A Message
Some things in life feel too perfectly timed to be mere coincidence. A few weeks ago, I found myself thinking about someone from my past - Sindhu. And then, just like that, a message from her appeared in my inbox. Out of nowhere. After years of silence.
But let me take you back.
After going through a rough phase in life, I gave myself time - three years, to be exact - to heal, reflect, and just breathe. Eventually, I felt ready to open my heart again and decided to test the waters of a matrimony site. That's where I came across Sindhu's profile.
There was something about her - her name, her smile, the way she described herself. I sent a request, she responded quickly, and we exchanged numbers. What followed was effortless. Chats turned into calls, and calls stretched into hours of conversation.
Getting to know her
Despite living in different cities, we clicked almost instantly.
She was vibrant, independent, full of life. Worked at Honeywell, loved pets and fitness, obsessed with food and long drives. There was a warmth to her, the kind that makes you feel like you've known someone for much longer than you actually have.
We hadn't met in person, but that didn't stop us from growing close. I'd send her music, she'd tell me stories from her day. We shared bits of our past - just enough to understand each other.
Her family noticed the change. They saw her smile more, laugh easier. And while that should have made me feel fulfilled, it only added weight to my shoulders.
When Life Shifts the Ground Beneath You
Around that time, my mother fell ill. Nothing too serious, but it shook me. The fear, the urgency, the pressure - it all came crashing in. She began pushing me to settle down, and I felt torn between two worlds: one that felt right emotionally, and one that felt urgent logically.
When I told her about Sindhu, she hesitated. There were still some uncertainties around her situation, and my mother grew anxious. That anxiety, mixed with everything happening around me, began to cloud my judgment.
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The Withdrawal I Never Explained
Instead of talking things through, I slowly began to withdraw. I told Sindhu that we weren't aligned, that maybe we wanted different things. It wasn't true - but it felt easier than explaining the full truth.
She was confused, hurt - but still hopeful. She kept reaching out, asking to meet, looking for clarity.
Eventually, I ended it with a message that was cold and final.
"We don't need to meet. No means no," I wrote.
And just like that, she was gone.
Unfinished Threads
Years passed. We never spoke again. But she stayed in the back of my mind, a quiet reminder of something unfinished. I moved on. Or at least, I tried to.
A Book Made Me Think
Then one day, I read a book - Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It posed a simple question: If you could go back in time, whom would you want to meet?
Without hesitation, my mind went to Sindhu.
When Guilt Becomes a Whisper
I thought about how I ended things, about what I never said. About how poorly I handled someone who had shown me nothing but trust and kindness. There was guilt, yes. But also a longing to just say, I wasn't right.
And then, the universe did its thing.
Out of the Blue
She messaged.
A simple LinkedIn message, with a purpose completely unrelated to us. But it was her. And it was now.
I don't know why she reached out. I didn't ask. But I took the chance to say what I hadn't before. I didn't say "sorry," but I told her the truth: that I wasn't right. That I still respected her. That my feelings, in many ways, hadn't changed.
Peace, Not Closure
We haven't met, and we probably never will. We've both moved forward in our own ways. But in that small exchange, something shifted. A thread was gently tied back together - not to resume what once was, but to bring a quiet sense of peace to a chapter that had ended too abruptly.
Sometimes, when your heart is open and your intentions are clear, the universe listens.
And sometimes, it even answers.
And I keep thinking about that question.
If you could go back in time?
Maybe we don't always get to go back.
But sometimes, just sometimes -
Time comes back to you.