The Memory Keepers

2✍️

23 July, 2032. Gurugram.

"No Vamika, that's is not how you solve a prime factorisation." Virat with his round glasses on, picked up a pen and started doing the math.

"Virat please let her, I don't want her to fail." Anushka said giggling.

"She will definitely with her methods." Virat argued.

"Dad it's not a prime factorisation problem." Vamika said with a straight face taking her pencil back while Anushka burst out in laughter.

"Did you take your medicines Virat?" Anushka asked in an inaudible voice.
He responded back in a nod.

"Uhm, I feel like going out for a drive. Wanna join?" Virat said.

"Nope!" Anushka ordered.
"Whether doesn't looks good. And you know D in Delhi is not for Drainage for sure. So you aren't going either."

"Well I am." Virat said with a grin and Anushka had to give in.
"Take care, drive slow, be back on time."

Virat went straight to his black 4x4 beauty and got hold of the steering wheel.

He drove straight to that one place as if it was calling him. Through the streets of West Delhi, he drove to his childhood home. No one lived there. But for him those walls meant everything in world.

He took out the keys from car dashboard, unlocked the house and went straight to the terrace.
That view of tight packed streets, ladies talking and doing their chores, children playing. The kids reminding him of himself.

His gaze fell on a group of boys playing cricket and arguing for batting.
He smiled and looked towards the setting sun.

'Kohli ko ball do! Kohli ko ball do!' the chants were getting louder and louder in Chinnaswamy.

Shubman looked at Virat who looked back at him and both shared a laugh.

"The crowd will be disappointed if Right arm quick bowler doesn't come in action today." Shub said with a quirky smile.
"Rohit Bhai, Siraj is already sitting out with concussion. I think Vi bhai should bowl a few overs."

"Thankyou. Nice suggestion. No." Rohit said with a straight face.

"Ek over daalne de yaar." Virat made the innocent-est face ever seen by mankind.
Jassi too joined in with a chuckle and Rohit had to give in to this bunch of kids.

He threw the ball towards Virat. "Just one."

"Two." Virat negotiated.

"One." Rohit got lost in his thoughts.

"Three."

"Good. Ayein?" He said coming back.

"Mukh se nikle shabd dhanush se nikle baan ke samaan hote hai Vats." Jaddu joined in.

"Damage is done Rohit." Jassi shrugged.

It was 3rd ball of 25th over, Virat got Scott Edwards with Rahul's catch involved.

He jumped in joy, and ran to Rohit who too ran towards him.

"Bola tha na." Virat said laughing.

The incident was enough to bring out the Virat Kohli hysterical laugh.
But sadly, nine years down, he was alone laughing at it.

It started to get dark and recalling Anushka's strict instructions, Virat left for home.

To avoid traffic jam, Virat took a secondary road.
Remembering them, his people whom he once called his safe place brought a lot of bitter memories for Virat.

Angry and hurt, disappointed in himself for being careless and in Rohit for not understanding him, he came to his room.

He found Anushka looking out of the window.
Though he made no sound, she recognised.
"Virat." Anushka said softly.
"It's alright." She said turning to him but what she saw was a completely shattered Virat.

"Virat." She could see guilt right through his eyes.

"I messed up big time, Nush." He said looking at her, but struggled to meet her eyes.

"What happened?" Anushka's concern was visible in her eyes.

"I want to leave all this." He said it without any feeling.
"I want to retire Anushka. I don't deserve to be here, with these people."

"What are you saying Virat?" She took his arm in her hands.
"We have been here before Virat, and you know we will get over this too."

"It's not same anymore." A lone tear escaped his eyes.
"I need you. You and Vamika. My mom, my family. You all to support in this. I want to leave for good. Let's start again. Let's go back to Delhi. Live like normal people. Bohot bhaag liya, bohot ud liya, ab theher jaane ka waqt ho gya hai."

Anushka opened her mouth to speak up but was in loss of words. She just hugged him tight and tried calming him.

He was awake the entire night. He wrote on a paper. Probably a letter.

Next morning before leaving he asked one of the staff members to drop that letter to Rohit's room and requested him not to tell who sent this.

"Really sorry sir, but Mr. Sharma checked out this early morning." was all he got in response.

Hurt and disappointed Virat crumbled the paper and threw it on floor but Anushka picked it up.

Suddenly a flash of light appeared in front of Virat's eyes and then in a moment it all went dark.

~

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