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Yeh Zindagi… Episode 5

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Sumeet had not come out of his room from many days. He had applied for a sick leave and had been in his room since the day of the engagement. His fellow mates were becoming worried and were happy to see Ritu when she came over to meet Sumeet.

“He has refused to eat or come out.” said one of his friends.
“I know..” said Ritu. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door. She did not want to disturb Sumeet but this behavior of his was fatal.
“Sumeet, you need to come out. Please.” She said.

At that moment another roommate entered running. He was so out of breath that it was difficult to understand what he was saying. After some moments his words made sense.

“There is something wrong at Ayesha’s house. Many people have gathered there and there were a lot of policemen all around her place.” He said.

This was enough for Sumeet to come out. He came out almost breaking the door and ran off to her house barefoot. Ritu was close behind with other friends. When they reached Ayesha’s house they saw hundreds of people gathered out of her house. Everyone had a different story to tell and they were far away from the truth. At last a policeman came out and the truth was told. Ayesha had been kidnapped.

The news filled Sumeet with rage and he just started walking back to his room and everyone followed him. Ritu tried to talk to him but he refused to talk to anyone.

“Please leave me alone at the moment” he said, “I promise I won’t harm myself or anything like that, but I want to be alone.”

Everyone nodded and just followed him silently. Sumeet entered the flat and went inside the kitchen straightaway. He came out with a bottle filled with water and a plastic bag which contained some food. He grabbed his phone and went out of the house. Everyone was clueless as to what had happened suddenly. Only Ritu knew what was happening. She knew that Sumeet was now going to search for Ayesha and would not rest until she was found.

Sumeet was now completely occupied with Ayesha’s abduction. He had rejoined his office as that helped him maintain sanity and make contacts which were needed for the case. He didn’t know Ayesha’s parents very well so talking to them was not going to help.

It had been many days that Ayesha was abducted. The police were clueless about the entire thing till now. Sumeet was constantly in touch with all of Ayesha’s friends and they all started meeting everyday to exchange updates about Ayesha.

One day Sumeet gets a call from Ayesha’s friend in the middle of the night. He comes to know that Ayesha has returned home and was in a state of shock. Sumeet instantly goes to her place but is not allowed to go inside. Amid tight security he is then escorted by her friend inside the house. He sees Ayesha curled up on a big chair and staring into nothingness. Her mother was seated beside her sobbing and thanking God at the same time. Her father was talking to the police and was looking haggard. The police later requested everyone to leave the house and respect the family’s sentiments and privacy. Reluctantly Sumeet goes back to his room. He decides to give some time before talking to Ayesha.

In the meanwhile he comes to know that Aakash had refused to get married to Ayesha for reasons best known to him. Ayesha’s friend also tells Sumeet that the news had further broken Ayesha completely. Gathering all the courage Sumeet walks towards her house. He sees the girl sitting in her balcony, lost in thoughts. The girl who was once full of life was now broken and scattered into million little pieces.

Sumeet now regularly went to Ayesha’s house but never went inside or met her. He used to stand in front of her house and look at her for a long time. One day Ayesha finds him standing there and looking at her. A smile comes to her face and she waves at him.
Following day they meet. They sit in the little garden in front of her house. It was a dull Sunday afternoon and not many people were present there. Finally Ayesha speaks after a long time.

“My friends told me that you tried to find me… I mean.. you were worried about me and all.”

Sumeet just nods as he was too full of emotions to utter a single word. He was fighting back his tears as he was unable to recognize the girl sitting front of him. The incident had killed her bright soul.

“Do you want to know something else?” She said, “Aakash broke the engagement!”

Tears start rolling from her eyes and she covers her face with her hands. Sumeet puts his hand on her head, “Ayesha…” he just manages to say one word and that word and they both remain silent in each others’ company.

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