Hailstorm

Thank you all for the overwhelming response to the part I of the story (“The Rains“). I had a sequel in my mind when I was working on it, but as the sequel was not as powerful or effective as the main part, I took a break trying to make the sequel better.  But, once thought of something it’s difficult to change. So here goes the part 2 of “The Rains”, I call it “Hailstorm”. It’s the way I thought part II will be like, without any “masala” or changes.
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I heard screaming around me, looks like I overslept again. My head felt dizzy and it felt like thousand nails being hammered into my brain. Did I drink last night? No, I went to office probably. Oh my God, I’m not even able to think straight. Aargh… My hand, I’ve to change this mattress, it’s very hard. Now who is playing with the light, switching it on and off? It’s really irritating, when someone tries to wake you up using such criminal methods. The faint sound is of my mom, sounds like trouble for me as she’s a calm person. My vision is also blurred, but I never wore glasses. How my vision got so much change in just one night?

It’s not someone switching light on and off, the lights are moving. My house never had such fantastic feature. These people dressed in green are not familiar to me. I’m in hospital and being moved in stretcher. What the hell happened on earth? Oh no, I was with her and met with this horrible accident. Before I could hear the excitement of me being alive I knew I was screaming about her and asking about her well-being. I felt soft hand on my head, it was my mother and she just whispered controlling her tears, “she’s fine”. The touch was magical and I dozed off, but still I felt as if someone pinched me on the other side.

I feel the pain to be subsidized with my hand in a white plaster and I see myself in this lonely room of hospital with a TV at one corner and a couch on other, where my father was trying to console my mother. I was feeling very weak and managed to call my father in meek voice. They were really delighted to see me awake and I forced a smile. I have never seen my father in such desperate condition and my mother, as caring as always, felt as if she found something which was lost. I asked my mother about her, she didn’t reply and hinted my father to. He told me, she is unconscious since the accident. Her head is hit pretty bad and as a result got hemorrhage. She needs an operation for the same. I felt like being the convict here. If I had not asked her out, she would’ve spent the evening in her room cursing her fate for cooking food. I can just imagine what she’ll be going through. She’s far away from her home and it’ll take more than a day for someone of her family to reach her. I asked my father to help me see her, but I was asked to take rest as even I was not in a condition to move from my place. I had multiple fractures in my arm and couple of stitches on my head. I saw a gentleman standing at the door; he didn’t look like the doctor. My father told me he’s the one who saw us in the middle of the road brought us to the hospital. I thanked him and he said, “It was not your fault and it was my responsibility to help you”.

The other day I went to see her. It was the day she was to be operated. Even though her head was in bandages I could see blood oozing through. Her eyes were closed and I could see a mixture of peace, due to anesthesia and the pain, to which I was the cause, on her face. My dad held me and consoled me, “I know how you drive and this was not your fault”.
I just said, “If I had not asked her out, she would’ve been safe”
My dad said, “Some things are fate and they happen, because they have to”
I remained silent thinking what went wrong. I asked my dad whether he claimed for insurance, he said it’s been taken care of. I was surprised as this process was to be followed with the company HR and the insurance company, which I’m sure my father won’t know much. He said the gentleman you saw the other day handled everything and paid for it. He lost his son the same day in some freak accident. He was on his way to see his son when he found you on the road. His son was also in this hospital. I just couldn’t help myself think, probably his son was in the car which hit us and that’s the reason the car stopped for sometime and then went off in random manner.

Her parents arrived. His father was a frail figure and seemed much older than my father and her mother didn’t seem much healthy either. I really appreciate my parents, they handled them pretty well. I’m sure I would’ve not consoled them even half. Finally the operation was successful and the clot was removed. She was asked to take complete bed rest for a month. For the 2 week she was in hospital, I didn’t get much chance to talk, apart from “are you fineyou need anything”. I needed an opportunity to apologize but someone was always there with her. Just 2 days before her release from hospital, we got a 2 minute chance and before I could start anything, she said “I don’t want to go home. I feel better in this city.”
I said, “You can come back in a month”
She said, “The chances are slim, my parents are really conservative and after knowing I was with you, they won’t allow me to come back”
Before I could reply her, she hinted me to stop. In next couple of days she left with her parents. She passed me a note,
“I had the most memorable night in my whole life, unfortunately it ended this way. I love this city and I really like the people here. It’s not like my small village where everyone is very conservative and not allow boy and girl to be friends or see them in wrong light. I found a really good friend in you. I wish, I’ll come back till then, good bye. Do keep me posted. I wish you all the very best for your future.”