New Beginnings

47- A new side

It was safe to say that I slept like a log.
Usually, I got disturbed by every little noise. Seeing that I didn't hear the twins talking or fighting and slept through the night, could say a lot about my tiredness of the journey. As there was no way, they didn't fight.

For the past year, Raghav and Rishi managed to fight every single night before going to sleep and become two peas in a pod, the very next morning. Was this how every single sibling behaved? Or were the twins unique? I don't think, I was ever going to find answer to that question.

I woke up to see Twins already showered and ready for the day, while I had the blanket wrapped upon me. Getting into an awkward conversation was not on my today's list, so I didn't bother asking them about it.

"Good morning", I greeted them and stood up to take my toiletries from the bag.

"Good morning", they greeted back in unison.

By the time, I took out my clothes from the bag, Twins already started to move out of the room, to give me privacy.

A smile perched upon my face, looking at their understanding nature. I didn't even had to tell them, they remembered last night's awkwardness and left the room in their own accord.

After getting ready, we all moved towards Samar's room and knocked the door.

Samar's Mom opened the door, looking disheveled.

"Good morning. Umm...Sorry we aren't ready yet. Samar is having a bad day today. How about you all go and have breakfast first? We will join you in few minutes. Canteen is in the ground floor of this very building. Call me if you cannot find it", She suggested, looking tired and guilty.

We three were shocked to say the least. Samar having a bad day was something we could never even imagine. But looking at his mother's condition, no one could doubt her. No wonder, she wanted to stay with him yesterday. There was no way, twins would have been able to handle him.

"Don't worry Aunty, take your time. There's no hurry. We can roam around here after breakfast, if you need more time", Raghav spoke gently, coming out of his shock first.

"Thank you", she whispered, looking grateful.

I was worried about Samar but she assured me that it was nothing serious and Samar would explain me everything later.

Nodding to her, we bid her bye and she closed the door behind us.

Walking towards the canteen, we finally saw the building. Last evening, we were so tired to notice any of it.

We were awed by the infrastructure. Our rooms were in second floor while the canteen was in ground floor.

There was a lift but we decided to go through stairs, taking the long route to see through everything.

The building was simply designed to make it simpler for everyone. No matter what disability, people could make their way easily here.

We came across the staff who were placed at every corner, if anyone needed help.

Room numbers were even written in braille, along with regular writings plus there were few doors that opened with the help of legs instead of hands.

"Man, this is so cool", Rishi exclaimed in awe.

"I know right", I agreed.

This building catered to everyone's needs.

We soon found the canteen and went inside.

There was a counter at one side where they took orders and behind them, I figured out that there was the kitchen, though it was barely visible from outside. On the other side were the rectangular tables, with two benches on either side of it. The benches were big enough for three people.

We selected a table and sat down. Twins on one bench and me on the bench across to it, so that we could easily talk while facing each other.

We looked through the menu to see what we could order and saw that there wasn't anything fancy but simple food items here, that we all ate in our everyday lives. The one that was healthy and fulfilling yet not expensive.

We selected what we wanted to eat and Raghav went to the counter to place our orders.

Samar and his Mom joined us when we were halfway through with our food.

Samar sat beside me while his Mom took seat beside the twins.

"Are you okay?" I asked in a whisper.

"Yeah. I just kept in bumping into everything and making a mess of things", Samar answered with a tired sigh.

"It's okay. It happens. But, I am curious. You come here every vacation, so I thought you must have calculated everything", I spoke in a questioning tone.

"Even though rooms have same essentials, they are different, depending on their placement in the building.

"While some rooms have bathrooms in the left, the room beside them have bathrooms to the right. Plus I only come in vacations, it is hard to remember the calculations of something, that you don't visit in every few days", he explained.

Now I understood, why Samar said that he won't be his confident self here. In the town, he knew where he was and where he would be moving but here he wasn't sure of anything.

I had once tried walking with closed eyes and wasn't able to move even few steps before bumping and falling. The embarrassment I felt was nowhere near to what Samar would have been going through.

I had the option to open my eyes and forget about that moment but he had to live with it.

I didn't think Samar would behave too differently here when he warned me. I took it too lightly.

This place was going to show me the dependent side of Samar. Now it wasn't just about visiting, this trip has turned about learning.

While Samar learned to become independent, I had too learn about becoming his pillar to lean on, when he couldn't.

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