Wilted Petals

Chapter 14: The Sparkling Jewels

If anyone has ever dealt with depression, whether it be in the past or present, you'll know what I mean when I say that it never gives a shit about you. It just acts on its own accord, and for me, the smallest reminder of something negative in the past sets it off like a bomb.

And when it's ticked off, it explodes, leaving me to deal with the darkness that has enshrouded me and the painful shrapnel of memories embedded in my mind and heart.

    All the memories of the past not only set off the darkness in me, but it also gave me a crude reminder of the pain and pits of depression that were cursed on me after Manish left. It was an extra weight that dragged me down deeper into the ditch.

And it's usually so hard for me to get out of it. But that's where I'm glad I have the best people around me to help me out. It took forever for me to invest that support in the people around me, but I'm glad I did.

    My set of people includes Jen and Anwar, so I'm glad I'm around them so much. And especially with their whole wedding planning being in full swing. Anwar got really lucky to have his Uncle Syed be a jeweler, and a damn good one. Because Anwar's mom, Meher Aunty, would rather die than let me pay for my own jewelry, I'm looking through the three sets Syed Uncle has demoed for me.

As he's explaining each of them to me, he looks at me with a confused look. "Didn't you say you had a friend coming?"

I nod, and just as I'm about to answer that question, I hear my phone vibrate. My eyes dart to the screen to see Manish's caller ID present. I pick it up, and say, "Hey, you got the address, right?"

I hear Manish nod in the background, along with his shoes smacking against the concrete. "Yeah, I got the right one. I'll be there in 5 minutes, alright?"

I nod again. "Cool, see you then." I set my phone down, as I see Meher Aunty prance out of the kitchen.

A dish towel is slung on her shoulder, as she's dusting her hands off with whatever was on them as she was cooking in the kitchen. "When is your friend coming, Jaya?"

Just as Aunty asks the question, the sound of the doorbell rings through the air. My eyebrow raises a bit, while a little smile curls at my lips. "That must be him," I think to myself, as Aunty runs towards the door.

Jen leans in towards me, as she's admiring a maang tikka that Syed Uncle brought. "You made the right choice in asking Manish over."

I snicker a little bit, and shoot back, "Of course I did."

I hear the door unlock and Meher Aunty swing it open, and I hear her greet Manish with, "Hello, beta! You must be Manish."

A little smile curls at my lips, as I can see a smirk unfold in Jen's eyes. As I hear soft footsteps padding up the stairs, I hear Manish reply with, "Yes, I am!" Manish eventually reaches towards where we are, and when his eyes lock with mine, a joyful smile explodes on his face.

"You must be Manish! Sit down, please!" Syed Uncle exclaims, as he beckons for him to sit down next to me. I scoot over to make room for Manish to sit down, as Syed Uncle takes out some more necklace designs for us to marvel at.

Once Manish is seated next to me, I lean in and say, "Thanks for coming, by the way."

"Anytime. You know that I'm here to help you out."

The smile on my face is stretching so wide that I'm sure it'll rip my cheeks open any minute now. Manish too looks like he's about to explode into pieces any time now. As we're both smiling like idiots, I hear Syed Uncle clear his throat a little bit, and we both turn to face him.