I still remember the beautiful winter morning, bearing the title of one of the most awaited days of year, which since then now hold no good meanings to me.
It was 14th February. The beautiful day of Love. Where every heart who had fell in love wanted to confess their feelings to their special ones. When, Each young couples was celebrating it with love whether it was in public or secretly and each married couple who had been busy in their rush life, were looking forward for the day to end so that they can spend some moments of love together! On whole, For each one of us, whether we were or weren't in true love, the day always indeed brought beautiful feelings.
I was in sixth grade. A young... Very young girl who had hit puberty just some months back. I was one of those students who never at such young age cared to look good, or look for new hairstyles for two braids that was compulsory in school or even to break the school dress discipline by folding the skrit to short or taking out the shirt to have some non- existing sense of coolness. Well, you can predict my 'role' as student by knowing that I was in the "Monitor slot". Basically, I was living like a girl is supposed to be at that age. Obviously, being a girl I did partially developed liking for some of the opposite gender but never really had such self to be engaged in relationship or I should say "Relationship Business ". Obviously, the new trend of being cool and having two, three or at least one relationship was very much adapted in all the schools. So, for me it was good to see, people sitting in a corner, romantically involved and doing some stupid things or gestures.
Also, I enjoyed laughing at the one sided lovers who had been inhumanly treated as if they don't even look like humans.
Anyways, this isn't about all those things or even me.
Yeah, But indeed it is about LOVE.
The school was about to end and I was with my class heading to the music room, after witnessing the romantic drama during the break time, when I was called to the office suddenly. On reaching there I saw my father standing with utter seriousness that worried me strangely. He informed me that we need to leave somewhere just now and asked me to meet him at the gate wirh my bag soon. I tried to question him back, but he didn't replied at all.
At the school gate I found my mother standing near the car having similar expressions with that of my father. She immediately asked me to change my school uniform as she handed me , my blue jeans and plain red shirt. I went back to the school washroom and get myself changed. Then we all sat in the car and left from there.
As, my instincts have already spotted something was wrong, I straightly asked my mum about it. After minutes of silence she took a deep sighed and informed me that, Aunt Meera had met with an accident which took her away from us.
My heart sank immediately as I tried to absorb all the words in my mind. She was one of my closet and favorite person to be with. More like a, Mother figure. The next moment, I had all my worry shifted to her two sons. My best friend and his little one year old brother. The idea of their loss gave me goose bumps. I couldn't even imagine losing the most- most important women sitting in the front seat for a while. Suddenly, I felt warm on my cheeks as I noticed the salty drops which had escaped from my eyes resting on my cheeks.
We reached the spot where, where the van carrying her would stop so that We all could see her for the last time before she was taken for the last ceremony.
As the van reached, my vision became blurred since I was now crying uncontrollably like most of the people seeing my dear one as that. I spotted her husband beside her in the van in a lot more worse situation than others. Obviously, he was one of those people who would be the most affected by her uncertain going. My eyes then searched for someone who was too young to see all this. My best friend, KABIR. I looked around but couldn't find him. Then, I saw our friend who was also very close to him, Ryan. He also had the similar red eyes full of sorrow. He told me that KABIR is in the house with his younger brother. KABIR was in school when this happened. I suppose, like everyday he was expecting his smiling mother to wait for him outside the house but unfortunately things turned out to be wilder than his nightmare, today. All I could do was to wish for him to be strong enough for all this.
I didn’t attended the funeral and decided to stay with my mother when my father left for it from there. As per Hindu tradition, ladies aren’t allow to attend the ceremony and all the men of the house with other male population went and burn the dead body with Hindu ceremony. Although since I was a child I could attend the funeral but I did not think I wanted to. So I stayed with my mother and my father returned from there after an hour. All day I could not stop myself to think about KABIR and his family. At night my parents decided that we should give them a visit cause they also wanted to see KABIR very eagerly.
When we reached there, I immediately popped my head outside the car window to look inside the house through the open window. All I could make out from there was that Kabire and his father with an old lady which I figured was his grandmother were in the front hall.
My heart once again sank at the sight of them. I didn’t know what or how should I behave or say. Because they definitely did not needed pity or anything like that, they just needed their mother and her love which no one could give. Dad, rang the bell and as the door opened my heart broke into million pieces. KABIR was trying to make his brother RAHI quiet who was crying and demanding for his mother. I found out they did not tell him the truth, yet. Of course, they didn’t. What are they suppose to say and how will they make a one year understand that his mother is never going to return to him. RAHI was crying, harshly demanding from his father to take her to his mother because he had not seen him all day. KABIR didn’t actually look at us. He just faced his brother and was begging him to stop.
After, we all somehow managed to calm him down as my mother gave him my some car toys and his eyes glittered immediately and he wad diverted for some time. Finally, KABIR looked up. He was trying his best to avoid crying and be calm. But as my mother embraced him in a warm hug, he busted in tears. The whole room was filled with his sobs and we all just watched him hopelessly. I noticed his father looking at him with watery eyes as he tried to make him stop. After sometime, he stopped. We sat in silence as both of our father and only MY mother were engaged in a small talk. As we got up to leave, I managed a warm smile which he returned with red eyes. I hugged RAHI while he was still busy in his newly found toys.

THE ONLY THING THAT CAME IN MY MIND AT THAT TIME WAS…. THAT RAHI REALLY NEEDED A MOTHER...WHO WILL BE AT THAT PLACE??

To be continued...