As the gentle water droplets graced the crimson flowers and tender leaves with their presence on a misty morning, Aasha opened her eyes only to find the skies lined with grey, thundering clouds roaring as an attempt to signify their presence.
The weather was pleasant, arousing her mind and rapturing every inch of her soul. As the clouds poured their hearts out, Aasha put on her fulvous tainted Crocs and stepped outside for a brisk walk in the rain.
Conscientiously placing her steps on the ground, she took a bird’s eye view of the ravishing scenery around her, trying to capture every moment of her zestful walk and paint a picture of it in her mind. But no matter how hard she tried, her mind would go blank and would take her back to square one, deserting her at the same point from where she had begun.
Aasha worked as a computer programmer at a software company and was an individual with a daunting and analytical state of mind, a trait which often served as an obstacle in her way of connecting with nature. After her stroll in the neighbourhood, she engaged herself in household chores and soon after got dressed and left for work. She was not much of a social butterfly and kept to herself most of the time. An occupied person with a hectic schedule, she did not participate in social interactions and was not fond of any worldly attention either.
Just as she reached her workplace and settled in her seat, facing the big computer screen placed on her desk, pondering over new and distinctive ideas, a boisterous phone call disrupted her chain of thoughts. With obvious irritability and frustration, she answered the call in a rather discourteous manner.
“Hello, Aasha Patel this side. How may I assist you today?”
Oblivious to what the person at the other side called to tell her, her phone smoothly slid out of her hands as the fatal news was brought upon her. Her parents had been the victims of a fatal car crash and had lost their lives during the mishap. Sinking into her chair, her face stripped of expressions, she took a deep breath, giving her best shot at controlling the storm of emotions that wreaked havoc inside her.
For her, it seemed that the world was on the brink of obliteration. For her, time had ceased. With trembling hands and an aching heart, she picked up the phone receiver and continued her conversation with the speaker, who, amongst other things, informed her that she was supposed to come to her parents’ residence in order to perform their last rites. Silently picking up her bag, she stormed out of the bustling building.
Aasha’s parents lived miles away from her city, far off in a small town. Their relationship had not been very active or healthy for the past many years. Immersed in her life, Aasha had her own problems to tackle while her parents, living far away from her, only wished for their daughter to be ecstatic and lead a good life. She would avoid speaking to them and would seldom visit them.
By the evening, Aasha had reached the small town via a train. Compared to her city, the town was dull and did not have much movement. Aasha could not sight many people at the train station either. When she reached the house, she stepped in to find some of her relatives seated inside. Greeting them with a faint smile, she half-heartedly accepted their condolences and performed the last rites of her parents.
Aasha stayed there, performing her duties, and meeting old acquaintances, distant relatives, and family friends. When the last of duties were over, it was Aasha’s last night in her hometown. After returning home at the end of the day, an exhausted Aasha went to her room, freshened up and silently sat on her bed. Racing her eyes throughout her room, her mind was unsettled, still unable to accept the demise of her beloved parents. She repented every instance in which she distanced her parents from her life.
With sleepless eyes and a heavy heart, Aasha walked towards her parents’ room and when she opened the door, she was greeted by numerous photos, each decorated on the wall as a memory of the beautiful moments the family had shared together. Touring the room, each photo shattered her heart into pieces. Staring at her family photo, she could feel teardrops sliding from her eyes and down her face as her heart yelped in pain and she fell to the ground.
The floor was hard and cold, a representation of a grey and lifeless world awaiting Aasha, a world without her parents. She yearned in pain, bawling her lungs out, holding the photo of her dear parents, knowing well that now she could never be surrounded by the warmth and love of her mother’s embrace or be comforted by her father’s bedtime stories. Just as she sobbed, she could hear the pitter-patter of raindrops outside the bedroom window. Wiping off her tears and standing up, she stepped outside and went on a stroll around the area.
As each droplet of water fell on her face, she was reminded of memories with her family. The drops seemed to comfort Aasha, helping her find solace at an hour her heart and her soul screamed in agony. The water seemed to calm Aasha’s agonizing heart. Aasha strolled for hours together, and at the brink of dawn, she could see flowers blooming all across the place. As she bent over to have a better look at a blooming flower, she realised that nature is always there to comfort you at the hour of doom, and that the connection with living beings and the connection with nature is what makes life worth living.
