PART 3

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It was a monotonous evening of a usual Sunday and I was at the hospital with Mihika, talking about the old times and I could sense that it was the time to address the elephant in the room. We laughed at how she always rode the bicycle faster than me when we went to the ice-cream store. That was when the laugh disappeared and an awkward silence prevailed. She looked right into my eyes and I had never felt so vulnerable. "Mikhail, you know that I'm sorry for whatever happened that night, right? I was...I was wrong for trying to hide what happened. I am sorry that I didn't stand by you. I just couldn't let Varun go to prison, you know..." she said. I had no idea why she still stood by him. Her lie had led to a distance between us and our families which is why I had not told my parents that it was Mihika whom I was visiting. She could see the question of 'Why?' lingering in my eyes. She looked down at her lean fingers and said, "Do you remember the way Varun used to take me out with his friends for dinner? He never said that I was too little or naïve to do something. He took me on bike rides and adventures like rock-climbing. He believed that I could do whatever I wanted if I put my mind to it and gradually, I started believing it too. He was like a drug to me. The problem was that, being a 14-year old, I never wondered why a 17- year old would hang-out with me. I discovered the reason that night- He became an integral part of my 'truth' but I was only a dare for him." She looked up to the ceiling and tears rolled down her cheeks. I stood up from the chair and went to the patient's bed and hugged her. This couldn't justify what she did but I understood that she was not the hurricane that I thought I was stuck in; she was stuck in the hurricane of truth and lies too. I held her face in my hands and to said, "You're no less than any other person. You're amazing in your very own way. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She needed love and care. I kissed her on the forehead, not because I wanted to but because it might make her feel better; it might make her feel loved. But that's when hell broke loose.

I rushed down the hallway of the hospital, running as fast as I could. I could see her walk angrily out of the door of the hospital. "Samaira! Listen to me..." I yelled once I was out of the door. She turned around when I caught her by the arm. She had tears in her eyes but they reflected anger and hurt, not weakness. Her dark black eyes pierced into mine, asking the same question- "Why?" I started to speak but she silenced me by crying painfully. She shouted, "I knew I shouldn't have let you go to her. I knew it would not be good. I thought it would be okay if you met an old friend a few times..... but you proved me wrong! I should've known it.""Known what?" I asked, trying to speak softly. " I should've known that I walked into your heart but she never left, did she?" I was speechless and I didn't know why. I should've said something before she left taking my silence as an answer. I didn't have any of such feelings for Mihika anymore and I knew it but I couldn't explain it to the love of my life.

I was too angry at myself. I shouldn't have kissed Mihika, even if it was just to show her that I cared. I didn't expect Samaira to forgive me. I called her several times, not knowing how to explain my actions but she saved me from writing this speech-she didn't pick any of my calls. I had never seen her the way she looked in that parking lot that evening. I had torn another string of her heart and she would've assumed it as cheating as it was the same tool that her ex-boyfriend had used to leave her.

I couldn't visit her at her home. I would have to wait till her anger subsided. I had no idea what to do. I didn't know how to face Mihika. I walked up to the first floor of the hospital where her room was. She looked devastated with deep regret in her eyes. I didn't know how to comfort her so I walked into the room and sat down on the chair. She looked up to face me and said, "I destroyed a part of you again, didn't I?" I was too shocked to answer. "Was it true?" I thought. My silence was too long for her to bear so she lay down, facing the other side of the room.

The day had been too stressful for any of us to deal with. I went home and tried to sleep but I lay awake, thinking about what had happened. But that is because I didn't know what was going to come next. I wondered if I would ever be able to have both of them in my life. I would always love Samaira and I knew that very well. On the other hand, there was still a thin string of friendship between me and Mihika that I couldn't explain. I didn't want her to die but even if she was going to, eventually, then I didn't want her last days to be dark and saddening ones. My question was going to be answered quite soon though.

On the next day, I went to meet Mihika. It was a holiday at school because of a festival. I don't think either of us had recovered from the shock of the day before. We were just like people stuck on a slightly broken bridge in a valley; we didn't know if we should move forward or step back. But little did I know how soon the bridge was going to break.

I went to her room and found that she was asleep. I took off my jacket and sat down. On checking my phone, I found out that Samaira had not answered any of my calls or messages. I decided to get some coffee from the hospital's canteen to ease my mind. I went to the canteen and got some coffee for myself and hot chocolate for Mihika. Just as I was about to exit the canteen, I saw the beginning of destruction.

I saw some of the visitors of patients and staff members running down the hallway. I could see smoke coming down the stairs from the floor above. My brain rushed to put the pieces together. Mihika. I left the cups of coffee and hot chocolate on a table nearby and rushed up the stairs. I couldn't let her disappear from my life again, not like this. People hurried down the stairs madly, making it difficult for me to get to the top of the stairs. Going upstairs was making it difficult for me to breathe with the smoke frothing out.

When I finally reached the first floor, I crouched and crawled on the floor to escape the smoke that was thick at the top. The direction of origin of the smoke was on the right side of the hallway, which seemed near Mihika's room .On looking on my left side, I saw a silhouette, crouching on the floor. I rushed towards it. I assumed that it was her and felt relieved that she was not in her room when the fire sparked up. But I couldn't have been more off-target, I guess.

Although today's breeze is cool, I can still feel the heat of the smoke on my neck on reading a newspaper clipping of the incident. It sends chills down my spine when I remember all that had happened that day. The newspaper clipping that I'm reading states, "25 people were injured including 10 patients, 9 staff members and 6 visitors. The patient who was allotted the room from where the fire broke out, died later at the hospital due to the burns." There was only one casualty that night.

I can see Samaira walking down the path towards me with two cups of coffee in her hand. Finally, I felt that the beautiful evening is complete. She sits down beside me and flashes her warm and cute smile. On looking at the newspaper report that I was reading on my phone, her smile disappears. That incident had affected both of us quite intensely. It had moved her deeply but there is a reason for that too. She was in the hospital that day. 

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