A Pair Of Eyes

I still clearly remember the day I had met a pair of eyes. Those images are vivid and deeply etched onto my mind. It was a sunny morning with the summer sun right overhead. I was busy running around in search of my documents. Suddenly I heard someone call out my name. I stopped. The voice sounded familiar. I turned.

There they were a pair of eyes I had last met three years ago. Back then, their smiles used to match their facial counterpart. On that day, they lacked shine and met me with stoic silence. A quick exchange of pleasantries and we parted ways. Next time I saw them was two days later.

It was the first day of college and I had already started feeling like a rebellious child. I looked around and saw everybody indulging in animated conversation with people they knew. Well, almost everybody except one. I saw a pair of eyes scanning the room observing the occupants. However, the moment they met my gaze they paused. For a split second I thought I had noticed a tiny gleam in them, but as quickly as the twinkle had appeared, it vanished and was substituted with a wide facial grin. I smiled in return and immediately thereafter those eyes shifted focus. I was amused with the entire episode; however, there was something in that tiny spark that had caught my eye.

For the next three hours or so I couldn’t help but glance in between at those pair of eyes every now and then. And each time I looked their way, I noticed them emoting. I had never known eyes to speak but that day my chance encounter with those pair of eyes made me realize that they do.

I was intrigued. How could eyes converse? Curiosity got the better of me. I had to find out. Hence, I started making deliberate attempts to meet them. Every time our paths crossed, our rendezvous was limited to a quick glance. Subsequently, I noted that those eyes met me with suspicion. Yet, as days passed and our interactions increased I found then loosening up. Thereafter, every time I saw them, they were filled with warmth.

           

In the beginning our silent conversations were accompanied with hesitation but as time went by they became more expressive. Amidst silence, we talked of loneliness; we conversed about hope and new beginnings. We spoke of living the moment. Our camaraderie was evident. Those eyes spoke volumes and I loved to hear them talk. They drew me towards them like a magnet. They had a child’s innocence, a dancer’s feet, a philosopher’s words and a beautiful mind. Once we got talking, since day one, they were completely honest. Their emotions became a reflection of their soul. They spoke without a care and said whatever they felt in their heart. I, on my part, was the silent listener. Strangely, those eyes could comprehend even my silence and gave a befitting response. To my surprise, I could really hold a proper conversation with them without even uttering a single word. I had heard that sometimes, there was no requirement for spoken language if eyes could do the talking and hearts could understand. Between us both silences really spoke.

           

And then the inevitable happened. What started out as plain curiosity slowly morphed into attraction and the worst part was that feelings were mutual. When, why, how, where, I couldn’t fathom. All I knew at that point of time was that those two eyes were quietly pulling me towards them and sadly, I couldn’t go on. I was scared because I didn’t want to hurt them. I was afraid because I didn’t want to lose them due to my liking. I had to put a stop because they were not stopping me. I didn’t want them to feel cheated.

So the next opportune moment that they came to meet I was very rude. I told them we could no longer converse in isolation because emotions had changed and things would turn ugly. They silently tried convincing but I held my ground. I was already feeling guilty for what had transpired earlier. With a heavy heart I saw the love in those two eyes slowly getting replaced with pain. I could see sorrow, I could see humiliation. They were angry, they were disappointed, surprised that I could be so heartless. My heart went out. I wanted to console but I refrained. I had to do it. Those eyes had to endure lest they suffered in future. I had to protect them from getting hut any further.

I met them again after a day’s break but by then they had changed. Earlier I had been given a free entryway but that day onward there was a glass wall between us. They still spoke but in a matter of fact manner devoid of emotions. They still smiled but with a tinge of reluctance. Every time I tried speaking they kept giving me an assurance that they will keep their distance. God was benevolent. As days passed and time flew, circumstances kept us so busy that we could hardly meet. In the absence of opportune moments, our paths rarely crossed and my chats with those eyes ceased to occur.

One fine day, I realized that I was yet to speak to those pair of eyes. I searched high and low for them but sadly, I found that they had vanished; they had gone without saying a goodbye. How I wished I could have bid adieu to a set of eyes that had once twinkled and made me laugh. They had danced their way into my heart making me skip beats. But they had gone forever.

I went to clear my locker for one last time and found a note waiting for me. It simply said, “I kept my promise”. I knew that those eyes had truly understood me and my intentions. Maybe that is why they had become silent.