Somethings are Meant to Be

Chapter-5

~Third Person Point of View~

Afra muttered under her breath, "Please let it work. This needs to work." The words tumbled out in a mix of hope and desperation. Suddenly, a warm, radiant light filtered through her closed eyelids. Her heart pounded with a mix of anticipation and anxiety as she slowly opened her eyes.

She found herself on a rooftop she didn't recognize. The vast cityscape stretched out below, but the view was unfamiliar. For a moment, uncertainty gripped her—was this the right rooftop? Was she where she needed to be? She took a deep breath and began to assess her surroundings.

The buildings around her were relatively modest in height, and the rooftop she stood on was the tallest of the nearby structures. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she remembered her mother's description of the location where they were supposed to meet: it had to be the highest rooftop around. It seemed she had arrived at the correct place.

A faint sound of water pouring caught her attention. Curiosity piqued, she cautiously moved to the edge of the rooftop and peered around the corner. To her surprise, she saw a young woman standing there. The woman's face was strikingly familiar, but Afra couldn't quite place her. The recognition was unsettling, adding to the swirl of emotions she was already feeling.

Afra forced herself to focus on her mission. She needed to determine if she was on time or if she had missed the critical moment. Her research had provided specific details: her parents had first met on the very day her mother was moving out of the building to relocate to another city. They had both lived in the same building, yet their paths had never crossed until that fateful evening. Her mother had shared how their conversation lasted all night, leading her to miss her bus and stay at Afra's father's apartment.

Determined not to miss this pivotal moment, Afra decided to head down the stairs to check if her mother was still in the midst of moving. The staircase was mercifully empty, allowing her to descend quietly. She reached the first floor and concealed herself behind a pillar, her heart racing with a mixture of hope and trepidation.

The noise of bustling voices downstairs was a welcome sign. Afra felt a surge of relief, but just as she was about to return to the rooftop, she heard a voice that stopped her in her tracks. "Hey, careful with that; we don't want it to break!"

The voice was unmistakable—her mother's. It carried the sweet, gentle tone that Afra had always cherished, a stark contrast to the usual sternness. Her mother's voice, warm and affectionate, resonated deeply with Afra, stirring memories of the kindness she had always longed for. It gave her renewed determination to see her plan through.

Knowing her father was expected to arrive before her mother, Afra turned back towards the rooftop. Her strategy was to find a way to keep her father away from the meeting, to ensure that her parents would never encounter each other in this crucial moment.