The Umbrella

I looked out of my office window. It was raining... again. Good thing I had bought my umbrella. As I walked out, the cool air hit me and I wrapped my jacket around even tighter. Everyone was running here and there as it started raining more heavily. 

"Excuse me" I heard a voice behind me. I looked back and saw a young girl in a beautiful gown. I don't know why, but she looked a little like my mother. Who passed away a year ago.

"yes?" 

" Can I come under your umbrella, please? I can't afford to get this gown wet" she said. 

"Um... Sure. Where are you going?"

" Park street. Block 6 "

" Alright. Come on"

We walked and talked. She kept asking things about me, while she spoke so little about herself.

Then, the talk came to my bond with my family. "How close are you with your mother?"  I thought for a while

"Um...We're close. When I was small, we used to really exciting things like bake together and..." A tear leaked out of my eyes

"What's wrong?" The girl asked. Noticing the tears in my eyes 

" She passed away a year ago" I explained

"Oh. I'm sorry. what was her name?" She asked 

 "Linda." 

Then she fell silent.

"Ok. I've reached my home" I said after a while. The girl looked down at her dress because she still had a long way to go. I felt bad for her

" Here. You can have my umbrella. Then you can return it to me tomorrow" 

"Oh thank you so much. How about you come to my house to collect the umbrella and we can have tea together tomorrow. You know where I live right?"

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow in the evening"

Even after taking a hot shower and having dinner, I kept thinking about the girl. Why did she look so similar to my mother?? That's when I realized that I had never asked her name. Or who she was. I knew so little about her, but I still felt a connection towards her. Weird, right? 

I quickly dressed myself and left for the girl's house. I rang the doorbell. No answer. Maybe the doorbell didn't work? I tried the door. It wasn't locked.

"Hello?" I called out, but didn't get any answer. I walked in the house. It was a very cozy room with many books lined up here and there. I found my umbrella on the table. And, surprisingly, It had a note attached to it with a picture. 

I read the note - 

Dear Betha. I am very happy to know that you loved your mother so dearly. While you were mentioning what fun you had with your mother, you forgot to mention that you guys watched movies every weekend with a special meal cooked by both of you together. Even though she isn't here with you, remember, she is always watching you and is very proud of you. She didn't want to leave you. But she didn't really have a choice.

Love

Tears flushed down my cheeks as all the memories of my mother came flooding back. How did she know all this?

I looked at the picture. It was a photo of the girl beside my mother. Holding the same umbrella. She knew my mother?

 "What's your name?" I called out. Not really expecting an answer. 

"Linda" A faint whisper said.

~ Tarini Sirohi