Stranger In Past,Lover In Dream

CHAPTER-9 REBIRTH

          I rushed and ran towards that woman, she was moving towards her husband. But I managed to get in between both of them and I stood still exhausted. They both were throwing some awkward stares at me.

"Excuse me sir, I need to talk to this woman for a few minutes please", I requested.

"Yeah su-sure but fast please, we got a train to board" he said.

"Thank you sir"

Then I turned and faced the woman and I have mixed feelings right now. My heart started to have a mild earthquake experience.

"Mam, you-you're Zephy right?"

"Ye-yes but only my husband calls me by that name, my actual name is zephina george", she said.

What? Zephina? So it's definitely not her, it's just god playing around by throwing some hope baits at me and as a human, my little heart yearning for feelings got fooled by him again.

"I'm sorry mam, I'm really dying to meet a Zephy but I think I got the wrong Zephy", i apologised.

"It's okay, I hope you will find her soon", then the only Zephy I was able to meet left with her husband. And I hope that they will have a good journey. Then I got a call from ananya's mother , she asked me to come to the hospital.

"Hey shall we go to the hospital?" I asked to Ananya, and she definitely agreed.

While walking to the hospital , I was having a recap of the kiss that we had a few minutes ago, she said that she knows that I know her. How does she know that? I was a bit curious about those words she spoke.

"Hey Ananya, can I ask something?" I was nervous to ask it, but I don't know why!

"Yeah sure sure ash, ask me"

"Why did you say that?"

"Say what?"

" You said that you know that I know you"

"Yeah well..."

She looked slightly hesitant to answer the question and her face was trying to hide something from me.

"It's a romantic line, I just didn't want to ruin the moment. That's all", she said.

"Ohh okay"

So it's just a romantic line, nothing special I guess but still I have this feeling that I know her from a very early period of my life.

Then we both reached to the hospital and the hospital looked way better now. Lesser cries and patients, I have to thank Ananya for saving me for a while from this hell and giving me heaven.

We went to the ICU ward and we can't see Ananya their... We also can't see her mother. Is it that moment? Where god played with me once again? Then we started to search for them in the hospital. She didn't attend my calls. I asked a compounder and he said that the woman is standing near the mortuary. Yes! it is what it is, he played with me again. I went to the mortuary and I saw Ananya's mother crying and drowning in tears. But Ananya supported me by holding my back , she knows that I'm going to breakdown in a few seconds.

"Mam, wh-wh-where is Ananya?"

She completely ignored my question and answered something else," look at all those dead people, souls were inside those bodies not so long ago but now, they're just lifeless flesh. But thank God, my baby was not one of them today, she's still with me", she started to cry. Maybe god played in a good way with my hope this time. I held and supported her, then we went to the normal ward to meet Ananya. The doctor gave us Ananya and her mother took a hold of her but her mother gave her to my hands immediately. That was actually the first time I held her, she slowly opened the eyes and smiled at me, that innocent smile once again. I felt like I was born again, a rebirth.

Then I took photos of her and the doctor said that they will need to stay at the hospital for one more day. So her mother told me to not worry and asked me to continue my travel to Delhi. And after thinking for awhile, yes that's right. I should leave now, I said bye to them.

Then as I was walking to the exit with Ananya, I remembered that I never knew Ananya's mother's name...I ran back towards her.

"Mam, what's your name? I never asked you that"

"Yeah , yeah you didn't ask me my name all this time, it's poovizhi", she said.

"Okay...bye poovizhi, take care of her. We will meet again one day for sure", I smiled.

"But Ananya won't remember you the next time you meet her", she said.

I--I...I furiously turned back and started to walk away from her , I felt so dissapointed. The next time I meet her, she won't even know me? Then what's the purpose of this journey with her? As this little girl felt so special to me , I won't be special in her life ever. Maybe those are the guilty pleasures of life, I ran back and grabbed Ananya from her and kissed her on the forehead. I was breaking down and then I left the hospital.

I was standing near the bridge, people were firing torches in the lakes and started to sing some songs, maybe there festival really helped everyone to forget the disaster that happened here. What if Zephy just forget me completely like I forgot her? So meeting her in Delhi feels worthless, I might go back to Chennai. And hear my sweet rusty fan, drink the tea of my favourite shop and compose some songs about eyes. Because even 'poovizhi' means 'flower eyes'. Every woman I met in this trip is just all about eyes.

A hand creeped into my hands and I know who it was, Ananya.

"Ananya, I think I'm in love"

"Me too ash!"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes"

Then we both started to kiss each other and it was all fireworks in the sky, maybe the world is celebrating us!

Then suddenly she pushed me a little away from her and started to hesitate about something. She felt slightly nervous.

"Ash, I - I hid something from you"

"What?"

"You hide your face from us, so I hid my... something from you"

I was feeling like a thousands knives just stabbed my heart. Imagine how it feels to know that you weren't in love with a person that you thought you were in love with. I wonder what she might've hidden from me,

She said,

"Ash...I'm not...I'm not Ananya"

*Wait for chapter 10*