Chandra walked along the parts of the road that had cracked under the monsoon rains. She was beginning to realize that the asphalt streets of her hometown were a darker gray than the ones in the city. 

She wondered how things had changed in the years she was away. Her sister had been fast asleep when Chandra left to wander, quietly closing the door to make sure she didn’t wake her. The shared house her sister lived in was neighborhoods away from their childhood home, but the sights that greeted Chandra were familiar even if they were different.

She stopped at the intersection where the neighborhood ended and the main street began. The familiar drum of cars and motorcycles accompanied the shops that had replaced the once-empty fields of grass. Motorcycle taxi drivers sat together to watch the morning news as sellers packaged street food in layers of brown rice-wrapping paper.

Chandra stood there for a few minutes, taking in the sights of the street, and wondered how she felt about the town that now stood beneath her feet. She blinked in surprise that despite the worries she had about returning, a sense of nostalgia began to bloom within her chest.

She noticed a bus stop and approached it, amazed to find an actual timetable with the schedule of incoming arrivals. She laughed, remembering the unpredictability of the bus in previous years. It would come every 15 minutes if you were lucky, and every 30 minutes if you were not. 

She looked up to see the bus making its way towards the stop and decided to signal to the driver that she was getting on. She paid the fare to the bus attendant and chose a seat near the window, leaning her head on the sill while watching the buildings pass by. 

There was the cram school she had reluctantly attended in high school to pass the national exams, the mall where she watched movies with friends on Friday afternoons, and the printer shop where she printed assignments for her professors.

Chandra found her mouth slowly lifting into a smile. She had avoided going home the moment she had left it, but today she would allow herself to feel nostalgic. Five years is a good amount of time for things to change and for many other things to remain the same. 

She suddenly noticed the familiar streets that led up to the university campus as the bus attendant announced the stop. Chandra signaled to them that this was her stop, thanking the driver and attendant before stepping off the bus. She stood on the street and took in the sight of the entrance to her old campus. 

It’s been a while.

She slowly made her way towards the gates, nodding at the guards who were on duty. One of them recognized her and he poked his head out of the security post.

“Hey! Why, if it isn’t Chandra!” Mr. Eddy said, grinning under his mustache. “How are ya, Dra?” 

Chandra grinned in return at his unchanging way of addressing her. “Hi there, Mr. Eddy.”

They chatted about how they had been and the graying security guard introduced her to the other guards on duty. He then enthusiastically waved her through the gates, citing her credentials as an alum, and wished her a safe walk around campus.

Chandra found her feet taking her to the library, passing by crowds of students who had just finished their morning classes. She paused to revel at the new renovations of the building before walking through the doors, making her way towards the librarian’s desk. She was surprised to find someone else that she knew.

“Ms. Lasma?”

“Yes?” Ms. Lasma looked up, eyes widening as she realized who it was. “Chandra?” Ms. Lasma brought her hands to her mouth. “Oh my goodness, it’s been ages since I last saw you!”

Chandra laughed. “It’s good to see you, Ms. Lasma!”

They exchanged news about each other’s lives and Chandra was glad that the cheerful librarian and her children were doing well. She promised to swing by Ms. Lasma’s office for a cup of tea before she left. 

Several students and visitors were browsing through the bookshelves as librarians pushed their cart of books, quietly greeting one another as they passed. Chandra slowly took in the scent of books and printed paper.

This reminds her of old times.

She found herself walking towards the section where she used to study, admiring the new shelves with familiar books on cultural anthropology and ethnographies. She traced her fingers quietly across the spines as she slowly walked among them.

In truth, she was only pretending to browse. She knew exactly which book she was looking for. 

She paused two sections away from the end of the bookshelf and let her fingers rest on a hardback book with a maroon cover. She took it out, admiring the spine that had remained intact over the years. It was a little worn, but not by much. A book that had accompanied much of her time in her last year as an undergraduate student.

She turned the book in her hands, remembering the handwritten memories of a bond that still had a home inside of her chest. A book that reminded her of someone who had taught her many things about her own self.

She noticed someone pass by out of the corner of her eye before they abruptly came running back.

“Kak Chandra?”

Chandra turned her head and the other person gasped.

“It’s been so long!”