BACK TO THE FUTURE

Year 2048,

Month of February, 6.30 pm

Sun had just touched horizon.

He blinked his eye and pulled the rimmed hat down slightly and stretched his legs to get upright and avoid the rays from blinding him. 

It reminded him of that day 65 years ago , when the sun had played a similar trick but he had held on  to the catch in the school cricket match played at lunch time. He was immediately  mobbed by his mates, made an  instant hero and was lifted by his friends on their shoulder.

His lips curled and a smile appeared on his wrinkled face. Where might be those 2 lads , he mused, those that had carried him on their shoulders and paraded in the school grounds.

He had met  one of them accidentally  at a museum a year ago. Both were with their grandkids showing them the wonders of science. But the kids had run away and they were left on their own on the nearby benches. They saw the look in each other's eyes, knowing that they knew each other, but couldn't quiet fathom how. And then it came all flooding back. The dam holding those memories of 65 odd years ago, had burst and they were kids again!!

He laid down the paper on the table, folded it neatly and gazed between the tall palms that had grown over the past few years. "Wonder where they are all now". 

He had now known that only a half of his school friends were still alive.

And only half of those were fit to chat with.

And only very few of those he had spoken to in the last few years.

For once, he wished...that,

He had thanked that tall girl for helping him with that algebra equation, she had made it seem so easy,

He wished he had called up upon that fella who showed him how to draw the symmetrical patterns without a ruler

He wished he could give back those 25 Paise that he had borrowed to have the pepsicola on that scorching April day.

His brow furrowed as he seemed troubled. He realised , he was amongst the very few now left from his days. 

But what saddened him more was that he hadn't made that effort to reach out. Many of his thoughts would remain inside him.

His grandson shot out of the back door." Aajoba, you have a message!"he shouted and brought his phone.

He took out his glasses to look at the message. It was  a photo.

The photo of a boy who was 13 years old. It was in black and white and clearly was a crumpled faded photo.

The boy he shared his tiffin with, but had been lost in the struggles  of life.

The boy was now a wizened man, now bent and with a stick , with his daughter and grandkids. 

He slid his fingers beneath the glasses and rubbed the tear that had appeared at the corner of his eye.

And then, for the first time in his life, his trembling fingers started typing on whattsap,

"My dear friend....