Love Will Remember

The Dream

I woke up with a sharp pain in my right arm. Everything was so blurry. I tried to focus on things around me. I wasn't in a hospital. I was in a garden. The most beautiful garden I had ever seen in my entire life. Lush green, huge trees surrounded me. They look so archaic yet so fresh. I could feel the wind playing a beautiful noise in my ears which seemed like music to them. I could hear flowing stream nearby. I saw the stream was flowing but it was not water in it. It was liquid gold. How weird!! The trees very laden with all kinds of fruits, most of which I had seen for the first time in my life. The garden was breath-taking and magical.

"My dear sweet Katy bear! I knew you'd love this place." I turned around to see who spoke to me. It was my grandmother standing right in front of me. "Grams!!" I exclaimed. Was his even possible? She looked like my grandmother, but something was different about her. She looked much younger. like she used to look in her youth. I had seen the pictures. She held out her arms. I ran towards her and hugged her tightly. I started crying. Tears flowed through my eyes like the water that flows through a stream. All those months, I had cried for her were nothing to the tears coming out now. I wished it wasn't a dream. I wanted it to be real. I hugged her tighter while she stroked my hair gently.

After a while. she said, "Shhh baby, don't cry. I'm here." I finally wiped my tears and tried to get myself together and said, "I've missed you so much, Grams, more than anything in this world. I can't live without you. I want to die. I can't take it anymore." 

She replied, "Honey, listen to me. I want to tell you that even though I'm gone from the world. I am always gonna stay in your heart forever. I have loved you more than my own children, beti. And I always will. I am happy here with your grandfather. But it hurts me seeing you like this. I see you crying all the time and spending your life just like that. Life is a gift. We all have to die one day. So make the most of your life. I want you to live it to the fullest. I want you to enjoy it, find love, have a family, do what you love, make the most of it. I want you to let go of the pain that you're holding on to. Let it go. Life will be more beautiful. Remember how I told you to read the book 'Eat, Pray, Love'? I want you to do that too now. Let life unfold itself in front of you. Don't waste a moment of happiness you find." I quietly said, "Happiness was with you, Grams. How can I be happy when you're not here with me?" She replied, "Sweetheart, it was my time to go. I have lived a long life. I've seen my children settle down, my grandchildren and seen even some of their children. I had a beautiful, fulfilling life with your grandfather and then with you all. I am happy here."

"But I miss you so much. Living seems so hard now." I cried.
"Oh Katy, you are so young. You have a lot to learn. You have to fulfil your destiny. Now listen to me carefully. I want you to move on with life. Visit India. See our ancestral palace. Find my diaries. I want you to take charge of my things. You will find out what you have to do eventually when you go there. I want you to discover your roots. You will do that for your Grams, won't you?
"I can do everything for you, Grams. Everything." I replied.
She pulled out something and have it to me saying "Take this bracelet and never take it off. This will help you. Don't ask me anything now about this." 

She then put the bracelet on my wrist and clipped it tight. It was beautiful. It was white gold with diamonds and huge sapphires on it. It was very different yet stunning. 

She said, "Now promise me you will try to move on and let the pain go. This bracelet will give you strength, beti. Embrace the miracle of life. I'm gone but I'm in your heart and I will always love you." She hugged me tight.

I sobbed slowly and said "I love you too, grams. Always and forever." 

I kept crying and crying until my eyes were dry while hugging her. She said, "Goodbye Katy Bear. Take care. I'll always be watching over you." She slowly removed me from her embrace and everything went blurry again. I couldn't see anything. I felt sharp pain in my right arm and dizzy. I felt my eyes closing again.

I woke up slowly and everything was blurry. I kept hearing hushed voices around me.
"She needs to put some make up so I can take a picture and post it on Instagram," Jade whispered.
"Jade, your sister has had a near-death accident. Stop acting like this and for once help me out." I heard my mom scolding her. Then she added, "Kate is gaining consciousness. Call your dad. He is in his cabin."
I could hear everything but I couldn't open my eyes even if I tried. I felt a familiar hand on my forehead slowly slowly stroking it. I knew the perfume. It was my dad. I might've been brought to his hospital. He's a surgeon. Dr John Summers, my dad, one of the best brain surgeons in London. Not to add the only Indian one, also an artist and a loving and doting father. He adores me and Jade. He's a very protective father too.
"Honey, can you hear me?" I heard my dad's voice. I tried to move my head a little bit. He shouted, "We'll be moving Katherine to the private room now. Get everything done quickly. Thank god, my baby is responding. Adele, take Jade and go home. Bring some soup for Kate. She'll need to eat soon." My mom asked, "She'll be okay, right?" "Yes she will. Our daughter is a fighter. She is already responding well," my dad replied.
I heard my mom and Jade leave and then dad left to call the nurse. I slowly opened my eyes.
I could see where I was. I was at my dad's hospital in a private room. I suddenly remembered seeing my Grams. It was indeed a dream. But I felt a little less pain this time. I had hugged her even though it was in a dream. It was the first time I had dreamt about my Grams. I wished it was real. Then I felt something on my right arm. The same pain again. I slowly turned to see why it was hurting. I saw I had multiple tubes coming out of my arms. And on my wrist was, was was.... a bracelet, the same one my Grams had given to me in my dream. THE SAME ONE!!!! How was that even possible?

*Beti - Daughter in Urdu and Hindi.