A childhood Promise

Chapter 4

It is a dark, serene night, moon gleaming with twinkling stars visible just like white gems thrown over a black piece of velvet. Wondering how many nights I've spent like this, sitting in backyard, I swift back to old memories, which is pulling me and making the present all blur.

"Rose, why don't you listen to me? I swear I don't know he would be having these plans." He yelled but not rudely.

I don't want to stop, I just want to run away but he don't understand. There's this mixed feeling of what just happened. Should I be happy? Ofcourse I should be but why am I scared. Being engaged at nine year old, this is going to change all. Everything. I love him more than just friends but I want him just as a friend right now. My heart is scared, ambivalent, confused and everything that it has never felt before. And there he is standing with me in the backyard, his expressions are worried and nervous. I wiped my tears and faced him.

"Leave me alone." I plead. But he ignored and reached me instead. He knows perfectly that I need him right now. He is searching my face for the questions I'm not asking while I am searching answers on his face. There is silence...then he broke.

"Even if we get engaged, I promise I'll be always like this. Rose, I am worried too. But what can we do? I know we're kids, so lets just be like this until we grow up. I'd love to spend my life with you, playing like crazy." He smiled adorably then his happiness disappeared, he paused and with more serious face continued. "But if we ever discovered ourselves unhappy with this engagement, we'll wait until we're grown up and will break it. I promise I would let you out of this if you'd want."

I giggled. "You wouldn't be a bad company for the rest of my life." I said in my sweetest voice. Jose eyes are full of delight, he is rarely this happy. While I had so many questions, he's answered them and made everything sound much easier. Under this dark night, his fair skin twinkles like as if competing with stars. I wonder how handsome he would be in future.

"Lets not worry then." Jose assured, taking me into a quick hug. When suddenly a matter popped in my mind.

"Any idea why our parents want us to get engaged?" I questioned him worriedly.

"I guess they're partners and just as us wanting to make our friendship last long, they want to add strength in their partnership. This is what I've seen in movies so I don't know if I am right." Jose explained and wow his guess makes sense.

"Man, you're so intelligent." I praised him and no doubt he is alot smart in studies too.

We are sitting on grass, absorbing its coldness, and have not spoken from the last ten minutes. Like anything. Maybe we don't know what to say now! I never notice how relaxed I felt with him until this day. Things really will change. Jose and Rose, perfect friends with such similar names, call it a co-incidence, never sat for a few seconds silently. And now they're here changing their record. I guess things have already changed. Without thinking, I had this urge to speak.

"Jose, why are we not saying anything? You said you'd be the same." I complained, pulling the grass from the ground furiously.

"Because I am thinking to make a promise to eachother." He confessed with such an innocent voice that made me smile.

"About what, Jose?" I questioned him with an uncertain tone. Jose took a deep breath before telling me.

"No matter what happens, If we are happy together, we wont split. And I mean it. Rose, I love you sweetheart. I don't know what love of our age is called. But I do. So, I would never like to see you sad. If by the time, we grow up and you fall for someone else. You make another good friend, you have to make this promise to tell me at that instant. And I'll just go, fade away from your life."

This promise, this Jose. I miss him so much. When did I ever say I was not happy, never did I had any other friend so what did I do to deserve this. Jose, you never lied...

My head is heavy, filled with disgust, love, pain and dizziness. I made my way to bed and curled myself to sleep.