In this chapter, I have taken a lot of creative liberty. Anything that you think is too much, let it pass under the liberty banner. Lol. Also, replies on the previous pages.52. Ad Libitum
A noise louder than I had ever heard woke me up from an already restless slumber. It sounded like something big crashing, like boulders or trucks. Panicking, I rushed to the window to investigate, finding nothing other than heavy downpour and lightning. Coming back to sit on the bed, I placed a hand on my heart to calm down the wild racing. It was way past midnight and now that I had been brutally woken up, it was hard to fall asleep so I switched the television on and tuned in to the news channel thinking I'd be able to get some updates about the storm.
I was so right, but I was not expecting the updates to hit me with such intensity. The racing heartbeats which had only managed to slow down a few minutes ago shot wild again. The storm had already begun. Apparently, the speed with which the storm was approaching had increased exponentially, causing it to touch the city almost 48 hours earlier than expected. That was not the only bad news awaiting. The area in which our hotel was situated was evacuation zone because flooding was inevitable over here.
Violent shudders shook me as the enormity of the situation I was in hit me hard. I had never been stuck in a hurricane and I had never really tried to find out more about them so the fear of what could happen engulfed me. My mind was a chaotic mess. There were so many things going on in it at once. I recalled my parents, Raya's face came to my mind, Anaya, G, Ayush, Vyan and Maan.
Maan!
I snatched my phone off the bedside table and dialed his number. It rang and rang before he finally answered in a groggy voice. "Hello?"
"Maan." My voice shook.
"What happened, Geet?" He was instantly more alert.
Before I could tell him anything at all, an emergency alarm went off in the hotel. Maan instructed me to reach the lobby as fast as I could as I heard his own shuffling sounds. I cut the call and hurriedly picked up my briefcase which had my important documents in it before rushing out the door and towards the stairs, bounding downstairs even as the other guests did the same.
The lobby was crowded. I could not spot Maan there. When most of the guests had arrived, the management began making announcements. They informed the guests about the storm, trying their best to keep the panic low even as they told details. The hotel needed to be evacuated as soon as possible. The hotel management had arranged for a couple of buses for the guests to be transported to safe places. We had half an hour to get only the most important belongings to take with us. The storm was predicted to pass in a couple of days. Until then, we were stranded.
The crowd immediately began to disperse haphazardly, panic tangible in the air. I saw Adi going towards his room and rushed over to inquire Maan's whereabouts.
"He's in the office, Geet. He's trying to figure out a way for us to go back home."
I was about to rush to the office but Adi stopped me.
"First get your stuff here." Seeing that I was about to protest, he spoke again. "Safety first, Geet. Go get your stuff and then we can help MK."
I knew he was right so I bounded up the stairs. People were already coming down with their belongings so I was aware I had little time. Having never been in such a situation earlier, I wasn't exactly sure what I could take along and what not, so I picked the utter essentials and stuffed them in the same briefcase of my documents before running back towards the lobby.
Maan was there now, one ear glued to the phone, dressed in slacks and a loose tee, his hair tousled and his posture tense, he was almost shouting on the phone. I was at his side in a jiffy, wanting to calm him down despite being so scared myself. I put a hand on his shoulder while he was still on the phone, angrily demanding to know if any kind of transport could take his team out of the city before the situation worsened further. The only acknowledgement my touch got me was a split-second look before he turned away.
I could now see the management guiding people into buses. Announcements were being made that the buses were limited and the weather did not allow enough time for the buses to make another round to the hotel so everybody had to squeeze themselves in.
"Maan." I tried to get his attention as he cut the call in anger and started to dial another number. He did not say anything so I called him again louder. "Maan!"
Still no reply. "Maan, there's only one way out now. We need to wait for the storm to pass."
His frustration was getting the better of him as he shuffled from one foot to another, sometimes taking short steps and I followed him, trying to reason with him as he shouted on the phone. I'd never seen him cuss as much. My phone began to ring.
"Hello?" I answered without checking the ID.
"Di, are you alright? Where are you? What's going on?" Raya's panicked voice reached my ears even as my eyes still remained alert to Maan and my surroundings. I could hear the manager of the hotel announcing that the third bus was about to leave and that there were only four buses left. Time was short but to calm my baby sister down, I controlled the shaking of my voice.
"I'm fine, Chhoti. The storm has begun to hit the city earlier than expected so the management is shifting us to safe places. They're telling it'll pass in a couple of days and we'll be fine." I could hear her short gasps and I knew she was on the verge of crying. "It's alright, Raya. Now, I want you to know that the storm may disrupt mobile phone services and the internet so you won't be able to reach me for a while but I'll call you as soon as I can. Okay? Be brave like you are." She was crying. "I need to go. I love you, Raya." With that, I cut the call, and shut my eyes, willing myself not to break down at the moment. I had to be strong.
Taking long strides to where Maan was trying to make a call, I snatched his phone from his hand and forced him to look at me. He was livid.
"What're you doing?!" He almost screamed.
"Listen to me, Maan!" I said in just the same tone. Our co-workers had all gathered around us. "You're just wasting time right now. We need to leave."
"I can't leave! You're all my responsibility and I just can't let you all be in this goddamned storm!" He shouted. "I need to find a way out for us to go back home. I need to keep you all safe!"
"Why don't you understand that you're just going to make us all die here if you keep this up?!" He looked away, his teeth gritted, angry lines marring his forehead. "Look at me! I ordered and he followed it, however unwillingly. "If you want to keep us all safe, get your stuff and board the buses. There's not much time and we need to hurry." I was trying to reason with him but he was obstinate.
"You all go."
I wanted to shout but I controlled my voice, instead turning to Adi and instructing him to get the whole team on the buses urgently.
"And you two?" Adi asked worriedly.
"We'll come on the next bus. You go!" I pushed him towards the buses, urging them all to go. "And you come with me." Taking Maan by the hand, I pulled him hurriedly towards his room.
When we reached, I waited by the door and told him to get his stuff. He wasn't happy about it but he complied and quickly got what he wanted to take along. From the lobby, I could hear the manager shouting if anybody was left in the hotel because the last bus was going to leave with the staff of the hotel. I shouted back to let them know we were there. Maan held my hand and we broke into a run as we quickly made it down the stairs and into the lobby, reaching just in time for the last person boarding the bus to see us and let us in.
When the doors of the bus clicked shut, my shoulders sagged and I leaned against the doors while standing. There was no place to sit.
It was raining hard and the darkness of the night made it even harder to see ahead. I could hear the staff talking among themselves and one telling the other that we were heading to a stadium where we were to stay until the storm was over.
"Why did you not go with the rest of them?" Maan asked me rather grumpily. I raised my eyes to look at him. He was standing right in front of me, almost towering over me, his eyes still somewhat angry. I knew the anger was not directed towards me but now that I knew we were going to be safe, his question brought out the irritation in me as I remembered his stubborn attitude.
"I didn't know you were so crazy and you had no sense of self preservation! Who behaves like that at such a crucial time?!" I scolded him.
"If you have a sense of self preservation, why didn't you just leave me there and go?" He bit out, not having liked my outburst.
"I couldn't leave without you." My voice softened as some emotion began to leak out. "I just couldn't let you stay back there and go." My voice broke and faded, effectively silencing me and him, his eyes boring into mine and the traces of anger wiped out.
As cliched as it was, the bus jerked, instantly bringing us back to the present. Both our heads turned towards the front, trying to see what the issue was. It seemed like one of the tyres was stuck in something on the road that wasn't visible due to the pouring rain and the darkness. The driver pressed the accelerator, once, twice and then thrice to pull the bus out of the ditch but it didn't work so one of the men got off to investigate. The wind had picked up speed, I could tell as the man held on to the frame of the bus while checking where the bus was stuck.
He came back with the news that there was an uncovered manhole and that the bus must be pushed to get us out of here so all men quickly got off, including Maan. My eyes followed as they went towards the back of the bus and unanimously began pushing the bus while the driver stepped on the accelerator. The constant push and the acceleration finally worked and the bus jerked out of the manhole, relieving all of us as the men, drenched through and through, hurried to get back on the bus and we continued our journey.
Dripping wet as he was, Maan stood back in the place he was standing at before, his breathing heavy as he ran a hand through his hair. Without a second thought, I pulled off the scarf from around my neck and handed it to him telling him to try to dry his hair.
"Thanks!" He mumbled and rubbed the piece of cloth over his head, however little helpful it may have been.
The rest of the journey passed as we looked out the windows, anxiously waiting to get out of the increasing rain and the howling wind. Water was beginning to accumulate on the roads and according to the weather forecast somebody had announced a few minutes ago, the water level would double in a matter of a few hours if the speed of rain remained constant.
After what seemed like a long time, I spotted the domed stadium we had been heading to and a wave of relief swept through me for the first time since I had woken up. There were hundreds of people arriving at the stadium, I noted when we got off the bus. Since there was no electricity, the whole area was shrouded in darkness and there was such a rush that I quietly slipped my hand into Maan's, linking my fingers with his firmly so we wouldn't part because of the crowd. The only reaction from him was to tighten his hand around mine as he led us both through the throngs of people and into the building.
The stadium was gigantic, with a capacity to shelter thousands of people.
"How are we going to find everybody here?" I wondered aloud as the crowd only increased once we were inside the building.
With his neck craned, Maan was looking everywhere. "I don't know, but I need to know everybody reached here safely."
My eyes went up to look at his face etched in worry for his colleagues. Something in me softened. How compassionate, how responsible was he to be worrying so much for everyone's safety. He sensed my gaze and looked down at me.
"What?" He questioned, to which I just shook my head and looked ahead.
We made our way through the crowd, trying to find familiar faces without much success when Maan halted and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Upon realising that his phone had gotten wet when he had been in the rain, and now his phone was dead, he muttered an expletive.
"This stupid thing had to die just now!" He cursed it and then turned to me. "Is your phone working?"
I fished it from my bag and checked to see there was some network still available so I quickly dialed Adi's number. He answered on the second try and we were informed that everybody was safe in the stadium. I narrated the same to Maan and saw his shoulders sag in relief. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and I observed his face. He looked so tired, like he had fought a battle.
I raised a hand and rubbed lightly on his arm. "Everything's going to be fine." I tried to soothe him. "We are all safe and we'll be back home in a couple of days."
He raised his eyes to me and I saw fierce determination in them. "I will make sure of that, even if it costs my life."
"Don't say that!" My reaction was spontaneous. The thought of him ceasing to exist was acutely painful and I just couldn't let my mind wander towards it. Even when I had gone back after college, unwantedly breaking his heart, I had known he'd be fine, I sometimes heard about him from Anaya when she unintentionally let his name slip in our conversations. Not wanting to dwell much on it, I tugged his hand.
"Come let's sit somewhere." Continuing lightly, I said, "since we're going to have to wait for a while, we better make ourselves comfortable."
Since people were sitting anywhere they got a place, we too decided to sit on the trimmed grass towards a side. Halfheartedly, I let his hand slip away when we finally sat down. A feeling of emptiness tickled my hand and I quickly tucked it in my lap, pulling my briefcase close.
Distracting myself, I took in my surroundings. In the semi-darkness, many torchlights were illuminated, allowing people to navigate their way around. Anywhere I looked, I saw worried faces, scared and tense, some crying, some restless. Mothers tried to calm their children and keep them close, their own faces a mirror of their children's feelings.
A chill ran up my spine when I once again realised the gravity of the situation we were all in. Instinctively, I gathered my knees close to my chest and put my cheek on them, still observing people around me. Maan, however, was observing me, and I discovered the same when I heard his murmur.
"It's not easy being the strong person, is it?" The resignation in his voice caused me to turn my head towards him and place it back on my knees so now I could see him. He was sitting cross-legged, his fingers toying with the grass, his shoulders sagged and his back hunched. He was the perfect picture depicting the meaning of his words.
"No." I admitted honestly in a voice as gentle as the softness I felt for him in my heart. "Sometimes you just wish you could be like a carefree child who knows that his parents would take care of everything, no matter how big the problem is."
Resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, he gazed at me. "You really miss your parents, don't you?"
I smiled faintly, swallowing the lump in my throat. "You have no idea."
He kept gazing at me with nothing but understanding, and that look of his undid something in me. It made me want to talk to him and I knew he would empathise, the compassionate human that he was.
"Sometimes," I began in a whisper, "I wish I could go back to that time... I wish I could just lie down with my head in my mother's lap... I wish I could have a chat with baba as we sat drinking tea in the evening..." Tears trickled out of my eyes and slid sideways, resting my head on my knees as I was. "I wish... I just wish I could keep them with me forever..."
Unable to control myself, the silent tears turned into sobs and I turned my face into hands, crying my heart out. No sound escaped Maan's lips but I did not realise when he shifted closer and put his arm around my shoulders, gently pulling me closer until my head rested on his chest.
"Why is life so unfair, Maan?" I sobbed into his shirt. "Why did they leave me alone?"
He hugged me firmly. "You're not alone, Geet." His rough voice reached my ears. "I am here for you."
Edited by mayyo - 6 years ago
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