I was doing a part time summer job in a departmental store when my friend Susin came to me and said, “I love Samir.” I was shocked and astonished. “Don’t tell him anything about this secret,” she said to me. I agreed. Time passed and I kept my secret. Susin and I never mentioned it among ourselves again.

Until one day, at a welcome party, Samir came to me and said, “Do you know something?” “What?” He replied, “I love Susin.” “Why don’t you tell her about this? Go and tell her,” I told him immediately. He agreed and said that he will express his feelings to her the next day.

The next morning, unfortunately, she was absent from class. Samir asked me about her so I told him that she had a simple headache. Three days passed but she didn’t come to school. Samir was very sad and I couldn’t stand to see his sadness so I went to Susin’s home. There I found her badly ill. I asked her, “What’s wrong with you? What has happened?” She didn’t say anything. I asked her many times then she said, “I have a brain tumour.” I was so shocked I couldn’t believe it. “Nigita, I only trust you with this. Don’t tell Samir.” I promised to keep another secret.

In school, Samir would ask me about her. I would tell him that she still has her headache and that she will return in two weeks’ time because the doctor had advised her to rest.

Susin’s parents took her to hospital for the operation on the fifth day. Before entering the operation theatre she told me to give Samir a letter. I took her letter and called Samir from the hospital. Samir came immediately. He read her letter and tears fell from his eyes.

After many hours a doctor came out from the room and said, “Now she has only a few minutes.” All of us entered the room where she was. She looked at her parents and said, “Take care, I am going.” She said thanks to me. Then Samir came near her and said, “I love you.” “I love you, too,” replied Susin and closed her eyes.

— Nigita Shrestha, NIST XI, Lainchour