At Morning...
Swara and Sharmishtha had completed their breakfast together.
Swara was leaving for the hostel soon, so she prayed in front of Goddess Durga's idol seeking for her blessings.
She bent down to touch Sharmishtha's feet and she blessed her daughter with all her love.
"God bless you, my Shona. You are doing an amazing job, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She cupped her cheeks and planted a kiss on forehead. In return, Swara gleamed and kissed her mother's cheek.
"You know me already, Maa. I will do anything to make my Maa and Dida proud." She confessed with all her heart and Sharmishtha hugged her one more time.
Swara was all set to leave when suddenly they heard a female voice coming from outside. Since their door was open, Sharmishtha could make out the number of few ladies loitering outside.
"Ki korchis tui Shomi? (What are you doing, Shomi?)" One lady called out to her. Sharmishtha stood with Swara near the doorstep. "Is the barsi over? I'm sorry, I couldn't attend jijaji's barsi to pray for his soul. Actually I was..."
"That's absolutely fine, kaki." Sharmishtha told her calmly. "You can come later to pray for his soul. It's absolutely fine."
Swara stared at her mother, when the lady spoke up again...
"Honestly, I thought that if any of us will come for the ceremony, you will feel bad to see so many people mourning his death and praying for his soul to rest in peace, which he doesn't deserve to be honest." She said, and bile rose upto Sharmishtha's throat as her breath hitched on hearing things she wished she'd never heard. Swara's head snapped back at the lady.
"Don't get me wrong, Shomi, but he left you years ago, leaving your daughter as a fatherless child for all her li-"
"Enough kaki!"
Sharmishtha yelled loudly, just when Swara's heart became heavy on hearing something that had been a part of her life like a hooligan.
"Ab mai ek lafz bhi nahi sunungi apni beti ke khilaaf. I tolerated it until it was all about me. But I couldn't control myself when you dragged my daughter in this! And I won't bear if you raise your dirty fingers at my daughter." She spoke on one breath. Swara stared at her neighbours with anger bubbling her insides. Who the hell they were to insult her family? They weren't god, right?
"You're elder to me, kaki," Sharmishtha took a breath before continuing again. "...that is why I respect you. But there was no need for that remark! And yes, let me warn you," She raised her finger, giving them the final warning. "If ever I heard you badmouthing my daughter or my family infront of us or behind our back, toh mujhse bura koi nahi hoga."
"Well, whatever you believe, Shomi..." The ladies moved on to do their work, feeling offended hearing Sharmishtha's words.
Wish they could realise the poison they spoke everytime to let the Bose family down.
"Maa, you'll be fine na?" Swara asked Sharmishtha with sadness flashing across her face. "Should I stay here for one more day?"
"No, Shona!" Sharmishtha denied immediately. "Ignore them, you have nothing to do with these people. Don't miss your work because of them. I'll be fine. You already know, your mother is very strong. I don't need anyone's support, mai akele kaafi hu sab keliye."
"You know what Maa." Swara started, looking at her mother with heaviness in her heart. "I would have said thousand words to them too. I won't have stood there and tolerated all that they spoke about you. But you asked me never to interfere and involve myself into this, that is why I never did till today. Because you didn't want any bad eye on me, I know that and I don't want to do something you have forbidden me for. But you know what, if it happens ever again, no one will be worse than me. I won't leave them if they insult my Maa." She declared firmly.
"Swara, you are..."
"Maa! Look at me." She held her mother by her shoulder and turned her around to face her. "Logon ka kya hai, woh toh mere baare mein baatein banate hi rahenge, right?"
"Swara, meri bachchi, you don't deserve all this, trust me."
"Maa, yeh kismat ka khel hai." Swara took a deep breath and came up with a smile. "But you know, situations are meant to happen because they actually help us grow as a person. Maybe it's God who tests us, to see how strong we are and to see how strong we can be. Some things don't happen because we deserve them, they just happen because they are meant to happen, to help us rise higher at some point in our lives. And in my case... I have always been strong, no matter what happened. I didn't let these taunts of our society make me low. Instead, I grew up as a person. You're seeing me today Maa, I no longer have any regrets in my life. Because I've finally become someone who I always wanted to be. And believe me Maa, God is watching everything. He is testing what is good and what is bad. And he has figured that out, that who is good and who is bad. You're seeing what I mean? We are not meant to bother ourselves by these stupid taunts by our society. No one can judge us better than our own people and our well wishers can. Please Maa, ignore them."
Sharmishtha had tears in her eyes. How... when did her daughter become so mature? There was so much God made her face right from her childhood. From being characterized as 'a girl who never had her father's love' to 'a girl who had a broken marriage five years ago.' This was too much.
Why? Why was a character certificate always required?! Couldn't just people be let to live out their life peacefully?!
"Or aap hi ne sikhaya hai na? Ki hum kuch bhi kare, log kabhi sudharte nahi! Haina?" Swara chirped. Sharmishtha stared at her.
She didn't understand herself what she was supposed to feel. Proud of her daughter, for being an amazing woman who rose up like a sunshine, or angry on God and fate, because of what they put her daughter through.
"Accha hua, teri Dida nahi hai yaha. Agar yaha hoti na, toh iss wakt unn logon ko bohot saari gaaliya deti ... woh bhi bengali mein," Sharmishtha chuckled sadly, but tried to cheer up her daughter's mood. Swara chuckled cheerfully.
"That's what is our darling Dida's strategy, Maa."
Sharmishtha patted Swara's cheek with love.
"I think you should go now, Swara. It's already late. We will talk on phone. For now, I think it will be better for you to reach the hostel on time." Sharmishtha reminded her and Swara agreed.
"Yes Maa. I'll leave now. But please..." She gripped Sharmishtha's hands staring at her. "Please... take care of yourself. You know I can't bear if anything happens to you. If there is a reason I'm even alive, it's only you Maa. I won't be able to tolerate if something happened to you."
"Tu meri chinta mat kar Shona!" Sharmishtha assured her daughter. "I'll be absolutely fine. Okay? Tu sirf man laga kar kaam karna hospital mein. Remember, your destiny depends on what you do today."
Swara nodded her head and after bidding farewell to her mother, she was finally at peace, knowing the only thing she had to do to rise high for her family.
She knew it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Dada, side mein rok do."
As instructed, the taxi driver stopped the taxi near one side and Swara got out of the taxi. She opened the zip of her purse for payment.
"Kitna hua, dada?"
"One hundred and twenty."
"What?! One hundred and twenty?" Swara was shocked at his reply. "But dada, last time I came here, it only costed me ninety."
"Rate keep on increasing, madam." The driver answered her back and Swara failed to understand what he was trying to imply.
"No dada, that can't be true." She answered him back again, this time getting annoyed by the condition this driver was putting in front of her. "It can't increase in only one month."
"So what do you want me to do for you? Bargaining?!" The driver shooted his question. For a second Swara was really shocked at his attitude.
Seriously?! Why was she meant to come across a super egoistic driver today?
"Dada, I'm not bargaining," Swara continued, somehow trying to talk things through. "It's not what it costs to travel here from Baadi, that is why I was just clarifying-"
"Look madam," Driver started again. "Either you don't waste my time and make the required payment, or else keep your money with you and don't give me anything."
"That's a huge ego that you are showing, young man!" Swara snapped at the driver finally. "First of all, I clarified to you politely that the amount of money you are charging is not right. I travel here often, so there is no way rate can increase in such a short duration. You're unnecessarily charging more money out of your customers, that's so wrong. Do you even know you can be charged for it? For bribing your passengers?"
She closed her eyes taking a sigh, trying to calm herself down. "Look, I am very polite to you, that doesn't mean that you can speak anything rubbish. I am not rude, I am just talking things through."
The driver rolled his eyes. Swara shaked her head because of the nonsense she just got to put up with early morning. Seriously?
Great! Just great! Now here a mere yet egoistic taxi driver was getting on her nerves. Could her day get any worse?
"Madam, look, you are wasting my time. I have more work on my plate. Can you please give me the money or just leave from here-"
"...Too much of attitude is disastrous for your health, my friend."
A male voice came from somewhere and Swara stood still on her spot. The driver frowned as it was Sanskar who made his way slowly towards the driver, and finally stood besides Swara.
Swara was shocked seeing him like this all of a sudden.
"So," Sanskar began, shooting glares to the driver. "I see you have a big fat attitude, and having issues with your work, that's why you have the audacity of demanding more money from her. And when she doesn't compel into giving, you tell her to keep her money with you and that she is wasting your time. Listen!" He warned him in a soft voice. "Do you think it was good on your part?"
"Listen to me, young man," The driver began boredly. "I always have daily encounter with people. They ask me to carry them to their destination. They expect me to do their work for them, and she is the one who doesn't want to give-"
"I never said that." Swara told him coldly. "I never said that I won't give money. I just told you that... you are demanding extra money from me which is-"
"Wait, Swara!" Sanskar stopped her.
"But Sanskar he is-" Swara wasn't ready to listen.
"Wait, Swara. Please." Sanskar told her, this time softer than he was before.
"So," He turned back to the driver. "You are charging more than the value on your meter. Do you even know I can call the cops this instant and inform them that you were charging extra money from your passenger which is against your regulations? Better you agree with her conditions, before you actually make me do that."
And that was all it took for the driver to realise his mistake. Yet, he just nodded his head in approval.
Swara searched through her purse and finally made the payment. "Here's your ninety, dada."
The driver accepted the amount and within a minute, he drove off, leaving Swara and Sanskar in the isolated area of the huge hospital, all alone.
Swara closed her eyes and took a deep sigh as Sanskar turned around to watch her. "Kaise log hote hai yeh." She mumbled to herself.
"Don't worry, Swara." Sanskar assured her. "Don't ruin your day. Many people get such experiences, I had once too. And this was the only way to shut him up."
Swara simply hummed nodding her head. "Sanskar, how come you are here?"
"I..." Sanskar pointed his finger behind to show his parked car to her. "I just reached and then I saw your arguement with that driver, which concerned me. So... I came to check and then you know." He simply shrugged, suddenly feeling emotional.
"Thank you." Swara said to him. Sanskar took a deep sigh closing his eyes.
"I know, and I'm sorry if you don't like me watching out for you but I was just trying to help, and... Wait! What did you say?" Sanskar couldn't believe his ears.
Swara knew he had mistaken her. "I said thank you!" She completed and for a moment Sanskar felt as if he had heard something wrong.
This was the first time Swara Bose thanked Sanskar Maheshwari. He had always wanted that from her. Her attention! Her smile, her presence, her acknowledgement of his existence... And now that all these things were right in front of him, he could feel something stirring inside his heart.
Swara gave him a light smile, and Sanskar immediately nodded his head in approval. "You are always welcome, Swara" He smiled at her.
And this was just the start.
Swara turned around ending their conversation right here, when Sanskar suddenly stopped her. Going so soon? No, please!
"Swara!" He called out to her.
"Yes?" Swara asked, turning behind towards him.
"Ab tumhara haath kaisa hai?" Sanskar asked and in between he gave glances at her still-bandaged palm. Swara raised her palm for her to look at it, and then she simply shaked her head.
"Thikh hai. Jyada dard nahi hai. Pehle se bohot kum hai."
"Glad to hear." Sanskar was relieved. "Take care... of yourself."
Swara nodded her head, still not able to make proper eye contact with him. How was she supposed to if he stared at her with this much intensity? She felt like she would lose herself if she did.
"I think we should go inside, Sanskar."
"Oh... yeah, of course, of cou-" Sanskar shut himself up so that his mouth wouldn't continue working and make Swara think if he was crazy. Swara walked inside, with Sanskar still frozen in his place, just staring at her...
His heart always leaped whenever she was around him, but today, it was so much different. He felt this was now maybe much more stronger...
He had seen her eyes, there was so much in them. Something that she was hiding. He saw conflict in those orbs. A desire for something but just, something held her back. There was something that she was holding deep within herself. Something that she was... going through.
And he felt so helpless, knowing that he wasn't able to figure out who Swara Bose actually was, even till now.
But one thing was for sure...
With each encounter of his with Swara, he was slowly beginning to see through her. Figure out Swara Bose. Even though at a slower rate, but Sanskar Maheshwari still was.
And only he could. Only he could.
Despite the mask of perfection of beauty that she had put on, he realised that wasn't what all was about her. There was so much more.
"Kon ho tum Swara?" Sanskar said while staring at the departing figure of Swara. He could feel her going away from him and that made his heart sink. "Kya kar rahi ho mere saath? Day by day, I feel like I am feeling for you even more than I did before. Aisi kya baat hai tum mein, jo mujhe tumhari taraf yunhi odh leti hai? Aisa kya hai tumhare baare mein, jo mere man ko tumhare baare mein sochne se rok bhi nahi sakta?"
He questioned himself, but only his heart knew the answer...
These were nothing but emotional games of the small yet powerful, traitorous, self-betraying, beating part of him... his heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Being genuinely nice to Sanskar Maheshwari was the last thing she expected herself to do but she had no other way.
She knew he helped her, and she knew in the deepest core of her heart that the least she could do was be good to him too, because he truly deserved it. No matter what she was going through, she should be kind to those who meant well for her. And apparently Sanskar was one of them.
But she knew... this would never happen. Not even in her dreams. Sanskar was a gem of a person, and what was she? She was scarred by every element of storm that appeared in her life. She was just a mere survivor of those storms.
He was heaven and she was hell...
And she herself didn't know why that hurted her so bad. Only if she was just like any other normal girl... she wouldn't have had to control her heart like this.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sanskar rushed inside his own personal cabin and shut the door close.
Right now, he just wanted to know what exactly he was feeling for Swara. And he knew the right person to help him -- his brother, Laksh. His Lucky. Well, of course after some twisting only.
He was still quite unsure if he should call Lucky right now. Being an engineering student, he always stayed awake for night and had sleeping hours during day time. His workload was very hard on him, so he thought of checking his WhatsApp instead.
And all he saw was...
Oh, yay! Laksh was online. That meant he was not sleeping.
Sighing deeply, Sanskar dialed his number. After a few seconds, Laksh received his call.
"Hello, bhai?"
"Laksh... umm..." Sanskar began, but didn't understand how to exactly begin with, so he asked him the stupidest question of the century ever. "Are you free?"
"Well... you just called me and I answered the call, so that obviously means that I am free. You know if I am not then I usually keep my phone switched off, right?" Laksh replied him back. Sanskar earned himself a reward.
"I wanted to ask you something, Laksh. It is related to... related to a friend of mine."
"Sure. What is it?"
Not related to his friend, but actually related to him. Now maybe, that was the best way of getting out of Laksh's further teasing sessions.
"Ugh, yeah! So well, there is this friend of mine who is... umm... kind of smitten to a girl, okay kind of, and this girl is a fresher intern in this hospital and she works in this hospital. And you know what? Right from the day when he first saw her, he is not able to take his eyes off hers. Her eyes, you know, are very beautiful." Sanskar smiled a bit remembering Swara. "And you know, he is very confused and almost struggling with his feelings. He doesn't know what he feels about her. So do you... do you have any idea what is it called?"
"Wait! Bhai." Laksh stopped him for proper explanation. "I know all of your friends' names, so you can tell me who is this friend of yours you are talking about?"
Sanskar had nothing left to say. He possibly couldn't be saying his own name when he was himself unsure of his feelings, could he? He licked his lips once before getting back with his conversation with him.
"Lucky it's... just the friend you know. Yeah so, Lucky, I think that guy needs some serious advice. He told me and since I don't know much about love thing..." Sanskar felt it incomplete to say like that. "I finally decided to call you. You know, he feels like he is losing himself. He always has this urge to talk with that girl but fails every damn time..."
"Oh! Really?! It's pretty much obvious bhai, Rajat is in love with Anushka!" Laksh chirped, giggling in between.
"Where the hell is 'Rajat is in love with Anushka' from?!" Sanskar yelled aloud in disbelief.
"What?! Wait!" And Rajat was immediately inside the cabin whose door was not fully shut. "I just heard my name joined with Anushka's! Was it you, Sanskar?" He asked Sanskar and he almost made unbelievable faces.
At last, he finally lost his cool and banged his fist against the table.
"Darn it, Lucky, tu na rehne de." Sanskar spoke sarcastically. "You seem much better reading those maths and calculus books than giving me an advice. So it's better if you do those things only. SEE YOU LATER!"
"Arey but what offensive did I say?" Laksh asked him, a smirk still on his face because of how his brother reacted to his pretense. "You just said that your friend likes a fresher so isn't that friend of yours supposed to be Rajat and the girl Anushka?"
"Leave it!" Sanskar mumbled with gritted teeth. "Go and stick to your books, you bookworm."
And he immediately cut the phone, not at all acknowledging Rajat who was looking dumbfounded.
"Laksh can be such a moron when he has to be." Sanskar mumbled in disappointment.
"Well, you know what..." Rajat looked down as a shy smile crept up on his face and Sanskar narrowed his eyes at him. "That is true."
"What is true?" Sanskar snapped. "That Laksh is a moron?! Yes, he indeed is! He doesn't have even this much of common sense that his brother was asking him for some help regarding a girl-"
"...No, Sanskar!" Rajat interrupted his blabbering. "The statement you just gave on your call. That is true. I actually do love Anushka."
And that immediately stopped Sanskar from further ranting.
"Seriously, Rajat?" Sanskar gave him his fullest attention, suddenly smiling. "Why don't you tell her? I'm sure she will be very happy knowing this."
"Yes, I know. But..." Rajat confessed his feelings. "You know we have always been best friends but now that I think about it, I realised that it's not just deep friendship there but something much more. It's true, I have feelings for Anushka, but I don't think I can tell her yet. We have always been best friends so... my feelings might change our way of seeing each other, and I honestly don't want that. I'm afraid I'll make things awkward for us and our friendship."
"It's not like that, Rajat." Sanskar assured him. "Having feelings for youe best friend is not wrong. You have heard that thing right, that friendship is love and love is friendship, right? So I think you should tell her about it instead of suppressing your feelings like this. And trust me, who knows even she might be feeling the same for you? Right? And you know what, you guys will be amazing together."
Rajat considered giving it a thought and after a few moments of thinking, he finally agreed and smiled.
"You might be right. Now I do consider telling her that I love her. Thanks, Sanskar."
Sanskar smiled nodding his head. "I'm very happy. Now I think we must go. We have duties in our hand."
Agreeing with him, both of them left the room, when suddenly Sanskar's phone rang, making him stop.
Sanskar unlocked his phone and saw Laksh's name flashing on his screen.
He pursed his lips and swiped the screen answering the call.
"Ab kya hai?!" Sanskar asked harshly.
"Just to inform you bhai," Laksh smirked on the other side of the call. "Ki ab na woh wala tareeka bohot purana ho gaya hai. It's too outdated now."
"K-Kya tareeka?" Sanskar asked frowning. "What are you saying, Lucky?" Okay, this couldn't be good!
"Yehi ki... 'there is this friend of mine... that friend of mine... who likes a girl... who loves a girl... but is unable to tell that girl about his feelings, so he needs some help... bla bla bla, and all that. Bhai, I might be good at maths, calculus, logarithms and trigonometry but that doesn't mean that I am some buffoon who doesn't understand anything."
This was definitely not good!
"Ugh... Laksh!" Sanskar interrupted. "I can't hear you. Hello?"
"Yes bhai, I can be louder if you-" Laksh continued teasing Sanskar.
"Lucky, listen! I have a surgery right now. Talk to you later? Okay, please! Bye."
Sanskar cut the phone leaving Laksh into thinking.
"Just now bhai wanted to talk to me about his feelings, so why did he cut the phone now?" He wondered.
"No Laksh." Sanskar mumbled to himself shaking his head. "I don't want to say anything until I am not sure about it with all my heart and mind. I just don't know... how long will this turmoil go on."
He sure didn't know, And he was now messing with his heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sanskar was on his way across the long corridors of the hospital when he suddenly bumped into Anushka.
"Oh!" Sanskar looked relieved. Anushka acknowledged him. "I was finding you only. So yesterday you promised me that you'll tell everything to me that Swara tells you."
"Well, yes. And I do have something for you." Anushka replied smiling and Sanskar sighed.
"Please, tell me then. I want to know." He insisted.
"I will tell you, but... Sanskar... umm..." She was speechless for a while as she herself didn't know how to start and when to start.
And there was one more important things that she needed to know from him. And that was...
"Look, Sanskar. Before I tell you everything, I just... you know..." Anushka fumbled with words which she was supposed to frame and Sanskar stared at her.
"See, before I tell you what Swara thinks about you, mere liye yeh jaanna bohot jaruri hai ki what do you think about her? What do you feel about her?" She repeated her question for emphasis making Sanskar numb once again.
Hadn't he asked the same question to himself so many times? And with each and every time, he ended up feeling something leaping inside his heart.
"What I think about her..." he mumbled to himself, more like a statement and not a question. "All I have come to know is, she is not those usual kinds of girls of today's generation. Even at a generation like this, she is more mature, more thoughtful, more selfless, more responsible, more considerate, and so much different from others. A pure angel and an epitome of true beauty and heart. Hadn't I seen her that way with her child patient? Hadn't I seen her adorable side at that time? Everywhere she goes, she brings happiness and lightens up that very moment. Hadn't I seen those large black orbs that seem to be speaking more than she does? Hadn't I seen something deep under her surface that she is trying hard to hide but somehow couldn't hide it from me?"
These were all were there in Sanskar's mind, but something sheld him back from blurting it all out. All he could actually admit was...
"She is just... amazing, Anushka. I don't know what to say... it has been days ever since my heart is playing these games with me. And I have no conclusion to this honestly." Sanskar sighed with his eyes closed. "I don't know what to interpret. Is this really love? Is this not? Just attraction? I don't know. I think about her so much, so many times, and I don't know if it's just a simple crush or much more than that. But honestly, I can't see her so gloomy and struggling with her own self, which apparently I think she is. I always feel like there is something she is holding inside of hers."
"Because you are right, Sanskar." Anushka gave him the final blow much to his shock. "Something has happened with Swara. Something very big, and that turned her life upside down. And she has just pushed herself into a dark hole where she has lost her faith in true love and trust. And maybe... she has lost her usual self too. Yes, it's true that even today she is as cheery as she was before, but very less. What Swara is showing everyone around her today, that is just the ten percent of her real self. Trust me, she is really struggling. Not only with her life but with herself too."
"I had an idea about it, you know." Sanskar admitted to her. "I knew it right then when Rajat told me about it. Anushka, please tell me. What happened to Swara? Why is she like this? Kuch hua hai kya uske saath pehle? Because I feel that yes, she has faced something big in her life and that has changed her from what she was before."
"You are right, Sanskar." Anushka nodded her head in agreement and regret. "She isn't much like she used to be before. Even after having a difficult life without her father, she still rose up as an adorable person and never let that fact come as a hurdle in her life. But after that what happened to her, she severed her ties with everything she used to like. She no longer reads fairytale stories, doesn't have that cheerful smile while meeting new people, bohot badal gayi hai Swara. But you know, about what actually happened to her, I don't think I am the right person to tell you this."
"Well... then that's okay." Sanskar agreed with her conditions. "I won't force you to tell me. But when you finally feel like I deserve to know everything about Swara, I'll be all ears."
"I'll be very glad if that happens." Anushka said with a glint in her eyes.
"Thank you so much Anushka. You don't know how hopeful that makes me feel. Thanks a lot for your help."
After giving a last smile to Anushka, Sanskar was almost about to leave when suddenly her voice made him stop.
"By the way... Swara told me that..."
Sanskar immediately stopped and turned towards her and Anushka smiled.
"She trusts you, don't worry." She said, remembering Swara's words of yesterday and for Sanskar, those words were like a beautiful music to her. "She is just... you know... a bit lost and that is normal for her to be. She just... has a lot of things going on but one thing is for sure, she doesn't have anything against you. Not anything wrong atleast. That is all I know about her thoughts about you.
With every moment, his smile turned wider. "Thank you so much for informing me."
"Your welcome." She greeted him back. "Okay, I need to go now. I have classes to attend with Swara."
"Yes, sure. Alright."
As Anushka left, leaving Sanskar to think about things, he was hopeful by now that somewhere, somehow, the real Swara still existed.
And he was adamant on meeting the real Swara Bose. And it was a fact to be taken into consideration, Sanskar Maheshwari never broke his promises.
"That's all I have come to know about Swara." Sanskar said to himself. "Don't worry Swara, if you are not going to be your real self, then I will make you. I'll make you smile like you used to before. I'll give you reasons to smile and I'll make you believe in goodness and positive side of the world once again. Mujhe yeh toh nahi pata Swara ki tumhare saath kya hua hai, par itna jarur pata hai ki tum akele ladh rahi ho. Ab tum akele nahi rahogi, I am going to be there with you, always. Now, tomorrow, and forever. And this is what I promise myself."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kicking away the kinds of thoughts that had been bothering her mind since long, Swara decided to do work.
Treating her patients was now like breathing for her. She herself didn't know how, but now this was such a strong part in her life, that no other distraction from this could give her peace as much as her duties did.
After dealing with atleast eight patients in her day, she took a break for the day.
She was checking her time table for the day on her phone when suddenly someone showed up to her...
"Dr Swara!"
Swara frowned hearing her name. She raised her head away from her sheet and towards the one who called her... Kavita.
Swara got up and replied her in acknowledgement. "Y-yes Dr Kavita. Any work?"
She talked with her normally but knew it very well that Kavita wasn't very fond of her right from the start. But she decided not to let that come between their professional encounters.
"Well, yes, I have." Kavita folded her arms professionally. Swara didn't fail to notice the kind of dresses she wore to attract people towards her. "I need Mr Mehta's reports because I have to check his medical history. They are in the store room of second floor. Would you mind getting it for me? That would be a great help."
"Yes, sure." Swara nodded her head and Kavita smiled... not genuinely, but winningly, as if something she wanted to happen according to her just came true.
She gave her one last look and went towards the store room through staircase.
"And listen!" Kavita called out to Swara. "It's kept in the fourth shelf from right. You sure you will get it, right?"
"Yeah." Swara simply replied. "I'll find it, don't worry."
"Awesome!" Kavita replied back.
Swara walked towards the staircase and climbed up to the second floor of the hospital and ran towards the door that said 'Store Room'.
"Finally, got it!" Swara sighed in relief. Without any further waiting, she opened the door.
Swara ended up coughing and choking as the amount of dust and number if cobwebs had seriously stunned her. What was it that this room seemed like it was untouched for years?
Nevertheless, she knew she was hear to help Kavita. So she did exactly that. She didn't see why Kavita wanted a file only from this particular store room, but she knew that was a part of doctor's duty.
So, she left the door swinging open in order to keep getting some fresh air other than this stinky room, and began her searching.
She started going through the files of the first shelf from right, as the files were seriously scattered here and there. She read the details of each and every file, only to find a certain 'Dr Mehta'.
While she was engrossed in her search, Kavita came there and stood outside the store room, and folded her arms seeing how Swara was working.
"Fantastic." She remarked and raised her hand, only to reveal that there was a clutch of keys in her hand.
The first thing she did was grab the door knob and shut it as smoothly and slowly as she could, so that Swara wouldn't know.
The second thing she did was lock the door, Swara still not able to notice it.
And the third thing... she was done with her work, so she just simply watched, folding her arms.
"What reports, baby?" Kavita shooted. "That was just a lie to get you here. To teach you a lesson."
She remembered how Sanskar had criticized her that day when she had compared Swara with herself. That was something Kavita Roy wouldn't take... no matter what happened.
"Ab dekhna Swara..." Kavita smirked and stared through the locked door of the store room with vile feelings. "...ki mai kya karti hoon."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Precap : Oh no! What will happen to Swara now? And what is up with this Kavita now?
Do comment your views ❤❤❤ Very soon, we are going to dive into Swara's past. Just 2 or 3 chapters for Swara's past to come. What do you think might have happened with her? I wanna hear what you think.