Under the Blue Night

        Lamplight flickered rhythmically under the blue night sky. A woman was sitting on a bench beside that flickering glow. Consumed in her own reveries, smiling to the stars. Her eyes kept glancing towards the entrance of the park, waiting for someone to appear. She sat there, hushed and calm. The peering lamplight was the only aid, allowing the surroundings to be distinguishable. Beyond its scope, the earth had been devoured by the darkness. The park was completely silent; only the sound of a freezing gale sliced through.

Night went on getting duller and colder with each breath. The temperature fell as time passed by. It was eerily calm; a melancholic charm lingered in the air. Time was slower than ever, like it had been stretched by the sorrows—lingering there. There was not a soul in sight.

The city in the distant world was bustling with life; clamours and thrills could be felt just by imagining. But here, the park had entirely fallen into the blue. The woman waited patiently, peeking towards the entrance, then towards the stars. The silence broke; there was someone in the dark. A hushed sound of feet dragging on the ground emerged.

"What a biting cold!" a male voice subtly groaned to himself. She turned around; an old man was standing there. He was wrapped in several layers, staring towards the sky. He looked her way and greeted her; then he circled to the bench beside her, on the other side. "You looking at the stars too?" he asked, eyeing her, expecting an answer. She looked above and said, "Yes, it's very enchanting."

They sat there for a long time. In their own worlds, silent. The sky was melting into the darkest shade of blue. Stars popped radiantly, almost falling onto the earth. They were mesmerized by the beauty. Clouds from afar were approaching. Their charming view was about to vanish. The old man diverted his eyes towards the woman again. Her sight felt familiar to him. Perhaps he had seen her before.

"So, what are you doing here…at this hour?" he broke the quietness. She didn't look in his direction and said in a hushed voice, "I am waiting for my son."

"But why here? —in such cold. You should wait by a shelter."

"I don't live here, sir; I have only come to meet him." The old man didn't inquire any further. He stayed there, quiet.

They patiently sat, glancing towards the entrance; then towards the stars. The wind was slowly turning harsh. A faint resounding of the last train could be heard from miles away. After that, only a piercing silence flourished for the rest of the night. There was not a person in sight, except for one.

The man wheezed against the air and let out a few fake coughs. "So, my son lives abroad; I have to wait a very long time to meet him." he could no longer sustain the quietness.

The woman shifted her gaze to him and listened, "…sometimes his flight is late or… some other damn reasons…he had also kept me waiting several times." he chuckled a bit.

She started, "My son is leaving for abroad too…" She cast a proud glance towards him. "…I won't get to see him soon either"

"So, is he gonna leave now?"

"Yes, that's why I am waiting here. To see him before he leaves."

"Well, that's important too. Kids have to make their future; we have to let them go."

"Yes, you are right."

The place was quiet again; little clouds floated by among the stars to block their view. The man tacitly decided to wait there with her until her son arrived. They didn't exchange any more words. The man was worried; the possibility of her son's arrival was decreasing alongside the weakening light. Time glided by. The weather might deviate any moment. Still, the son had not arrived yet.

Swift cold breezes swept through; they clutched themselves harder. Light flickered more briskly, threatening to go out any moment. Their eyes kept glancing at the sky, then the gate, back and forth.

"My dear lady, you should go home; I don't think anyone would come now." She looked at him with gentle eyes. "No worry, I will wait."

"But it is going to snow soon!" She didn't answer any further and calmly kept staring into the dark.

His breathing was heavier than usual—because of the chilly air or perhaps because of the distress. The denseness of the place swelled up within him. His heart was overcome with sorrows of night; the place was swallowing the hope with each leaving instant.  He sighed and glued his back against the bench.

He started again, "My son lives in another country; I don't get to see him much. But when he comes back, he embraces me like a little boy and brings tons of gifts for me and whatnot…" he chuckled, "…and we talk and talk and the time just passes by…." his words faded, and he looked towards her; she was listening closely and smiling. There was not a glimmer of despair on her face.

She said, "You are very lucky, sir—to have a son so loving… my son loves me very dearly too."

The air condensed his eyes a bit. He drowned himself in thoughts for a few moments. Despair of the situation was growing inside him. Why that woman couldn't understand. He wanted to tell her, but couldn't. How could he break her hope? Instead, he carried the conversation further.

"I am glad my children are living the life they want. They are such a blessing to…to a man like me."

Her eyes were still shining with faith. He averted his gaze and continued, "I was once gone too, leaving everything here, but I came back…shouldn't have gone in the first place." words fainted along.

"I am also very proud of my son, you know… he is the first in my family... no, of all our village… to pursue such high education and is getting a job abroad." She continued, "he had always been such a hard worker, ever since he was a child…"

The man couldn't bring himself to say anything. The wretchedness of time was swarming the air. There were still no signs of her son. The sputtering of the light seemed like the ticking away of time into hopelessness. She was cheerful, despite the letdown of the event. Pondering in her own delight. Her yearning eyes were resting there, with the same aspiring smile.

She was sure her son would come, "…I had little money for his education, but he persevered and studied exceptionally hard to get the scholarships. He laboured, since he was just a kid, and endured all the hardships. When kids his age were crying and playing and making fun of him, he endured it all and turned his fate around—even without the support of a father…" A proud tear rolled down her cheek. "I am so blessed to have him as my son." Her eyes glistened more than any of the stars.

The old man blew a cold breath. "Ma'am, you must have worked hard too; being a single parent sure is difficult."

Her smile faded. "Yes, it is. But it was more difficult for him…to have me as his mother. He bore it too…"

"Please don't say wrong about yourself; it's not just him. You laboured too, even way more, to provide for him"

Glimmers of pride, which had been there until now, turned into something miserable. Her face went blank, somewhat looking towards the things not present there. The man was affected by her gloom; he quietly listened to her downhearted words. "It wasn't enough. To bear a powerless, slurred mother is already a punishment. I should have done more to compensate him."

The coldness of memories gripped her. "he had all the qualities to win the world…" She lowered her gaze. "Only I am the lowliness he has, the reason he is so ashamed of…"

Between the cracks of fog, the stars shone bright, filling the absence of the moon. The sound of the nightly jingles kept murmuring from the distance. The woman's hand shivered in the cold breeze. She fisted them together and blew a hot breath into them. The person for whom her eyes were yearning, still no signs of him. The light was deceasing as the night deepened into black. Her eyes were still stuck to that place.

The old man sat there with a heavy heart, trying to swallow the words on his quivering lips.

"I think your son will not come."

"he told me he would…" She sighed and closed her eyes,

"…once. At least I could hope…" Her voice faded within the heavy air.

A tiny flake of snow landed on the bench, between them. The waning light had finally stifled away. He arose, looking at the place with mournful eyes where she was once sitting.

"He will never come." The words left his blue lips, and he left the place—with the same crestfallen heart he had been enduring for a long time. Leaving the park soulless again.