Khusbu Hossain  

It was just another day, as they walked to class together, under the pouring rain. As always, the puddles looked really tempting to jump into, but they never did, at least not on school days when their uniforms had to be clean and tidy. They walked into class together just before the bell rang. Emily went in first as Lisa followed.
For years, the two had been friends. The bond that had formed between them could not be described in words. Emily was the jolly and sarcastic one, while Lisa was awfully quiet, but somewhere between the different personalities, the two got along just fine. From staying at each other’s houses for sleepovers to doing homework, there was nothing the two girls did not do together.
“Mom has decided that we are going to move to England, Em...,” said Lisa’s soft little voice. “We’re leaving next month,” she added. Lisa’s parents got divorced when she was still a child and her mother was the only one who took care of her. Ever since the divorce, Lisa had never seen her father and barely remembered what he looked like. “Mom says she will get a better job there and that we’ll have a better life in England.”
Just like that, 30 days later, the two friends waved at each other for the last time at Sydney Airport. They both kept on waving for as long as they could see each other, while wiping away warm tear drops off their own cheeks, but none of them said ‘goodbye’. Days turned into months and months to years, but surprisingly, the two friends did not lose contact. Their friendship was just as strong as ever, only they were miles apart.
Summer holidays were over. It was time for Emily to begin high school. Classes went pretty well. She made new friends, or at least that is what she called them. Things got better for Emily and although her classmates were really nice, there was not a day when she did not miss Lisa. It was a Wednesday afternoon when Allan Smith, their biology teacher, walked into class. His eyebrows frowned, his face pale, his eyes small and scary. He picked up the marker to write down the name of a chapter and asked everyone to read it. And that’s all that happened for the entire lesson. From that Wednesday onwards, every biology class was pretty much the same.
Bad news was, exams were just around the corner. Things did not get any better in biology classes and Emily was desperate to get good grades. She planned to do what no good student should ever do: Cheat. Later, on a Monday afternoon, after classes were over she went to Allan Smith’s room to look for the test papers. She went through his desk and looked for the papers. Curiously, she picked up a picture which sat in a corner of the table. She froze. She could hear footsteps getting closer and closer but did not move. She stared at the photograph in surprise. The teacher walked in.
He walked in to see Emily holding the picture and when she asked him who it was, Emily saw his eyes all tearing up. That afternoon something amazing happened. Instead of being punished for her crime, Emily listened to a long sad story which left her mouth wide open in shock. That evening turned even more surprising when she went home and learned that Lisa would be coming to visit her very soon.
Two weeks later, the two friends met again. Finally, after many years, they met again at the same airport, only this time with Allan Smith, Lisa’s father. The story Emily had heard was the one about how Smith had left his family, and indeed, the picture on his table was that of Lisa when she was two years old.