Till The Count Of Five ✓

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

His tears were her armor, and it didn't burn me like it did a year ago.

Kiara

8th May 2019, Wednesday
15:30

The gates opened and Shay's mother smiled at me.

"Good Afternoon," I said.

She nodded and stepped aside. "You're Kiara, aren't you? I think I remember seeing your face in the magazine. Come in, come in."

I looked at the bag in my hand that could have used a little help and stepped in. "I just needed to see Shay. Papa told me she fell. Is she fine?"

"She's good. The girl doesn't care for herself at all." She gestures at me to sit on the sofa. I did. "What would you like to have?"

I smiled politely and shook my head. "Nothing. I just wanted to talk to Shay. Is she home?"

She shook her head. "She'll be back soon. She went to the chemist to get her meds. Sometimes, she's so stubborn about doing everything herself. I think it's her way of coping up." The last line felt more like a mumble than an address to me.

"She's resilient," I added. "Strong minded."

Her mother smiled. My eyes widened and I got up when her eyes began to well.

"Sit down, sit down. Please sit down." She wiped her eyes with another smile. "It's just...it's hard to see my girl like that. One day she's fine, the next day she wants to leave the school. God, I curse that awful day. She came home crying. 'Mumma, I want to leave. I want to go somewhere else. Let's go to Chandigarh to naani or somewhere else, Mumma. But not here.' I told her to calm down. By the time I brought her water, she was booking tickets. Then, the accident. I thought I'd lose her but I'm so grateful to your father.

"You're the only person who visited her. Ashiamma used to come too but Shay said they were no more friends. She rarely went out until now, rarely talked. She stopped painting too, said it reminded her of Ashiamma."

"How did she react to Ash's death?" I asked hesitantly. Then, I stopped. Why was I even concerned?

"Oh, that sad day. She wasn't home. She was angry that everyone got invited except her. I told her it was okay. Friendships are not measured by invitations and gifts. If you ask me, it was partially her fault too. I don't know what happened between them but she could've tried to mend their bond. She returned pretty late, around 11:30pm. Her hair was a mess and there was a bite mark on her arm. You see, streets aren't safe for anyone at night, let alone children. She said it was just the dogs and she was in the park."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Was she? I mean, was she in the park only?"

She shrugged. "I guess so. Her shoes had mud on them. Please don't mention this to her. You seem like her good friend."

The weight of the pen drive in my pocket suddenly increased by kilos. I vaguely remembered the park I saw on my way here, green all the way with a concrete track around it, a fountain in the centre. It was a pretty park, no mud. My stomach growled and I felt nauseated.

"When will Shay come?" I asked, wanting to get done with this.

"She must be around the corner. Why don't you go and wait in her room? I'll bring juice for you."

I shook my head. "Please, don't. I don't want to stress you. I'll just wait upstairs." Or I could leave her a note. "Which way is it?"

She pointed above my head. "That's the one. The door is already open. Are you sure you don't need anything?"