Nithya

Chapter Three: Missing Piece

The clock showed 9:55 am. How had my parents let me sleep this long? This was different.

Unlike other parents who let their kids sleep in on weekends, my parents would be up early and expect me to be up before them. By routine, I would shower before everyone else thus occupying the bathroom before the bustling bathroom rush by my family. Then I would pray and light the oil lamp.

This was their expectation of me as I was just about as religious as them. I'm not one for drinking tea so I'll just go about doing things like getting my things in order.

But I apparently do let down my parents too much like not acting like they were when they were small. My mum would say "You fuss so much about sweeping when when I was young, my sisters and I swept the whole house, washed our clothes and had a bath everyday before school. Compared to that you have to do nothing. "

Since they seemed not to care today, I decided to make the most of this opportunity. Lying in bed, I tried to grasp the significance of yesterday. I guess my awkward self couldn't respond well. I managed to get a train back to London. I wasn't ready to tell my family about what Kathir had told me. Did he get me confused with another girl? I have no memory of this boy. He seemed around my age but I hadn't been to that beach either.

He didn't seem to be lying. I saw the honesty in his dark brown eyes. I had always felt like there was a part of me missing. Could this be it? How could I forget someone or a place like this. It didn't make sense and I couldn't even ask Kathir since I rudely left him at the beach.

Hmmmm what would he be doing now.

I switched on my phone to see Kathir's name flashed across the screen. 29 texts.

Hi Nithya this is Kathir.

Are you alright?

Did I upset you.?

I really didn't mean to hurt you if I did.

Please call me.

I can explain all this.

How did you forget me?

You will come in to work right?

I need to talk to you.

I don't want to lose you.

"Phone memory failed. Use storage wizard to clear memory. "

Stupid phone. Of all times this is the time it decides to mess up.

This guy seemed so desperate. No one has ever sent me two texts before I reply, let alone 29. By his description it meant that I was supposed to be important to him.

Urgh. I have to find an answer to this. Who is Kathir?

The doors fly open as my brother enters the room.

"Wasteman, who's been texting you yesterday night? I mean really, you left your phone on in the dining room at two in the morning. It was doing my head in. "

Yes my brother calls me wasteman among other obscure names. I mean he can't appreciate my name and he knows that he gets on my nerves. My parents won't let me call him anything else apart from Anna which is big brother in Tamil. Not everything is fair in the world especially when you have to respect elders even if they treat you badly. Ignoring him without a reaction would make it worse.

"Out with it Nithya, you got a new friend?"

"Shush anna. I have a really keen collegue who's trying to update me on the latest findings. "

My brother got up to leave.

"Wait Anna, have we been to bournemouth beach before?"

"Yeah we did. Around ten years ago we- wait do you remember?" he asked, his tone full of disbelief

"Why wouldn't I?"

So now I was turning into a pathological liar.

"We went with cousins right?" I asked. I mean I don't remember this but by the method of Poirot, people can find out things by making false guesses.

"Course we didn't, we went with Kathir's family."

"Anna, who is Kathir. Why don't I remember him. Why don't I remember going to the beach. I feel like a huge part of me is missing. All of a sudden everything is a mystery. I have to find out Anna, I have to find out!" By the end of this I was shouting.

I guess my brother didn't know what to do about my recent outburst. So he left the room.

...

"Nithya" my mum called to me.

I leave my room to go to the sitting room.

"Why haven't you eaten yet. We are still alive you know. You don't have to fast."

"Amma, why can I not remember some things. Why do I not remember Kathir?"

My mother sat there in silence. She was withholding something from me. I'm was sure that she was.

...

I guess I should contact Kathir as I can't remember a thing.

My hands were shaking. It was so freaking scary. How was I gonna talk to the boy after I'd ditched him yesterday.

I had to do this. I couldn't let this go.

I picked up the phone. With my finger hovering over his number.

Tap

Ring ring

Ring ring

"Hello. Nithya?"

"Yes its me-"

"I'm glad you called, Nithya"

"I need you to explain things to me Kathir. I'm sorry for running away. I can't remember you! I - I don't remember anything."

"Nithya. Shushhhhhh

Calm down. I'm so glad I found you. We can get to know each other again and start fresh. Are you free I can come and pick you up so we can go through everything."

"I need to ask Amma and Appa first. You know how tamil parents can be, especially mine."

"Ok Nithya, call me when you're ready."

So Kathir and me, we must been close that Amma and Appa let us go to the beach with his family.

There were only two days to sort things out before I started working with him.