Tere Liye

Second chance

For 8 long years Yusuf had been declared dead by the world, and so had Anabiya. She raised her kids alone, her heart heavy with his absence. His presence haunted them everyday-the way Harun had his smile, Hala's eyes reminded her of the man she loved, the man who she had hoped to live her entire life with, the man she was committed to, the man she had loved through rough patches and all. Yet, Anabiya did not want to see Yusuf's death as a misfortune anymore. She wanted her love for him to give her strength and to fuel her heart, to motivate her to keep on going, to never give up. She wanted to remember the good memories with him and forget about the bad ones. Though at times, she felt like it wasn't enough, like she was failing being a mother, not being able to give them enough love, love like a father would have given them. She thought for some time,

"Maybe they do need a father figure in their life"

But she just couldn't bring herself to even look up at another man. She decided she was going to be strong for her kids, to be their father and their mother, though she still hoped to have Yusuf by her side in her dreams if not in this world.

What no one knows is that Yusuf didn't actually die that night, he made it-just barely.

The crash was horrifying, tragic, it had been catastrophic, leaving Yusuf on the brink of death. But fate was on his side, he wasn't going anywhere just yet!
A nurse, on her way home had stumbled upon the tragic scene and notice the slightest of life, a chance in his broken body. She called for help and he was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition. His body thrashed, his face unrecognizable, his belongings all lost due to the traumatic event.

His injuries were severe. So severe that he had fallen into a coma. He was in a coma for months, with no identification, he was declared John Doe. When he finally awoke, his memories were shattered, he couldn't remember his life before, his memories were hazy but the name Anabiya still echoed in his heart and mind. The faces, the memories, they were all a blur, unrealistic. His memories were locked up, tucked away
In a forgotten chest, waiting to be opened and shine brightly once more.

By the time Yusuf had regained his consciousness, he was no longer the man he once was. His recovery was long and painful. Even his memories started to come together piece by piece but he made assumptions, saying his old life has probably moved on and wants nothing to do with him. He believed that he was forgotten.

The mix-up with Yusuf's phone had led to a false death report. Anabiya suffered from the grief burning in thought of Yusuf's separation from her. She often thought to herself,

"If not in this universe maybe the next?"
"We'll meet someday, if not in this life then the next."
"In the world of stars, we shall meet."

Anabiya had strived for her mental strength, she wanted to be seen as strong and powerful to her children, not as someone who was weak and broken. She wanted Hala and Harun to look up to her and be like "that's my mom!" They were the reason she wanted to live, she wanted to show them that they shouldn't let anything keep them down, when life pulls you down, stand up. She wanted her kids to be proud of how far she had come, how far they had come.

Yusuf however, was settled in a quiet lonley life in another city. He remembered events from his old life but they were all a blur, nothing could be fully pieced together. Anabiya's voice would enter his mind as if she was there, talking to him. He never understood whose voice it was or why it kept coming back like it was stuck there, unable to leave, like it had left something behind, it kept coming back for it. Her face was still hazy yet Yusuf found himself piecing it together more clearly in his mind as if time was slowly starting the lift the fog to better reveal her features bit by bit.

Eventually, fate decided to add its own twist to the story.

Four years later, Yusuf found himself walking through a park in a city he once called home. Everything there felt familiar, but Yusuf couldn't understand why. Even the wind and the tree felt woozy. He felt like he belonged. He just couldn't seem to understand why until his eyes landed on a beautiful woman with two kids. He couldn't seem to comprehend why he felt so attached to them, like they had a connection. The boy had his smile, the girl had his eyes, and the woman, their was something different about her, her smile felt so warm like it was only meant for him to see, she felt so familiar, she felt like home.

As he thought about Anabiya his heart raced. His breath caught in his chest as he realized, the woman he had been thinking of, the woman who had been on his mind day and night, the woman who was the love of his life, the woman who was there for him even in her absence, she had his heart and mind held by her. And suddenly the hazy picture in his mind finally became clear, it was clearer than ever, and it hit him,
it was her.

"Anabiya."

Anabiya glanced up and saw a man standing there, looking at her from a distance. She looked for sometime feeling like he was someone familiar. When she looked closer, she could not believe her eyes. She thought she was imaging it.

"It can't be?! Yusuf?? Is it really you? Is this my imagination..?"

Time slowed as their eyes met. It was like there was a silent conversation between them, it felt as if it were an endless moment, everlasting. The world around them disappeared.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, she was grasping for breath not being able to comprehend what she was seeing. She felt her heart pounding, pounding faster than ever. Her hand flew to her mouth as if trying to hold back in a flood of emotions.
She knew it was him.

"Yusuf."

Yusuf stood there, his heart beating. He walked up to her. His eyes widened, and his voice softened.

"Yusuf?" She whispered, heart trembling, and tears running down her face as if they were boundless.

"Anabiya?"
"Its me."

He stood so firmly almost as if he were trying to keep his heart from falling out.

The children confused and concerned about that man who had completely captivated their mother, tapping on her shoulder Harun asked,

"Mama, who is this man"

Anabiya turned to Harun and Hala and said,

"He..he is your father."

Her voice trembles as she says this she stutters at the word father.
Harun and Hala were confused and in shock. They had never even imagined that they would get to see their father one day. All their life Harun and Hala haven't had a father figure, they had always been told their father was dead. Confusion erupted them, their thoughts and minds, all over the place.

Yusuf says to them,

"I'm here now"
"I know I took a long time to come.. but I'm here."

He kneeled down and he opened his arms and he softly spoke,

"I am your father, I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you before but I promise you, I will try my best to do so in the future."

Tears streamed down his face as he spoke.

The twins hesitant at first ran into embrace as if drawn by an invisible force. Yusuf wrapped his arm around them, holding them tightly, he didn't want to let go as if it were mending his broken heart.

Anabiya took a step forward with her tear streaked face she asked him,

"Yusuf, you're alive..?"
"I thought you were-I thought I had lost you."

Yusuf looked up at her and smiled, his eyes tearing up he said,

"I thought I had lost all of you."

Anabiya bursts out crying falling to her knees beside him. Her hands trembling as she reached to touch his face. She stroked his hair and said,

"You're here, you're really here."

Yusuf pulled her into the hug and held onto them tightly as if he was never going to let go.

"I've dreamed of this moment everyday, I'm sorry Anabiya, I didn't mean to leave. I wanted to come back I just didn't know how to."

She cried on his shoulder, her tears were a mix of happiness and grief.

"You're back now and that's all that matters."

For the first time in four years Yusuf had smiled, he had smiled wholeheartedly. Anabiya's heart was at ease. The weight had been lifted. Seeing their kids in the arms of Yusuf made her feel like it was finally going to be okay.

"They're safe now. We're safe."