Beginnings and Endings

Marigold and William were best friends since they were in kindergarten. As the years passed, they grew closer and became inseparable. Nothing could affect their friendship, not even the high school that had seen many young hearts weave their love stories within its walls and had witnessed so many heartbreaks over the past three decades since it came into existence.

There was a lake not very far from their homes. It was their afterschool hangout spot. They would sit there for hours and talk about life and love. Sometimes, they would watch the calm lake and enjoy the silence. Everyone knew they both had feelings for each other except them.

One afternoon, when they were sitting by the lake, William picked up a twig and drew a line in the soil. Marigold watched him silently, waiting for him to speak.

“It is love," William said. "The two ends of this line are the two people whose hearts are interconnected. They meet halfway the moment they realize they love each other. I call it the lifeline of love.”

Marigold rolled her eyes and took the twig from him. She then drew a circle next to the line.

"The shape of love is a circle, not a line. There are no beginnings and endings. No one can see where it begins or ends,” she said. "When two people come inside this circle, they meet at some point in life and fall in love with each other. When it is time to say goodbye, they leave it and move on. But love stays forever.”

William saw a spark in Marigold's eyes as she talked about love, and right at that moment, he realized he was in love with Marigold all along. That love felt so powerful as though the whole universe was trying to entwine his heart around hers. He gently pulled Marigold closer. She did not say anything, but her eyes spoke, and William knew she loved him too. His name was written all over her face.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I think your shape of love is perfect."

While their lips opened the window to embrace the warmth of love, their heart chose to capture the beautiful moment in their memory forever, with their eyes closed.

They had learned that day that whenever two pairs of eyes meet, as had theirs here at the lake, the silence speaks.

Four years passed in a flash, and like birds, they both flew off in different directions in search of life’s treasure. Many seasons came and went since they graduated from their respective colleges, but William did not hear any word from Marigold. She had not replied to any of his emails. Whenever he asked his parents about her whereabouts, they would answer, “She is away and doing fine.” Every day, he would stare at his computer and hope for some miracle to make things the same as before. He knew his heart was not ready to say goodbye yet.

Summer season arrived, and the Marigolds were blooming everywhere. William could not bear the heartache anymore and returned to his hometown. He had not come home for years because there was nothing peaceful and beautiful here without Marigold.

The following morning he gathered all his courage and went to the lake. On reaching there, he sat in the same place where his heart had told him that he was in love with Marigold. He closed his eyes, and the warm memory of their first kiss brought a smile to his lips.

Suddenly the wind blew, and his heart began to palpitate. He understood that the wind had brought the scent of his favorite flower. He turned around while trembling with fear and hope. His heart was right. Marigold was there, standing right in front of him. She was wearing a beautiful white and yellow floral dress just like her name. It did not matter how many years had passed since they had seen each other or why she did not keep in touch. At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, just like the first time they had kissed.

His heart wanted to run to her and hug her, but he knew there was no rush. They were where they were meant to be. And then, just like the two people at the two ends of his lifeline he had drawn in the soil that day, they were walking toward each other. When they met halfway, William noticed the paleness on her face and sadness in her big blue eyes. She looked weak and had lost a lot of weight. It did not take him long to understand why Marigold never wrote back.

“It is cancer,” Marigold said. It was as if she read his mind. “I guess love is indeed a line. I can see my end from where I am right now.”

William was fighting hard to hold the tears back. In a broken voice, he said, “My beautiful Marigold, I have always loved the shape of your love. The circle you had drawn that day is still full of love, and as you said, there are no beginnings and endings. All I see is its love flowing into our heart.”

Marigold lowered her head so that William would not see her tears, but William lifted her chin. “Look at this place,” he said, “right now it is calm and reflecting the color of the blue sky, but at night, with the moonlight shining on the water, everything looks different, but it is still the same place, just like our love. No matter what phase of life we go through, our love will stay as beautiful as ever like this golden summer.”

No one said anything further; they didn’t have to, as that moment spoke for itself. Once again, the lips sealed the kiss along with the majestic silence of the moment with their eyes closed. It was the same place where it all began. Only there was no end to their circle of love.