It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t expected. But there he was, sitting on a park bench, staring at the ground, lost in thought. His face was younger, softer. His eyes, though full of dreams, carried a familiar weight. I knew that look too well. The look of a boy who worried too much about the future, who was afraid of the unknown, who spent more time thinking about “what if” than enjoying what was right in front of him.
I stood there for a moment, watching him, remembering what it was like to be him. He didn’t notice me at first, but when he did, he froze. His eyes scanned me carefully, as if trying to figure out who I was. And then, realisation hit him.
“…Is that really you?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, kid. It’s me. It’s us.”
He blinked, still unsure. I could see the disbelief in his eyes, how could this be possible? How could time bend in such a way that he could meet his future self? But after a moment, he relaxed, as if accepting that, for some reason beyond his understanding, this was real. I sat down beside him.
“Wow…” he breathed, studying me closely. “You look… different.”
I chuckled. “Yeah? Good different or bad different?”
He tilted his head, still observing. “Just… different. You seem… happier.”
I nodded. “I am. And I want to tell you why.”
He straightened up, suddenly interested. “Tell me everything.” So, I did.
I told him that we made it to London. That the city we used to dream about, the place we only saw in movies, is now our home. That we wake up every morning to the sound of double-decker buses, walk through streets filled with history, and study in a university with people from all over the world.
His eyes widened. “London? Really?”
I grinned. “Yeah. London. Can you believe it?”
He shook his head in amazement. “I never thought… I mean, I hoped, but I was always scared it wouldn’t happen.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “I know. But it did. And let me tell you, it’s even better than we imagined.”
He was quiet for a moment, letting it sink in. Then, hesitantly, he asked, “And… what else?” I smiled. “We’re seeing the world now. We’re not just stuck in one place anymore. We’ve been to the mountains of Wales, walked along the sea, travelled across cities. We’ve stood in places we once only read about. We’ve felt the wind on our face at the top of a mountain, watched the sun set over a new city, and laughed with people we never thought we’d meet.” He looked down at his hands, processing it all. “That… sounds amazing.”
“It is,” I said. “We’re living the dream, little man.”
He didn’t say anything right away. He just let out a deep breath, as if he had been holding it in for years. Then, finally, he whispered, “I’m happy to hear that.”
I smiled and leaned back against the bench. “And you know what? We’re different now, too. We’re not the quiet, shy boy who always hesitated to speak up. We’re more confident. We talk to people now. We actually have conversations instead of just listening from the sidelines. We don’t hide in the background anymore.”
His eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “We’re still us, but we’ve grown. We’ve learned that people aren’t as scary as we thought. That talking to someone new doesn’t have to feel like an impossible task. That being open to the world makes life a whole lot more interesting.”
I saw something shift in his expression, a relief, maybe even a little pride. He always wanted to be that person, but he never knew if he could.
Then, his voice turned softer. “Is everyone okay?”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah. Everyone’s doing fine. Life moves on, people change, but we’re all okay.” I paused, then asked, “What about you? How are you holding up?”
He hesitated, then sighed. “I… don’t know. I guess I just worry a lot. About the future. About what’s going to happen. About whether I’ll ever be… enough.”
I felt my heart ache a little. I remembered those feelings too well.
“Hey,” I said gently. “Listen to me. Don’t stress so much about the future, alright? We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
He looked at me, searching for reassurance. “Are you sure?” I nodded. “I’m sure. Life isn’t perfect, and there are still hard days. But we get through them. And guess what? The best moments, the ones we’ll remember forever, happen when we stop worrying and just live.”
For the first time since we started talking, I saw his shoulders relax. The weight he carried, even just for a moment, seemed a little lighter.
I stood up and stretched. “I should probably get going.”
He looked up at me, his expression unreadable. “Will I ever see you again?”
I smiled. “You’ll see me every day. In the choices you make, in the way you live your life. And one day, you’ll sit right here and look back, just like I am now. And you’ll smile, knowing you made it.”
He nodded slowly, as if he understood.
I turned to walk away, but before I did, I gave him one last piece of advice, the kind I wish someone had given me back then. “Enjoy every moment, kid. You won’t get them back. And trust me, the future? It’s beautiful.” As I walked away, I turned back one last time. He was still there, watching me, a quiet smile on his face. Maybe he believed me. Maybe, just maybe, he could finally breathe a little easier. And with that, I let him go.
Written By: Rohit Pandey
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