Vows of Love

Growing up, Varun and I lived in the same neighbourhood. While playing with him and our friends in
St. James’s Park was a routine affair, it was my everyday walks with him up to the garden that I most
looked forward to. During the summers, he would wait under my house everyday at 6 p.m., before we
made our way to unite with our friends in the garden. One day, as I stood at the window on the second
floor of my Charing Cross flat, my mother came up to me. 

           “Tell Varun that I’m your mother and I have every right to feel concerned about my little girl,
especially when she is alone with a young boy,” she said in a fit of rage, as a reply for our daily commute. 

“Mom, you know we are a group of children who play together. And you know you would never
allow me to go if not for Varun’s presence,” I stated. It was two minutes past six and I was

growing anxious. Even during times when my parents showed restraint towards our being alone

and away from their glare, deep down they always found Varun’s presence reassuring. While my

mother stood helplessly, trying to control her smile, I looked out the window to see Varun waiting

for me. 

“Tell her I shall not leave you alone,” he gesticulated, pointing to my mother’s presence in the
window, before I ran down.

              Our walks to the park were the same almost every day. That day barely seemed any different.
Varun led me across from the road holding my hand and walked on the outer side of the pavement.
I spoke to him about my day at school and how my mother refused to give me a few pence to buy a
99 Flake. Varun, on the other hand, shared that he would be taking a trip to the British Museum, as part of his History project. He also shared how he managed to sell some Pokemon drawings to his classmates, which he had made by tracing the characters on a butter paper, and earned 22 pounds. Even though the distance we walked was short, I always looked forward to the time we spent walking together. We were almost reaching the garden when I realised I was melting in the scorching summer sun. As I looked for our friends there, I lost sight of Varun. Feeling lost and scared among the large groups of people, I went and sat on a bench in one corner. Suddenly, popping a Flake 99 in front of me, Varun held up the 20 pound note he had earned at school. “Tell your mother, I shall never betray you,” he said gently, with a megawatt smile.  

              The back of Varun’s hand brushed past my pink scarf, and I turned around, my legs continuing to work against the gushing winds, before my right foot crossed over the left one and I made way for a tearful end to our play. After moving in circles for what felt like an eternity, my eyes succumbed to the gravity of the earth before my petite frame. From what I could gather, Varun, who continued to take great strides around the fountain for almost 5 minutes, with his eyes firmly fixed on me, had become desperate in his attempt to catch hold of me, in order to win the final round of tag. Before I knew it, I was lying on the ground with bruises on my right knee. Varun went to the water fountain to fetch water in his cupped hands. He continued to pour cold water on my bruised knee until blood stopped oozing out of my wound. While my tears ceased to stop, I realised that Varun’s agony was probably greater than mine. He felt what I later understood to be a deep sense of regret. Holding me by the arms, he tried to help me get back on my feet. As I finally stood facing him, he brought his hands to touch my cheeks and gently wipe off my tears. “Tell her, I shall never hurt you,” he said, before embracing me in a hug. 

It seemed like the clouds had stopped moving and the air around me was talking in whispers. Amidst the sudden quietude that had taken over, the sound of his rapid breathing overpowered all my senses. My lips, raw and inexperienced, pursed in anticipation. The pressing of his lips against my forehead, strangely enough, felt comforting. He soon held my face to find my gaze, which was lowered. My eyes glinted at the reflection of the setting sun in Varun’s eyes. The eyes which had always reflected a world of hope, now gave me a glimpse of lasting loyalty. As I stood lost in the stillness of the moment, I felt a tickle of warmth pass through my body. Unwilling to lift my gaze, I leaned in to rest my head on his thin, boyish stature. His hands firmly clutched my arms in a bid to control the high-running emotions. Every emotion I had ever felt growing up with Varun’s friendship and our innocent banter felt conspiratorial in this very moment. It was in this very moment that we knew a new world of promises had made way into our lives. 

“Should your mother know that you will always have a shoulder to lean on,” he exclaimed, laughingly, as I stroked the back of his head.

***

It was 6 in the evening. It was July and the sun was hotter than ever before. Varun was nowhere in sight. I was sitting by the window on the second floor of my Charing Cross flat, with my eyes glued to the antiquated wall clock. My anxiety was increasing with every passing minute. I had already downed 5 cups of coffee and was resisting the temptation to pour myself a sixth. My mother was constantly fretting about the coffee spilling over my red-and-white outfit. A pair of ghagra choli with beautiful velvet drapes adorned what was now my enlarged frame, and I was every bit the bride in love, who could hardly wait for her knight to arrive. It was the day when the promises Varun and I had made growing up together would be solemnised into a lifetime of love and friendship. 

The steam from the “six” hot cups of coffee had managed to cover a sizeable part of the window in mist. Barely able to wait any longer, my fingers drifted towards the perspiring windows. It was in the moment of looking through the clear lines of the now heart-stained window that warmth breathed life into me. Varun stepped out of the car looking every bit the prince I had always dreamed about. The boy who once used to sheepishly hold my hand while crossing the road, was now a man waiting to hold my hand as we both walk down the path of life. As I stood up and waved at him, he pointed to my mother’s presence in the window and said, “Tell her, I shall always love you.”