3.The Day I Saw Her

"I should really take school more seriously," Veer’s ranting on not studying for exams.

"Hey, want to hang out?" Veer suggested.

"Weren’t you just upset about school a second ago?" I was curious.

"Yeah, but that’s in the past. Can’t change it now," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, that's a valid point, I guess," said Sam.

"We have another exam next week. Shouldn’t you be preparing?" I reminded him. "And on top of that, I have to get to work," I added, remembering my responsibilities.

"Can’t you take a day off?" Veer asked.

"Nope, not happening," I replied.

"How about you, Sam?" Veer inquired.

"Nope, got some work to do. Don’t want my father to kick me out of the house," Sam replied.

"So, I better go home then. Well, let’s meet tomorrow," Veer suggested his exit.

"See ya," Sam waved.

"Goodbye," I added.

"Well, Veer, how about you help me this noon?" I changed the subject.

"You need help?" Veer exclaimed, with a mocking tone, "Ambar, Mr. Perfect, needs my help."

"Do you want to come or not? I’m already getting late," I questioned him again.

"Whatever the master says. By the way, what kind of help do you need?" he responded.

"Just some deliveries in the locality. Don’t worry; I’ll help you with addresses," I explained.

"So, will this make you finish your work earlier?" he asked with innocence.

"Yes, but then I need to get ready for my hotel work. You know, I’m a servant of that fatso," I replied in frustration.

"Why are you even doing this? Go back to your parents; they will help you out," Veer suggested.

"Veer, please. I don’t want to talk about it," I said.

"Sure. Let’s go and do the delivery," Veer agreed.

"Yes, the parcels are at my place. Let’s go," I informed.

(At present)

I was helpless. Beside me sat my dearest friend, hands on my shoulders, calming me down. Every tear I shed was for her. Sam, too, was breaking down gradually, looking at me, yet he held me, becoming my pillar. Soon, Veer arrived. "Where are you?" he shouted in the alley, drawing the attention of the entire corridor. Sam raised one of his hands to call him. Sam called Veer.

"How are you? Where is she? How is Maya? Are you alright? Ambar, say something," Veer panted.

With tears in my eyes, a shaking voice, and hopes in my heart, "She's still inside. Doctors didn’t say anything yet."

"Don’t worry, Ambar. We know her. She will be here for you," Veer hugged me, trying to comfort me.

(In the past)

"Veer, you will take on this locality, and I’ll go in that street," I planned.

"Sure, but how do you deal with all this every day? They are really heavy. Who could have thought that letters and some small cards could be this heavy?" Veer complained.

"Those are only half of it that I deal with every day," I said with a humbling smile.

"Yeah, right," his gloomy face showed his discomfort.

"Then shall we start?" I demanded.

"Of course, master, anything you say," he replied. We both laughed and began our work.

(At present)

A man in white, with green rubber gloves on his hands and a covering over his head, arrived. The same nurse who called one of us came with him. My legs were trembling; I wasn’t able to walk. Sam, holding me, did not want to ditch me here. Veer went ahead to know what the deal was.

(Back to the past)

"Finally, we are done," Veer sighed.

"Yeah, we are. Thanks to you, I finished it early today," I thanked him. He interrupted me with a cunning smirk, "Where do you usually do these deliveries?" This was strange; Veer was intrigued about something.

"Here, in these parts, and sometimes outside, but that’s rarely the case. Why do you ask?" I was really surprised, looking at his cunning smile.

"Have you ever seen that girl?" he asked me, enthusiastically.

"What girl are you talking about?" I asked him.

"The girl from our school. Follow me; I’ll show you," he said, forcing me.

"We can’t. I’m telling you it’s not a good idea," I spoke.

"Don’t worry. I already delivered one wrong letter. And now we can go and ask for the wrong letter back," he told his plan.

"What! Are you serious? Please don’t come next time," I gasped.

"Oh, come on. She is cute. And we can go with a reason to her," he seemed to be enjoying this.

"Let’s get it done. I need to head towards the restaurant," I proclaimed.

He took me to a house, a bungalow, with a large glass wall that allows the view from inside out. He rang the bell. A lady with long flowing hair opened the door.

"Yes, how can I help you?" she asked.

He pushed me ahead.

I’m going to kill you, Veer. With a glare, I let him know.

"Mam, my friend here is new at this job. He did a little mistake, misdelivered a letter that wasn’t supposed for you. Can you please return it? We are really sorry for the inconvenience that we caused," I requested.

"I see. Please wait; I’ll check," she said and went in.

"Do you boys need some water? It’s hot outside," her voice was heard with a generous question. Before I could've said a word, Veer replied, "Please can we!"

"Yeah, sure. Come on, get in," she said.

"Ambar! Hey, Ambar.... You listening to me? The doctor is calling us inside. Are you okay, Ambar?" Veer came back.

"Hmm, hmm. What did he say, Veer?" I inquired.

"He just called us in, especially you. Do you need help?" Veer asked.

"I’ll hold him; don’t worry," Sam assured.

"I’ll manage; thanks," I said.

As I collected myself and began moving, my brain got back to the time when we were entering her house. As we entered, we were in the hallway, which had a door on its left. We saw a beautiful girl sleeping peacefully on the bed with a white blanket over her, with only her face visible. Her face looked at peace, the solace she was living. And a swift smile making her an angel of heaven.

"Come in, boys. Here is your water. And here you go, was this the letter you were searching for?" the house lady said.

"Yes, Ma’am. Thanks for it; this will help us a lot. And we genuinely ask for your kind forgiveness," I responded.

"Sir, this way," the nurse led me to a room that was not entirely lit. And there lay my angel with bandages over her head and body. She had the same beautiful face and the same white blanket, but the only difference she had was that this time, that smile was faded. The solace was blown away, and I saw her walking away. Gradually, leaving my hand and gradually leaving me behind. I wanted to follow her, but there was a little girl holding onto my steps.

The doctor came in.......

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