Lifeline

Chapter 3

"Is this true?", I walked over to her and asked.

She nodded through her tears. I closed my eyes in frustration.

"Why am I listening to this after two fucking years?", I shouted at them. She winced.

"She asked us not to tell you.", Veronica said as they looked down in guilt.

I casted an accusing glance at her. She is, by now, crying badly, gulping for air.

"She didn't want to hurt you anymore than you already were.", Rishi spoke out.

"Hurt me? Well, you couldn't have hurt me more than I am now, after knowing it this way." I told her and stormed out of the house.

I don't know for how long I was walking like that. Suddenly, I found myself standing outside the orphanage.

Back during our time here, Dhruv and I used to visit this place every weekend. We used to stay here for two days and spend time with the kids. We are still a potential sponsors to the orphanage. He used to joke that, if it wasn't for our common love for children, he wouldn't have given me a second glance in a lifetime. Maybe it wasn't a joke.

I entered silently. In a corner, a middle aged women was entertaining a few kids with her animated stories. She saw me, and started walking towards me with a shocked expression.

She took me in an embrace and whispered, "Oh dear lord, I never thought I would see you again."

"I hope, for the sake of the kids, that you jokes are not as rotten as they used to be Mrs. Steves", I joked

"Well, I don't have Dhruv to make those kids laugh. So I had to take up the job.", she sighed.

Fortunately, the kids distracted me from going into one of my infamous brooding sessions. They surrounded me and pulled me down to their height.

"It's been long since you have come here. We thought you will not come again. We missed you Mira.", one of kids said with tears in his eyes.

A lump formed in my throat at the use of the name which Dhruv gave me.

"How can I be away from you people? I had to come back some day.", I gave them a forced smile. "Now let's go and have lots of fun.", they all cheered at that.

After a while, I looked up to see two kids fighting. I went near the commotion and asked what happened.

The girl replied, "He was bullying my friend Mira."

The guy looked down, ashamed, which only proved her words. I called the other girl there and asked the boy to apologise to her.

The boy apologised and ran away quickly.

"Why didn't you tell me that he was bullying you from many days?", the first girl asked the second one.

"I was scared, what if he hurts you too?", the second one said with a pout.

Oh God, really?! You didn't have to take so much trouble to prove me wrong.

The girls left, leaving in me with my thoughts. I decided to go back to my place and deal with that stubborn lady.

I said good-bye to the kids and went in search of Mrs. Steves. She was in a heated conversation with a man whose back was facing me. So I just waved at her from a distance. She became rigid seeing me. The man suddenly turned around, seeing her attention diverted. Weirdly, I saw something flash in his eyes, but it was gone the next second.

I shaked my head as if to clear it and left the place frowning. I reached home and saw everyone, except Amaya, sitting in the living room with dull faces.