Have you ever seen a Sunset during a Thunderstorm?

I remember that it was an uncharacteristically bright day. And that the sweet and sour taste of new freedom hadn't quite faded yet. I remember that was the only time I looked at myself in the full-length mirror after putting on my uniform and felt a bit sad that I had messed it up to such an extent. I remember stuffing my bag with novels because I expected to be bored. And I remember that it was my school's farewell party. I was the only one who showed up in uniform.

After an almost tearful farewell with all my teachers I started to walk around the building quite idly. This was because my peers and I shared a mutual indifference. We didn't dislike each other any more than we liked the other. To me, they were simply people I shared a class with and to them I was just the strange girl who lived inside her books.

So after a few pleasantries we were done, leaving me quite free for the rest of the day. I wandered around the building with the lump in my throat growing with each minute. Finally, I decided to sit down in the balcony attached to our Art Room and read. I fished around my backpack and picked out the first book I got my hands on. I knew all my books well, so I knew which one it was before I even took it out of my bag. Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The book had ceased to be a difficult text a long time back, so I could simply read it like a novel now. I proceeded to do exactly that when 'he' rushed into the balcony.

Back then he was a very popular student. Sweet, charismatic, talented and good-looking, needless to say, he had a huge fan following. I wasn't a part of it though. To me, he was just another person I shared a classroom with. He smiled and asked me if he could stay in the balcony. I shrugged nonchalantly. He could do whatever he liked. "Thanks" he said warmly, "I just needed some air". I nodded and went back to reading as he walked back and forth for a while before barking out a laugh. I looked at him, "Sorry", he said sheepishly. "I just realized I would really miss my school, it's not so much the people as...", "...the place", I completed for him almost in a trance.

He stared at me for a second. "Exactly" he said before shaking his head. "Hey, do you mind if I just talk? You don't have to answer" he asked cautiously. "I don't mind" I replied. So he started talking about everything he would miss. The terrible food, the way the wind felt in the football ground, how dandelion seeds flew into our classrooms during spring, and the way the street dogs that lived under our buses knew us by what snack we brought in our tiffin boxes, before stopping suddenly.

"I didn't mean to make you cry" he said panicking. "It's nothing" I replied. "I just realized how much I would miss this place as well". Then I stood up and looked him in his eyes, my book forgotten. "Tell me" I asked him "have you ever seen a sunset during a thunderstorm?"

He looked really puzzled for a second. "I'm sorry?" I felt a surge of embarrassment. "Never mind" I said. "It's just that in the play Macbeth there are three witches who say that they will meet again in a thunderstorm during sunset and I was wondering what that would look like". He paused for a second. "Well I have never seen it" he said "but I think it would be gorgeous" and stared into the horizon. In that second I thought he looked really cute and wanted to freeze time. On that note he said, turning to look at me "Have you read Othello?"

And just like that, we started talking. We didn't stop even after we got on the bus but I suppose I must have fallen asleep at some point because when I woke up his stop had long passed and there was a crumpled notebook sheet beside me with a number and a note saying let's stay in touch.

So we did. We stayed in touch when the two of us left for prestigious universities in different countries, when we started our respective businesses, worked on collaborative projects, and finally decided to merge our companies. One day, I got a message asking me to meet him on the roof of our old school.

I remember that there were mountain like clouds in the sky that day. I remember him all but dragging me up the stairs. I remember shouting "Stop! I left my umbrella downstairs!" And I remember him saying "Leave it! You absolutely cannot miss this!" The rain accompanying the thunderstorm quickly soaked both of us as he waved his hand towards the horizon and said "That darling, is what a sunset during a thunderstorm looks like".

The brightest gold was never given a chance to turn red as the dark clouds swallowed the colors whole, only lighting up themselves when the occasional flash of lightning danced by making a gorgeous contrast with the golden sunset. "Do you like it?" he asked smiling as the rain made his hair stick to his face. "Yes" I replied in a daze, facing the dilemma of whether to watch him or the sunset. In the end I decided to watch the sunset. He put his warm arm around me and watched it too. We stood there in silence until the sky was almost dark and the rain had come down to a drizzle. "Ask" I said without turning back. I felt his chuckle on my ear. "Will you marry me?" he asked. "Of course" I replied, the two of us still watching the sky. I felt his warm lips on my cheek. I turned around. "That" I said, putting my arms around his neck "is not how you kiss your fiancée".

"Stop" said my son glaring down at me. "So father and you got drenched and watched a sunset!" I finished the last sip of my tea before answering "Yes, that's about right?" "Mother! it's summer, I can't do that!" he shouted. "Of course not" I said "that's what we did, use your own brain". "I'm drawing a blank! That's why I asked for your help". "Look" I said standing up "The view wasn't what made the day special, it was the fact that I was seeing it with your father". I put my hands on his shoulders, sighing when I realized that he was still towering over me. "If you can't think of anything, just be sincere and honest. She will be moved." "Really?" "Yes", I said solemnly. He nodded and left the room.

The minute he was out of earshot I called my future daughter-in-law. "I think you should handle the proposal" I told her. "Thank you for your blessing and support Mother-in-law" she said. I rolled my eyes "Don't go formal on me now" I warned her with a smile. "Just promise me one thing". "What?" she asked. "Have fun" I said simply. I heard her laughing on the other end of the line "We will" she said cutting the call. The click of the phone coincided perfectly with the sound of the door shutting as my son rushed out of the house.