Act 8.
Scene : JOE and MIKAIL are having lunch in a cafe.
JOE : So did you get a chance to talk to her?
MIKAIL : No, she wouldn’t talk to me. She wouldn’t pick up my calls.
JOE : Really?
MIKAIL : If I can just explain it to her. Tell her how I really feel, perhaps then she would understand.
JOE : Mikail, I know that it’s not my business, but seriously, how do you really feel about her?
MIKAIL : Isn’t it obvious? I care about her, even more than I should. I want her to be happy, but I know that I can’t give her what she wants. I can’t make her happy. I know only too well that nobody is responsible for anybody’s happiness except for his or her own.
JOE : I’ve known you for so long, I’ve watched you gone through so many things, it’s like you have all these preconceived plans that you have to realize and nothing was going to get in your way.
MIKAIL : Are you saying that I’m predictable?
JOE : More or less.
MIKAIL : What’s your point?
JOE : Did you ever in your life, with all your plans, expect someone like Nurul in your life?
MIKAIL : Never. She was definitely unexpected.
JOE : You can never change what has happened, you can never rework your past. You won’t be the same without it. I respect your decisions, the things that you do and the things that you don’t do. Respect doesn’t need understanding, but I’m asking you now, just so I could understand, why didn’t you make it clear to her earlier?
MIKAIL : What? That I was with somebody else? I thought that maybe she knew.
JOE : Come on, we both knew that she wasn’t sure. You could have easily changed that. Why didn’t you?
MIKAIL : I don’t know. I guess I don’t have any good excuse.
JOE : Try me.
MIKAIL : Maybe, I was selfish. I like her too much to risk changing the way things were. Maybe somehow, I knew that if she had known, she wouldn’t be the same anymore. Like there would be this great empty space between us. And as much as we try to fill it with good times, it would just grow bigger and bigger until we lose sight of each other. Figure of speech.
JOE : What made you think that she couldn’t accept it?
MIKAIL : What difference would my thoughts make? It doesn’t alter what has happened. And I was right, she couldn’t accept it as it is. It’s too late.
JOE : The both of you have so much love for each other that if you would just stop to think about it, you would realize that nothing could ever come between such a beautiful friendship. All the affection, all the respect, they are not easily thrown away.
MIKAIL : I always thought that if the friendship was strong enough, nothing could ever break it.
JOE : That’s true.
MIKAIL : But, she wouldn’t talk to me anymore.
JOE : She was angry; of course she didn’t want to. But, I bet if you go and talk to her, she will listen.
MIKAIL : How come you know so much? Have you talked to her?
JOE : I’m not saying anything.
MIKAIL : What did she tell you? Did she say anything about forgiving me? You can just tell me.
JOE : I have a better idea. Why don’t you go and find out for yourself. All the best! (He pats him on the back and leaves.)
Lights fade out.
