Life Flows Like A River

By Manisha Manjari

Good things fall apart so that better things can fall together.

Vedhika Saran, a pediatrician! Hated by her mother! Destiny hits her hard and is abandoned by her loved ones too. The turns of events take her into the lap of Himachal. Where she becomes the hope and happiness of her old grandfather! The old man was also suffering from an incurable disease Alzheimer's. The disease that, was eating him bit by bit.

Abhimanyu Thakur, a software developer! Whose life runs behind the screen of his laptop! A disappointment in his father's view. A calm, sophisticated, old-school kind of guy, who cares for others' emotions and happiness over his own. Often come to Himachal to take care of his grandfather's ancestral Motel.

When their path crossed. Destiny conspired against them to fall from the cliff like a stream. Just to find peace and happiness of the plains and flows like a River.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sahityapedia Publishing
• Release date: Feb 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9789391470517

Book preview

MUMMY & PAPA IT'S FOR YOU.......

INTRODUCTION

Life is a small word with unexpected meanings. We always think that we are the creator of our own life; our decisions will lead us to our desired destination. In many cases, it turns out true, but in most, what we think, what we want and, what we do, it doesn’t matter at all. Because someone who is sitting there, at the other dimension, He has already taken the decisions about us. Sometimes He thinks that we have enough strength, to stand with His tough decisions and sometimes His decisions make us that much stronger.

Life is not just about the struggles and success stories. But it also defines learning and experiences. Most of us often say that life is full of struggles and the struggles lead us to a successful life. Life is simple but don’t we complicate it? We seem to give importance to matters that have no value and end up doing all the wrong things. Many times in our life we forget to exercise kindness, compassion, empathy, and forgiveness. We don’t seem to have time to appreciate this beautiful sky, fresh air, flowers, trees, and all the other things that nature gifted us. Our mind is clouded with a false sense of prestige, fame, popularity, splendor, and riches. We seem to be always in a hurry to get somewhere. We often forget that life is not a process of achievements but a process of learning. We learn many aspects of living. And the most important thing is, its way of teaching; seriously it is hilarious. Life throws us into deep sadness just to show us what is actually, true happiness is! It pushes us to chaos so that we can learn to appreciate peace. It snatches our loved ones, just to let us understand, what their presence meant for us.

One more, most beautiful aspect of life is, it has so many colors. It never lets us paint by a single color, it has so many shades. Sometimes we fly in imminence happiness; sometimes it drowns us to the deepest level of sorrow and loss. Sometimes we feel like we are up above the sky and within a blink of an eye, it drops us to sea level. Lots of experience and learning, it gives us.

Whenever something bad happens, we wish to go to the past and change the beginning, but never understand why, why it’s so much needed, why we can’t start from there, where we are standing right now. Now and then, we wish to change the past and recreate the future, just a simple thing humans don’t understand and accept, is the present. We often forget that life is like a flowing river, which is leading us to a certain Ocean. That is our final destination. In the full journey, our focus sticks to the beginning and the destination, but in the process, we forget to enjoy the journey. Which is more beautiful than the beginning and the destination?

Lessons taught by life take us a lifetime to learn. Maybe that is why old age and wisdom go hand in hand. I am not saying that all the old people are wiser! But the passing time makes them sober. As time flows, our priorities change and we learn to savor life more. We are in no hurry to prove ourselves to the world, and that is the huge lesson to be learned! We learn not to compare ourselves with others but can strive each day to better ourselves be a wonderful thing to understand, comprehend and be.

We cannot control the happenings of our lives, because it’s beyond our power, but at least we can be grateful to Him, for the blessing He gives us. He is our creator, if He has written something for us; it must be meaningful and worthy. He knows what we need instead of what we want. We just have to do only one thing, have faith in Him and Go with the Flow.

CONTENTS

1)  THE NIGHTMARE

2)  THE SILENCE

3)  THE ENGAGEMENT

4)  REVELATION OF TRUTH

5)  THE FLIGHT

6)  THE GRANDFATHER

7)  THE TWINGE OF PAIN

8)  THE FIRST SIGHT

9)  THE INVITATION

10)  THE FRESH LIGHT

11)  THE UNFORGETTABLE WALK

12)  THE ALZHEIMER'S

13)  FACE YOUR DEMONS

14)  THE WAITING EYES

15)  A SUDDEN URGE

16)  AN ELDERLY ADVICE

17)  THE SHATTERING OF DREAMS & HOPE

18)  THE UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL

19)  DISILLUSIONMENT

20)  A DAMAGED SOUL

21)  THE CALL OF LIFE

CHAPTER-1

THE NIGHTMARE

T

he day was bright and beautiful. The layers of Sun were covering the atmosphere, and its aura was kissing the earth. The place was covered by the canopy of tall and green trees which worked like natural shades. Nearby there was a beautiful river named Teesta, that was flowing, which was shining bright blue when the sunlight reflected with its upper edge. The river was dancing in its flow and enriched the beauty of the place. The place was echoing with the sounds of rustling leaves, burbling rivers, and chirping birds. A white car was parked under the shade of an old oak tree, just nearby the highway. The family of four was spending their precious time near the lake. Dhruv Saran was working on his laptop, and he had fully avoided seeing the beauty of his surroundings. His wife Sambhavi was talking on her mobile, and staring continuously at Dhruv. When she lost her patience, she snatched the laptop from Dhruv and asked him bitterly,

Sambhavi–What the hell Dhruv? Why do we come here if you are still engaged with this laptop? We decided to spend some quality time with our family, and here you are still wasting your time with this bloody laptop!

Dhruv was flabbergasted with the sudden change of actions; he composed himself and smiled at his wife. He held his ears and apologized.

Dhruv – I am so sorry Sambhavi, but that mail was important. Yes, I promised to give you all my time and attention today, so see I am shutting down this bloody laptop and now I am all yours.

Sambhavi melted at her husband’s humorous behavior and smiled shyly. She then threw an apple teasingly towards Dhruv and said, You can never change, still the same. You are forgetting you are now the father of two beautiful girls.

Dhruv made a poker face and replied, What if I am a father, I am still young, handsome, and energetic, just try me.

Shut up Dhruv, replied Sambhavi.

Dhruv – By the way where are my princes?

Sambhavi – They were just here, a few moments ago. I think they went near the river, I told them not to go down near the river, it’s quite not safe, but your girls never listen to me, just like you.

Dhruv – Relax darling, I just get them back in a minute.

As Dhruv and Sambhavi were talking about their daughters, a scream shook them entirely; they both looked at each other with wide and horrific eyes. They ran towards the screaming sound. The sound was coming from the edge of the river. They were about to reach the edge, when they saw their elder daughter Vedhika, who was trying to draw, her younger sister Samistha from the river. Samistha was drowning in the river but was holding a big stone, her hands were slipping and the current of the river was making it difficult to hold her grip on the stone. Vedhika was trying to help her sister with a log of wood, and screaming for her parent's help. Meanwhile, Samistha held the log and Vedhika was trying to pull her with that, but the river current was so massive that in a blink of an eye both the sisters were flowing in the river. None of their parents were swimmers; they were crying their names and screaming for help.

It was her first experience with this amount of water, While Samistha was learning swimming but the current was making her unable to think or swim. Vedhika never felt to breathe this much in her entire life as much she was feeling right now. She wasn’t understanding which way is up or which one is down, she was fully disoriented. The only thing she understood was that she was dying. Her visions were blurring now, and her eyesight turning into black flecks. Her lungs were burning and her chest felt like something huge was pulling it down and down. She was feeling a sense of nausea and her body felt tingly and rigid. Her ears were throbbing with her heartbeat. The water was icy cold that was making her numb now. She was not feeling her limbs anymore and had no control over herself. Her visions were going blank now, and she was feeling like her veins were about to explode any second. Very few breaths were left now. And what was she inhaling that was only water now and what she exhaled was also water now! Her visions went completely blank now. And in the meantime, someone grabbed her wrist and draws her. The grip on her wrist felt so hot against her skin that she screamed.

Vedhika was now sitting at her bed, and looking at her wrist, her eyes were wide open, and she was drenched in sweat. She was breathing like she didn’t breathe for so long, her lungs were still hurting, but somehow she was controlling herself. Her room was dark and the only window of the room was letting the chilled mild wind touch her. She was already wet in sweat, so the chilled wind made her shiver now. She switched on the lights of the room and had a glass of water. When she looked towards the wall clock, it said that it’s four in the morning.

She left the bed and went to the window, it was still dark outside. She looked at the sky, which was overcast with lots of stars. Her gaze focused on a particular star, which was shinning much brighter than, the others. And then she murmured, Please forgive me Samistha, please forgive me.

The next morning, Vedhika was sitting at the dining table alone, and having her breakfast. Her father Dhruv Saran left for this office and her mother Sambhavi Saran had developed a habit of having her food alone in her room. The house help Richa was serving breakfast.

Richa – Vedhika di how’s the breakfast today? I made your favorites, isn’t it delicious? Say something in my appreciation.

Vedhika hadn’t taken a bite yet, but she replied to Richa that the food is awesome. Richa stared at Vedhika for a few seconds and asked,

Richa – Why are you so upset di? I am working at your house for the last ten years and I have rarely seen your smile. I know I am a poor servant at your house but you always treat me like a family member. If you think that I can help you in any way, please tell me di, I can do anything for you. I just want to see you all happy.

Vedhika looked at Richa with moist eyes, but a smile was blooming on her lips. She said,

Vedhika- Everything is fine Richa. I know you can do anything for my happiness and I am so lucky to have someone like you in my life. You always care about me like an elder sister. But there are few things and struggles that were in everyone’s life, with whom they had to fight alone. There is a thing called destiny, which cannot be changed. We can’t do anything about that just like my grief. Well let it all, tell me Mumma had her breakfast or not, or you are just hovering around me?

As soon as Richa heard it, she paced towards the kitchen in a hurry and went to serve Sambhavi her breakfast.

Vedhika was standing in front of her dressing and looking at herself, she was twenty-three years old now. Young and beautiful, had a slender figure and fair complexion, her eyes were deep, and seems like lots of mysteries had been buried in them. She had long and dark hair, which enhanced her beauty. She had been gifted with a height of five feet five inches. She wore a sky blue outfit under her white apron and a stethoscope was hanging in her right hand. She folded it gently and took it in her brown leather handbag. She was about to leave the house, but as usual, her steps stops at the closed door of her mother’s bedroom. She knocked at the door but there was no response came from behind. She slowly opened the door and looked straight at her mother, who was lying on her bed and staring at the moving fan. Vedhika then came near her mother and sat by her side, she took her hands and rubbed them gently, and said calmly,

Vedhika – Mumma, I am leaving for the hospital, will be back soon.

There was no response came from Sambhavi, as she didn’t hear her or didn’t want to hear her. Vedhika stood up, smiled and kissed her mother at her cheeks, and left. Sambhavi saw her daughter as she was leaving the room, and closed her eyes.

CHAPTER-2

THE SILENCE

V

edhika Saran was a pediatrician, and she spent her whole day with the children at the Life Care Hospital, in Siliguri, West Bengal. Siliguri is a beautiful city in the northeast of West Bengal, which is surrounded by tea gardens and sits in the foothills of the Himalayas. She was a well-known doctor of this city, who easily mixed up with the kids and they listened to her. She loved to spend her time at the hospital rather than home, which gave her haunted feelings. Everyone liked her, but the only thing that bothers her, that her parents avoided her since the day, she lost her younger sister.

The day was full of chaos and patients, she was too tired now and about