Exceptional Meeting

By Aishee Chakraborty

The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for spectators were few. The time was barely 10 o'clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets.

Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements, timing now and then to cast his watchful eye adown the pacific thoroughfare, the officer, with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace. The vicinity was one that kept early hours. Now and then you might see the lights of a cigar store or of an all-night lunch counter; but the majority of the doors belonged to business places that had long since been closed.

When about midway of a certain block the policeman suddenly slowed his walk. In the doorway of a darkened hardware store man leaned, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth. As the policeman walked up to him the man spoke up quickly.

"It's all right, officer," he said, reassuringly. "I'm just waiting for a friend. It's an appointment made twenty years ago."

The policeman wasn't so convinced with the answer. The look on his face was still searching a valid enough reason to be standing there. The man sensed the doubt and again spoke up, "I'm not lying sir. He'll be here, in just few minutes. You may see by yourself." The man couldn't even finish his words, that the policeman heard a screeching of a car.

Another man in simple clothes came out. He seemed to be a very simple man, with no problematic issues. This man, standing by the store, went ahead and hugged the other man. "Seems they are friends", thought the officer and went ahead.

He took another lane, and, in the same pace, was going on moving by the deserted block. As usual, it took him, almost two and a half hours to finish his patrolling by the blocks.

By then it was already 12:30. The night sky had taken some other form, than it was 2 hours ago. The color was scary red. Those chilly winds transformed into storm. It was becoming hard for the officer to move, in his normal pace. He was somehow pulling himself through the stormy wind.

When he reached his initial place, it was almost 1:15 am and it had already started raining heavily. He ran towards a shelter and stood beneath it. The stormy wind along with the rain made no place safe enough to not get drenched. While thinking all these, the policeman suddenly saw two men, dancing madly in the rain. At first he didn't recognize them, but after he saw minutely, their stature made him realise, it was those two friends.

It really amused the officer, that people still now, enjoyed the rain. It still gave them the happiness that it used to give at their childhood. It made him happy. Those two men were dancing like it was their last day on earth, that there was no tomorrow, that there was nothing to worry about, that it was their life.

The officer couldn't help but laugh, at that sight. It gave him immense happiness that two two friends, seeing each other after 20 years and rain comes as a surprise to them, but they don't let it ruin their meeting. Instead, they enjoy their hearts out.

But slowly, the happiness, the laughter, the smile in the officer's face fades away just like those two friends fade away in front of his eyes… Like magic!

By Aishee Chakraborty