Strength |✔️

thirty-three (epilogue)

12 years later

Alisha

"Here lies Lena Patel

1969-2005

A loving mother, wife, and friend. We will dearly miss her 

and the amount of happiness she brought into this world."

My fingers run along the words that I have read a million times by now. It has been twenty five years since her death, and it felt like just yesterday when she got shot. But I had suffered with another loss, and that was my dad, who committed suicide weeks after he got in prison. Though, I have to admit, I did struggle with his death, but not nearly as much as my mom. Although he did shoot Neil back then and almost killed him, so I did hate him a lot. He got what he deserved and I moved on just fine.

A tear rolls down my cheek as I think about my dying memory of my mother. Looking at old pictures of her don't help as much anymore. I want to see her actual face. I wanted her to see my marriage and my kids. Now that my dad had died, I didn't have any family back then. All I had was Neil's family and Neil himself. That's all.

Suddenly, two kids start calling me, and just by their voices I immediately recognize who they are. It's my kids, Manav and Priya. Manav is a chubby little two year old boy that makes really huge tantrums all the time. Though, that may be how must kids act, but it is certainly not how Priya acts. Priya is so calm and studious, I think she honestly got that trait from me. Also, it is so fascinating how their physical traits are combined with me and their father.  

Manav and Priya come running up to me, making me fall backwards on the grass. I start to laugh as they shower me with kisses and hugs. "Mommy, mommy! We missed you so much!" They say excitedly. "What were you doing, mommy?" Priya asks me. Her wide brown eyes look at me with confusion and her pink lips open up in a big "O."

"I was just looking at grandma's headstone," I say as I ruffle with Priya's hair. I pull Manav into my arms and carry him. As I play with them, a man's voice calls me from the car.

The man walks out from the car and instantly my heart starts to flutter all over again, just like how it always used to happen in college. How he ran into he, literally, at the first day of college in freshman year. How we had matching tattoos and we had no idea of them until later. How he invited me to his sister's wedding, but that didn't turn out too well.

And it is Neil. The love of my life. My best friend. My brother. My boyfriend. My husband. All in one.

From 12 years ago, he looks the same. He still has that same fluffy black hair that, oh, is so soft. He still has the same fascinating brown eyes that I always get lost in. He has the same dimple on his right cheek, and that sexy smirk as well. He is still Neil, just twelve years older and looking a bit more mature.

Life was pretty normal after Monika's wedding and that whole trip. We continued to study hard in college, and Neil finally made his decision. He was going to become a high school math teacher, and after school, he is going to coach the same high school football team. When he finally told me his decision, I was stoked and so proud. Neil had been struggling for the longest of time on what he was going to do and he finally made his decision. I couldn't have been any more proud of him.

After college ended and we graduated, our relationship was getting pretty intense. We were 22 by then, so Neil asked if he wanted to move in with me. I of course agreed because where else could I go? Both of my parents were dead and I had no other family, so Neil was all I had left. So, we rented an apartment near his parents' house and we stayed there for a couple of years. Neil started his jobs, and I became a grieving therapist at a local center. Also, at the same time, I wrote a book about my life story, and when I finished, I was so happy. People were going to know about my life, and those who dealt with the same thing as I felt would have not felt alone in their feelings.