Much of our lives is spent in a state of waiting.
We wait for events, for things, for seasons, for people — and the list goes on.
There's a special kind of excitement that comes with waiting, especially when it’s something good that you’re anticipating.
As a child, he would eagerly wait for the clock to strike 4 in the afternoon because that’s when he was allowed to play.
As he grew older, he waited for the mornings when he could go to school, because that’s where he’d see her.
But, as time passed, the things we once looked forward to lose their spark.
What was once exciting becomes routine.
And eventually, we stop waiting for them at all.
As they progressed through school, he began showing up less often at school. The play at 4 stopped altogether.
The thrill of anticipation faded.
They still met in class, but it became less frequent.
The race to get into a good college after school was fierce, and he poured most of his time into that goal.
He came to school once or twice a week.
They would talk occasionally during the brief breaks between classes.
Eventually, he made it into a good college and, after four years of undergrad, landed a respectable job.
He spent those years waiting for all sorts of things — both small and big events, and the people associated with them.
And yes, he still felt excited about these moments.
But it took him a few more years to realize that there’s something even more beautiful than waiting for your own moments.
It’s realizing that someone else is waiting for you.
It took him seven years to understand — since the time he stopped going to school every day, stopped feeling the excitement of seeing her each morning — that she still waited for him.
Seven years had passed since he stopped going to school every day, since he stopped feeling the excitement of seeing her each morning. And only then did he truly understand — she had waited for him all this while.
And when they finally lived together, she continued to wait for him to finish his work.
He would feel excited to return home, not because he was eager to be home, but because someone was waiting for him.
He realized, then, that this feeling — knowing someone waits for you — was something he had craved all his life.
And as life often goes, they would be separated again.
This time, he left to pursue his studies.
They would be continents apart.
But still, she would wait, just as she always had.
A thousand times.