“ So what do you do in your free time”
Oscar asked so nonchalantly that you were stunned for a moment .Regaining control , you answer.
“ Well , I am usually just free on weekends , which too has become a rarity lately , given my line of work” you punctuate it with a smile.
“ Still, if you ARE free , what do you do?”
“ Watch TV and eat pizza till I doze off on the couch”
You answered so casually , that Oscar couldn’t help but laugh out, and it has been so long that the feeling itself appears all too foreign to him.
“Laugh all you want , but that is what I will be doing tomorrow” you can’t help but chuckle as well.
“ so you are free tomorrow?”
You turn to see him looking at you with expectation and something else that you can’t decipher. You nod positive. He smiles an all too charming smile at you, and it makes your stomach fill with butterflies.
“ Then you must come to my painting party”
“Painting party? Is that an American thing?”
He smiles and replies “ Don’t know , but it is what my friends insist to call it, it is just me and a few of my friends , painting my new apartment with a pint of beer and loads of snacks”
“ So , you get your house painted , have a hangout with your friends while they only get cheap beer and fish …. Sounds like a fancy name for free labor to me” You reply smugly.
“ Everything in that sentence is true except the beer isn’t cheap” he winks and you can’t help but chuckle.
“ So what do you say? Want to do some free labor for me?” he asks in a calm tone.
“ You know what… just for the sake of trying something new, count me in”
You reply, and he offer you a high five , which you reply to awkwardly.
Man, this was turning out to be an amazing day
****”******************************
Present
Both of them stare at each other for what feels like hours, the heavy gaze and the uncomfortable silence is broken by Derek.
“Vama, is that you?” he asks, voice breaking.
That is all you needed to have a full breakdown. You cry uncontrollably, soon to be engulfed in the teen's arms in a loving hug, both of you now sobbing into each other’s shoulders and holding onto each other as if the other would slip away if let loose. Sara ,looks in confusion, between her crying mother holding an unknown boy , to the man who is staring at the pair with so much love, while tears silently pour down his face. Realizing that her friends, parents and all the other onlookers are giving them confused and disapproving gazes, she unsuccessfully tries to shake her mother into consciousness.
Oscar was the first to realize their situation and quickly made his way to the pair who were still embracing, now the crying replaced with silent sobs and you running circles on Derek’s back to calm him down.
“I think we should move this to someplace private” He says , gesturing to the growing crowd.
You nod and take your daughter by her hand and move to an open classroom , now that the gates were open .
As soon as you closed the door behind you, Eugene starts prodding.
“ Vama , where were you all these years ? What happened, and what are you doing here?”
Before you can start answering , Sara starts whining.
"Mummaaa… I am getting late for the show” she says while pulling you towards the door.
You look at Oscar expectedly.
“ You should go.. we will talk after the show”
You nod appreciatively, and make your exit but before you can go , Derek slips an entry pass into your hand .
“ It’s for my play, takes place in Audi 3 in an hour , I expect you to be there” he said , giving a million dollar smile.
“ I’ll be there as soon as I can” you say, ruffling his hair .
Chuckling , he drops your hand , and you make your way towards your daughter's green room.
After you are out of sight , Eugene asks his father
“ You know , I really wanted to talk to her”
“ I know , but we have waited 10 years , so what is an hour for us”
He smiles and half hugs his father . “ I missed her”
Oscar smiles and says “ You and me both kid , you and me both”
-------———————————————
You quickly fix your daughter’s makeup and place the wings on her back. She was going to be the fairy godmother in Cinderella’s story. While you are busy giving final touches to her get-up and are about to make her practice her lines , Sara, as curious as always , questions about what happened before and who were those people you were talking to.
“ They were old friends of mine”
“But I don’t know them, and I know all your friends”
You smile at her and place a kiss on her tiny forehead. “ They were my friends from before you were born”
“ Were? So they aren’t your friends now?”
You pause for a moment , and think about it , and answer- “ I haven’t talked to them in a while…. But they still appear to like me anyways, so I guess they are still my friends”
Giving you a questioning look, your daughter begins to practice her lines.
But you still couldn’t shake the uneasiness you feel , what would happen now? Would things be the same? What do I do?
You can’t answer any of it, nor did you want to. Because all you can think about is how Oscar looked at you , the same way he would all those years ago . The same warmth radiating from him even now , even when he has even more specs of white hair shining through his soft black curls. Sporting a salt and pepper beard, he is still that silly flyboy of yours with a crooked smile , the one and the same he gave you in the classroom.
Some things never change.
YOU ARE READING
How long will I love you
RomanceYou and Oscar were the perfect couple. Through thick and thin, you were always together, but an accident changes everything. Now, 10 years later and still pining over your lost love, you have grown accustomed to live with the pain of never seeing hi...
