Diya's POV
I was only seeing red everywhere as I continued punching the punching bag. For every punch, the bag swung back and forth due to the intensity of the punch just like my miserable life. If there would have been another name for the punching bag it must have been Diya Sharma. Just like how I threw my fist all over the bag, life threw hurdles and sorrows on my way smirking down at me mercilessly each time when I broke down. I lost fate in god the day I lose the person close to my heart. If I have to give a name to the god, I would willingly name him a sadist.
He loves torturing innocent souls and favouring the demons that haunt others innocence. The devils must have managed to bribe him too. I thought and chuckled humourlessly as I continued with my punches.
'There is always a reason for everything that happens to us'
' He knows what is best for us. If he snatches 10 bucks from you today meaning he is gonna give you 100 bucks in the future'
' You can only appreciate light in the darkness'
'Never lose hope. I am always with you and I will forever be there for you'
I closed my eyes tightly holding on to the punching bag as a lone tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek.
The voice that never failed to give me solace ringed at the back of my head and that reminded me that I can never hear that same voice ever again. I lost my solace years ago. Now I am just an empty shell filled with void. I kept on sobbing louder when I realised the last word the person breathed out before leaving me to battle with my own demons all by myself.
13 years back
"P-promise me. Promise t-that you will take care of yourself. N-never let your devil win over your angel. P-please, forgive him f-for my sake" she breathed out one last time as her hand slipped from my grip.
" No! No! Nooooo. You can't do this to me. Please come back. I promise I won't trouble you after this. I will behave. But please come back. I can't endure this punishment. Please come back. One last time. Pleaseeeeeee....." I pleaded with tears trickling down my cheeks profusely.
The people around me gave me a sympathetic look and pitied me hearing my cries whereas the person llyingin front me didn't move an inch. " Please don't do this to me. Please... How am I able to live without you....." I said and sobbed loudly.
God, please don't snatch my peace from me. Don't make me go through this hell. I beg you with each and every fibre in my body. I made silent prayers with heavy breathing, to turn all this into a nightmare. For me to wake up from this cruel nightmare. But no, my prayers sounded like words spoken to a deaf person.
" Dear, can I speak to your elders. I have to break the news about the patient to your elders" said the doctor with a shaky tone breaking my moments of prayers.
" No! No elders. I am her only relative. It's only me. So you can go ahead and tell me whatever you wanted to say" I said giving a hard look to the doctor through my blurred vision due to the continuous streams of tears.
" Kid, I am sorry to say this...." the doctor paused for a moment contemplating about telling me the news. Then she inhaled sharply and breathed out " but she is no more" and caressed my head to comfort me. " Don't lie! How could you lie to a kid? Shame on you. She is fine. She will wake up for 'me' " I said firmly and pushed the doctor hardly as she stumbled a bit due the force.
" Its ok child, I understand what you are going through right now. I know its hard for you to believe but you have to understand that she has gone to a better place. The sooner you accept this, the better you will be" she said hugging me all the while.
I pulled away from the doctor and looked at her to find some sort of humour in her words. But no. Her eyes held sincerity which made me take steps backwards shaking my head left and right vigorously. I looked at the person's lifeless body lying in front of me in horror and that's when reality hit me like a ton of bricks telling me that I have lost the battle.
" Nooooooooooooooooooooooo" I cried out loud as I collapsed on the cold floor pulling my hair roughly with my palm. That was when I realised that I have lost myself forever. The day when she died, my childhood died along with her. The day she left is the day when she took away a part of me along with her. That happy-go-lucky Diya who used to have a constant grin and a never-dying glint in her eyes, vanished they day that person dissolved in the air.
Present
*Ring* * Ring* the sound of my phone ringing brought me back from my trance. I slowly reached my phone with a shaky hand, probably which was due to the effect of memories of my past. I glanced at the display to see who was calling at the moment. Must be Ria or Khushi. I thought but the moment I saw the display a gasp left my mouth. I quickly attend the call to hear an ear full from the person over the phone.
" Hello...." I said cautiously and waited for the reply. " Beta....How are you? We haven't heard from you in a while. Is everything alright? We were worried about you" the person over the phone said with genuine concern lacing in her words. " I am fine, mom! I am absolutely fine. Everything is good and how is dad?" I said wiping away my tears furiously. " He is fine, beta. We just felt like calling you because it's been a week since we last heard from you. So it kind of got us paranoid" I cursed myself internally for not calling my parents for almost a week. " It's nothing mom. I have just been caught up with the office work, nothing else. Don't stress yourself thinking about me, mom. So far everything is going smooth at my workplace" I lied perfectly much to my satisfaction.
" I am sorry for not calling you mom. I really am. I don't know how I forgot about it" I apologised gaining a heavy sigh from my mom. " Its okay beta. You don't have to apologies we understand. You know you don't have to work right? We are your parents Diya. I don't see the point in you working while we are still alive" I could literally hear her disagreement of me working in her voice. " Mom, please. I taught we were over this topic. It's not about you taking care of my expenses mom. It's about me learning to be independent" I said with a bit of firmness in my tone.
"I can never win an argument over you Diya" she sighed while I chuckled. " Beta! I am also over here" yelled my dad making me grin. " Your mom is so selfish. She is not giving me the phone" I could already imagine the pout over my dad's face while he complained about my mom. I giggled softly hearing my dad accusing my mom.
" Mom please put the phone on speaker. Let's see what dad has to say" I said while snickering. With that being said, my dad started complaining about my mom not letting him eat anything sweet and my mom accusing my dad of not getting a hold on his sugar level. Their bantering continued for another one hour with me laughing and smiling, listening to their cute argument. This never gets old for me.