Stolen Ring

Year 1900 New York:

She arranged her clothes haphazardly in her almirah and locked it with all her might and force.  She kicked her shoes under the table, grabbed her beauty essentials and dashed them into the chock full drawer. She collected her pens scattered over her bed and threw them inside the pen stand. Her heart was beating faster and her palms were sweaty. She could not believe that the journey she embarked on 720 hours ago would have such consequences.

720 Hours Ago:

Anna was a happy go lucky girl. Always wearing her heart on her sleeves, she accepted life with open arms. However, it all changed when she met him.

Anna and Mariya, Anna’s best friend, went for a coffee at the café nearby, their ultimate hangout destination after their lecture on literature. Two coffee and two chocolate pastry was their everyday order. The challenge was to finish their gossip before the coffee turned cold and they reach the base of the pastry.

Anna: It has been over a year that I have been trying for my dream internship

Mariya: Anna don’t you think that you are being a bit unrealistic? I know that you want to work with the top editor of this news daily,   who is your role model and blah...blah, but with almost no work experience how can you think that she will accept you in her team?

Anna: I know Mariya that I do not have any experience. People always say that you won’t get a job without any experience but they don’t remember that how will you get an experience without a job?

And how can you forget Mariya that I was this close but my age became a barrier. Their discussion session went on for an hour and then the conversation shifted to bags, shoes, and a 40% off at Levis store.

During their conversation when only Mariya spoke and Anna assumed that she was, listening her eyes caught something shiny lying at the floor at the corner of the table.

She bent down to have a closer look and found a ring. It was a simple platinum ring, but something was written on it—it was written ‘my world’. Mariya stopped Anna from possessing it but Anna turned down her requests.

Anna no doubt was a dreamer. Some people thought that her beliefs were absurd. She believed in things, which are never going to happen. What people called false hope she called it magic.

She believed that there are two ways to live in this world. Either believe that nothing is a miracle or believe that everything is a miracle. Anna reached home. On her way back she bought a dream catcher and hung it on the on a nail above her window. She dozed off to sleep.  Waking up after an hour, she went to make herself a lemonade and switched on her radio. What she heard on the radio shook the ground beneath her.

Hunt for interns. The expresses’ editorial head Caroline Anderson is looking for interns. Post your resumes at the Po. Box no 2345df123 and get a chance to work for Caroline.

It was a big surprise for Anna, as she could not hold her excitement. She sat on her computer, and began to type her resume. She wrote about her experience of assisting her lecturer, working with an Ngo and then something amazing struck her.

She opened her drawer and searched for her wooden box. There was not a single day when she had not looked at this box with all pain and belief as if the box would turn to life and say to her that you will get what you want.

She took out the two crumpled pages inside the box,   had a final look at them, and then decided to carry them with her if she got a call for interview.

The next morning Anna posted her resume. She knew that this time she would get a call because she did something wrong.

Something wrong was going to eventually turn everything right.

 

Total hours 88

She frantically waited for the call, which would bring good fortune. Finally, silence broke and the phone rang. Anna picked it. The voice on the other side of the phone seemed to her the happiest voice on the earth.

Hello Anna I am Regina calling from express daily is office. This call is with reference to your resume and I am glad to inform you that you have been shortlisted for the interview round to be held tomorrow at 10 am with Caroline. Thank you Regina I will report on time.

 

Total hours 100

Anna dressed her best for her interview. She reported 30 minutes early at the express daily’s office.  Walking in the big building she felt frightened but was excited too. Line of candidates waiting for their turn for the interview seemed unending to her. Ladies and men holding a big pile of folders with them made her single file look like a needle in a haystack.

Caroline was a friendly person but she was particular about her work. She will not hesitate to ask you for overnight duties if you failed to meet the deadlines but at the same time, she would sit and sip coffee with you while you work. She was solely responsible for express daily’s success. She had received a number of awards and was the most successful journalist of her time.

Anna stood up and went out to drink water. On her way towards canteen and lost in her thoughts she bumped into someone. She bumped into a person who was tall and strong and seemed quite fair. Anna turned back to apologise but the person did not wait for her apology and went away. A beautiful silver bracelet was hanging on his wrist.

Anna returned to her place and sat. She was going through some of the magazines when a silver bracelet caught her eye. She looked up and was amazed to find the person whom she bumped into, sitting right in front of her. He wore serious expression. Anna thought that maybe he was here for the interview as well.

The boy continued to stare at the blank wall. Anna continued to stare at him. It was finally Anna’s turn. She went in and was baffled to see her role model going through her resume.

Caroline: Hi Anna.  

Anna let out a meek ‘hi’.

Look Anna I am not 60 but still i have seen more world than you have. You are neither 30 nor do you hold any experience in editing. Am I correct?

Anna: Yes maam, you are right. I wrote wrong information but all this, I did because I wanted to come here and tell you how much I want this job.

Caroline: Don’t you think all  the others who are waiting outside are in a dire need of this job just like you.

Anna: They maybe maam,  but I am trying to work with you since I was 10 not like them who started trying for this job a year or two ago. For them it maybe just a job but for me it’s my dream

Today, I want to show you something. She took out the two crumpled pages. Look maam, I have your signatures on of them.

It was year 1890,  when you came to a workshop at my school st george . There you read my article and liked it very much.  You said that it was an extraordinary work done by a 12 year old. Hence, you signed it and wrote your wishes as well.

In the year 1894, I tried to apply for an internship with you where the selection was to be done through online competition. Again, I was the best and won the competition but my age came in between.  I still have the printouts of email conversation, which I had with your secretary 6 years back.

And six years from then I am here. I really want this internship.

Caroline and rest of her team was baffled.

Somethings can’t be written in resume maam that’s why i had to lie.

Caroline was amazed by Anna’s determination that finally she offered her the internship.

 

Total hours 188

It seemed that finally her prayers were heard.

When she went in, she was just a daydreamer who dreamt something impossible, but when she came out, she was a person full of confidence who believed in impossible. Anna was congratulated by the entire staff and rest of the interns. She was youngest among the lot. Shaking hands, accepting bouquets, greeting everyone with a smile was what she was doing. But her eyes wandered in search of him, whom she met 20 minutes ago.

Anna was briefed about her role by a senior intern named suzan. She showed her ,  her cubicle and gave her id card. Suzan was frank and friendly therefore Anna took the courage of asking her about him.

Anna: Hey Suzan can I ask you something?

Suzan: Yes sure

Anna: I just saw a guy sitting there (she pointed at the empty sofa). Who is he?

Suzan: Is he a fellow intern?

Suzan thought about for a moment and said

Suzan: Ohh you must be asking about James.

No he is not an intern. Lily is working on his story, which is going to be published in the newspaper shortly. Therefore, he comes by to discuss the story. Lily’s office is downstairs.

Oh, what is his story?

Oh that’s too heart wrenching. He lost his fiancee in a terrorist attack, which occurred in last  january at this café downtown. Her name was Amanda.

Anna:oh my god. .

Suzan: His story is not that simple Anna. Moreover, he never met her. She was supposed to meet him after a gap of 20 years. They only met during childhood. He loved her deeply. They got engaged when she was in Germany and he here in America?

Anna: How did that happen?

She went away to Germany when she was 9 years old. That separated them. Both of them did not had enough money to get an air ticket. Maximum they could do was to send parcels and letters to each other. That’s how they got engaged.

 

Total hours 205

Anna thought about James all day. She knew what those empty eyes were looking for.

Next day Anna took Suzan to a corner for a coffee, as she wanted to know more about James.

Anna: So yesterday, you told me that James lost his fiancée. So why does he want to get his story published in a newspaper?

Actually, her dead body was never recovered. Police has been unsuccessful in finding her so James took the burden on his shoulders. There are quite a number of possibilities. Like the attack could have been so severe that her body and face became unidentifiable, or her body could have been taken to hospitals where different kind of operations could have been done, or maybe she is no more.

Anna realised that the café, which took her life and dashed James hopes of meeting her is the same café in, which Mariya and she sat and sipped coffee.

Total hours 294

Next morning Anna went out for a morning walk. Putting her headphones on,   she started jogging. She was crossing the main road when she suffered a major push, which threw her to the ground. Anna was bleeding profuslely as her elbow was hit badly and she suffered a deep cut on her forehead, which made her dizzy.

She didn’t hear the horn of the raging car as she was wearing her headphones, which ultimately hit her.

Anna’s world turned hazy. She couldn’t listen or speak but only feel the touch of someone. Somebody took her into his arms,  got a cab and took her to nearby hospital

The only thing, which she clearly saw was the silver bracelet. James took Anna to the hospital.

 

Total hours 310

James: What’s your name?

Miss.  What’s your name?

James asked Anna her name.

She weakly told him,  her name as he had to fill her name in the medical form.

Anna: I am thankful to you Ji...  Sorry what’s your name?

I am James.

Anna realised that though they bumped into each other but he didn’t recognize her.

One part of her wanted to tell everything to James, that she knew about his story. However, the other part merely wanted to stay calm and build a new relation with him in the hope that he will forget his old relation.

James: I saw you that were hit by a car when I was out for a morning walk so I took you here. Doctors say that you can go home by tomorrow. Tell me where you live so that I can inform your parents and they can take you back home.

Anna: I live with my granny but she is too old to walk and I do not want to frighten her. I will call her and say that I will be at my friend’s home today and there is no need to worry.

James agreed to this with a nod. He brought her soup and salad and then Anna noticed that there was something written on his bracelet.  It was written my world.  He went towards the door. He went away and left the door ajar. Anna wanted him to come back.

He did.

And said that he will meet her tomorrow.

 

Total hours 400

Anna decided not to reveal her real identity to him and told her that she was a literature student pursuing her masters. During their conversation, James never told Anna about him and Amanda. He told her that he worked for a company. They met every morning and chatted little as James was very reserved and would speak only when he felt necessary.

Anna did not told anyone about her meeting with James in her office and how she became friends with him. Anna had to be quite careful of not bumping into James at the office as he generally turned up at lily’s office, which was on a different floor.

One morning after the walk both of them decided to have ice cream while eating ice cream. Anna got ice cream spread all over her mouth. James looked at her for a brief moment and then could not control his laughter. This was the hardest that she had seen him smile in last 4 days.

Anna knew that she was falling in love with him.  His smile could give her so much happiness. She wanted to be the reason for his smile forever.

 

Total hours 550

Day after day, their friendship grew stronger.

What was friendship for James it was love for Anna. Her love for James grew stronger and so did her fear of Amanda returning in his life.

Anna excelled in her work during her internship. She became friends with lily and soon was able to gather all the information and recent developments in Amanda’s case. Lily informed her that it was quite possible that Amanda was no more.

Anna felt hollow from inside, as the love of her life had lost the love of his life.

She knew that this news would break James completely and therefore asked lily to not tell James the truth. Anna took out the ring from her bag and looked at it intently. She wanted to wear that ring.

 

Total hours 590

Anna was the only friend, which James had after the tragic incident occurred. James was not ready for another relation, for another heartbreak and for more grief. However, it is said that love has the potential to melt anybody’s heart.

James started liking Anna as every moment spent with her made him forget about his loss. At times the healer is time and at other times the healer is a person  with whom time stands still.

 

Total hours 640

 One day during their regular conversations in the morning, James held Anna’s hand and was shocked to see the ring on Anna’s hand. My world! He blurted out. There was a mixed reaction on James’s face. He was both happy and nervous. Anna thought that James would ask questions to her about the ring. But to her surprise what James thought she couldn’t believe. James thought that she was Amanda. James had only seen Amanda during their childhood. Most of the conversations were through exchange of letters.

James: Are you Amanda?

Why were you hiding from me?

Why didn’t you tell me the truth?

And the line of questions never ended. Anna sighed. Her breath turned heavy and then said

I wanted to see how much you love me. Anna was shook from within.  Two options lay in front of her. She could tell him the truth and could lose him forever. Or, she could become part of this misinterpretation and could have him forever…

 

Total hours 690

Anna chose option second. She did not lie nor she spoke the truth. She just said yes and refused to say no to something, which she wanted as badly as oxygen. One broken heart and one heart, which was about to break finally united. Anna rushed to her house.

She grew tensed. She feared that one day James would come to know all about her identity. She did not want to lose him nor did she want to give up her true self and wear the characteristics of someone else. She broke down.  She cried and messed up her room and herself. In a single day, she got the company of someone whom she always wanted to be with. She lost herself and never expected to find herself again.

 

Total hours 720

The room was in a bad condition and so was she.  Mustering her courage she finally got up,  she arranged her clothes haphazardly in her almirah and locked it with all her might and force.  She kicked her shoes under the table, grabbed her beauty essentials and dashed them into the chock full drawer. She collected her pens scattered over her bed and threw them inside the pen stand. Her heart was beating faster and her palms were sweaty.

She wiped her drenched cheeks and decided to have a new life at a new place with James.

She felt that it was time to take that leap of faith. She felt that when she would leap the net would automatically appear. That’s how things have worked for Anna now Amanda.  She knew that maybe James was in love with Amanda’s name but he was actually in love with Anna’s soul.

James and Anna got married. Their wedding invitation read:

We welcome your benign presence on the auspicious occasion of the wedding of James and Anna.

James wrote the name Anna instead of Amanda. Magic proved again that it existed. James told Anna to keep the name Anna as a part of her new identity as Amanda name had many frightful memories attached to it. He said that he had lost Amanda once but will not lose Anna ever. She got her name she got him too. That’s the power of believing in magic.