It was a hot and stuffy evening. There she was, sitting in the dimly lit place, feeding the ravenous mosquitoes which were attacking her with seeming vengence.
The light from her cell phone iluminated her face with a ghostly glow as she idly pushed the buttons, willing time to pass by quickly. Her friend was nowhere to be seen after 50 minutes. The sounds from the lizards, like people clicking their tongues in pity, only emphasized her loneliness.
The once familiar canteen seemed frightfully different. There was an eerie peace about the place as she cast her eyes towards the tables where she had spent many hours eating and laughing away.
Nostalgia.
Like a black and white film, the past images fleeted before her. Images of the weekly lunches and early dinners replayed. The young faces of youth, radiance and happiness. Such innocence and simple pleasures of life that could make her smile till her eyes cannot be seen, giggle like a teenage girl and eyes bright with attention and emotions.
The weekly lunches were something she had always looked forward to. A fixed routine - a quick dash to the bus-stop to catch the sardine-packed bus to the meeting place. Though the lunches together were short, it was a standard procedure for her to make her way to the building across the road after lunch where she will settle in her favourite chair and try to catch up with her studies while waiting.
A movement from the corner of her eye broke the playback. The sudden movement of a lizard with its body contrasted against the white walls made her conscious of her surroundings again.
Back to reality.
She gave a wistful sigh and continued her indefinite wait.
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