Crossing Avenues
Her body felt as if it was encased in a vice, and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter. The tension of grief- if you have ever been paralyzed by sorrows, you could feel her pain.
It's been a month since her father, her only family, passed away. A part of her died with him that day.
She couldn't take it; she couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't rest or relax. Her nerves were utterly shaken and confidence gone.
Last week she went to two doctors, but none of the remedies seemed to work. No sleeping pills, no trips ever changed anything.
Even with all the doors and windows open she felt suffocated. Nothing was going to change.
She grabbed her yellow hood and made her way out. It was 6 in the cold winter morning. Almost dawn; the beginning of a new day.
She walked numbly on the pavement. While crossing the avenue that lead to the city central park she thought she collided with a brick wall. She almost loses her balance. The guy she collided with shouts,
"Watch where you're going you...Hi sunshine!"
His tone changed the moment he saw Zoya.
Zoya rolls her eyes. It was Asad, her father's best friend's son, freshly graduated from Harvard Business School. Dressed in a ashen baggy trouser with a dark green t-shirt, showing off his biceps, Zoya thought.
"Hi toad!"
"Toad?" he recalls all the silly names she had been calling him ever since they met first time. Mr. Six Packs, Jehanpana, Imported bakra and now toad.
"My name is Asad not toad."
"And my name is Zoya not sunshine."
She snapped back and started walking again. He follows.
"Can I join you?"
"Of course not." She repelled glaring at him.
He joined her anyway, which she knew he would.
"By the way why did you call me a toad?"
"What else do you want me to call you? Tom Cruise? Brad Pitt? Or Bruce Wayne?"
"I won't mind that."
She rolled her eyes, deeply annoyed.
"Go get yourself a mirror dude."
He looked at her for a while then said,
"Oh come on Zoye you arn't even trying."
"Trying what?"
"To kill this depression."
"Makes no difference."
"It does girl... look if you don't kill it I am sure it will kill you someday."
"Won't that be better?"
"Of course not... don't be silly."
"Can you just leave me alone?"
She said frustrated.
"No... I can't" he said casually.
"Why?" she said through her teeth.
"Because I just read in the morning paper that its highly unsafe to leave psychopaths alone."
She glared at him.
"Haha...funny's cousin... not funny."
"Why are you being sarcastic? It was only a joke."
"Why don't you quit cracking these jokes of yours? They aren't even funny."
She expected some more blabber from his side but he abruptly changed the topic.
"Coffee?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"I don't like coffee."
"Tea then?"
"No."
"Shake?"
"No."
"Water?"
She gave him a sick look.
"Come on you can't live without water. "
They both sit in a cafe. He sips his coffee, staring at her, while she gulps down the glass of water in three mouthfuls. She looked up at him and found him staring at her.
"What?" she asked confused.
"You are so impossible Zoya."
"and you are hopeless Asad."
"Talk about yourself."
"That's offensive." She said making a baby face.
"Okay... Okay...I am sorry... i didn't mean it."
"What did you mean then?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Yes nothing."
"Fine whatever."
Both were silent for a while. He gazed at her again.
"Why do you keep staring?"
She asked irked.
"You know I lost my father when I was 6."
She looked at him in bewilderment.
"But uncle..."
He interrupts her.
"He is my step dad."
"oh... I never knew that."
"No one does."
"I am so sorry."
"Not more that I am." He continued after a pause. "I was very attached to him. After he died I did nothing except weeping all day and all night.
Then one day mom told me that I was hurting my dad by crying
I asked her how can I hurt him when he is already dead...?
She told me people we love never die; they live in our hearts for the rest of our lives. If we cry, we hurt them and when we smile, we make them happy.
I never cried after that because my dad never wanted to see me cry.
I still feel him around me, with me, within me."
She gazed at him her eyes welling up with tears. She kept staring at him for a long time. Trying to absorb his words. She smiled sadly. Asad smiled back.
He then continued,
"You know I have a philosophy... when you share a secret with someone... after that you are never the same with that person again, they approach you with different eyes after that."
Zoya shakes her head smiling.
"I never knew you were so deep."
"How much do you know me? Except for the apparent facts."
"Not much." She nodded.
Both smile.
They were leaving out of the cafe when Zoya said,
"Thank you Asad."
"For?"
"For bringing me out of my anxiety."
He smiles thoughtfully. "Can I ask for something in return?"
Zoya rolls her eyes.
"Just one."
"Okay only one."
"Shoot."
"Would you mind being me date?"
She looked at him amazed at his speed. She smiles broadly and punches gently on his biceps.
"You are crazy man."
"Is that a yes?"
Zoya nods slightly before turning away. Asad smiles to himself.
And off they go crossing new avenues.
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hope you guys enjoy it. i was half dead writing this OS . wrote at at 2 in the morning. feel like dozing of for an eternity.
Links to Part 2 (Requested)
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/qubool-hai/3530527/asya-os-crossing-avenues?pn=3
Links to my writing index:-
Shiv Shakti
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