Chapter 3 - Flight to Mumbai

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He was still a little breathless from the run when he found his seat. As he tucked his backpack in the cabin closet, he felt jitters all over. Finally huh, he thought. Finally he was free. His ordeal of three years across 2 countries through hospitals and rehabs had come to an end. He had lost count of how many doctors he had encountered in these three years. He was so done with the 'doctor' species, even the mention made him wanna throw up. So ideally Manik should have celebrated this hard found freedom and his return to India.

Instead all he felt was knots deep down his stomach. This place he was going to, Mumbai to be precise is what his father told him was his home. It was where he was born, and raised, his father had told him. It was also where he must have gone to school, made friends, had his first crush, laughed, cried, fallen in love... He could only presume for his memory was like a black hole..it consumed everything that went inside.

On one particularly gloomy day, when he had been wailing inconsolably like a little child, in a weak moment his father had confessed how he too had missed out on Manik's growing up years. Even though he loved Manik dearly, he had been busy building an empire in Pune when he should have been right there with him in Mumbai. Strangely, it was only his dad he saw on and off in these last three years.

Ofcourse his mother was alive, but his father always remained silent on that one aspect. Even in his condition, Manik could guess he had a screwed up family. Perhaps that's where he got his mean nature from.

So now he wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad to go back to Mumbai. He just hoped he had some tangible memorabilia at home, pictures, gifts,journals.. Anything that would help him piece together his life from three years ago.

As he made his way to the window seat, his eyes fell on his neighbor. Who else but Neel .. Manik felt an unexplained streak of relief.

"Hey Neel.." he greeted Neel as he settled down next to the window.

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