Take Me Away

Chapter 24

Ishaan."

The last one set her over the edge. She excused herself and went to the one place where she could hide. She ran to the quiet garden with the lone bench and sat down. She felt so overwhelmed looking at the postcard. It felt like a piece of the time they had shared together. Almost as though she was back in the mountains for a brief moment.

It all came rushing back to her then. Ishaan sitting next to her on the steps with the camera, him sitting quietly next to her in Circuit house, him laughing with her in the café, him just laughing...

And just like that, tears began to fall rapidly from her eyes. She nearly crumpled the postcard. The pain of holding it all in was getting too much and it had finally found a release.

"Heer?"

She paused. It was her mother's voice. Her mother could not see her crying. She immediately wiped her tears and slowly sat up straight.

Her mother walked over to her slowly and sat down next to her. She surveyed her daughter carefully and asked, "What's wrong, bubs?"

"Nothing, ma."

Her mother shook her head and said, "Heer, don't make me play the mother card. Could you tell me what's wrong already? I won't wither away."

"How did you find me?"

She laughed and replied, "Heer, you forget I built this place. Do you think I don't know all the little hideaways? I know you've been coming here for ages. And I usually don't pry. But you've not been yourself since you came back. And I would like to know what the matter is."

She then spotted the postcard and asked, "Does it have something to do with this card? Or perhaps who sent it..."

Heer shook her head. Her mother picked up the postcard and read it.

"Did you send him a postcard too?"

"No."

Then very shrewdly, her mother asked, "Do you want to send him a postcard?"

Heer looked away and said, "I don't know."

Her mother laughed and hugged her daughter from the side. She said, "Then what's the problem? This is the reason I sent you there. To enjoy, see the world, meet some people..."

Heer extricated herself from her mother's embrace and got up. She then said softly, "Ma, what is the point of meeting someone who lives so far away? I can't do it again."

Her mother frowned and replied, "What do you mean again? Has this happened before?"

Heer sighed at her slip-up and replied guiltily, "I...once. It wasn't...such a big deal..." She mumbled in the end knowing her mother could see right through it.

Her mother's eyes were now full of pain. She hated seeing her mother like that.

Her mother then got up and questioned in a firm voice, "Heer, what are you doing with your life? And I don't mean when it comes to your love life. I mean your life in general. Your hopes, your dreams, your aspirations...just everything. I don't know what you want to do with your life. Do you? You do know there is no written rule that you have to permanently stay here and run the resort."

"Of course there is."

"What do you mean??"

Heer turned around and said, "Ma, this is your dream. This beautiful place that you built from the ground up. This amazing place where we have had so many experiences and we have built a life for ourselves after...after what happened."

Her mother then came closer to Heer. She then took her daughter by the shoulders and turned her around to face her.

"Heer...bubs...I love you so, so much. You are the reason for my happiness and always will be. And I will always love everything we have done for this place and my dream. After your father passed away, you and this place became everything for me. You know that right?"

Heer nodded, her eyes welling up again, old memories resurfacing.

Her mother continued, "But I want...no, need you to know this. This place...it was MY dream. It doesn't have to be yours. I want you to lead your own life and find your own adventures."

Heer shook her head, tears now falling down her face.

Her mother then sighed and said, "Your father would have wanted the same thing. It was his dream to see us achieve everything we ever wanted. It was our plan to come here anyway and open this resort. And I did that. Now, it is time for you to go find your dream. I can't believe I have to tell you this but Heer, my beautiful girl, please chase your dreams. Whatever they are. If you don't know them yet, find them. Do not put them on standby. I could never be happy with that. It would have caused your father pain seeing you like this. It is causing me pain now."

Heer's legs gave way as she sank to the ground. Her mother sat down right next to her and hugged her. She hadn't let her mother see her like this since she was fifteen. Since the day her parents set out on a road trip together that had led to an accident. An accident that had taken her father away from her.

Ever since, she had held every part of herself together and tried to be strong. It was as though every part of herself that she had held so tightly together was slowly unraveling in her mother's embrace.

It was as though her heart was now completely exposed. Choking over her tears, she said, "I almost lost you too..."

Her mother hugged her tighter and said, "I know...I know...I'm sorry you had to go through that...I'm really sorry."

She held onto her mother tightly. She had never told her that openly. It was a fear she had held onto for so long. She had finally let it out for her world to hear. Her world. Her mother.

Her mother then wiped Heer's tears and tucked her hair behind her ears. She had been crying too. She slowly said in a firmer voice, "Promise me you'll live a full life. One where you do not deny yourself of happiness and laughter. Please. I need that from you. That will make your mother happy. And your father. I know him, Heer. I really do. Please. Please promise me."

Heer could not reply. She just kept on crying. For now, she needed to cry. Her mother simply nodded and held onto her daughter.

"I know you'll listen to me. You've always listened to me. I love you, Heer."