Once Upon A Time

chapter one

March 2015

Neil

It wasn't the best year Neil was having, with downfall of his business and loss on investment, he was financially weak. But Neil was a professional or that was what he considered himself. And this wasn't the first time he felt the need of money. Graduated from Harvard Business School, he had made something out of himself. Neil wasn't from a high-class family, his mother was a housewife and his father earned less than what they had to pay for Neil studies. Neil struggled to survive, he gave up everything... Everything, to be who he is today.

Life, my dear friend is a mystery. You never know what happens tomorrow. It's full of regret, pain and dream. And like all human Neil was filled with regrets. One of many was 'Tracy', it had been years since he last talk to her and he hardly remember the last time he saw her. But every Sunday morning, when he ride to the hills, he can't help but wonder what she might be doing. 'Love' that was it, he was in love with Tracy. But then we don't always get what we want, do we?

Neil never had a comfortable life, when he was studying at college, his mother died, it was all of sudden for him, only later to realize his mother died from cancer. His father was deeply disturbed by the loss of his wife. He was fifteen when he fell in love with her. They got married young and his father never really had the opportunity to study further, they had no earnings, and in between all their suffering Neil was born.

Neil assumed it had been hard for his family to raise him, but his mother always said ' no pain is permanent, and in between all the hardship your smile was our reward '. After graduating from college, Neil spend most of his leisure time helping his father with the most of the works, he'd clean the house, cook the meal and help his father with their shop account.

After ten month from graduation, when he got the letter from Harvard saying he was accepted, his father was way beyond happier. But the look on his face at the of his departure had a different story, Neil had seen it once before, when the doctor brought the news of his mother death. That look had haunt him down for several month. He would go visit his father, once a while every holiday. And now he was busy with his business and it had almost been a month since he last called his father and more than a year since he last saw him.

It was like every Sunday morning, Neil was busy absorbing the beauty from of the hill, trying hard not to think about Tracy. He had a rough week, with the real estate business depriving and increase in liabilities, he was busy calling the investor and reassuring them that their investment wouldn't go on loss. But he knew that wasn't all true. And finally today he was free, free from all those calls and pressure, but he will have to face them again tomorrow.

Neil, though he is young to run his own business, he had already established his name, it wasn't much but it was a start for him. Ross, Neil's business partner and childhood friend had offered him partnership, it was three years back and the firm was in loss, now after three years of hard work, they were facing what they had faced. It was like history was repeating itself.

Neil sat on the grass and admired the sky, deep blue, the same colour of Tracy's eye and it began again, he started thinking about her.

Promise me you wont forget me.

U know I won't.

(Crying) I love u, Neil Erri.

I love u too Tracy, I will be back, I promise.

I know u will.

And that was it, he never saw her again. And now he didn't intend to meet her. She was history like his town. But destiny, its a storyteller, and destiny had something else in his mind. How less Neil knew about his destiny, while Neil was busy with his life, destiny had other plan for him, the story that ended five years ago was about to be re-encountered and here Neil was sitting on the grass, unaware about the fact that he won't be going to his firm tomorrow, but would be driving his way back home, towards his town, towards Tracy.

His phone beeped, bringing him back to present from the thought of Tracy.

'Mr. Erri?', the voice on the opposite side asked

'Yes, that's me', Neil answered.

'I have some bad news, it's your father...'.