Always and Forever?

Old Peter sat on the park bench to rest for a while after his long evening walk. Sitting on the bench and humming his favourite tune, he saw many young people enjoying themselves. "Enjoy your youth", said Peter in a muffled tone. He remembered days of his youth and became nostalgic for a while. "This is life, we all grow old, and die someday, but what makes us alive are the memories." he said to himself.

Meanwhile he saw that another old man was sitting on the same park bench and reading a book. Being fond of the act of socialising and having no one else to talk to, he thought of starting a conversation with the guy of his age. Turning towards him, as he was about to talk, he suddenly felt a pang in his heart. Recognising his face he said, "Patrick???"

"Peter???"said the other man, turning towards him.

******************************

"Look, what have I brought for you!" said a guy with a short and thin stature. "WOW! Paulo Coehlo's The Alchemist. My favourite writer. A perfect gift for a bookworm." smiled a fair guy in glasses, with broad shoulders. The guys knew each other since childhood and have been best friends eversince and thought of remaining so 'forever'.

As life proceeds in its path, priorities change, commitments and ambitions change, and so do people and their minds.

"I can't pretend to be your best friend any more, it only suffocates me! I think things are not going to work out between us anymore. I'm tired of it." said the tall fair guy. "Is this...is this what you want??? Anyway, its ok then, I won't bother you anymore."said the thin short guy. He knew forcing for friendship would be useless but he also knew that he was the person who had made a difference in his life.Some vivid memories of their moments of togetherness revisited his mind. He remembered how they used to pillow fight during sleepovers, shared tiffins at the recess and gave each other a hug of comfort when things were not on their tracks and so on....No more of this,it was all over."Perhaps, the terms always and forever exist only in fairy tales and story books, and not in real lives" thought the thin guy. He never knew when all of this had started. "Was it the guitar competition in which both of them had participated while he won. Was it his new friends at college because of which perhaps he had unconsciously ignored his best friend? Or Was it the marksheet which had a bit of differences?" He never knew. Those small, ignorable events which do matter and add up to create ego clashes, those minute differences and dissentions that do take a toll, had perhaps plotted against them. But life didn't end. He thought with a sigh," People move on and so will we. Perhaps, life was all about moving on and never looking back..."

After this, they never really met each other or looked back...well, almost never...

**********

It was six thirty by Peter's watch and it was time for him to return home. He got up. "You have still maintained your thin stature," said Patrick. "And you are still a book worm," said Peter and started to walk towards his destination.

A deafening silence filled the park's atmosphere...