Destiny's Gamble

Newfound Motivation

Manik's POV

"Nandini! Nandini! Nandini!" Cabir yells, banging his palms against the tabletop in excitement. I pause in place, my breath speeding up. Cabir and I had made a deal during the former days of my confinement. Today he is breaking that deal and there's only one logical reason for it. 

"Manik, my man, what've you done?"  Cabir asks, wringing his hands. I wish I had an answer for his question. In that moment - as I was standing in the courtroom all alone, without Angel - I don't know what came over me. I jumped at the first thought that entered my mind. Fuck, if only I had thought over the situation a few times before acting out like an immature, careless ass. When will I shake off the impulsive bone in my body? 

"You should've at least notified me about the ongoing situation." My friend says, sounding disappointed, almost as if I've let him down. "At least Eva could've told me. Maybe we wouldn't be sitting here today." 

"Cabir." I take his name slowly, trying to sort through the mess in my head. "Cabir, find Angel." 

"Manik," Cabir looks at me as if he's trying to explain something heartbreaking, like Santa doesn't exist, to a young child. "Nandini didn't come, and Eva told me what that meant." 

"No," I shake my head, refusing to accept what Cabir's thinking and what I thought in the courtroom in the heat of the moment. "That's not it."  Standing up, I begin to pace across the confining meeting room. "Angel loves me, Cabir. She knows me and that means she would never believe the accusations. Something's not right." I ball up my right fist, banging it against my forehead. Think, Manik! Think. There must be a logical reason as to why Angel didn't show up. Lord, is she alright? 

"Manik, trust has been an issue in your relationship before." Cabir says, his tone making me aware that he's speaking with great care and rightly so. My mind is in such a muddled state that the slightest thing could trigger me."So how can you be so sure that it's not working against you this time?"

"Because, Cabir, Angel and I worked past this issue. We came out of that entire fiasco stronger than ever," I defend my relationship. "I know Angel wasn't in the courtroom not because she decided to lose faith in me, but because something else is holding her back." The million dollar question is, what can it be? 

"Manik, don't do this to yourself." Cabir is an outsider. What does he know about the bond I share with my wife?

"You need to find her," I announce, turning to face my friend. "You need to find Angel." 

"No!" Bewildered, Cabir stands up, shaking his head adamantly. "Manik, that woman abandons you and you still want me to run after her. Come on, man! Grow a pair."

"Cabir, if you consider me to be your friend - for even a split second - then you will help me out." I cast a glance around the walls of the room, tugging at the strands of my hair. "I can't get out of here and search for Angel, but you can. Look, I made a mistake in the heat of the moment. I was tired and emotions were running high. And I might not be able to rectify it, but I can try to not make another one." From the look on my friend's face, I can tell he's most definitely not on board with my plan.

"Cabir." I say, making my way towards him. "I don't know much about love, but I do know the emotions that I share with my Angel, and they're a force to be reckoned with. That's why I'm telling you, my wife did not abandon me in court. Something is wrong with her and I need your help to find out what. I rarely ask for favours from you, but here I am, asking you for one. Please help out your old pal." With desperation clouding my demeanour, I wrap my arms around Cabir and pull him close to me. "Please," I whisper in his ear. "Find my Angel. I know that something's wrong. Actually, something's terribly wrong."