Heart's Desire

Tasting my own medicine.

*"Bekhayali"* played softly in the background somewhere outside the office, while Anika sat in her chair, lost in thought. The Anika everyone knew was now completely different—or in medical terms, she was a patient of depression. Thousands of questions ran through her mind, but there were no answers to free her from the prison of her thoughts. Her chain of thoughts was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, ma'am," her P.A. entered the room.

"Yes... anything important?" she asked in a cold tone.

"Ma'am, a lady named Mallika is here to see you," he informed her. For a moment, Anika had forgotten about her best friend, with their friendship having passed down to their children, Ansh and Nisha. Anika had met Mallika when she moved to Bangalore with 2-year-old Ansh. Mallika had been her neighbor. When Nisha's father got transferred a year ago, she had to move with her husband, leaving Anika behind. When Mallika heard about Anika's parents' death, she rushed to India, but despite being there for her, Anika avoided her. Mallika was heartbroken but never gave up, continuously calling Anika with no response. Frustrated, she showed up at her office today.

"Tell her I'm busy in a meeting," Anika told her P.A., asking him to lie. Unfortunately, her attempt failed when Mallika rushed into her cabin and confronted her.

"Can I speak with you for a minute, ma'am?" she asked angrily. With no other option, Anika asked her P.A. to leave. He exited the room. She sighed heavily, sat comfortably in her chair, and gestured for Mallika to sit.

"Oh... yeah... thank you," Mallika said sarcastically, taking a seat.

"By the way, my name is Mallika. I was once called your best friend... remember?" Mallika asked seriously. There was no response from Anika—neither a reaction nor a glance away from her fixed gaze.

"I'm asking you something," Mallika said, slamming the table, which startled Anika.

***********

"Ansh, there's a notification on your school site... 'Students applying for T.C., today is the last day to apply,'" Nisha read from his phone.

"What? Today? How can we get it done so soon?" Ansh asked, startled.

"Relax... we'll plan. Let's do one thing. We'll leave for Bangalore now. It'll take a maximum of three hours to reach. Get ready," Shivaay suggested a plan, and everyone, including Nisha, got ready. Shivaay went home to change.

Nisha texted her mom, *"Mom, Ansh, Shivaay uncle, and I are leaving for Bangalore to apply for Ansh's T.C."*

***********

Mallika's phone beeped. She opened it, read her daughter's message, and put the phone back in her bag. She turned back to face Anika, who showed no trace of pain on her face, remaining numb.

"Anika... you're testing my patience. Tell me what happened to you? Why are you ignoring everyone? You haven't been home for a week," Mallika started venting, but nothing seemed to reach Anika.

"I'm asking you something... I already told you, Ms. Rao, ignorance won't solve anything," Mallika said, her words filled with disappointment. Anika remained silent.

"Ma'am, we're getting late for the meeting," her P.A. informed her. Without a word to Mallika, Anika stood up and headed for the door. Mallika felt devastated by Anika's coldness. Her heart ached, but she controlled her emotions and stared at her with bloodshot eyes.

"Anika, I came here to see you... you can't just ignore me like this... Anika, I'm talking to you!" Mallika called after her, but Anika didn't care and moved toward the door.