From the Ruins (On Hiatus)

Part 7

"Haan! Tere wajah se itna nachna aur nachana parta hai ki meri toh jaan hi...uff chodo! Kaha gaye thi?"

"Bachon ne mujh par ice cream ghira diya tha toh washroom tak gayi thi."

Akshara and Pihu sat for hours just chatting and relaxing. The whole time though only one thought repeatedly ran through her mind.

Aaj nahi toh kal milna toh parega. Ek hi sheher mein kab tak chupenge...upar se iski awaaz aaj bhi pechanta hai woh...KJ meri Akshu ko kuch nahi hona chahiye....

——

Abhimanyu hopped around angrily as he threw punch after punch at the red punching bag hanging in his room. Nothing he did worked to calm his anger or bring peace to his disturbed mind.

Aisa kaise ho sakta hai! Woh Akshu ki hi awaaz thi...aur awaaz ko agar bhool bhi jau toh uss ehsaas ko kaise bhoolu?

As he drove by the park, a sense of serenity washed over him just like how he used to feel around his Akshu.

Par woh pagal ladki?!

Wiping his face with a towel he sighed.

"Shayad Arohi ki baatien sun kar aur Akshu ki yaad mein mujhe hi galat fehmi hua tha..." he whispered heartbrokenly and headed to his bathroom.

——

A couple of days later Akshara walked out of the City Hospital feeling slightly overwhelmed. She sat on a nearby bench and closed her eyes. It helped her manage her emotions to stop and just think sometimes.

This was where her life had completely changed  twice. It brought her both bad news and great bonds.

It was where her ailment was discovered but it was the very same doctor who had suggested Nainital when she needed an escape. Today she had come to thank that doctor for picking Nainital of all places. She smiled as remembered the beauty of Nainital and the love she had found there. As a bonus, she also had the opportunity to drive to Hrishikesh often just to feel her mother presence.

Doctor Saxena, who she now called Baba, was the reason Nainital was suggested for her treatment. Initially she had rented a small house close to the hospital but then one day she met Pihu.

Akshara had been sitting by the lake and playing her guitar when Pihu had popped out of nowhere. It was a simple meeting despite Pihu's flare for the dramatics but that one meeting turned into a lifelong connection. It was much later when Pihu had accidentally walked into her father's cabin during an appointment and seen Akshara there, that she realized Akshu was not okay. From then on, Akshara had pretty much been unofficially adopted into the Saxena household.

The bond between her and Pihu was instantaneous as if they had always known and understood each other. Akshara had only ever felt a connection like this once before...with him.

Akshara took a deep breath as she counted down from 10. Feeling a little bit calmer, she made her way to the car. Pihu would be waiting for her in her new home and Akshara wanted to stop by the Mandir to speak to the Pundit about hosting a pooja for Pihu's home.

Parking the car, she noticed a massive crowd gathered around the steps of the mandir. That alone made her heart beat uncomfortably as hazy flashbacks flickered in her brain. The closer she got the stronger the flashbacks become until she was lost in one of the worst days of her life. The day she had lost her mother physically and her sister emotionally.

"Mama utho na!! MAMA please utho!! Dekho Shristy roh rahi hai!"

Akshara jumped as the crying children's voices broke through the haze. Steeling her heart, she glared at the audience for their lack of action.