Andy stood alone in the
rain drenched watery night all soaked up and shivering.  In a few moments he would board the ship ‘The
Promise’ that would take him to the new city. He felt an unusual chill in his
heart that night, a chill of deep sadness. He was very much familiar with this
chill in his heart, it normally occurred to him when an eagerly anticipated
event was about to unfurl before him.  It
surprised him because he thought he was happy as he was going to a new city
where he would spend the next couple of years, a city which was unlike any
other city where he has lived so far.  The
city held tremendous opportunities for him, be it in pursuing a career in trade
and commerce and also in enhancing his knowledge. He always dreamt on living in
a great city with all the opportunities open to him. He was tired of living his
life in small cities with small ambitions and much smaller way of thinking.
This was not a time for sadness to rein his heart.

He told himself, ‘I
ought to be happy’. This was one moment he was waiting for the last several
years. But the unusual chill in his heart refused to go away. He stressed his
mind to know the actual reason for the sad chill in his heart which was getting
deeper as if like his heart was being cut into two pieces. It seemed the chill
reminded him of a person or an incident, he was very familiar with. Just then
in the shining waves of the sea illuminated by the port lights he saw a face forming.
It was her crying. He gets angry and kicks the sand with his wet shoes. He
thought it was all over. He thought he was over with the bitter memories he was
trying hard to forget. But that instant he realized, perhaps he has to live
with those bitter memories for the rest of his life. He could not decide whether
the sobbing face he saw should be treated as an omen. May be it is trying to
call him to her. He starts moving towards the ship. Either way he has to make
the voyage. 

As the ship starts to
move with a loud howl, he remembers what he said to her one day before they
finally parted. “I will wait for you, you cannot take that right away from me
and that’s the only thing I can do”. Perhaps all is not over yet.

He waits for the storm
to blow him over again.