An Atypical Mystery

Flashback

Now is a time to take a break after writing the exasperating and laborious exams. It feels so relieved when one does not have to study all day and night for the exams. I was waiting for the exams to get over so that we can go to Saudi. I find no place better than this to spend the holy month of Ramadan. Our departure was on May 29 but the preparations started way before as everyone was doubly excited: excitement of meeting papa and excitement of visiting the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina. The day finally came, our flight was in the evening, after saying goodbye to everyone we left for the airport. Reaching there we realised that the airport was flooded with so many people, there were many flights scheduled for that day so it took us two and a half hours to get our boarding passes and go through the entire procedure. Finally we boarded the plane at 7:30, I saw a lot of pilgrims wearing Ehrams as they all were going for Umrah.The plane took off and in no time I was bored (always happens when one has to go on a long journey). I had nothing to do so I started to look for some movies in the control screen, not enough options were there so i just played a random movie in order to pass my time, even though I do not like movies that much I had to watch it and it became a compulsion as I had nothing else to do (phone was getting charged and I had forgot my novels at home) therefore I had to watch two movies in order to fill time. After sometime the plane landed and we finally reached home at 4 in the morning. We did not sleep and kept talking, every time I would try to turn the conversation and ask my parents "when will we go to Corniche?" And in reply they would say " we will, don't worry."The day came when we all were ready to go there with our relatives. Among them I was most alacritous as I totally was in love with that place. Reaching there was not easy, however, we managed to reach there before sunset while evading the traffic. The beauty of that place is something which I cannot describe in words, the entire place was beyond the word beautiful. We chose a place to sit and started having our home cooked food; the delicious biryani which my mother cooks is always amazing. After eating biryani and the delicious snacks brought by my aunt I went to Starbucks in order to get coffee for everyone. I sat near the shore enjoying my coffee, thinking about how beautiful the almighty's nature is MashaAllah. When I turned back I saw someone, who at first sight was unrecognisable but suddenly I realised that it was the same girl whom I had met in Central Park a year earlier. I was stunned for a while after seeing her after a long time, my mind stopped working for a while. After coming back to my senses I went to her and asked her where she was all that while and why she didn't say anything that day? She looked confused and asked "excuse me, are you talking to me? Have we met before?" I was astonished to hear that from her and said "of course I am talking to you. Don't you remember we met in Central Park in India a year earlier?" I further got more shocked when she told me that she's never been to India and that I was mistaking her for someone else. For a while I thought maybe she was right but my mind didn't allow me to believe so, and guess what my intuition was right. I got to know that it was her only when her parents called her and her brother Aashu as they were preparing to leave for home. I looked at her face which turned red and because she was not looking in my eyes I understood that she was carrying a deep secret within her. I wanted to, but couldn't ask her anything and there was an utter awkward silence. As her brother came they both held hands and walked away, as they walked she looked back several times; I was standing there and was once again, left in a complete state of shock and confusion.