Goodbye is just a second chance.

I wrote this essay in my first term exam of grade 11. the topic was:

" as the sun rose over a changed landscape.." complete the short story.

well, according to my teacher, it turned out pretty well. but really, i think its amateurish.

anyway, it goes like this....

Goodbye is just a second chance.

As the sun rose over a changed landscape, Varun felt a strange fear. He hadn’t felt anything like it in the last forty eight hours. Yet, the last forty eight hours had been the wildest and craziest forty eight hours of his life. Foolish too maybe, but definitely crazy and impulsive.

He looked around the beach where he was sitting. It was a beautiful beach, isolated and mesmerising. The cool waters of the sea caressed his feet, the froth of the water leaving marks of itself on his fingers. He took another swig of the cold drink and the fizz made his eyes water. Yes, he felt a strange fear now, and it surprised him. He had always been an impulsive kid, not thinking before doing something. But his actions never instilled fear in him. But now amongst this unknown land and a sea of unknown faces he did feel afraid. He could not relate to anything. This place in its totality was alien to him. It’s people, its language and even its food. But still it was the first place he could think of when he wanted to run away from his little known world.

Varun closed his eyes and all the thoughts of the past two days came rushing into his mind. The flashback started.

He remembered waiting for Rahul at the college gates. He was really apprehensive because it was the day the results of his 3^rd year engineering life was to be declared. As soon as he saw Rahul, both of them rushed to the board which had the list of marks stuck to it. Pushing and pulling through the crowd of his classmates, Varun’s world stopped spinning when he saw what was written beside his name on the list. He had failed in his exam. A whole year to waste. He did not care to look back at Rahul, but rushed back home and broke the news to his parents. The first thing he received was a resounding slap from his father.

“This is the result of the time u waste with your so called ‘Band’. Playing music, are you? If you would have studied atleast a bit for exams rather than perform at those lousy concerts, you could have passed. You know what young man, you’re not my son. You do not belong to my family,” his father stormed.

Varun rushed upstairs to his room. Yes, he did play music at different concerts with his friends, but he could never call it wasting time. Music was his passion, and his father would never understand that. Impulsively, as always, he got hold of a duffel bag. Stashed in some clothes, hung his guitar round his shoulder and left his house. His father made no attempts to stop him, though his mother held on to his shirt and cried. But he had decided, he was leaving home and never coming back.

He reached the railway station and got a ticket for Vishakhapatnam. It was the first place that came into his mind. Varun stayed up all night in the train. He couldn’t sleep. His phone buzzed constantly in his pocket. Irritated, he threw his sim card away and switched the annoying little machine off. The train pulled into the station at 3 in the morning. He kept his luggage in the cloak room and headed out of the station. Reaching a rick stand, he realised he had nowhere to go to. He had no knowledge about the city, but just a handful of washed out memories from a trip long forgotten.

“Take me to a beach,” he instructed to the rick driver. It dropped him off at a beach with golden sands. He bought a cold drink from a little shop which was just opening up for business. And this is where he had ended up, staring at the sea which was blazing orange and golden, in the light of the rising sun. he knew nothing about what to do next, where to go, but he found a strange peace at this place. His thoughts were no longer impetuous, but now they made more sense. He realised his mistake. But yet, there was one thing that stopped him from going back.

“ You do not belong to my family,” his fathers voice wrung in his ears. He stayed on the beach till the heat got unbearable. Deciding to check into a motel, he headed back to the station to get his bag.

As he entered the station, he saw a man standing in front of him. This man looked crazed. He was laughing, but there were streams of water running down his cheeks. Surprised, Varun noticed that this man’s eyes were set on him.

“ Who asked you to run away idiot? We were going crazy! Its been two days since you left. Two days! Have you any idea how long that can be?” his father said all at once.

Varun couldn’t speak. There was a very disturbing lump in his throat, and his eyes were stinging.

“How did you find me?” was all he managed to croak.

During your last trip here, which is a good eight to nine years back, you got lost in the city. Your mother and I had a tough time looking for you. Atlast we found you on a beach. Alone. You weren’t afraid about being lost, instead you confessed that it was kind of fun! That night you told me, that if ever in your life you feel disillusioned or lost, you would come to Vaizag. When I couldn’t reach you on your phone, I thought I’ll take a chance. And what luck to find you here as I walked in! I feel like I got my life back,” his father’s voice broke at the last sentence.

“I am sorry dad,” Varun said in a shaky voice.

“I am sorry too,” his father said.

“Come dad, I’ll take you somewhere.”

The did not utter a word all their way to the beach. As they sat down on the damp sand, the sun shone happily on their faces. The silence was comforting.

“And you kiddo, you do belong with me,” his father hugged him hard.

After many years Varun cried in his father’s arms. And yes, he believed him.

He did belong somewhere. And he had found the place.