TIDES

Part One: After 10 Years?

"Lisa?" Mic inquired.

"Hmm?" Lisa responded.

"We saw each other after a decade, right?" Mic asked.

Lisa looked at him and jokingly replied, "Really? It's been 10 years? I don't think so."

"10 years and 9 months," Mic corrected with a smirk.

"Don't expect me to mention the days, hours, and seconds as well," he added.

Mic thought that after so many years, their connection had faded, so joking about it shouldn't be a big deal. Lisa's response surprised him.

"12 days," Lisa said quietly, her gaze fixed on the ground. She had a habit of looking at ground whenever it reminded her of something painful, hoping it would help her forget.

Mic was left wondering if she still had feelings for him after all this time. Could things change between them now? Was there a chance for them to reunite and get to know each other better? These questions weighed heavily on his mind, and he appeared anxious.

"Did you miss me?" he finally asked, though he couldn't muster the courage to hold her hand and look into her eyes.

"Actually, I didn't," Lisa replied calmly, her serene demeanor contrasting with Mic's anxiety.

"Whenever I thought about our past, the pain outweighed the joy and pleasure," she explained. "So, I chose not to dwell on it. And as for those '12 days,' it was my birthday, remember?"

She pointed towards the seashore, diverting the conversation. "Look at those tides," she said. "I've always wondered where they come from and where they go." Her laughter had a hidden meaning, a tendency she had to use metaphors and irony without elaborating further. I had a sense that she had a deeper meaning behind her words. It was a common trait of hers to use metaphors and irony that weren't part of her usual vocabulary. Furthermore, she never liked elaborating what she meant. she used to say, "I leave it to people and let them perceive things the way they want."

Mic remembered how she once linked their relationship to stargazing, calling him the moon and herself the closest star to the moon. Little did he know that they were only closest for that one time. Lisa had a mysterious aura, like a puzzle waiting to be solved, but a puzzle that never grew dull. But sadly, I messed up.

Regret washed over Mic as Lisa spoke again. "Our memories were like those tides—constant and frequent. I was like the clueless sea. But then, I did what the sea does. I accepted it and never let myself be bothered, maintaining my peace."

Mic was heartbroken, not because she didn't miss him, but because she had lost the essence of who she was. She no longer radiates a mysterious vibe, losing the qualities that had initially made him fall in love with her.

Her unwavering calmness bothered me. She used to be a cheerful and often irrational person when we were together. Despite her profound understanding of things, she would express herself in a quirky way, radiating a vibrant energy. Calmness had never been her preferred state; she liked it when she was excited and overwhelmed. She believed that these emotions were what made us human, and she took pride in her emotional intelligence, whenever she teared up while watching a TV show or felt a warm-hearted moment seeing a baby take their first steps.

"Why did you change?", I asked. "Your calmness is making me stress more," I added.

"Did you not consider this earlier?" She responded, her tone lighthearted. "Or maybe you simply didn't have the time to think about me while I was busy looking out for you. Now that I've put myself first, you're suddenly concerned."

She chuckled and acted as if she no longer cared.

"Don't misunderstand my tone with act, I am unbothered by every thought of you, moreover even unbothered by your presence. I have found my peace."

I had realized by that time how I messed up things. only if I was more patient and willing to put more effort the way she did we would have been sitting somewhere around the park and talking about how we made it despite all those difficulties. this is the biggest regret of my life but I was determined not to repeat that again. She said my thoughts were like the tides for her, and now I am willing to do everything to create a tsunami that will make her notice my existence in her life again. A tsunami there to wash off all the grudges she has about me.