The
Soul Mates
I
felt a thrill in my heart. I looked at him as he mouthed the words "After
school". I smiled and nodded.
There
was something mysterious about Alfred that fascinated me. He was an all-rounder
boy. Yet, no one knew anything about him. All used to tease him but he just
used to smile. He was a shy boy. No one knew who his parents were and where he
went after school. When asked he always said some funny answers and changed the
subject. I had been pestering him for days about his background. I tried to
become close to him. Soon we became best friends. Earlier that day, during
recess, I had told him that our friendship was over unless he came clean about
everything. I was vindicated; he was going to tell me.
When
I met him after school, he jerked his head to indicate that I must follow him.
He was silent as we waited at the bus stop. I touched his arm to tell that I
was with him. That made him start; apparently his mind was far away. We took
the bus. I wondered why he lived so far from school and why he did not go to a
school nearby. As he was so quiet, I decided not to interrupt his thoughts
again for him to tell me. I was sure that I would solve everything that day.
I
walked with him as he walked through the blocks. I thought that he was taking
me to his apartment. Then, he stopped in front of a temple. A nun was
meditating there. I realized where I was, I was in an orphanage. Alfred's
parents died in a car accident when he was 6 years old. Now there were no
obstacles between us. We both understood each other. That was the beginning of
a true friendship.
