The waiting room of Ahilya Maternity Care was overflowing
with people. Warad chose to wait in the open parking instead. He was holding a
bunch of yellow roses. It was overcast with dark clouds thundering in the
skies. He was anxious, nervous, jittery, unsure and experiencing a rush of all
emotions of uncertainty at the same time. The last time he felt like this was
when he was going to propose marriage to Chitra. He vividly remembered the
evening. He was carrying a bunch of red roses, then. His eyes could not hold
back as one tear rolled down his cheeks when she had said ‘yes’. In a minute, memories
flashed in front of his eyes.
His trip to nostalgia was broken by a sudden downpour of
rain. Warad had to rush towards the lobby to find shelter. There was no space
in the lobby or the waiting room where he could wait, peacefully. Tired of his
anxiety, he walked up to the reception. “Where can I find Dr. Nisha?” he asked.
“Dr. Nisha is on her round, sir. You can wait outside her cabin. Take second
left from the lobby.” He decided to try that out since there was no other
choice. While he was strolling down the hallway, he suddenly noticed the door
of a private room partially open. Subconsciously, he peeped in through the door.
For a minute, he thought this was unreal. He saw Chitra, she was sitting on the
bed, holding a baby.
His feet automatically took him inside the room, closer to
Chitra. He held her hand. Both of them had a moment and tears welled up their
eyes. He signaled if he could hold the baby. She obliged with a nod. He took the
baby in his arms. ‘The babies will look like me, you see’ – Chitra had told him
once, he remembered. The baby had Chitra’s features. ‘She was right, always’,
Warad thought in his mind. There was no word spoken so far in the room. The
silence was broken by Dr. Nisha as she entered. “Warad, Hi! What are you doing
here?” “I was looking for you.” replied Warad. “You are not supposed to be in
here. Would you mind waiting in my office? It’s right at the end of this hallway.”
Warad glanced at the baby and handed it back to Chitra. Their eyes met with an
expression of affirmation. He was about to leave when Aditya entered the room
with a bunch of red roses. He gave way to Warad with a surprised look.
Warad was never the same after he broke up with Chitra. He
was not ready for another relationship, even after 3 years of things ending
between them. It was only because of his parents’ insistence that he decided to
meet Nisha as a prospective alliance. In his head, he knew he was not going to
pursue it further. But something changed after he met Chitra. All this while,
he was still stuck with her. Today, seeing her with her family gave him a sense
of closure. His nervousness got curbed. His life opened up for new avenues. He
was looking forward to meet Nisha now. He greeted her with the bunch of yellow
roses as soon as she entered her cabin. “Do you know her?” Nisha asked. “Do you
know him?” Aditya asked. “I used to” was the answer in both the rooms.
Sometimes a closure is important to start something new in life. One should be
brave enough to say goodbye, and life says a new hello.
