My gurlllll

It was a fine evening. A light breeze carried a maple leaf with it. The breeze was playing with the leaf tossing it up and down, a swivel, a turn. The leaf seemed to enjoy its flight! It made me wonder, how good it would be if one had a life like the maple leaf, laughing all the way.

I had grown up in the same place, from a little one to the ‘Big Guy’. Oh! And by the way, that’s a special name from a special someone. True. I was a big guy now. I had established myself to be one of the finest. I was loved by anyone who has seen me for quite some time. Believe me, when I say that. A mother has entrusted me to look after kids, when she is away looking for her daily bread. Another family has entrusted me to safeguard their savings for their difficult times.

You remember the window the leaf flew through? From there, would my girl gaze at me! We would gaze endlessly at each other. Words didn’t matter to her. Whenever she looked out through the window, I would be there, standing, showing that I was always there for her. Sometimes, she would slip out through her back door to be with me.

Then again, she would do all the talking! We would sit down and she would lean against me. I was contented. She would tell me all that had happened, from our last sneaky meet till then. I would listen. Not interrupting her. That was what she needed. Someone who would accept her as she was, and not judge her. She often said I knew the most about her, than her girl friends or her family. I swelled with pride! I felt most as a big guy in those moments!

I felt lonely now. The window was empty. My girl was not there.

For quite some days, she had not come to see me through the window, let alone sneak out to be with me. I wanted to be accommodating and not feel bad. I had given myself a lot of excuses for her behavior. Now, I was not ready to buy it.

Tonight, I was determined to see her. My very insides ached for her. I leaned over her fence, to see if she was there. Then I saw it! Holding her hand was a handsome guy. She was laughing cheerfully with her head tilted towards the sky. I felt a stab of jealousy and anger. I couldn’t believe she would do this to me. After what seemed like hours of agony to me of watching them together, my sworn enemy left.

Before leaving, he did something that wanted me to rip him apart! He took her hand, lightly, bent down, slowly, and kissed it. She giggled and blushed! The color on her cheeks, as red as the apples I had for her. I could help but notice her beauty and the happiness in her eyes. I wondered if I could keep her that happy. That moment, she saw me. Before I knew it, she ran inside the house.

The evening wore on. I was waiting for her to come over and talk to me. I was going to give her a chance to explain.

I felt tired standing for the first time in all these years. A light breeze was in the air. I felt a chill. Finally, my angel came. She had changed to a white dress. Her hair was loose and fell in waves over her shoulder.

She came and leaned against me as always. As though, nothing had happened. She had a smile that lit her face and the night sky. She was breathing slowly and deeply, contented. As always, I waited for her talk. Minutes ticked…..

“I m getting married! Thought you ought to know!” were the last words that I comprehended. She was talking as always, but I barely listened this time. Her mother came out and saw us. My girl let out a shriek. Her mother laughed. Now I could see where my girl got her magical laugh from. My girl told her mother that she would soon come in. she hugged me tightly and left.

I wanted to pull her back to me. To keep her for myself. I couldn’t. After all, there was only so much, that an apple tree could wish for! The breeze ruffled my leaves, comforting me. Atleast, I still had the squirrel who trusted me with his nuts and the mother sparrow who trusted me with her chicks.