He didn’t know me. I didn’t know him. We were both merely strangers to each other. He just used to flash me a big smile the moment our eyes used to meet for a fraction of second. With a smile so bright and the eyes that sparkled, I never thought of not smiling back to him. This was my entire relationship with him; smiling at each other every single day.
He was a BBA student in my university. A person with a personality so charming and a mind of a genius, always made me wonder why I never got a chance to talk to him despite working for the same society, same department. He would only smile, never waved, and never said a word. I now feel this was probably the beauty of it. His silence spoke so much to me that we never had the urge to talk.
Suddenly, he disappeared. I didn’t see him for 2 days and I had been worrying at the back of mind but always thought he’d be busy studying as our finals were approaching. I have this habit of not checking my official email where the students are informed about everything related to out university only by the management, I checked my email this other day in the class and my mind was as blank as anything when I read a condolence message in my inbox saying Osama Sabir passed away 2 days back in a car accident. I couldn’t react instantly. I didn’t knew what to say or think. I stared at my phone reading the email again and again trying for it to make some sense. It didn’t.
His only words that are still fresh in my mind are, when we had our society meeting where I work, he was also a part of that society, the team leader discussed a few ideas where we both, me and Osama, were disagreeing to her continuously, he smiled at me and said, ‘Worry not, they will grow up some day. IoBM will grow up one day.’ And I couldn’t help but laugh.
This was what this human being was. He lived as if he ruled the world until death took over.
My eyes still look for him every morning at the spot where he used to stand with his friends and smile at me. And it breaks my heart to realize I will never see him there again.
R.I.P, kiddo. I hope you realize university life will never ever be same without you. I know you’re looking down at us, smiling. Be at peace, you. :)
H.
