Beyond borders: When filter coffee met Chai

Cracks in the Armour

"How's Mummy? What did the doctors say?" Nitara asked, her hand resting on Rehaan's arm, her eyes full of concern.

Rehaan took a deep breath, struggling to maintain his composure. "She has pancreatic cancer. It's the third stage," he replied, his voice breaking slightly.

The news hit Nitara and Saket like a tidal wave, leaving them both momentarily speechless.

"Wha... What do you mean, Rehaan? How could we not have known? You must be mistaken... There has to be some error... This... This can't be true!" Nitara's voice trembled as she tried to grasp the reality of the situation.

"It is what it is, Nitu. Mummy knew long before but chose not to tell us. Why?" Rehaan's voice cracked, revealing the depth of his anguish.

Understanding the need for privacy, Saket quietly excused himself to make a call, leaving Nitara and Rehaan alone.

"Are you okay, Rihu?" Nitara asked softly, her hand gently squeezing his, attempting to offer comfort.

Rehaan tried to nod, but his head felt heavy. His eyes, usually so full of life, were now clouded with tears that threatened to spill over.

Nitara couldn't bear to see him like this. She pulled him into a tender embrace, her arms wrapping around him as if she could shield him from all the pain. Her hand moved in slow, soothing circles on his back, her touch gentle and reassuring. "Don't worry, Rihu. We'll face this together. We'll do everything we can to help Mummy recover. I am here for you, always," she whispered, her voice breaking with the weight of her promise.

Rehaan clung to her, but something had changed. His embrace, once so full of warmth and affection, now felt distant, almost mechanical. An invisible barrier had risen between them, an emotional wall that he couldn't seem to breach, a chasm that seemed to widen with every passing moment. "Why all these promises, Nitu? Mummy will leave me soon, and eventually, so will you. Why is fate so cruel? Just when I thought things were falling into place... Everything's destroyed."

His mind replayed the last two years, a time when hope had started to take root in his heart. His mother's health had seemed stable, and his relationship with Nitara had felt like a beacon of light in his life. But now, that light was flickering, threatening to go out entirely.

He remembered the nights he stayed up, working tirelessly, hoping to create a better future for his mother and, secretly, for Nitara too. He had dreamt of a life where he could finally find some semblance of happiness, where the shadows of his past wouldn't haunt him anymore. But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Rehaan's heart ached with the cruel irony of it all. "Why does everything I love get taken away from me? First Dad, then the carefree childhood, and now Mummy... I thought I could handle anything as long as I had you by my side, Nitu. But even that seems like a fragile dream now," he thought bitterly, his heart aching.

Nitara sensed the change, a shadow of the old Rehaan she had known at IIMA-the one who kept his emotions locked away, who never let anyone get too close. "Please don't, Rihu. Don't distance yourself from me," she whispered, her voice filled with love and concern. She hugged him tighter, hoping to break through his walls.

"I'm sorry, Nitu," he murmured, his arms around her, yet still feeling miles apart.

Nitara felt the tremor in his body, sensing the depth of his despair. She pulled back slightly, just enough to look into his eyes, which were now red and swollen from holding back tears. "Rihu, please, don't shut me out. I can see you're hurting, but we have to lean on each other. You don't have to go through this alone. I'm right here," she said, her voice soft yet firm, as if she could will her strength into him.