𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 [𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡]

ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲ 63

It was Saturday. Finally, the day of pre-rest had arrived. She had made sure that she had stacked up on groceries so that she would not have to go out on Sunday for this. This Sunday was meant for just enjoying and resting.

Amazon prime was on and her big bowl of popcorn was ready too. The tall glass of coke was her partner with a huge metal straw.

Life was set. But only for this day.
"There, there. . . Almost. ." She muttered in utter concentration as she switched through the movie names. She had heard about a particular one and now she was going to watch it. Everyone had good reviews for this movie.

"There!" She found it and clicked on it.

Finally, she sighed and kept the remote on the side, leaning back into the couch, she relaxed.

The doorbell rang making her hiss immediately.

A snarl came to her face and breathed in and out. "Ugh!" She ended up yelling and moved to the door to see who was the stupid person to disturb her peace.

She unlocked the door and swung it open, yelling, "Wha—" she peeked out and saw left and right.

She frowned. Was it a prank? She gulped. There were no kids young enough to prank her. Everyone was busy.

She took a step back and heard something crumble, looking down she saw a letter on the mat, below her feet.

She picked it up, looked around once more and then walked inside but not before locking the door.
She opened the letter and folded it open.

'Hello, you,
        Missed me?'

Her blood rang cold. What was this? The fuck could think of such a stupid joke? Alia was sure that this could not be a child, doing this kind of prank on her. This was too far stretched for a child to do it and she had no suspects in her mind for someone who could write such daring words.

She placed the letter on the table and took a seat as well. Her head was in her hands as she racked around her brain.

Who?

********

This morning today felt lonely in his bed which he had slept in for the past twenty-seven years. All it had taken was one morning that he had laid in bed with Aliya just to wake her up. It was painful to now wake up without her.

After finishing his morning routine and getting dressed for the day, even though it was Saturday, he moved to the dining table where the breakfast already been laid out as his mother was sitting there.

"Papa?" He asked directly after kissing the cheek of his mama. Since retirement his father had been a constant presence around the house and was the first one to arise for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

She hummed and folded the newspaper giving her son her full attention. "Your father is at the airport."

Armaan noticed that his mother had thinned lips stretched to a smile on her face which gave the expression that something was happening which was not to her liking.

"Anything wrong?" He could not help but ask his mother that to which she nodded.

"Yes," she sighed and palmed her face. "Your father has gone to pick up his mother, that is my mother in law and your grandmother from the airport."

He whistled, leaning back into the chair as he heard the reservation. "You done, eh?" A teasing smile played on his lips.

She nodded and then groaned. "I hat—" the familiar sound of the gates opening and a car stopping at the front of the house-made Laksha stop talking and look out to the front with a small sigh. She was here.

"Well, I guess we will be having breakfast with grandmother then." He sighed and stood up. Walking to his mother's side he kissed her cheek once more. "Come on. I'll be with you all the time."

"Does not matter as that woman is the devil's handmaiden anyway." She got up herself and moved out with a huge smile on her face.

"Mother, good to see you." She smiled and touched her mother-in-law's feet.

"But not good enough to give a call," Said Jagriti Chaudhary, the woman in the sixties. "Makes me wonder if you ever wanted me to come here at all." She muttered under her breath but loud enough for everyone to hear in the room.

"Of course I did." Laksha smiled and replied without missing a beat knowing that the women would make an issue about it as well. "I wanted you to rest after your heart surgery given that it was a major operation."

The woman hummed and her eyes move to the young boy standing behind Lakisha. "Boy," she said with her eyes slightly narrowed, "What are you up to?"

Arman shrugged. "Just keeping an eye out to when you would die and I'll receive all the ornaments for my wife."

His words made his mother gasp making her hit his arm where the grandmother laughed loudly.

"That's my boy." She pulled him in for a hug after he touched her feet. "Don't you worry? It's all hers."

Arman pulled back and smiled. "How are you?"

"Good, everything's good." She then turned serious. "Which reminds me why I came here."

"Why, mother?" Laksa nervously asked as Siddharth placed his arm on her shoulder to calm her nerves.

Jagriti Chaudhary smiled and looked at Arman in the eyes. "To see my eldest grandchild getting married of course." She leaned in to whisper as if a secret, "I have a lot of pictures with me too!"