a lifetime's hate and three lifetimes' love

eighteen

“You sure you packed everything?” Patty asked.

The older couple was on one side. The younger on the other. In between, drawing the line of separation, were the two bags. More accurately, one big suitcase and one smaller trolley bag. It was confusing because the bag was Appie’s and the suitcase was Bee’s.

“What’s going on?” Artie asked.

“I can explain,” Appie said.

“She wants to be lazy,” Bee said. “Wants to wear my t-shirts.”

“Ah,” Patty said, stretching out the exclamation.

“Now it makes sense,” Artie said. “The sudden love for tees. Nice. The two of you truly are growing close.”

Patty rubbed off a non-existent tear from the corner of her eye. “Our little daughter will soon be married. She’ll have a family of her own. How time flies.”

Artie put his arm around his wife. “Feels like we’re getting old.”

“You had me early,” Appie said. She was grinning. And there was a glint in her eye. “You’re still not too old to have another child. Experience the joy of parenthood all over again.”

“Let’s get you married first,” Patty said.

“Sure,” Appie agreed immediately. “I’m all for it.”

I should get used to it already. That was the line running through Bee’s head at the moment.

-

“Stop it already. You’re being so weird,” Sophie complained.

Nina glared. She explained, many times, what she thought and why she thought it and what she was expecting and what had to change. She made sure Sophie listened. But it was always like this in the end.

“You really don’t listen to a thing, do you?” Nina asked. “Or is it that everything just falls out? And nothing stays inside? Whatever. Just come.”

“Okay, let’s make a bet. You’re saying we’ll see Bee, at Appie’s. I bet that we won’t.”

“What’s the bet?”

“Loser does one thing that the winner demands. No questions. No refusing. No arguing. Just doing.”

“Alright.”

They shook on it. And Nina rang the doorbell.

As the door opened, they were welcomed by laughter. And the faces of people they were expecting. And a fourth face that shouldn’t be there.

Nina wasn’t surprised to see Bee there. Sophie was. And Sophie frowned visibly.

“What?” Appie asked.

“I bet he wouldn’t be here,” Sophie said. “I lost.”

“We should go,” Nina said. “We’re getting late.”

“What’s going on with you girls?” Patty asked. “You were friends. You were like sisters. I used to see you both every other day. Not anymore. It’s been like weeks since the last time you showed yourselves here. Why? Are you girls fighting?”

“Really, mom?” Appie asked. “Don’t you know already?”

“You shut up,” Patty said, rapping Appie’s head sharply. “You,” she continued, pointing at Nina, “explain.”

“Just a little disagreement, aunty,” Nina answered. “I’m sure we’ll sort it out by the time we return from this trip.”

“I hope so,” Patty said. “I don’t want you girls like this. Fighting. Straying apart. Alright. I’ll stop. You all have fun. And be careful.”

They said their byes, and left.

The four of them squeezed into Sophie’s car. It was an SUV. It was gigantic. The bags fit comfortably in the back. Sophie sat in the front. The other three squeezed in comfortably in the middle row. Appie was in the middle. Bee behind Sophie. And Nina on the other side. It was just an hour's drive to the train station. No one was complaining.

The ride was quiet. No one spoke. Sophie turned on the radio and tuned into her favourite station. The top 40 were playing. Every one of the songs that played, Sophie liked. And so, there was at least one of the four who was perfectly happy on the drive.

The four of them were the last to arrive. Everyone else had already gotten onto the train. This was the starting station of the train. And they were traveling in first class. There was one coach in first class with a total of twenty four seats. Fourteen were theirs. The coach was pretty much entirely theirs.

“I’ve never traveled in first class,” Appie said when they were drawing the plan.

Roman immediately declared that they should travel first class on this trip. Sophie was the first to agree.

“Of course we’re traveling in first class,” Sophie said. “It’s our first trip. We should make it the best.”

Of course, there was also the fact that her family on her father’s side had always been into politics. And they always traveled as a family in their personal cars. When trains and flights were inevitable, they always traveled in first class. Sophie was the princess of her family. And even though she never put on airs, and never made it obvious just how pampered she was at home, the words sounded completely normal from her.

And so, they booked the tickets. They took help from Sophie’s father. In fact, all the arrangements concerning travel and their stay were taken care of by Sophie’s father. He booked the hotel rooms. He arranged for the cars to pick them up from the station and take them to the hotel. He had, in fact, reserved the cars for the five days, to take them wherever they wanted to go. The trip was going to entirely memorable for his daughter and her friends.

The four of them arrived at the station well in time. They were on the train with still ten minutes to the time of departure. They made it to the platform and the boys immediately saw them. They came over, and offered to help the girls with their bags. Roman rushed to Appie.

“Let me help you with that,” he said, reaching for her bag.

“Thank you,” Appie said, refusing his help. “My bag. I can manage. As you can see, it’s small. And light.”

Roman brushed away his embarrassment, and continued with the same enthusiasm. “You’re right. It is small. Will it be enough? Everyone else has bigger bags.” He was looking pointedly at Bee’s suitcase, which was definitely one of the biggest among all of their bags.

“It has to be,” Appie said. But didn’t explain.

Bee ignored the conversation entirely. It was as if he was deaf.

And so, Roman could only swallow the questions. And stick as close to Appie as she would allow, onto the train and to their seats.

Everyone found their seats on a first come first serve basis. It seemed like they had all taken up seats per their preference. Where they wanted to sit. Who they wanted to sit with. And so on. But, it was actually by design. The plan was to keep Bee and Appie apart.

Nina and Sophie found their seats first. And with everyone else having arrived already, the only two seats left were in different cabins. That wouldn’t mean much while they were all together in one place, just talking and laughing. But the journey was thirteen hours long. And they would need to go back to their seats to rest. And at that time, even if they were sticking together the rest of the time, Appie and Bee would have to be apart. One free seat was in the cabin where Roman was sitting. Another was with El and Emma. It seemed obvious who would go where.

Nina and Abe and Roman, who had given the most to making the plan, were sure nothing could go wrong.

Appie surprised them. She dragged Bee over and sat with him and El and Emma. The four of them filled up the cabin.

“No way I’m letting you spend so many hours with her,” Appie whispered to Bee.

Bee shook his head. And said nothing.

The four greeted each other.

“You two are really close,” Emma said. She didn’t really mean anything by it. And it was as if only Bee understood that.

“What do you mean?” El asked.

“Of course, we are,” Appie said. “In fact, I have news to share. Come close. It’s a secret.”

“If it’s a secret, why are you sharing?” El asked.

“You don’t want to know, you don’t have to listen,” Appie said.

She was leaning forward. She pulled Bee along. Emma was already leaning in.

El didn’t really have a choice. She was curious. And there was no denying it. She leaned in.

And Appie revealed the secret in a whisper that stayed between the four of them.

“In fact, we’re pretty much engaged,” Appie said. “His parents and mine are for it. I’m for it. We’re just waiting on Bee. He’s just so shy.”

Bee couldn’t stay quiet. He put his hand over Appie’s mouth, shutting her up. And pulled her back. It really looked like he was hugging her. And she wasn’t struggling. In fact, she was falling into him. The two looked like they were embracing each other, and loving it.

Emma’s mouth hung open. And her eyes were open wide, even shining.

El wasn’t much better. Her struggle almost showed on her face.

It was to this scene that the others walked in. Nina and Sophie and Roman were in the front. And the expressions on their faces screamed out their feelings.

The journey started off with awkwardness.

The rest of the journey was plain, in comparison. The first couple of hours, they all squeezed into one cabin. Talking. Laughing. Playing. Having a blast.

After lunch was served, they returned to their seats to rest. They didn’t have to empty out their reserves.

Appie and Bee sat with Emma and El, in their cabin. Appie hugged Bee’s arm, and leaned against him, as she napped. Bee brought a couple of books. He took one and began reading.

Emma napped sitting up.

And El, even though she intended to take a nap too, couldn’t stop herself from staring at Bee.

This was the same boy she knew. But he was so different. He was like a different person. His behaviour. His quiet. His calm. His studiousness. Even now, he was reading. He was like in a bubble. He was so different. She could see that. But he felt the same. He felt like her Bee.

The moment she thought that, she froze. No, she screamed inside her head, not her Bee. Not hers at all. She couldn’t feel that way. It couldn’t be that way.

She forced her eyes shut. And sat in the darkness, and the silence, waiting patiently for sleep that wouldn’t come.