It was there watching silently as she entered the campus the very first time. As if, it understood my rising heartbeats, it gave the much-needed shade to keep her cool. The small, insignificant tree, that stood in the corner of the college, near the entrance, was witness to many interesting and exciting scenes of the college.
It was quite small to be called a tree but long enough to stand taller than many of them. She took its shade to hide as she hesitantly waited to know which class she belonged to! She knew it could never hide her, but its height made her feel she was hidden. Then she moved ahead, to the first classroom in the building from where she could see the tree every day. As the class got boring, she would gaze stealthily at it, and hide the smile that it brought, thinking about the first day of college.
Typically, as they moved out after the class every noon, this would be the meeting place for the boys and girls to bid goodbye for the day. It stood right in front of the office room, within the watchful eyes of the principal and other staffs. Yet, it was a popular place for friends to wait and talk.
As she would walk past the college any other time, there would be people standing in the shade, passing comments glancing how fast she walked past. She walked quite fast as she always wanted to avoid those glances.
It was under the same tree that they waited to learn their team winning the chance to perform on the college day, beating the seniors! It was a great happy moment, which later initiated many other unforgettable moments.
The same tree witnessed a proposal and a denial almost immediately! Now, a decade later, married to her college sweetheart, she glances at the tree standing tall, smiling at her. It would have witnessed many more before and after her!
But the tree remains there, not so tall, not so large, but definitely evergreen, as it is in her memory.
Verbally Versatile - The Game of Words! 