A life-altering inspiration- Part one

“I saw it myself,” said a man, his voice filled with disbelief. “It was like they were abandoned by God, those two people in that beautiful car,” he spoke as a police officer took notes of his statement. “Are they okay?” he asked the officer, eager to leave. The officer sighed heavily and replied, “They were taken to the hospital. I haven’t heard any updates yet.” It was a freezing night, and the snow outside was so heavy that it could be seen from space. Who would have thought that something as pure as snow could cause so much damage?

The hospital was unusually quiet that night, as all the staff focused their attention on one couple. Despite the late hour, time seemed to stand still as the chaos of shouting and running filled the air. Two emergency surgeries took place simultaneously, but unfortunately, only one was successful. It seemed like fate had forsaken the two souls who had hoped to spend their lives together, forgetting just how short life could be.

After three long days filled with prayers from friends and family, a man finally opened his eyes. His voice felt heavy as he asked a question that weighed on his heart more than his breath. “Where is she?” he repeatedly shouted until the staff managed to calm him down. A familiar face uttered the heartbreaking news, “Felicia has passed away.” Tears filled the room, and sorrow echoed from Room 108 for the following week. “Doesn’t he ever sleep?” a nurse asked a doctor. “Only when we give him sleeping tablets against his will,” the doctor replied. “I heard he was about to propose to her,” the nurse gossiped. Angrily, the doctor scolded her, saying, “You should focus on your work instead of spreading rumours. Did he eat?” he asked the nurse. “It’s the same as always. He leaves the entire plate untouched,” she replied softly.

Five more days went by. The frozen leaves outside still clung to the trees. Time remained stagnant for the man who had lost his love. He spent his days staring at the window frame, never looking outside. His focus remained on the cold metal frame rather than the cheerful display of birds. “Shouldn’t he leave now? He seems physically fine,” the exhausted nurse said, to which the doctor responded, “Perhaps physically, but not mentally.”

The doctor tried to find any signs of brain abnormalities or damage that could explain the man’s condition, but all the tests came back normal. Despite this, the doctor had a gut feeling that made him hesitant to discharge the patient. Eventually, he allowed the man to return home after obtaining his signature for the medical bill. The signature read “Arin,” and he left the room where his heart had shattered.

Arin didn’t want to go back home. The emptiness left by Felicia haunted him, and his guilt for causing the car accident overpowered any reason he had to live. Albert, his caretaker and butler, greeted him upon his return. Albert’s eyes were filled with tears as he wanted to ask a question, but his heart knew he couldn’t bear the sorrowful answer. Arin nodded at Albert and went straight to his room. Albert had been by Arin’s side for nearly 10 years. Coming from a poor family, Albert had spent his teenage years cleaning houses with his parents. He met Arin at a coffee shop, and Arin recognised his worth. Arin offered him a job as his caretaker, providing him and his family with a life they could only dream of. Albert felt immeasurable sadness witnessing Arin in such a broken state, which made the situation more devastating for him.

Arin was scared to enter the room he had shared with Felicia. The walls that had witnessed their arguments and reconciliations troubled him. The closets, filled with countless mementos of their broken memories, were unbearable. The empty bed, weighted heavily on one side, was a painful reminder that he couldn’t sleep on. Instead, he chose to spend his days in one of the guest rooms. However, sleep eluded him.

“Why isn’t the brake working? No!!!!” he shouted every night. The same nightmare tormented him. He had no reason to forgive himself. He remembered that fateful night, driving on an open road at 80-100 km/h.

He was planning to propose to Felicia. He laughed at her requests to slow down. But due to the rain and cold weather, he lost control of the car, and they crashed into a tree. There were many factors he could have blamed or understood to convince himself that the accident wasn’t his fault. However, he had lost the person who had found him when no one else could. No excuse or blame could alleviate the pain he felt.

Life had never been easy for Arin.

Arin was raised in a middle-class Indian family and always dreamed of going to the United States. He was different from most children, keeping his thoughts to himself and finding it difficult to make friends. He hoped for a change, but it never came. He spent his school days alone, excelling in academics and participating in non-social activities. Eventually, he earned a scholarship to a university in America. He continued his pattern, waking up at 6 am, studying, and going to sleep at 10 pm. He had no social life, and even his roommate never engaged in a proper conversation with him.

After classes, Arin would often lie down on the grass, gazing at the sky. “Can you imagine if the sky wasn’t blue?” he asked himself. “What if it was red like a tomato or pale like a ghost?” A voice murmured from behind him, “Well, if it were pale like a ghost, wouldn’t the oceans look like milk?” Startled, Arin jumped up and found a young woman lying nearby. “I’ve seen you lying here countless times. Do you always question everything?” she asked. Anxiously, Arin replied, “I find myself to be my best companion. I come here to talk to myself about strange things.” She giggled and said, “But if you’re your best companion, who can convince you to do fun things you wouldn’t normally do?” Arin was confused and asked, “What’s your name?” She whispered, “It’s a secret. But I’ll tell you if you do something for me.” Curious, Arin asked what she wanted him to do. She replied, “Meet me here tomorrow, and maybe I’ll tell you then.”

She sprang up from the ground like a blooming flower and disappeared into the night. Arin was astonished and felt torn between running after her and staying at the park to wait for her. He looked up at the sky and smiled, wondering if she was a ghost or a figment of his imagination. After all, he had always been content with his own company. He waited for an hour but eventually gave up. Disappointed, he muttered, “Some promises are made to be broken, I guess.” Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind him, saying, “No, those are just rules.” Startled, he turned around and realised it was the girl. “You talk to yourself a lot,” she remarked. “I thought language was created to communicate with others. I guess I was wrong,” she chuckled.

Arin stuttered, “I usually have trouble talking to others. People don’t like those who seem weird, so I talk to myself about strange things.” She replied, “I love hearing strange ideas and thoughts. How about we make another promise? Promise me that you’ll meet me here at the same time every day for the rest of the year and share weird facts with me.” Arin agreed, saying, “I promise.”

To be continued…

Read Part two of the story: https://apeejay.news/a-life-altering-inspiration-part-two/