Broken Dreams

Christmas is around the corner. Everyone knows in the neighborhoods what level of excitement Riya possesses on Christmas. She herself does all the decoration and lightings of the house and the rest garden part she and her mother do altogether. But this time there is no such preparations are seen to be made yet. Her next-door aunt smriti is every time curious about Riya's Christmas party because every year Riya planned something different and unique. Her son Sameer is an internet surfer and always busy doing Facebook and WhatsApp.He was browsing his Facebook profile when he got shocked after reading his friends post, his friend is a common friend of Riya too. He called his mother, they both burst into tears after knowing that Riya is dead. They rushed towards Riya's house. Riya's father Mr. Ambernath is a retired army officer and her mother owns a saree boutique......

Tring tring tring.........

 The phone rang...Riya's father took up the receiver.....

 Hello, who's is this......?

I am from Indigo airlines.....

 May I know whom am I speaking to....?

Yes, I am Riya's father Mr. Abernath.....

Ohh ok, yes sir...... I am Simran from indigo airlines I would like to speak to your daughter, please...

He understands the lady on the call doesn't know about Riya's case.

So he casually asked, how many days ago you have been appointed on this job...

Sir... it's just 2 weeks ago.....

Okay, dear.....

Her father swallowed his sadness and says she will not able to come because she is sleeping...

Okay sir, but it's very important for her to take the call, As I have to inform her that she has been selected as the chief air hostess of the next flight to Vietnam which will leave on Saturday evening.

I myself congratulate her on behalf of indigo airlines for her first flight.

But….her father in a hushed tone she is sleeping though I will let her know about this….Okay, sir no problem and thank you for your time and have a good day...The receiver dropped down from his hand, tears split over and flowed down his face. His body looked calm compared to how tangled his mind was. Moans escaped his lips through the suppressed sound of hiccups. Suddenly the doorbell rang...he opened the door walking on his trembling feet. What happened, how did it happened, a series of questions attacked him, but he was standing still. Her mother stepped forward to console him. She says…..

A few days ago Riya with her hands joined standing before and praying to her worshipped goddess. She was quite nervous on her first interview in indigo airlines. She also gave interviews in other airline industries but no positive response came. In her childhood, she always had a dream and said this.....

 "The air turned black all around me. I sat cradled in three branches at the top of an old oak behind my house. I could see over the rooftop, could see for miles......Overhead, planes lined up in the sky, heading toward Heathrow Airport to land one by one......."

 She dreamt of becoming a chief air hostess. She got her inspiration and motivation from her mother. She had an idol, Neerja who sacrificed her life for the sake of her passengers. She did pretty well in her interview but was a little worried about her height which is slightly approximate to the height they want in their air hostesses. The day was her birthday she was very excited for her 22nd birthday as I promised to give her the latest iPhone her. She had hosted a lunch party with her friends at a nearby restaurant. She even called me before leaving from there, she told me she will be reaching home by 5 o 'clock because she has to pick up her dress from the tailor for the evening party. She picked up her dress and was about to enter the car when she was a gunshot. She fell down on the road. When the police reached there the police found Riya laying over a pool of blood. The police then rushed her to the local hospital but upon reaching the hospital she was declared dead. The police begin their investigation….Riya's body was handed over to her parents after the post mortem for finishing her last rites. The post mortem declared she died from injury and heavy bleeding after a bullet attacked her heart. She has been killed. Her perpetrators are still on leaves, they are breathing freely in the air states the daily news reports on the second day….The case is entered in court and her parents her waiting for the final judgment. Her father says in front of the court and the media, that the perpetrators not only killed his daughter but they killed his daughter's dream of becoming an air hostess too. Her dreams have been broken brutally. She got justice but her dreams didn't….