sometimes in one's life unbelievable and unforgettable incidents occur. something one thinks of forever afterwards. this has happened in mine and the memories and wonder of them have never left me. they are odd times, never to be repeated, mostly, i think. but they merit remembering. for their unlikeliness. for their monumental wonder and indelible impression. and i think, mainly for how they make one feel. and still make me feel when i think of them. i am speaking of that memory that jumps out at one when someone asks about something special that has happened in one's life. the memory one does not have to think about and perhaps has trouble sharing, sometimes. that one really, really unfading recollection.

it was new years' eve and we went clubbing. it was fun the way only new years' eve clubbing can be, when everything is exciting and one is with people you know and love and trust and the world is filled to the brim with good will. at some point, not too early, i noticed a beautiful guy among the hundreds of people there. i remember our group commenting on his looks. it was much later that he walked over to me, took my hand without a single word and we danced. i remember our dancing was the slowest slow i have ever moved. and then we kissed. now... i have never been one to kiss people left right and center (i have very specific feelings about kissing), but we kissed all the same. and this is what we did for a period that felt like for ever and ever amen. this was fairy tale stuff, honestly. we kissed and kissed. perfectly too. we never exchanged a word. not one single word. i was extremely aware of how all this took place and of what we were doing, but at the same time the world, as i had been aware of it, had stopped to exist. i don't quite remember when and how we stopped, but then we just parted and the evening proceeded in the perfect new years' eve spirit. we had still not spoken one word. i had no idea what his voice sounded like. he did not seem to me to be the talkative type anyway. i liked that. my friends were nearly hysterical as only girls can be. after all, they saw exactly what had happened. i was no wiser than they were. but my calm and collected came naturally.

nearly a year later i was late catching the train to go to work. this resulted in me taking a different train to my usual one and taking a shorter ride and i jumped in at the last second before the train doors slammed shut. it was a beautiful, blustery autumn morning with lots of sun and vast sweeps of cloud moving in swathes down table mountain. i was in good spirits because the day was so pretty. i stood on the entrance platform while the train sped on, as there were no vacant seats. when i had caught my breath and could at last look at my surroundings, i nearly lost my breath again. i could not believe this. there he was. as gorgeous as in the almost dark, even in bright daylight. our eyes met and held for long seconds. i think that is what will stay with me all my life. not the kissing, not the club thing. only that moment. it really took my breath away. we did nothing more than look. no acknowledgement at all. no smile. nothing. but i knew he knew me and i knew he knew that i knew that he remembered me too. it was a most extraordinary few moments and most exhilarating. for the rest of that day i walked on a cloud.

i think about it now and then and the memory never loses the special effect of that meeting on the train with that strange electricity. i have never wished that more could have happened between us. if it did, the incredible magic of this random encounter would have been lost.

but i have thought in the past that i would have liked to capture it. and now i have.

every person on earth deserves to experience something that sets them alight in this way. it could be for a completely different adventure, of course, but equally unforgettable. this was a magical thing. i would have been much poorer without it.

seasofme091115it'sallaboutme.tags.andmememe