Chapter 8: The photo frame.
(Sat, 27th May 2006)
Ralph doing stretching before going to bed, wearing his night wear, in his room. When someone knock on his door.
He glanced at the clock. It was 10:37, he opened the door. "Hey ! at this time. Is everything fine ?"
"Hoped, I didn't bothering you" said Angelina.
He replied with smile, "Absolutely not" and beckoned her saying, "Come in".
He made her sit on the couch and himself sit on the corner of bed in, front of her.
"So, what's the reason, you're here. Hmm !" He asked.
"I've completed the book" she excitedly said. "Amm... I could have told you this tomorrow also but maybe tomorrow my excitement would waned a bit".
He suddenly grinned. "So, what happened in the end".
She smiled slightly, " At last he spends miserable winter alone in the outdoors, mostly hiding in a cave on the lake.... umm !... When spring arrive, a flock of swans,....descends on the lake. And he.... he was fully grown and was unable to endure a life of solitude and hardship anymore. So, ..... umm... He.. decides to threw himself at flocks of swan, deciding that it is better to be killed by such beautiful birds than.....to live a life of ugliness." Seeing him, smiling on serious note, she stop and smile back. "That's it.. the end !"
"Wa... what ? That's it ? " he asked puzzled.
"You know the ending, don't you ? "
He laughed, "No, I don't know ".
Chuckle and inhale deeply, "ok ! So, I promise to tell you the ending and here it is. He threw himself at them but.. was shocked when the swans welcomed and accepted him, he realized by looking at his reflection in the clear water that he had been, not a duckling, but a swan all the time." She exhale deeply, "He spread his large gorgeous wings and takes flight with the rest of his new family. 'A happy ending"
"That's was really 'A happy ending"
"You know that from earlier ", she smiled looking him. "You want me to complete the book, right ?"
"Actually, I want you to not to leave in the middle".
She chuckled again, "Thank you. Bye the way" and take a pause, "O !... ok.. now am done , I should leave", she stood up. "Won't annoy you, anymore".
"Wait a min. I have something to show you".
She sat back.
He stood up and step towards his wardrobe, open it and takeout a frame from the drawer, come back to his place and give that to her. "Can you identify, me ?"
That was an old photo of his university in which, he was with his friends group.
She took the frame, look carefully, identify and point out one of tall, slightly plumpy boy, in that group. "Is that you?"
Looking at the one she pointed, he simper. "Yeah ! That's....that's me."
"You don't changed much but now you're more fit."
He smiled.
She kept on looking that photo and surprisingly asked, "Hey ! Is this... is this Maa ?" Pointing a girl similar to her mother, wearing round spectacles, long rough hair exactly as uncle Ralph told.
He grinned and nod, "hmm ! She is".
She chuckled, "She is.... so changed in this pic".
"No !" He interjected. "She was changed. This is real Sarah".
She slightly smile looking at his face. "You both were best friends? "
"Hmm ! She was my best friend".
"Why you never came to Butterfield? "
"Actually! I do came there. Many times." He paused, thinking," After completing our studies we both settled in our places. Once.... I had some work their in Butterfield's station. So, I went there, Trevor and I were good friends, already. So... I went to meet Sarah with him". He stopped thinking deeply for a while. "They met for the first time through me", He said quietly.
"Then you came to their wedding? " She asked.
"I... umm.. I didn't knew, she was getting married. Trevor invited me. He told me about his marriage but... nothing about the bride. He said it's a surprise. I never thought they'll marry" He again dragged into deep thoughts, then looked at her, "Ahm !... Then once I called her home, her mother told me about her marriage. It was a shock for me. She didn't informed me. Then she gave me her number and I called her"
"But why she didn't informed you ?"she asked.
"Actually.. amm... we had a little fight. The day I went to meet her at Butterfield"
"About what! "
"You know your Maa, she gets angry, very easily.... it was just an another small thing" He tried to end the topic.
"Then ! What happened, When you called Maa"
"I wanted to tell her about my divorce but, then she made me shocked again, telling she married Trevor... and It was about 5 year of there marriage. She told me she was blessed with a daughter, Rebecca." He again stopped.
"Then !"
"Then.... after few months I went to meet your Paa, and he invited me for dinner at his home. Your Maa left me shocked again, as I saw her completely changed" again lost. "Then... there I meet Rebecca and you were in you Maa's tummy"
They both chuckled.
"Then after few weeks, I meet Sarah again in her home and you were born. You were so cute and still you are".
She chuckled slightly.
He continued, " and after that, I meet you and your Maa in the market. You were about 2 months and..... That's it."
"That's it !" She got a bit confused. "Then when did you gave your card to Rebecca? "
His brows twitched. "Oh.... yeah ! Maybe you were in play school. I came to meet you all early in the morning to your school."
"You knew about our school"
"We, cops , knew almost everything" he laughed.
She chuckle, "then !"
"She was taking you guyz back home, your Maa was in a hurry and went ahead taking you in her arms, there I gave, Rebecca, my card. In case if she or Sarah needs me. After about 1 months I heard about her death, didn't have any idea, I was meeting her for the last time... and Rebecca as well"
She gets upset, her eyes poured. "I missed both of them but her a lot, she takes care of me, she loved me a lot and she was the one who makes me understand." She glanced at him, " you know, now I am not afraid of climbing the slider but still I don't because now she is not there to hold me" uncountable tears fall from her eyes.
He hold both her shoulders with his hands, "Hey! she didn't left you, she is around you". Wipe her tears, "looking you. She won't be happy, seeing you crying"
She took a deep breath, "I'll not cry" and sniffed.
"Can I take this ?" She asked about the photo frame, she was still holding.
"It's yours" and smiled politely. "You should sleep now"
She nod, "Okay !"
"Good night... and don't cry.. Ok !"
"Ok !.... Good night."
Ralph realized, she needs a mother or atleast someone to understand her all the time as she won't be able to live on her own, alone.
As she stepped out of Ralph's room, Richard, with a water bottle in his hand, saw her coming out. He hasn't tried talking her since Ralph scold him. Seeing her leaving his dad's room, made him now jealous of her. His dad never allowed anyone to his room accept the cleaner.
He get annoyed and immediately turn his face from her, climb up the stairs with forceful heavy steps and banged his room's door.
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