Still Waiting

Laya opened the door and quietly sneaked in. Her sister Maya was fast asleep. It was hot summer night where the humidity had hit its peak. She did not want to wake her up. She tried to be as quite as possible. Laya worried that if not the peak summer heat, the tingling of her earing and dangling of her anklets would break her sister's deep sleep. She tiptoed to the cupboard carefully checked Maya's handbag for the brown wallet. Luckily she found it in the first flap of her bag. She grabbed the purse, shut the cupboard slowly and sneaked out as quietly as she sneaked in.

Laya grabbed her duffle bag in the corridor, opened the door slowly, shut it back making sure there was no squeaking sound and stepped out of her safe home into the haunting darkness. She had packed her bag last night when her family was out to attend a family event. She had cleverly avoided joining them. Instead she had packed her bags and kept them in the closet on the corridor which no one uses. She could hear the sound of the crickets very loud and clear. It was loud enough to scare her. She felt terrible taking this bold step. Could not believe that a timid girl like her could go so far to be with the love of her life. It is daunting as to the things love can make you do. It was a mixed feeling of fear and excitement that clothed Laya’s thoughts.

She stood at the bus stop waiting for a bus or an auto to come by. The streets looked so new to her. It looked like a new abode in the midst of darkness. After 5 minutes an Auto slowed down in front of her. Laya was scared to travel alone at 1.00 am in the auto. She somehow gathered her wit and asked the auto driver to drop her at the bus stand. The auto driver said yes and kept looking out to see if someone was accompanying Laya. As soon as she boarded the auto he said " why are you alone so late in the night? “Laya ignored his question and quickly sat down clutching tightly to her bag on the side of the auto. She stared outside as the auto picked up speed zooming past the dark lanes.

The warm summer night wind blew over her face which bought a light smile as she imagined the beautiful life that lay in front of her. She was looking forward to being in her lover’s arms and enjoying each and every moment with him. She started painting a pretty picture of her future married life with her loving partner who will soon be her husband. The trees on the side of the road seemed to be celebrating and echoing her happy state of mind. She kept staring at the full moon as the auto sped past . Her day dream came to a sudden halt as the auto driver parked the auto close to the tea shop near the bus stand.

She reached the bus stop at around 2:00 am. She took the brown wallet out to pay and realized that she did not have a lot

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of money in hand. Maya’s wallet had a bunch of unnecessary receipts and crumpled paper. The wallet was havy with coins but meagre on notes. " Anyway I don't have to worry about money as Praveen will be with me soon thought Laya. "Laya boarded the bus going to the town where Praveen had asked her to wait for. As soon as Laya boarded the bus Laya messaged Praveen that they were on plan. The bus was partly empty and she was the only lady alone in the bus which definitely drew attention towards her. There were couple of old men sitting at the back of the bus The bus went super-fast in the middle of the dark night. Laya dozed off for a few minutes. Last 2 days of planning for this day had left her completely tired and exhausted. She reached the town in a few hours at the break of dawn. As the bus pulled into the bus station Laya fixed her ruffled hair and grabbed her bag. As she stepped out of the bus she felt this was the beginning of a new life with immense love and romance.

Her happy moment was erased by the sudden reminder of her family. It was a terrible feeling knowing that her family would have realized by now that she was gone. In a few hours the entire town would know that their adorable daughter has disgraced them for life. She waited for Praveen to message her back. She dreaded the fact that in an hour or so she will be getting a call from home checking on her. She put her phone on silent mode to avoid grabbing attention from the people around her. She knew it will start ringing soon . She kept staring at the phone waiting for Praveen’s message or call.

On the other side of town Praveen woke from his peaceful sleep ...feeling contended that he had attained his goal of seeking revenge...He saw Laya's message. Gave a smirky smile switched off his phone and went back to sleep. Praveen had a strange sense of peace as he saw desperate sms and constant calls from Laya. Things had worked exactly as he had planned. This was the day he had been eagerly waiting for. The day of revenge and peace.

Laya was standing at the bus stop...wondering why Praveen did not respond yet. She was clutching to her bag...with anxiety flushing all over her face...She was excited and scared too. She also had a big secret to share with Praveen. She had butterflies in her stomach thinking about the exciting future. Her excitement knew no bounds. She was looking forward to a new life full of love and happiness with Praveen completely oblivious of the truth.

It was 5.00am, Sun was rising, birds were chirping, the world was welcoming a brand new day and She was still waiting ............

 

 

 

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