The Conversation We Never Planned

The morning sun had just begun to paint the sky with shades of gold as she walked away from the bridge.

For a moment, I simply stood there, watching her disappear into crowd. The note was still in my hand, and the words she had spoken echoed in my mind.

"Stories are remembered forever."

I didn't know what made me to do it.

Perhaps it was curiosity.

Perhaps it was courage arriving a little too late.

Or... perhaps it was something I didn't have a name for.

Without thinking, I began walking behind her.

She wasn't walking fast. She moved as though she had nowhere to rush, noticing the little things every one else ignored-the sparrow pecking at crumbs on the roadside, the old women arranging the fresh flowers outside her shop, the gentle breeze carrying the scent of jasmine through the morning air.

A few steps later, she stopped.

Without turning around, she said,

"You've been following me for almost 2 minutes."

I froze

"I... wasn't following you."

"No?"

She slowly turned, a playful smile resting on her face.

"So this road suddenly become your favorite?"

I rubbed the back of my neck,

Embarrassed.

"Fine... maybe I was."

She laughed.

It wasn't loud

It wasn't dramatic.

It was light, warm, and honest

For some reason hearing her laugh felt like hearing a song I have forgotten I have loved.

We began walking again.

This time side by side.

The silence between us was not awkward this time.

I felt comfortable, as though it had been waiting for this conversation all along.

"So... "I finally asked, "if you are not going to tell your name, what am I supposed to call you?"

She pretended to think.

"Hmm..."

Then she looked at me.

"What do I look like?"

I smiled.

"Like someone who enjoys confusing people."

She laughed again.

"That's not a name."

"It suits you."

She folded her arm.

"And what if I don't like it?"

"Then you will have to tell me your real."

 She shook her head.

"Not today."

I sighed dramatically.

"Then I will call you… The girl on the bridge."

She covered her face for a second, trying not to laugh.

"That's the worst nickname I've ever heard."

"It'll do until you give me a better one."

She smiled.

"You're impossible."

"And yet your still walking beside me."

For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.

The morning breeze carried fallen leaves across the road

The city was awake now, but somehow it felt has though we were walking inside are own little world.

After a while she broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something."

"Go ahead."

'If you could keep only one sound in your life forever... what could it be?"

I didn't answer immediately.

Instead I listened.

Bicycle Bell.

Bird singing from a nearby tree.

The distance rumble of a train.

And the wind brushing softly through the leaves.

Finally, I said,

"Rain"

She tilted her head.

"why rain?"

"Because it never asks anyone to smile."

she looked at me for a long moment.

There was no laughter this time.

Only quiet understanding.

"Your different," she whispered

I smiled.

By the time we reached the college gate, the students had begun filling the campus with conversation and laughter.

She stopped walking.

"You asked for my name," she said softly.

I did.

She looked into my eyes with the same mysterious smile she had worn since the day I saw her on the bridge.

You'll know it.

She took one step backward.

"... when you are ready to keep it."

Before I could reply she turned and disappeared into the crowd once again.

And somehow...

Not knowing her name made me want to know her even more...

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