UNTIL THE END (#Watty's 2017)

The First Meeting

Sometimes a simple thing can produce cascade effect, that affects your life in the most unexpected way. A something similar happened to me. Something so drastic it changed my life.

"Grief doesn't change you, Hazel. It reveals you". I cringed at the irony of that statement. The concept of grief was somewhat unfamiliar to me, but I used to wonder whether grief has the power to change us, to change our personality, to morph an entirely new person.

 I was reading a rather famous novel, trying to dissect reality from fantasy. It was a week before the start of the high school life, the highlight of your  life. If you are born in a classical Indian middle class family, you better pull off high  school with extra ordinary marks. Anything less than a GPA 4.0, you are trapped in a viscous cycle of guilt and taunts . From a lowly rated job to lower social standings, a percentage did made a difference between Copernicus and a pesky peasant. what was a Toyota to a Porsche. Since we were old enough to tell the difference between a pot and a kettle , the dread of marks and thus middle class aspirations  was ingrained in us like an army drills to a cadet. "Life is a race, run fast or you'll be crushed by others." was the only symphony that we learned. our lives were like Darwin's theory, where were are just the lab rats. Our worst antagonist wasn't a Lux Luthor or President Snow but we feared the faces of our parents  on the result day. a smile was worth more than a million dollars but mostly we could see only the disappointments and hard hitting.

Life in middle class India isn't easy, specially if you are in your freshmen year. Nevertheless, here I was, enjoying on a surprisingly cool evening during late Indian summer. The sunlight was withering at the horizon. The sky was lit in a beautiful hue of orange and yellow, simmering like someone had painted on the sky. I was sitting on a little patch of grass in the public park, a book propped against my legs. A light breeze was flowing, causing a slight drop in the mercury. Against all notions of common sense,  I had gone to the park in anticipation of a quiet and secluded place. Yet, like always the fates despised me. A flock of people and children were busy destroying the serenity of the surrounding. yet, the God wasn't  at his regular best and  I somehow  found a small alcove, just perfect niche for me. 
" Amsterdam" I said as I read the plot twist,  probably more interested in experiencing the place physically rather than reading about it. The intricacy of canals, breathtaking architecture, and modern technology blended with medival European architecture. Everywhere you turn, I could imagine people commuting by bicycle, sipping coffee on outdoor patios, taking tours of the   Museums, socializing with friends over great food and wine. I casually flicked through the pages when I heard the infernal voice, the voice that was soon going to change my life forever.
"TFIOS?, do you know Augustus dies instead of Hazel" said a girl, standing behind me. I looked back. First in full  shock that was laced with amusement, then agitation rose within me. 'Who was she?' to spoil the ending for me. I turned back and was  on the verge of snapping at her. But I just couldn't. Those brown eyes, just a black tint were captivating. She was beautiful, those long black hair,  just coming on her forehead were just alien to me. I couldn't help but just to stare at her till my processed the situation which I felt first time in my life; wordless and spellbound.
" Thank you for the spoiler ma'am" I said, my voice laced with sarcasm. The sarcasm didn't go unnoticed. She winked at me, her irritation was flowing out in waves. "Is there a dairy nearby" she asked, looking like she would kill me if I said no. "Straight down the street, first left, second right" I said closing the now spoiled book. "Thanks and by the way no need for arrogance, never mind continue on..." she said, walking down the alcove, huffing. "Feeling is mutual" I muttered.

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Reference: The fault in our stars by John Green