I saw 5 Centimeters Per Second last year, but I didn’t like it very much. Yesterday I was listening to its soundtrack, and started writing this. There are many references from the movie, and the quotes are from the movie as well.
Eh…it’s silly, but I wanted to write something. So…..
......
Spring. The trees were filled with bright green leaves. It had red cherries too. I remember how we used to pick those cherries from the backyard every year during spring. We still do it. But I kept wondering. What will happen now? Where will time take us? The green leaves dont last long. The cherries too.
I met her during fifth grade. It was not an actual meeting, I just happened to bump her because a friend of mine pushed me. I fell over her pushing her to the ground. Surprised and shocked to find that I fell over a girl, I stood up immediately. She was furious. She slapped me right on my left cheek. I turned all red, and cried in front on everyone. She didnt take pity on me, and walked away with her friends. I couldnt even face her for a few days. I dont know why, but after a week, I wrote a note and put it in her bag during lunch break. After the break, my eyes were all over her, and I caught a smile. She saw me. And showed me the note which I wrote. "Sorry :("
Her name was Kari. I met her when I was in the fifth grade, when I accidentally pushed her over. It just feels like yesterday. But time flies by. And we drift along with it. 5 years had passed, and we didnt spend a single day without talking to each other. We were the best of friends. We talked, laughed, cried together. We were always there for each other. We fought like husband and wife, but without any apologies we would start annoying each other again. But one day….
Summer. The bright leaves had turned lighter, and I found no cherries.
We both had opted for different courses. We wouldnt be in the same school now because her school was in the outskirts of the city, far away from my school and from my house. I was sad. But she wasnt. It was one of the best schools that taught that particular course which she had opted for. She was hopping around in happiness. But I wasnt. I felt mad at myself. How could I? But I couldnt hide the feeling from her, no matter how hard I tried. She noticed me and asked what had happened. I told her everything. She said I was acting dumb, that I thought too much. She said she was in the same city, and we would still be hanging out everyday like we always did. Everything would be the same. Except we would be in different schools. I cursed myself for being so stupid. I was happy for her. She was doing what she wanted. I apologized, and she slapped me in return. "Dont ever apologize. EVER."
Autumn. The leaves had turned to orange. They were shedding. All I could see was thin branches. Not a single green leaf and a cherry.
Two years had passed. And we knew what would happen next. We never talked about it, but deep down inside we knew. We had different goals in mind. We would have to follow separate roads to do what we wanted. One day, Kari and I had spent a whole day together. We spent time playing the guitar and harmonica in our usual place, near the riverside. It was just besides my house. We used to sit near the bank. If our neighbours didnt spot us there, they would ask us the reason. The neighbourhood has changed in the past few years, and they always used to cherish the moment when we used to sit near the river. We saw the setting sun. We talked, what we never talked about. About what we wanted to go after school's over. Indeed, we just knew that we would not be together in a few months. I told her how we used to talk about making our own band. But we didnt, even though we had played together for years. We talked about how we used to pick cherries since we were young infront of my house, and how come we didnt do it these two years. How in a few months, we would make new friends…..maybe best friends. She hugged me, and we sat there seeing the setting sun.
The Sun. The hottest part of the day is during the afternoon, when the sun is at its highest point. People get a lot of trouble and most of the them stay inside during the afternoon. Then just after a few hours, the hot sun eventually comes down, and the temperature becomes cool. People start coming out of their houses to relax. Then the sun sets, but not for long. Because it rises again the next morning with its orange morning rays of light.
A few months passed, and we got separated. She went to a college in the corner most part of the state, and I was still here. It's absurd how time flies by so quickly. For a few months, we missed each other like crazy, and we talked about meeting every day. We talked and talked for hours, never missing a single event in our everyday lives. But this didnt last long.
"The things I had to tell her...
The things I hoped she would listen to...
There were so many of them."
After a year, we stopped having conversations every day. Instead, we used to call each other once in a week. Then the week, turned in to two weeks, then a month. We drifted apart. I found out that she had found her guy. And at that time, I was positive. We weren’t best friends anymore. Time passed by, and we stopped having conversations entirely.
Winter. I could see snow through my window, outside. I remembered how we used to have those snow ball fights. We used to make snow mans and hide behind them for cover. I was so immersed in remembering the past that I went outside, with a wide smile and made a snowball.
But my smile went away, when I could find anyone to hit. Kari wasn’t there.
Months passed, and I took interest upon a certain girl and I hardly thought of Kari anymore.
Summer. The trees were filled with bright green leaves. It had red cherries too. I was day dreaming again, about those times. When...
A phone call. A familiar voice. She told me about the time when we used to pick the cherries from the tree. And said she really wanted to do it right now. Her new house, her new city, didnt have cherry trees. So, she told me to come outside. I was puzzled. But I went outside and my heart skipped a beat.
There she was. The same as always, but five years later. I couldnt recall the last time I saw her or even talked to her. But I hugged her. Tears fell from my eyes. “It’s time to pick up the cherries” she said.
We talked for hours and caught up. She was engaged. And had even gotten a job in a leading company. She was happy, and so was I. We talked about those days, and did all those things which we always did. We sat near the riverside, and and all the neighbours saw a familiar sight. A sight they always wished to see for five years, but couldnt.
Funny thing time. The people who we care about the most, though they have different paths, and even though we eventually forget them as we move on, deep down inside, there is a place for them. And we will always treasure it.
.........
"Hey... They say it's five centimeters per second."
"What do you mean?"
"The speed at which the cherry blossom petals fall... Five centimeters per second."
