Am always with you.....

Chapter 4

BEN

I sat down, watching Zach getting smaller and smaller as he went farther away. I cursed myself for my airiness. When he was being worried for me, I took him for granted. The harsh words he said brought me back. I instantly regretted what I said. I tried to hold him but he shook me off.

I'll buy him Little Hearts later.

Just then, I saw him coming back. I got up and rushed to him, "I'm sorry bud. I won't take you for granted again. I'll ride my bike slowly." I said honestly.

He didn't reply, instead brought his bag in front and took out 2 packets of Little Hearts.

"I bought this for Jamey; thought of getting one for you too."

And saying so, he left as he came. I stood rooted at my place.

How can we think so similar? Even I thought of buying him the same!

Lots of emotions welled up in my heart. Guilt. Love. Happiness. And mostly importantly, Warmth.

I sincerely thank you Lord, for blessing me with such a friend. I promise to cherish him for my life.

I walked back to my faculty building and headed towards the library on third floor. I didn't have any lecture for this time slot, so I decided to wait in the library till Nitin's class was over. After half an hour, Nitin came in the library.

"Hey, are you going to continue studying here or head back home?" Nitin whispered.

"I'll wait for now. If you want to leave, you can." I replied.

"Okay then. I'll meet you tomorrow. By the way, thanks for helping me in my assignment. The teacher was pleased with my work."

I pinched his arm as hardly as possible. He gulped his pain and whispered harshly, "What the hell! What's wrong with you?"

I said nothing. Just a glare is enough to tell what I wanted to say.

He understood and apologized, "Sorry. Won't thank you again. But you see, besides saying 'Thank you', there is no good word to express gratitude. And you can't stop me from expressing my gratitude!"

I opened my mouth to argue, but stopped. True that.

He continued, "Okay. I'll bid you adieu. Bye, bye, crocodile. Meet you in a while."

I waved him goodbye and smiled. Nitin can be quite funny sometimes.

At almost 5, I left the library. I exited the building and came to the same old tree and sat under it.

It is not just a tree; it is a shoulder for the sad; a friend for the happy; an umbrella for protection; a mother for an orphan. Whenever I am here, I always felt a strange surge of emotions flowing through me, a mixture which I can't seem to separate and identify independently. I felt like I could spend my entire life below this tree. It was my mother, my friend, my home. Whenever I felt low, I would come here and if that is not possible, just a thought and I am at peace. I put my back against it, and rested my head. I closed my eyes and filled my lungs with air; a wave of freshness swept over me. After a while, I got a bit hungry. I remembered that I had some snacks; Little Hearts. I opened the pack and started eating those sugar-filled, small, heart-shaped biscuits. These are my favourite biscuits. If there is anything besides Jamey that I cherish about my childhood, it is this biscuit. Not because they were popular during those times, but because they were my companion when my parents were not. Also, my mother often used to buy me these.

I looked down at the pack, and felt my eyes well up. I looked towards the sky in an attempt to hold back my tears, but they fell down, trailing down my sideburns and into my ears. I miss you, Mom; I miss you Dad. My mom and Dad passed away when I was 10. It was hard for Mom to have Jamey, and was always ill after Jamey was born. When Jamey was 2, Mom passed away. Within just 1 year, Dad died from pneumonia. It was the worst phase of my life. I and my brother were almost shunned by the society; but my grandmother or Grammy took us in. Not out of love or duty, but out of greed. My Mom and Dad's insurance! I don't want to make her an evil being, like Zach calls her. But now, we both have people who love us, our friends and neighbours who care about us; and that's enough for us. One thing's for sure; whatever she does to us- when everyone left us behind, she was the one who offered a hand to us (whatever her intentions); and I will be forever indebted to her for this.