Lessons in the fall
He was running as fast as he could. And then he slipped. Some careless worker had left an empty bucket of paint on the roof. He tumbled and fell, right off the edge. He felt the chill of the autumn wind on his face. He could count the stories as they went by - 10, 9, and 8. The ground seemed like a spot to his eyes. The cars below appeared as lines of different hues. But his mind was far away. His entire life was flashing before his eyes.
He remembered the time he got his first gift from his dad. It was a little black and yellow yo-yo. He was only 5 years old then. He had broken his nose at school. It was his first day in class. The chubby little girl sitting next to him was very possessive about her space. So she gave him a not-so-gentle shove. The next thing he knew he was on the floor feeling a strange wetness on his upper lip with the entire class screaming around him. His dad picked him up from school and bought him the toy on the way back from the doctor. Oh, how he loved all the attention!
He remembered his first crush. Anna was the new girl in the neighborhood. She had the sweetest eyes and the cutest little nose. As an eight year old, it was the first time he understood that girls were different. He would follow her around everywhere like the cute little dog in the Hutch ads. How he missed the sweet innocence of childhood infatuation!
He remembered the time he left home for the first time. He thought he would relish the new-found freedom. The truth was that, for about a month, he felt completely homesick. And then he met this amazing group of people who would be his friends forever. How he longed for the all-night chill-out sessions that they used to have!
He remembered his first day in office. Everything seemed confusing and intimidating to him. And then he saw her in the cafeteria. She was in a conversation with some of her friends. She had the most beautiful way of flicking her hair when she was laughing. Before he realized, he was staring at her across the room. And then she turned and looked straight at him. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before his colleague interrupted him with a cup of coffee.
Ever since, he had wanted to tell her about his feelings. After a year of dillydallying, he finally gathered the courage to express his love on this day. He saw her headed towards the terrace. He knew that she liked to go there to clear up her mind whenever she was stressed. As he walked up the stairs, he saw a black German Shepherd crouched at the landing he passed by. And then he remembered – it was ‘Bring Your Pet To Work Day’ at office and everyone had warned him about Diablo, the CEO’s dog. Before he knew it, Diablo lunged at him. Between ‘fight or flight’, his instincts decided in favor of the latter.
