Beyond the Boundaries

Chapter 52

My heart is trying to forget you but my dreams are still tethered to you. My heart flutters and begs for freedom but my dreams never let go of you.

I see you in all your glory, your eyes shining like diamonds and your face as beautiful as the lone sunflower in a green lush field. Ever elegant, You stand your ground, confidently and proudly while I, I run towards you. The more I chase you, the more you get away. I get tired from chasing you with not even an inch closer to your being. So I crawl. I crawl towards you, on all fours, in helplessness, in longing... In love.

My knees bleed, my hands get bruised and I get thirsty. And then you, as always so kind to me, become an oasis. So now like a thirsty lost traveler I chase you again. I slither towards you with whatever little ounce of strength I have left in me but you don't seem to get any closer.

I see now, this is how you torture as eventually all my hope is lost, of ever touching you and holding you in my arms.

I lay with my back on the ground, as all consciousness seem to disappear. My eyes become heavy and for one last time I try to look around trying to catch a glimpse of your face. But all I catch is sunlight in my eyes and it's warmth enveloping me like a burning fire that reminds me of your touch.

My eyes close, and just before I'm about to get submerged in the darkness I see a light.... With your face, as it bends down to probably kiss my forehead?

'Zoya, beta, wake up!', Mrs Kazmi's voice shook her out of her dream. She slowly opened her eyes and grunted and saw her mom standing on the edge of her bed.

'Get up, you have an appointment today. I scheduled it beforehand.'

'But I just got back last night. I'm so tired.', she said grunting again.

'You already know how important this is. Now hurry up, get dressed while I put up breakfast for you. ' and her mom left the room closing the door behind her.

Zoya took a deep breath and sat up in her bed.

'Oh shit.', she forgot to inform Maahi of her safe landing. She had promised her that she will text her as soon as she'd reach but she was so tired and emotionally drained that it totally skipped her mind.

She picked up her phone from the side table. As expected there were few missed calls and hundred messages. Few of them were from Maahi and friends but the other lot were from Florentine. They had been sitting in her phone since about a week now but she couldn't muster enough strength to open them up. She let out a sigh and texted Maahi apologizing for the delay and informing about her safe return. She got up from the bed and braced herself for what was to come.

The doctors didn't tell her anything different from what she was expecting. The same old course of treatment, the same old pep talk, the same old putting up a brave face for her parents and her parents for her and the same old moment of realization that her life was indeed ending, teetering on the violent edge of the world and that there was no way out of it.

But this time around one thing had changed. She felt it within her, Content. For the first time in her life she realized how content was so underrated. We all struggle to attain happiness, we all want to be happy, we spend our whole life running after things that make us happy. Happiness sells but content is what's important. Happiness is fleeting but content is what sticks. We all ought to work on ourselves to achieve content.

Content is what keeps us grounded and sane when happiness is on a break. When things don't seem to work out for us, when sadness slays, when pain settles, that is when we need content to bring peace to our restless heart. And her heart, was finally at peace. She knew no heroes were coming to save her, there was no knight in the shinning armour or miracles to happen. She had to don her own armour and fight the world, with whatever strength that was left in her.

She told her parents she wanted to establish an organization for underprivileged children from both countries, that would provide them with basic necessities along with education. She knew it was a lot of work and she might not get it all done in the little amount of time she had left but she was going to try. Heaven knew she was going to try, with all her might. Her parents were on board. She told Maahi about her plan as well who told her that she will help her with the project too.

Zoya knew a lot of people from blogging and people knew her. So she set up a donation fund on her blog and explained where the money will be put to use. Things slowly but surely started to pick up speed. People from around the world lend a helping hand.

It took some time but she could see her dream come to life as her own life slowly left her. Meanwhile Oliver and Maahi kept trying to acquire Visa to Pakistan and finally succeeded after 4 months.

Soon the day of theirarrival came, of which Zoya was impatiently waiting for. But by now she was tooweak to pick them up herself so her parents went to the airport to receivethem. Zoya was in jitters anxiously waiting at home.