Surya Kumar, who hardly used to leave his house, suddenly felt the urge to go for a walk this morning. It was a beautiful, warm morning. On the porch of his house stood a big mango tree where birds were chirping loudly. Surya Kumar was enjoying the music of the birds from his balcony when his wife, Hima, called out to him from the kitchen, “Breakfast is ready,” She had set the breakfast on the table, and he consumed it hastily.

“I’m going out today,” Surya Kumar said to his wife.

“Where?” she asked, astonished.

“Basundhara Park.”

“You’re going to Basundhara Park? What’s the need? Don’t forget that you have just undergone knee surgery,” she said angrily.

“I know, Hima,” he said reassuringly.

“You can stroll around the street here. Basundhara Park is too far,” Hima said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be alright,” Surya Kumar said and walked down the stairs.

He strolled through the alley of Machhapuchhre Tole to reach Rastra Bank Chowk. Vehicles were moving recklessly on the road; pedestrians were walking hurriedly to get their work done. He fetched the newspaper from one of the bookshops of Rastra Bank Chowk and headed towards Basundhara Park, which was a 5-minute walk away.

The park always fascinated him and whenever he felt like going out, he prioritised Basundhara Park over any other place in Pokhara. When he was young, he used to visit this park almost daily. He would go out with friends sometimes and with his lover other times. As he headed towards the park, he thought of his old days and his lips curved into a smile.

The only change he could figure out was the increase in vehicles. He had not visited the park recently, and the presumption of newness around the park added to his excitement. His knees, which had undergone surgery recently, kept him confined to his room most of the time.

The sun slowly ascended towards the middle of the sky, and Surya Kumar felt a stream of sweat dripping down his face. As he was about to reach the park, he noticed lovers on the other side of the road, with their hands intertwined. This amused Surya Kumar. He recalled how shy he was to do this when he was young. Time has changed, he thought. He entered the park through the main gate and found himself on the stone-paved path where a few women were selling tea. They asked if Surya Kumar wanted a cup of tea. He shook his head and walked ahead.

It had been three years since he last visited the park. Now that he had come, he wanted to spend some time here. He sat on the dew-drenched grass and began to observe the surroundings. A bunch of young people were playing football on the ground. By the ground, on the pavement, Surya Kumar noticed a large number of people walking towards Kedareshwor Temple.

Surya Kumar flipped through the pages of the newspaper and since he couldn’t find anything interesting to read, he kept the paper aside. His focus shifted towards the young boys, and he began to enjoy the game. Football used to be his favourite sport when he was a small boy.

He remembered that he had quarrelled once with his father, demanding a football. His father had brought him a football the next day and owning a football had made him the hero in his neighborhood.

Surya Kumar was surprised to see how quickly the boys were running, and he wished he could run like that. The boys will also turn old, he thought and smiled. Once, the ball came close to him, he wanted to kick it. The boys also asked him to kick the ball, but he couldn’t kick since his legs were weak.

He threw the ball with his hand, and the boys made fun of him, saying, “It’s a football, uncle. Not volleyball.” Surya Kumar wanted to tell them that he was a good player once, and now he couldn’t kick because his legs were weak. But he chose to stay quiet. In between the game, some of the boys would curse each other without caring about the presence of old Surya Kumar. He felt uncomfortable, but he chose to stay, for he was enjoying the game.

Once the game was over, the boys walked off the park, and Surya Kumar trudged towards Kedareshwor Temple. There was a wedding going on in the temple, so he excused himself from the crowd and sat at one corner of the temple.

He and Hima had gotten married in the same temple after he persuaded his parents. His parents were reluctant at first, but somehow he convinced them and married Hima. It was ages ago, but he remembered each moment of his marriage. On the wedding day, Hima was shy to look into Surya Kumar's eyes though they were lovers even before getting married. A pleasant memory flashed through Surya Kumar's mind, and it brought a big smile to his face. At 78, he still loved Hima like a new couple loves each other.

After staying for an hour in the temple, he felt it was time to have lunch, so he decided to return home. He took the same route as earlier, and when he reached Rastra Bank Chowk, he saw a familiar face in the distance. It was someone he knew, but he couldn’t identify the person. Finally, as their distance grew closer, Surya Kumar recognised him—he was Dhan Bahadur Gurung. They both folded their hands and exchanged a smile.

“Tea?” Dhan Bahadur asked, and Surya Kumar couldn’t refuse it.

Over a cup of tea, they talked of the old times, politics and their mutual friends. It had been more than seven years since they last met. Surya Kumar discovered that Dhan Bahadur now lived in Birauta. After having tea, they parted ways. There was a common thing about them that they never discussed—they both had lost their sons in the Maoist war.

Surya Kumar remembered his deceased son upon seeing Dhan Bahadur. For Surya Kumar, this visit to Basundhara Park brought back many pleasant and unpleasant memories.