When daffodils bloom #DigitalAMAwithRheea

What was she up to? Is this some kind of yoga?

I wondered. By then, I was beyond curious. I looked around and saw a bamboo hedge large enough to hide my five-foot, five-inch frame. I walked over quickly and hunkered down.

When I looked at her, her eyes were closed. I took that opportunity to study her features.

Sunlight streaming through the bamboo canopy glittered like golden lights, forming a twinkling halo about her head. Her raven hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, accentuating her curved forehead and chiselled cheekbones. She had a perfect cupid's bow that demanded attention to her fuller lips.

'Wars fought over a face like this!' my mind whispered in awe!

Suddenly, she opened her eyes, and I found myself transfixed by a pair of amber orbs!

But something was wrong. Her face didn't look confident anymore, her breathing was ragged.

What I witnessed next will forever be etched on my memory!

She covered her mouth with duppatta and let out a muffled scream. It rose in a crescendo, shattering the silence and then faded into gut-wrenching sobs! She collapsed on the park bench hugging her knees tightly.

I was too shocked to move! I sat there, rooted to the spot, watching the tears run down her cheeks like a river of sorrows. After what seemed like an eternity, she stopped crying and started talking in a soothing tone.

'Hey baby, are you alright? I'm sorry mommy upset you. But see, I'm not crying anymore!'

Fuck! She was pregnant!

'Can you believe it? It's been a month since I found out about you. You must be about the size of a peanut but mommy loves you! Do you like mommy's voice? Do you want to listen to a story?'

'There was a girl called Amaanat who had a crush on her neighbour, Sahil. But Sahil never paid her any attention. When she was in high school, he went to the US. He returned seven years later looking more handsome than ever! Amaanat fell in love. After days of internal struggle, she finally mustered up the courage to go and speak to him.'

'Sahil couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Amaanat! The clumsy schoolgirl had transformed into a stunning woman!'

'They exchanged numbers. Shortly, their chatting turned into something more. They started going out to movies, parks and clubs. Amaanat was very happy until the day she realised she was pregnant! She told Sahil believing he loved her and would marry her. But he laughed in her face and called her a 'prostitute'! When she told her parents, they were horrified! She disgusted them! Men sneered at her wherever she went. Nobody wanted her. It was her and the baby against world!'

She finished her story in a haunted voice!

I sat there for hours, her story wreaking havoc in my mind.
When I finally went home, I opened my laptop and renamed the manuscript of my debut novel-

'Amaanat'