Essays

The evening air is cool but I am feeling warm enough. I have no work to do. I am alone at home waiting for the phone to ring. Today, expect to see an old friend after years. Will I recognize him? What if he fails to recognize me? After a long wait the phone rings. Yes, he is the one.

He tells me to get ready. We are going out to dinner. I feel strange. Outside, the rain has stopped. It's a good sign. I have half an hour to myself. Then I am supposed to stand at the door. Hurriedly, I put on my best clothes. I look at my -watch. Five minutes left. Doesn't matter I can stand. I lock the front door and wait.

Right on time a car stops. A well dressed old man steps out of the driver's door. I peep inside the car. There is no one. Where is the young man? "I have come to take you to the dining place", the old man says. Oh no! He can't be my friend. I hesitate. He understands and smiles. 'The boss is waiting", he says. This time I laugh. I sit in the car as he opens the door for me. Zoom...we drive on.

 We reach a dirty place. Surprisingly, the area is beautifully decorated with lights and flowers. People are wearing funny dresses. They speak a strange language. "Hello," someone taps my shoulder. Scared I turn around only to meet the smiling face of my friend. How easily I recognized him! He hasn't changed. 'You haven't changed", he says. We have walked a lot.

 We enter an amusement park. There is no one. We decide to return. It begins to rain. We run for shelter. We stand under a big leaf. Clouds fill the sky and it gets dark. Night has fallen. It's time to reach home. We see a small child calling us.

We forget about the rain. Our clothes are already drenched. We walk towards the child. He leads us to the car through a short-cut. The dirty place is no longer dirty. There are beautiful houses.

 We say good-bye with a sad heart. The same old man is there to leave me home. Suddenly I remember about dinner. We hadn't eaten a thing. My stomach hurts. I begin to cry. "I am hungry," I yell at the driver. He is not listening. I yell again and again.

 Suddenly I get a jerk. That stupid old man has stepped on the brakes without any reason. He repeats his act. This time the jerk is harder. "Get Up and eat your dinner," I hear my mother's voice. Startled I open my eyes. My stomach ached. Thanks to my mom, she was standing with my dinner plate in her hand.