Broken Strings

C H A P T E R T H I R T Y - T W O

"The little girl was a princess." Anisha paused, her voice slowly trailing off as she continued, distant. "Her father would always tell her that she would always be his little princess. But he too, when the little girl would need him, turned the other way."

"The little girl was a little shy, always a little too quiet and just a hint of naïve, too naïve. But her mother told her to be kind. And that was what the little girl was. She looked for the good in people, the kindness and care in people. And the little girl believed that love would be the answer to everything. Love and kindness would be the answer to everything." Anisha let out a deep breath, a soft cry filling her words. "But then, she had to grow up. And she learned the hard way that life is nothing like that. That everything she'd ever believed in, was far from the truth."

"And maybe, she still looked for that princess kind of love. The fairy god-mother and glass slipper kind of love. The red-carpet kind of love seen in Hollywood movies."

A small smile played on her lips as she continued. "But she didn't really want that. She wanted something real, something real that would last. Because those things, the overly-dramatic kind of things, they don't always happen in real life. But love, it still exists. And maybe all she wanted was a real love story, the real kind of story that everyday people have. "

Anisha's voice faded as she struggled to finish her story. She was distant, far away from him. She was trying to tell him her final goodbye. One goodbye that she had no idea how to say.

"And then she met a boy." For a second, her voice was gentle. "He promised her he'd buy her chocolate muffins if she went on a coffee date with him. And so, with a cup of coffee and a plate of muffins, the girl found her prince charming."

"The little girl grew up and found her happily-ever-after, the one she'd always dreamed about."

Her voice was now heavy with regret.

She felt so much resentment. For everything and everyone. But especially towards herself.

"Her wedding felt like a princess ball. He always treated her like a princess, too. And for a few years, even after some problems, things were alright." Anisha's smile faded as she continued, realizing just when and where things fell apart for her. "And then, the evil queen showed up."

"The girl waited, waited and waited for things to change. For things to go back to how they used to be." Anisha let out a heavy breath as a sharp pinch hit her stomach. She was almost done, almost. Done with her story and with life. "But they didn't. Things didn't change."

"Instead, her prince charming broke her heart. He took her heart and tore it apart, he stomped on it and broke it into tiny pieces." She sniffled, harshly as she started to cry again. Sobs colored her words as she acknowledged where and how things had gone wrong for her. She shouldn't have held on. That's all it was. And she hated it. She hated herself for being as foolish and naïveas she had been. 

"But still, the girl hoped that love would fix everything. Every night she'd wait for her prince charming to come home. She'd wait and she's still waiting for her happily-ever-after." Anisha focused her eyes on Andrew as he sat there, quietly listening to her. She shook her head, sucking on her lower lip as her voice quavered. "But do you, do you know what the sad thing is?"

"She didn't get a happily-ever-after." Anisha shook her head, again, regretfully, painfully. She clenched her hands, holding onto the white-colored hospital blankets. "She just didn't. Even though she really deserved one."

"Andrew, that girl is me." Anisha could barely look at him, her eyes were glossed with tears and they poured down like a heavy rain.

"I'm the one who didn't get a happily-ever-after. Even though I deserved it. Even though I wanted it. I'm the girl whose prince charming broke her heart instead of fixing it. I'm the girl who didn't get the happy ending."