Cross Currents
The apartment smelled like a delicate mix of lavender and freshly laundered linens. It would have been deemed an olfactory delight by any smell connoisseur (if there was such a thing), but it made Apala giddy and she crinkled hers. Stepping over to the windows immediately, she slid them open, inhaling the August breeze and drawing out the nauseous feeling from her belly, releasing it like it could fly away. For a moment, the cars streaming past way below her formed an interesting visual, but soon she became aware of the nip in the air and fled inside to the warmth of her tea mug and glowing tablet screen.
Could be the best of both worlds, Apala consoled herself, reminiscing about the interview that had brought her here as well as the stunning landscape that had presented itself on her journey via sky train. The city lights were dimmer here, not as inviting as near downtown, but there was definitely more scope to explore the neighboring park reserve and lakes and even caves, as she had heard. Be closer to the elements, just how she liked. Besides, I could always take a relatively quick train trip down to Tracy's place and the library was super close by too, she reminded herself, her mind wavering between old plans and new surroundings.
"Bath time!" Apala announced to no one in particular, forcefully breaking her own infinite chain of thoughts. She knew she could sit there on the couch with her mug and spend hours doing nothing, while her bags sat zipped up in anticipation of being opened sometime in the distant future.
As she was about to step into the tub for a comforting soak, her phone lit up and vibrated softly.
"Message from Hasan" the screen read. It stole Apala's glance, and she felt a sudden tinge of - curiosity, or even a slight nervousness, perhaps? Unexpected, she thought, and narrowed her eyes, trying to remember the last time she had spoken to Hasan. A gush of warmth flooded her, taking her aback, as she recalled sitting on a small rickety bamboo bridge over a narrow canal, at the edge of another city, in the other half of the world. There, the clouds of smoke spanning the city sky had rolled away such that the staring up, you could actually see the stars. A lanky boy with wonder-laden eyes sat beside her civilly, while Apala sat cross-legged on the bridge, grabbing a bottle of soda and babbling about things on her mind.
Were they talking about dissonance between religions? Something about it, Apala remembered vaguely, the details quite blurred from the years that drove a wedge between her present and that night. So much had changed since then, she knew, and yet somehow the difference had not all quite sunk in. She could slide back to that night just as easily right now, at this moment, like a bird gliding and landing back into its nest.
"Hi...what's up with you these days?" read the simple text, popping up below the little thumbnail picture of a man sporting dark glasses and an arty beard. Apala couldn't help wanting to get a more detailed look at the picture, trying to match up the features of a boy with a warm smile and a glint in his eyes with those of this seemingly more mature version.
"Nothing much... except just moved to a new city...again!" Apala typed her reply swiftly, and grimaced to herself. "What are you upto? Nice picture!" she continued.
"Oh... new job? I'm good...working on a new production company here," came the reply.
"Wow! So you're doing movies? Just like you used to dream about!" wrote back Apala, recalling the conversations they had had years ago, sitting outside a movie theatre, not actually watching a movie, but just chatting at length about plans that they both hardly believed in at the time. They were co-workers then, software engineers in training, two among thousands, looking for places and achievements distant to their present. So he did keep his promise to himself, she wondered, as a smile spread across her face. She thought about her own journey at the same time, and how her life had changed by her own willing in the last few years, how she was building her own stairwell, one step at a time. How her heart had brought her closer to the oceans and mountains and forests that she used to read about more than a decade ago. The search was still ongoing ... she sighed and quickly clicked send.
"Haha yes ... we are going to do a launch in September this year. Do you want to see the trailer?" the screen lit up again.
"Of course! Congratulations, that must feel fantastic :), " wrote Apala, feeling a genuine tinge of happiness for the belief in possibilities.
The next reply came and then the next, as the morning rolled into noon. The mountains in the distance emerged in their full glory as the sun slowly revealed them. The mountains always made Apala feel like Heidi, yearning for nature's beauty and clarity in her heart, far removed from the complexities she sometimes felt overwhelmed by in the city and the people. She felt happy knowing she could always go back to the comforts of her past, the stories she had read, and those she could create in her mind, when she looked at the mountains. Stories about adventure and discovery and just new things that she would have to push the limits of her imagination to comprehend.
How she loved those stories! Her inner world was radiant when primroses sprung from kindness, trains went roaring through abandoned tunnels, mischievous spirits wandered in old houses and children found keys to their secret gardens.
Reconnecting with Hasan was as easy as the summer breeze for Apala, it was like not really trying at all. As he shared with her his latest achievements in the world of reel, willing her to snap out of reality and take a step back to her past of childish truths, sending her hurtling down to the crevasses of her imagination. Some knots came undone as she began to dream up stories. People, places, lives, names, ideas that made her who she was, leaped outside and took breaths of fresh air. It was like a flurry of snowflakes that came tumbling down right before Christmas. As afternoon led into twilight, she took out an old purple book and began to write it all down, one by one.
Were they talking about dissonance between religions? Something about it, Apala remembered vaguely, the details quite blurred from the years that drove a wedge between her present and that night. So much had changed since then, she knew, and yet somehow the difference had not all quite sunk in. She could slide back to that night just as easily right now, at this moment, like a bird gliding and landing back into its nest.
"Hi...what's up with you these days?" read the simple text, popping up below the little thumbnail picture of a man sporting dark glasses and an arty beard. Apala couldn't help wanting to get a more detailed look at the picture, trying to match up the features of a boy with a warm smile and a glint in his eyes with those of this seemingly more mature version.
"Nothing much... except just moved to a new city...again!" Apala typed her reply swiftly, and grimaced to herself. "What are you upto? Nice picture!" she continued.
"Oh... new job? I'm good...working on a new production company here," came the reply.
"Wow! So you're doing movies? Just like you used to dream about!" wrote back Apala, recalling the conversations they had had years ago, sitting outside a movie theatre, not actually watching a movie, but just chatting at length about plans that they both hardly believed in at the time. They were co-workers then, software engineers in training, two among thousands, looking for places and achievements distant to their present. So he did keep his promise to himself, she wondered, as a smile spread across her face. She thought about her own journey at the same time, and how her life had changed by her own willing in the last few years, how she was building her own stairwell, one step at a time. How her heart had brought her closer to the oceans and mountains and forests that she used to read about more than a decade ago. The search was still ongoing ... she sighed and quickly clicked send.
"Haha yes ... we are going to do a launch in September this year. Do you want to see the trailer?" the screen lit up again.
"Of course! Congratulations, that must feel fantastic :), " wrote Apala, feeling a genuine tinge of happiness for the belief in possibilities.
The next reply came and then the next, as the morning rolled into noon. The mountains in the distance emerged in their full glory as the sun slowly revealed them. The mountains always made Apala feel like Heidi, yearning for nature's beauty and clarity in her heart, far removed from the complexities she sometimes felt overwhelmed by in the city and the people. She felt happy knowing she could always go back to the comforts of her past, the stories she had read, and those she could create in her mind, when she looked at the mountains. Stories about adventure and discovery and just new things that she would have to push the limits of her imagination to comprehend.
How she loved those stories! Her inner world was radiant when primroses sprung from kindness, trains went roaring through abandoned tunnels, mischievous spirits wandered in old houses and children found keys to their secret gardens.
Reconnecting with Hasan was as easy as the summer breeze for Apala, it was like not really trying at all. As he shared with her his latest achievements in the world of reel, willing her to snap out of reality and take a step back to her past of childish truths, sending her hurtling down to the crevasses of her imagination. Some knots came undone as she began to dream up stories. People, places, lives, names, ideas that made her who she was, leaped outside and took breaths of fresh air. It was like a flurry of snowflakes that came tumbling down right before Christmas. As afternoon led into twilight, she took out an old purple book and began to write it all down, one by one.
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