You know that feeling? When you understand that your life can be better than 'alright,' and that happiness was approaching at the speed of light.
Yes, that was the feeling I felt these days.
Content.
At peace with myself.
My life was good and it could only get better.
As I finished my paper, I heard the crowd clapping. I looked up, surprised by the positive reaction. No one had fallen asleep, but what astounded me more was the blur of bronze hair at the end of the room.
Was it time to get me a pair of glasses?
The illusion vanished as soon as it had formed in my head.
I didn't pay it much mind, my head was known for its delusional dreams. Today would not be the day I would meet him.
I wondered what was taking him so long to locate me this time.
It usually took him a couple of weeks to get my exact location, but I know that he restrained himself from flying out the very moment he found out. Anthony gave it a month or so, all the while keeping tabs on me, before pursuing me. He would remain in the shadows, never coming forward. Sometimes, I would catch a glimpse of him. He would never look at me when I stared at him. He acted like a stranger, and he never came close enough to touch.
One time I saw him standing across the road as the cars zoomed by. But then he would disappear as soon as I started to cross the street.
It pained me to see him so far, but I knew what he was doing.
He was keeping his end of the promise.
And I enjoyed being reminded of something so grand happening to me, however dangerous it had been for me at the moment.
At first, I had been furious at him for following me, but after some time I came to terms with just who he was. He took time off to stalk me. It gave me a strange sense of pleasure. He kept his word, and it made me look at his indiscretions in a new light.
I won't deny that the therapist had something to do with it.
This time it had been six months since I had seen him. I kept waiting to see him on the street or from the windows of cafes. He never showed up.
A sliver of fear rushed through me as I stepped down from the podium. I took a seat at the end of the room and zoned out for the time being. At the end of the session, I saw people coming towards me. Panicking, I stood up and tightened my grip on my bag.
Some things never change, it seems.
When all of them had left I saw someone waiting behind the party. I peered over the heads of the retreating figures. The man had his hands shoved inside his pocket. He had pulled on a jacket and seemed ready to leave. I smiled at him, wondering if he was going to stop to speak to me.
I thought he would brush past me, but I stopped in his tracks and returned my unsure smile.
"I'm David Martin. It was a pleasure listening to your paper," he politely told me. I extended my hand towards him. He looked at it, and then his smile grew bigger as he shook it fervently.
"Thank you so much. I can say the same about you. Your paper on the history and socio-cultural impact of the Vedic education system was fascinating. I did have some questions, but I never had the opportunity to ask." I wasn't lying.
I wondered what Anthony would think if he saw me talking about these things with people in place of spewing threats.
"If you want, we could go get a bite to eat and discuss the questions you had!" he seemed excited, and I knew I was too.
"Sure," I chirped. I grabbed my jacket and slung it over my hand.
We walked side by side and went to the registration desk to return our IDs. When I was penning down my exit time, I noticed something funny.
"Urm…" I began. David looked over curiously. "Excuse me," I called the volunteer. "Do you know who this person is?" I asked, pointing at the name.
Tony Gray.
[I hope you all are enjoying it and not cursing me. I worked hard for this story. Please praise me to the heavens. Just a few more chapters until the very end.]