Nothing was fun anymore. All hope felt lost as Aadhya lost her only hope and the only one whom she looks up to. Well, there was still a hope. The ashes! Unfortunately, the ashes are voiceless, lifeless and inanimate.
But why am I holding on to this? In tandem, it’s my only hope. The ashes of my mum, Aadhya collapsed to the floor in tears and carrying her mother’s ashes wrapped in a white nylon in her arms just like her mother used to carry her when she was a baby.
Beside her late mother’s frame hung in the living room, there’s a small transparent first aid box where Aadhya’s mum keeps her hypertension drugs. That’s where Aadhya has kept her mum’s ashes and getting home everyday, she checks the ashes and remember the death of her mother. This makes her cry till her tears soak her pillow.
And in the morning, Aadhya says goodbye to the ashes and her mum’s picture whenever she’s going to work.
The day’s afternoon was shrouded in rain. It was extremely cold that Aadhya steps out to the nearest cafe to her, to have some coffee. It was lunch time already and she hopped into her G-Class Mercedes and heads to the cafe.
Good afternoon, lady. What would you like to have, the charming male cafe attendant who’s mostly called a Casanova approaches Aadhya.
Good afternoon. I want a cup of Macchiato coffee. Can I have that?, Aadhya whose spirits were low suddenly becomes fascinated by the appearance of the attendant. At that time, she’d definitely say yes to whatever he asks.
Would you like to try a fortune cookie with your coffee, swiftly, Aadhya nods her head. For the first time since the death of her mum, Aadhya was happy. Just the appearance of the attendant was enough to make her happy.
Happily, she smiled at the Casanova attendant as he drops the cup of coffee and the fortune cookie right on her table.
This will be the first time Aadhya will think of her late mother and smile. Mostly, she cries when she thinks of her late mum but on that cold afternoon, she smiled while winking at the Casanova cafe attendant and grooving to “Versace on the floor” by Bruno Mars which was played in the cafe.
Aadhya cracked open her fortune cookie and finds the short written note slotted into the cookie.
What’s this gonna say, she smiled and looked into the eyes of the Casanova attendant. With hope, she opened the written note carefully and she read in silence.
The message says; Letting go isn’t forgetting. It’s releasing the physical tie to honor the memories that resides in our hearts forever, Aadhya broke down in tears.
Her moment of happiness was just a short one. She paid for the coffee and drove to the house. At home, she wailed at the peak of her voice, scattered the entire house and finally admits that her mother was gone and there was nothing that can be done to bring her back to life.
As far as Ganges river is, Aadhya aimed to get there to pour her mother’s ashes into the river. In a minute, she wiped away her tears, changed her office dress to a black top, black trouser, a black face cap and a white sneakers all to show that she was mourning her late mum.
On getting to Ganges river, she stood by the riverbank and gazed at her mum’s ashes for the last time. Slowly, with her eyes closed, Aadhya pours her mum’s ashes into the river while she prays for her to find peace afterlife and hopes for a new life.
At night, Aadhya got home and slept in peace for the first time since she lost her mum.
On the next afternoon, she headed to the same cafe and was attended to by the same Casanova attendant.
I want another fortune cookie today, she said to him. This time, she was after the fortune cookie and not the coffee itself.
It’s okay to start all over again, the message says and Aadhya smiled to herself admitting that she has to live a new life which was starting right there at that moment.
Aadhya for the second time became the happy girl again either at work or at home and every morning, she kisses the picture frame of her late mum telling the inanimate picture frame to say a prayer for her.
Aadhya’s new life became full of love, positivity and happiness. She was an orphan but a happy one at that.