Last Few Days

Chapter - 23

[Darshan]:
It had been a week since my heart lost its love, since my smile lost it's shine, since happiness lost it's real meaning. I had started going to work, but couldn't do my best. I hadn't had a word with Shubh or Priti for the last four days.
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, I sat on the couch and read a magazine when the doorbell rang. To be honest, I didn't want to meet or talk to anyone, I wanted to spend my Sunday alone, but the problem was, things never worked the way I wanted. I disheartedly opened the door. Shubh stood there with a small, pale smile forced on his face. "Hi", he said. "Hey", I said and forced a smile, and moved aside for him to enter. "Whatsup busy man?", he casually asked sitting down on the couch. "The boss is eating my head... What else do you expect?", I replied and sat next to him. I didn't have an eye contact with him because I knew what was coming my way. "Darshan", he called out. "Yes", I said without looking at him. "Look here my dear. I'm here", he added forcing me to have an eye contact. "Wow, you have so beautiful eyes Darshan. So red, puffy, swollen as if soaked in water... I love them", he said taunting me. "But the reality is, they are suffering from drought... You haven't cried yet, right?", he added and his voice softened in the end. I didn't answered, and looked away. "How long do you want to take this? You have to cry Darshan. Don't hold back your tears, let them out, let them flow down. I know I was the one who told you to stay strong and not to cry, but today, I'm asking you to cry, let out your pain. Sometimes holding back your emotions is not what you should do. Sometimes letting your tears free, allowing them to flow down is better than hiding and restricting them and pretending to be okay from outside, because they'll do nothing but the pain you'll collect inside you will just eat you up. I know it's difficult, but you have to move on and for that, you first have to let out all the pain that is buried in your heart", he lectured and I sat unaffectedly staring at the wall in front of me. "Just remember, she's always with you, she's watching you. Have you ever thought how she'll feel, looking you in this condition? Darshan, you have to be happy, neither for yourself, nor for me, but for her. For her happiness. She can't be happy until you aren't", he added and this time, his words pierced into my heart, making my eyes watery. "I had never thought that I'll force someone to cry, but Darshan, you have to cry. For her. Please", he added with a soft chuckle. His words forced a flood to occur in my drought victim eyes. After almost a week, I cried and I can't tell, for how long. I missed Aaruhi so badly, I desperately wanted her to be by my side so that I could hug her tightly and cry with my face buried in her neck. I wish she could come back. After that, I spent all the remaining hours of that day, crying. I used to control myself and try to be normal, but within 5 minutes, out of nowhere, I'd remember her and start crying again and this continued until I cried myself to sleep.

<10 Years Later>
"We are getting late, please come fast", she shouted from the living room. "Coming, just a minute", I replied looking at my relationship in the mirror and combing my hair. It was Naina - my daughter's - 10th birthday, we were going to her favorite restaurant for her birthday party. Yes, Naina, that was the name Aaruhi wanted to give to her daughter and asked me to give mine.