your wishes, or it wont come true!” I said. Actually I am not sure what I wished that day, maybe something maybe nothing, It didn’t matter. Being an atheist I never went to temples alone, but I was glad to be with her that day. It was wandering without destination, exactly what it was supposed to be.
We walked some more. I wanted to have some coffee.
“Cuppa coffee?” I asked
“No, I don’t feel like.” She answered.
I just nodded. We walked again. We didn’t talk as much as any other day. It didn’t mattered we talked or not. It was the company that mattered; we were walking on same pace. I wonder if talks really mattered.
We reached the crossroads; one leaded to her home, another to nowhere. We exchanged goodbyes, she headed home, I headed towards nowhere again.
[...] Prologue – around 7 years back. [...]