When souls collide

Prologue

Rumi- 4 years ago

Dark clouds loom above, a sign of an  impending rainfall, the trees around the cemetery sway and the air is  filled with the sound of rustling leaves as the breeze picks up pace.

My dad’s brother passed away, cancer being the culprit of this tragedy. My small family had gathered around for his funeral ,I was a regular visitor to this cemetery, to visit my dad. He died in a car crash when I was 3 years old, so I don’t remember much about him but from what my dads’s side of the family and my neighbors say about him, he was an awesome guy.

The wind has really picked up, at this point my long black hair was all over the place, I look to my right to check on my mom,she looks at me smiles and waves , then she turns to talk to my aunt and some other people gathered there. It’s been just mom and me since my dad’s death. My mom was estranged from her family, the reason being oh so scandalous. She was born and raised in India, and she came to the U.S  for a job in nursing. My dad was one of the patients she treated; he came in with a minor fracture on the leg after he fell from a ladder. According to mom , my dad was a charmer, sweet and a gentleman, they both fell hard in love and when my mom disclosed the relationship to her parents, they flipped and asked her to choose between them and my dad, apparently arranged marriage was the only popular method of marriage socially acceptable in India at the time and falling in love and marrying a white guy is a big no no according to her family. When push came to shove ,she chose my dad. She chose love and that was the end of her relationship with her family. They did not even want to get to know me! Oh well , their loss.

As the adults gather in small groups, here and there discussing “grown up” stuff, code for boring! I look around, taking in the surrounding, usually kids would find a cemetery creepy, I mean it is where dead people are buried after all. To me it represents a place of equality ,it reminds us that no matter whether we are rich or poor, black , brown or white, we all end up here in the end.

I start walking to the left, the gravel crunch beneath my feet , there were grass and some wild flowers growing on the sides of the path. As I walk farther , I see a tall figure standing all alone staring at a headstone, his back is  to me but what caught my eyes were his bright red sneakers. I should probably turn around and leave, since mom taught me all about stranger danger and all, but I feel drawn to that figure, curiosity brimming in my mind, I walk toward the stranger, as I near him my heart begins to pound in my ribcage, I should probably walk back, but my feet have other plans. I push my hair to the left side of my shoulder and hold it there as the winds become stronger, the air around buzz with energy as I almost reach him.

He keeps staring at the headstone, as I stand on his right side; he seems absolutely unfazed that a stranger, a kid, is standing right next to him. I turn to look at him, he is definitely tall, with some scruff on his face, sharp jaw, dark messy unkempt hair spills onto his forehead, his lips pink with a lit cigarette in between them. He is wearing a white button down dress shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and black slacks and of course his bright sneakers which seems so out of place with his formal attire . I cleared my throat to get his attention, he doesn’t move, he probably did not notice my voice with all the leaves rustling in the wind.

“Who are you visiting?” I ask, a bit loud. He does not turn nor answer. Ok probably I’m intruding his alone time with whoever was buried there.
“Ok sorry for disturbing, I’ll leave”. I say, tightening my grip around my hair. I turn to leave.

“My mother” he finally replied, still not looking at me, his voice was so deep laced with pain, as though the word mother was like a punch to his gut.
“Oh I’m sorry, though that word hardly ever makes things better. What happened to her? If you don’t mind me asking?”. I’m probably pushing my luck here with Mr. talks a lot.He finally turns and faces me. His eyes were so beautiful, so blue and deep like an ocean, his lashes were long and thick.
“She was sick”, he says still studying me. “You shouldn’t be wandering around here all by yourself and talking to random strangers”.

I’m shocked, he actually spoke more than four words. I keep looking at him and say “ I’m not alone, I came here with my mom for my uncle’s funeral he died of cancer , and my dad’s buried here, he died when I was 3.” I could see sadness in his eyes listening to my sob story, he quickly reels it in and he is back to emotionless.

“I’m sorry about your dad and uncle, though the word sorry hardly ever makes you feel better, right?.” He says still looking at me, studying me with curiosity. I clear my throat, a small drop of water falls on my forehead and I look up to the sky, it started drizzling.
“You should get back to your mom, it’s going to pour anytime now and you’ll probably catch a cold kid.” He says, turning back to look at the headstone.

I don’t want to leave, what if I never see him again and why does that thought bother me.“ You should probably stop smoking you know, it will kill you and I don’t think your mother would’ve wanted that. Also how are we supposed to end up together if you are dead ” Oh my god did I just say that aloud? What is wrong with me?.

He turns to me, with a smirk on his face “Aren’t you a little young, to be going around proposing marriage to random strangers kid?”.

“I’m 14, and stop calling me kid! How old are you anyway? Not that it matters, we still are going to end up together, I just have this feeling”. I say with a lot of conviction.
“I’m 21 and it matters. Listen kid , I’m going to give you some advice, and I hope you are smart enough to take it. I’m the wrong guy for you, and if ever you cross paths with guys like me, run in the opposite direction as fast as you can. You will never have happy endings with guys like me and you deserve someone who can give you that, so don’t ever settle and don’t ever let a man make you think otherwise. Now get out of here , I want some quiet time.” And with that he turns away.
Huh, a bad guy would never say he is not good enough but I’m not going to tell him that since he is in such a good mood. “ Well ok then, I’m going to leave. Sorry for disturbing your alone time.”
He doesn’t say anything.

I turn to leave and start walking away slowly, but I want to know his name at least so I turn and shout “ Hey! What is your name?”.
He doesn’t respond. “You know I’m just going to stand here until you tell me.” He grunts and then says ,” Rafa”.

Rafa, his name is just as beautiful as him. Before I turn to leave I yell back at him, “ Rafa, I don’t think you are a bad guy, and I am very sure you will get your happily ever after”. He doesn’t move and I sigh and retreat , I turn to look back at him one last time before he becomes just a memory and my eyes widen when I find him looking at me with his creased forehead, his dark thick brows stitched together with curiosity. His lips pressed together forming a line, his cigarette missing.

I smile, maybe he took my advice after all. Was he looking at me all this while? Why does that make me so happy? I turn and walk toward my mom, with a stupid smile on my face. Probably the wrong place to smile. I wish I could make him smile.

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Guys if you like this story so far, do let me know and I'll post the Chapter 1.