holla guys... its me appu and I have written this small thing on ShaReYam. hope you guys like it. Its not an original thing. I read this something and thought of writng a ShaReYam version of it. So all credits go to Meghan O' Brain who's real life experience is this.
MY GUARDIAN ANGEL
There are two people who managed to change my life forever. The day I met them brought in a great twist in my life. I still remember , it was the first day of 11th. I was finally a senior and it felt great ( umm.. not exactly, I still got one more year to go… but hell who cares) . I entered into the hallway. People were waving at me, causal hello hi's and the talks. The hallway was crawling with people . Freshmen who seemed like they were amongst aliens, seniors who were just waiting for a chance to terrorize a poor freshmen. The jocks, the cheerleaders all in their respective corners. But I seemed oblivious to all that. All I could see was the tall, handsome guy in the blue shirt, standing in the end of the corridor. His perfectly lean figure, his long nose , his dove eyes, his perfectly silky hair that curled near the nape of his neck. He was laughing hard at something the guy near him said. He looked absolutely angelic. His smile, that was so angelic. I wanted to walk upto him and talk to him. And I was going to do just that. But destiny had other plans for us as the god damned bell rang and I was forced to go to my class as Mr . Fisher, my Math teacher, apparently hated late comers. And we were going to have this beach party so I really cannot afford another detention right now. I spent the whole day thinking about that guy. I just couldn't get him out of my head. There was something about him that made me think about him. Maybe, just maybe , it had something to do with the fact that he was Indian. I have been living in America my whole life. I was born here . But that doesn't mean I have forgotten my Indian values and all. My parents made sure that I grew up as a true Indian. I was not allowed to even date till I was sixteen and now also my parents are not exactly thrilled by the idea of me dating a "Gora munda" as my mom would put it. And honestly, I never actually liked any of the guys here. I am a total bollywood lover and hope to find my "RAJ" someday.
Enough blabber, lets get back. So, I didn't get to see that guy again. My eyes kept searching for him, but alas, I couldn't find him. I was sitting on a rock , staring aimlessly at the setting sun when I felt someone's presence . I looked up to see a pair of deep blue eyes staring at me.
"Hey Nick"
" Shar… What are you doing here all alone?? You know what, I have you to introduce someone to you. Come on" said Nick, my friend slash neighbor. He pulled me along with him to a group of guys and girls . They seemed to surround someone and OH MY, my heart did a couple of flips, for the guy who's been occupying more than half of my mindspace was in front of me.
" Shar, meet Swayam. Swayam Shikhawat. I have told you about him right. He was with me back in New York. And Swayam, this is Sharon Raiprakash. My friend , my bestie , my nieghbour." Introduced Nick.
"Hey…. This guy's been talking about you since morning. Couldn't wait to meet you" he said , forwarding his hand. His voice was so manly yet melodious. I couldn't find my tounge, literally. Sharon RaiPrakash is never at a loss for words. Never but now. Then we got talking and we became instant friends. We talked about where we are from. We talked about India, about our families and all. I got to know that he was from a royal family in Jodhpur, Rajastan. Honestly, I have never heard of that place but he didn't need to know that now, did he? There was something about his smile that stayed with me for the rest of that weekend. We started talking to each other online, and then on the phone. WE just clicked, just like that.
Over the next few months, I found myself falling in love with Swayam. I don't know how or why it happened, but it did. By the time football season rolled out mid-summer, Swayam and I were dating. He was an instant with my parents. My dad was really impressed with his manners and his sense of responsibility . And my mom, my mom was oh-so-totally impressed by his nature and of course, him calling her beautiful and showering her with compliments also helped. And yeah, my parents were really glad that this guy was Indian.
After Swayam and I got together, it was our Friday ritual to go out to the local diners. So one such Friday, I was sitting there with Swayam munching on my chicken fingers when this kind of tall, well built kid walked in and strolled right over to our table. Well he was kind of tall, as in average height, but looked short when compared to Swayam who was 6"2".
" Sharon, this is Reyansh Shinghania," Swayam said to me.
The kid looked at me with his greenish- goldenish eyes, smiled the whitest smile I'd ever seen , showing off his extra sharp cannines and said " hey, wassup?"
Little did I know that this was the beginning of the most important friendship I'd ever have in my life, and that I would grow to love that smile ( and Oh not to mention that laugh ) and depend on it to get me through some of my worst days. Rey, as we fondly called him, made me laugh , made me cry , picked up the pieces when my life seemed to fall apart, and always managed to keep me smiling. We had these staring contests that I always lost and wrestling matches that I usually won ( mostly cause he let me). He messaged me when my favorite songs were on the radio and didn't care when I sang at the top of my lungs to then in his car.
For about a year, the three of us spent as much time as we could in each other's company. I remember dragging Rey along with us on our dates . he would be cursing us on the top of his voice by the end of the day. Swayam and I had our ups and downs like any other couple, but no matter how many times we fought or saw other people , we always managed to find our way back to each other.
Then at the end of August 2011, my heart was broken. Swayam and Rey were going off to college. And even though they were only going forty-five minutes , I thought I was going to die without them. But it was not as bad as I thought it would be. My parents didn't mind the phone bill too much, so I got to talk to them every other day, and we talked online too. Skype was never so much fun before. They came home every weekend and had dinner with us ever other weekend. On one of those weekend nights, Swayam called me up so I could join them for Laser Tag with them. As much as I wanted to go ( I had been bugging them for weeks now about going with them). I had to reuse since I had to wake up early next morning and going out with them meant being up all night. I was just about to leave for the mall when the phone started ringing. It was Nick and he sounded different, kind of shaken up. He told me that they were just waiting for the game to start and so I thought nothing of it. I found his call again when I returned from the mall. He had called me right after I left. I found that odd and decided to call him . As soon as he opened his mouth my body turned to ice. I felt numb.
" I have bad news , Shar…. Swayam and Rey were in a car accident tonight on their way to Laser Tag."
I almost dropped the phone. This was not happening. This was so not happening. Not to the two people I loved the most in the world. I couldn't , no wouldn't believe it.
" No, Nick, I don't believe you. You would've told me when you first called. No Nick, you are lying! How could you lie about something like this. ?? I hate you"
Right before I hung up I heard Nick yell , " I'm coming over right now… wait for me…"
I went downstairs, still shaken, and waited by the door. I expected the three of them to come up my steps laughing and shouting about how they trolled me. But when Nick turned up alone I knew. I knew this was happening. I knew that he had told me the truth.
" Nick, please tell me they are okay…. They have to be okay! Nick, tell me!" I didn't know what I was saying. I could barely see straight as my vision was by now completely blurred with tears.
" Swayam's in the ICU . I don't know if he's gonna be okay or not. No one would tell me anything" he said clearly frustrated and tears revolting to flow off from his eyes.
" and Rey…. What about Rey"
Nick stayed silent. I grabbed him by his collar and yanked him to and fro yelling, " tell me damit"
"Nick …please tell me he's okay" I yelled through my sobs.
" I.. I cant Shar…." Nick got very quiet and looked down. " Rey…Rey didn't make it. I'm so sorry Shar. I was going to tell you earlier when I called you… but I just couldn't get myself to do it. Not like that… not over the phone." He was struggling for words, and I was struggling for breath. I just collapsed onto the sidewalk, crying. He pulled me into his arms and just hugged me.One of my best friends was dead and my boy friend was in the intensive care fighting for his life. I just couldn't handle it.
Nick got me into the living room and told my parents the details. Swayam and Rey had been following Nick and a few others in Rey's dad's blazer. Rey had lost control of the truck , and it crashed into the guardrail, flipping over and throwing him out. They didn't have their seatbelts on . Nick had called me from the side of the road on his cell phone. He told me later that he needed to hear my voice, he needed to know that at least one person he cared about was okay.
Somehow I made it through the drive. I ran into the hospital to see Swayam. I saw his mom outside the ICU. She told me that he's be alright . He had a broken cheekbone, a dislocated shoulder and some other injuries, but he would be okay. He didn't know about Rey yet, and everyone was worried about how to break the news to him. Just the I saw him. I saw them taking him away. He was covered up to neck with a white cloth. I ran behind them, crying. " Rey…Rey wake up… please… you promised.. you cannot do this… you promised to always be there with me… Rey" . My dad dragged me back to the seats, making me sit. He and mom hugged me, trying to sush me.
I spent the next week in a daze, just going through the motions. Nothing mattered to me anymore. I cried myself to sleep every night, and even cried throughout the day. How could you go on without your best friend. I tried to be strong during his funeral , for his mom needed me. I had to be strong for him, for his parents, for Swayam.
Telling Swayam about Rey was the hardest. They had grown up together. They were "chaddi buddies " as they called it. His parents were the ones to break the news to him, and he didn't believe them at first. He went into denial at first. Eventually he realized it was true, and when he did all he could do was cry. Hold my hand and cry. I didn't know what to say, so I stayed pretty quiet when they told him. It was a sad moment for all of us and a life- changing one for lee.
It's been a year and half now , since that fateful day. Swayam is fine now, physically atleast. Emotionally, we both were scarred for life and we knew it. There was a part of us that will always be missing, a place in our heart that will always have Rey's name on it. I've been to his grave countless times, and I talked to him every night. I would give anything to have him back. Nothing and no one will ever take his place. but I know he's watching over me , like he promised me once that he'd always be there for me and that he'd never let me down. I know Rey, and I know that he'll keep his promise forever, watching over us , being
MY GUARDIAN ANGEL.
- Sharon Rai Prakash
Cricket
Arjun
