The Other Girl

Short story, copyright mine.

The train ride to the airport was 4 hours' long.
Four-and-a-half - to be exact.
Both of them sat in silence, watching the usual passengers; made up of a few frail elderly gentlemen, students in transit to their music classes; and chattering aunt-figures busy about their activities of housekeeping errands and the purchase of weekly groceries. Three seats away, a baby suddenly gave a high-pitched wail, jolting her into reality for a moment. She unzipped her double-breasted jacket. It was a rather hot day.

She looked inquisitively at him; the familiar face and figure that she had known and loved for so long. With a wave of sentimentalism, she impulsively slipped her hand into the hollow of his arm where his elbow bent at an angle. She squeezed it in assurance, in a way only old lovers do. In response, he smiled ruefully and stroked her gloved hand like one would a small kitten. They were a nondescript couple, he being tall and broadly-built, but unfortunately not blessed with the symmetry of face and form - he was just pleasant, but rather boring to look at. She too, low-profile and seemingly plain, neither statesque nor petite, she could be described as 'average'; someone more remembered for perhaps her intellect and kind nature rather than beauty or poise. The forces that joined them together as a couple were more of the sort of a slow, mutual affection for each other; rather than a passionate, volatile kind. No fanciful romantic declarations of love was exchanged between them in their rather odd courtship; rather, it was the thoughtful acts of kindness and selfless consideration that separated their union from one of a mere casual friendship.

He spoke first, carefully weighing each word and speaking seriously, as he was wont to do.
"Dear... I'm glad to be home at last. It's been a long time."
"Going home, you mean."
He nodded in assent and she knew he was thinking of seeing his parents and sister; the family he missed so much, especially during the bitter winters in Boston. She knew too, that his heart was not with her. She never suspected that someone like him, so insipid, loyal, and faithful - would be capable of doing anything to hurt her in any way. And it was true; he could not. But in those brief months when he was in another's acquaintance, he seemed so much more cheerful. He was by nature melancholy in disposition; but it seemed that the other girl's mere presence could transform him altogether, into a livelier, lighter being. Some creatures possess this marvellous ability of influencing individuals at whim.

Yen too wished that she could find someone who would make her heart pound, someone to sweep her up in his arms and sprinkle magic dust into her ordinary existence. Of course Nick stayed faithful to her. He had neither the propensity nor the capacity to manage both her and the other girl. She never knew the other girl's name, though they sometimes saw each other at extended family gatherings. She knew, through these chance occurences, that the other girl might have developed an emotional attachment to her beau; and similarly, one was developed by him, too. The other girl always smiled politely - too politely - at Yen. Yen admired her sense of independence and spirit; she was cultured and friendly, and even charmed grumpy ladies and men alike; with a toss of her fairy hair and sparkling, captivating smile. There was once, when Yen discovered her looking at Yen, with such a longing, wistful look, that Yen's heart went out to the girl immediately. She wished she could tell the girl "I know", and hug her and reassure her that it would be alright.

Then, as abruptly as the girl had came, she left. Perhaps deliberately, out of their lives she disappeared. Yen heard that through mutual friends she had decided to take up residence in an entirely different environment from theirs, for the moment. Though he said nothing, she observed changes in Nick afterward. He no longer wrote to the girl, nor did they correspond in any way. He became gloomier than ever, using long sighs as respites between silences. She wanted to comfort him and give him the freedom to choose, but she knew the mere question of his fidelty both in body and spirit would send him into a deeper state of moodiness. So she said nothing; and that was two years since. Oftentimes, she still remembered the girl, wondering what kind of life she was leading, whether she was married, or leading an exciting life exploring the seven seas, everywhere she embarked she would charm young and old alike with her witty phrases and delightful voice. Yen knew that this type of girl would not be suitable for their ordinary existence in their world; it would probably stifle and kill her spirit. Yet, she felt a tinge of envy as she imagined sharing a life with this captivating personality; and as Nick as not dissimilar to her, she knew, that he had imagined it, too. She had doubts about their impending union.

Suddenly, she stretched her limbs and clutched her sling bag, thinking rapidly. It was as though something like magic fairy dust came out from nowhere and settled upon her. She could almost detect the scent of fresh marigolds dancing in the breeze, coupled with her mother's famous apple crumble. Perhaps that was the smell of magic, the fragrace of freedom. She knew it was a crazy thing to do, but for once in her life she would be impulsive. They would take the flight as planned; together, from Boston to Singapore. But where his journey ended, she would make plans for a new one.

She knew he would not try to follow.



The train ride to the airport was 4 hours' long.
Four-and-a-half - to be exact.
Finally I am going home - he thought, pensively. He was supposed to be overjoyed, yet with a bittersweet tinge he remembered the happy times spent with his friends and classmates in Boston. He wondered when would he ever see them again. It was always like that, as one gets older, one's friends, the ones that are really treasured leave; one by one, and all that is left is perhaps smiling photographs and stored correspondences. His girlfriend of 5 years who was seated next to him, reassuringly squeezed his arm, as though she could read his thoughts. He smiled benignly, knowing that there would be many changes in his homeland since he first left.

There were still times when he thought of Laura, first a sweet fondness; then - as if guiltily banishing her into the darkest recessess of his mind, stopped; and thought no more. There was a quaint sentimentalism of how he kept imprints of Laura on his life (carefully hoarded away from his girlfriend lest she might misunderstand.) Yes, there were many happy smiley photographs; and there were the memos and cute messages they wrote to each other. He never really thought about discarding them, he felt all along that he would meet her again, after these years, and then she would delightfully exclaim how touching it was that he had still remembered her.

Laura seemed so much like an enigma to him, even in these months when he felt sure that she meant something to him, he could never tell whether she felt the same way for him. She seemed to give so much of herself in every endeavor, every friendship; that each becomes enriching; almost intense. Despite her gaiety there was a deep peace that he could find in her presence, however erratic she seemed she never ceased to have a positive impact on him. He did not know when she left Singapore, but he knew that there was nothing that could stop her from going if she set her heart on it.
It was so like her, he thought. Laura had once told him that she preferred not to say goodbye, no tears; just a well-planned quiet, sudden departure suited her. She lived for happiness and it would probably tear her apart to see anyone sad at her farewell.

He missed her so. It was unwise to compare her with Yen, his girlfriend. They were two unique individuals that had left a huge imprint on his not-very-long life. After all, they were about to be married. And he could not be gladder, having his closest friend as his bride. His parents had insisted on an engagement party the fortnight after their return, and he was happy to oblige. The union of their two families was almost inevitable since the time he asked Yn to be his girlfriend. In fact, both parents were already so close that they met regularly for dinners and such. And Nick did not mind, he actually cherished the idea of both families being close-knit. Yen would be a wonderful wife, submissive and easy-going, she would never have an inkling of the tremulous emotions he had when Laura was around.

Nick sighed contently. He was given to sighs nowadays, one of those long, heaving ones that became a part of his personality. All he wanted was a simple, stable life - and he could see it ahead of him; a successful career that still left time for his family, and other recreational pursuits, two healthly, cute kids...
"Except that... is that what you really want?" Laura had asked him once. Nick thought that no one really knew what they really wanted, it was either something they were taught to want, or influenced by the various reasons to; such as religosity, or Society's constraints. Heck, if he resided in Albania his idea of a simple, stable life would be to live on a farming commune in a well-watered, lush valley. Laura had once told him that he was boring, and he agreed, after some consideration. He had no wish to compete in academia with high-flyers, although his natural intellect gave him far better results than most in his field. He wanted a mediocre life, even though his wealthy family gave him opportunities that would never be possible for one in an average-income family. He smiled ruefully to himself. 'Yea, I am lucky...'

With Yen by his side, faithful and true, he smiled as he looked forward to sharing a lasting union with her. If only Laura... 'No', he shook his head. There was no room in his heart for Laura. Only Yen, now. Perhaps all along, Laura knew she could never ursurp the place Yen had, in his regard. A girl like Laura would not choose to settle down; Nick suspected that she would wreak havoc on his placid, conservative family. Docile, quiet, unassuming Yen suited their tastes better as a suitable prospect for him. He was looking forward to seeing his parents and sister, reunited as a fmaily, finally. It was such a long journey, but soon they would be on the flight to Singapore.