Borrowed But Mine: An Arylie FF

Borrowed But Mine: Chapter 2

Previously,

Aryan and his wife, Madhulika get into an ugly argument over her decision to abort their child. Later, they are involved in an accident that results in the death of a pedestrian. The entire evening leaves Aryan feeling devastated.

Chapter 2

8 weeks later....

Long lashes fluttered. Her eyelids opened and closed a few times before finally staying open. Slowly, her eyes tracked across the ceiling, down the walls and around the room to the window. For a moment she stared at the dark clouds out in the sky. The room seemed dimly lit.

First impression. Cold. White. Dull.

She shivered.

What time was it? Where was she? What was this place?

Wherever she was, she was alone for the moment, she mused as she took stock of her surroundings. With a deep inhale she recognized the smell of disinfectant.

Tired already, she closed her eyes as her head began a slow dull throb. She tried to retrieve her last memory.

A blinding flash of light. The sound of rain, rolling thunder. She held her breath, waiting for the cobwebs of her mind to clear further. Memories began trickling in.

Fed up with her life in Ambegadh, she'd fled, landing in Mumbai. Once in the city though, all her bravado had abandoned her. She'd wandered the streets trying to blend in but doing a poor job of it.

That first night, she'd hidden in the parking space underneath a residential building, sleeping fitfully only to be discovered and shooed away by the watchman early the next morning. Like a vagabond, she'd roamed all morning, summoning the courage to ask passerbys where she'd find a girl's hostel to stay at until she could find a decent job.

She'd heard stories. Of women being duped in big cities and didn't want to become just another statistic.

Starving, she'd rested in the shade under a tree outside a temple that day. An elderly kind priest had taken pity and given her a few sweets and a bottle of water. With her stomach no longer protesting, she'd pondered her fate. Reminiscing her childhood, she'd passed the remainder of the day, wondering where she'd spend the next night.

As evening rolled into nighttime, she'd been awakened by claps of thunder and flashes of lightening. When the steady drizzle became a downpour, she'd darted out from under the tree and looked for another residential area to sleep in for the night.

She'd meandered through the streets. In her mind's eye she saw herself looking to the right, then the left. Just as she'd begun to cross the road to her destination, a bright light had flashed, temporarily blinding her in its blaze.

Her eyes snapped open.

"Ah... you're awake!" A nurse beamed at her and spoke in English.

Puzzled, she replied in Marathi.

"Attach uthale (I just woke up)." She sat up slowly, feeling lightheaded.

"Marathi? Hmmm... Mee Sunita Shinde (I'm Sunita Shinde.)." The nurse replied in Marathi, introducing herself. "I'm the nurse here in the ICU at APIMS. I didn't know you could speak Marathi too."