A Bruise On My Soul #wattys2016

The Loss

Now here is the irony of life: just when you think that you are so 'cling like ivy' to something or someone, that it becomes hard for you to even respire without it, life snatches that 'something or someone' far away from us. So far away, that it's impossible for us to even reach that point of eternity. As if the universe altogether has conspired against us. And the hardest blow is that all this transpires just within our vicinity and we stand there helpless, filled with remorse and guilt, that we aren't able to save that special something or someone from its demise.

I was always scared of two "L's" in my life. The first one is loss of someone and the second one is loneliness. I never dreamt in my atrocious dream that I'll experience the former 'L' so early in my life. Especially on that fateful night. A night when before going to sleep we made promises to each other, to be there 'always' but all in vain.

I was woken up by an alarming cry erupting from the adjacent room. I rubbed my eyes vigorously to clear my sight which was clouded due to sleep.

"Aaradhya! Aaradhya!"shouted my mom on the top of her lungs. Panic laced her tone. The same panic struck me hard making me jump out of bed and dashing towards the source. My heart pounding fast against my ribcage at every step I took. The more closer I got to my destination, the more negative vibes radiated from somewhere I couldn't recognize.

My trembling hands pushed the door open. The scene ahead was so terrifying that it literally took my breath away. 'There was some confusion' I thought.
My eyes darted towards my mom whose eyes were bloodshot,tears draining from her eyes refusing to cease. She was kneeling on the ground beside the bed, hands clasped on dad's collar who was lying motionless,still and lifeless.

"No!no no" I shrieked.

Mom was shaking dad as hard as she could in a hope that it would wake him from that deep sleep.

I ran towards them. Tears daring to fall. 'Please god don't let this be what I'm thinking. Please don't. I'll be a good girl' I prayed to God.

"Aaradhya he is not waking up. Please do something. He listens to you nah beta. Please wake him up Aaru. Please" my mom pleaded.

Terror seized me as I moved my gaze towards dad who laid there, face mask like . I knelt down alongside mom. My quaking hand felt his cold clammy skin to check a trace of life.

Please God, let this pass as a dream, I mused as I foraged for pulse. I could hear my mom howling and whimpering in the background. I batten down my eyes tightly concentrating but to no avail.

"Dad" I croaked finally holding his lifeless hand in mine in a hope that he will open his eyes. But came no response. I bit my lower lip in an attempt to stop that gushing of tears that were on the brink to fall.
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The thing with life is that it's there one minute and the next second it's gone, in a blink of an eye. Sometimes the happiness given by the other person intensifies our pain in their absence. The memories gives you heartache.

Heartache was what I was suffering from when doctor announced that dad succumbed to heart attack. Heartache was what I was experiencing when mom collapsed on hearing this. Heartache was what I was enduring when my dad's body was laid before me clad in white sheet. It was heartache I felt when I held my mom in embrace when she was whimpering as if her life was snatched away from her. This so called heartache intensified as I kissed him goodbye on his forehead with my quivering lips before his body was carried away to rest in peace for eternal sleep.

"Goodbye Col. Arjun Rathore" I breathed.

Hello readers! This chapter was very hard for me to contemplate and write. It was emotionally exhausting for me. It's very hard for everyone of us to lose our loved ones. It's very difficult for each one of us to endure through that ordeal.

Nywy I sincerely hope u liked this chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment..