The clock ticked at 12 pm. Thabal was roaming around the bungalow with a half pant and a spaghetti top. A cleaner stick in her hand, her headphones attached to her ears.
She hummed the song ringing in her earphones while moving with the rhythm. Wiping the floor clean. She didn't go to class today. It was a practical exam today, and she had given that earlier with a few students. Hence ,she was free. And she decided she will clean the house today, as well as arrange everything.
"Tu tu tu. Tu meri ri ri. Mein tera ra ra. Hone lagaaaaaaaa" she sang loudly moving her body, vibing on the song.
Uff! Bollywood songs were love!
She was listening to the song when suddenly it stopped. Thabal frowned at it. What's wrong now?
She didn't want to continue with the work without listening to the songs, hence she took out her phone from her pocket to check the issue when she saw her screen.
Chiche🫂💗
Calling ......
Thabal smiled and swiped up.
"Umm chiche. Haiu" she hummed, continuing to clean the floor. But then froze immediately.
(Say)
Nungshi was crying. She was sobbing and crying bitterly. Thabal immediately tensed at it.
"Che? What's wrong? Are you okay?" She quickly asked, hundreds of assumption coming in her mind. Nungshi continued sobbing, increasing her tension.
"Che! Please. You are tensing me up. Keidawrage. Amta haiu. Please" Thabal pleaded, panicking at the unknown situation.
(What happen? Please tell me)
"T-thoi" Nungshi sobbed badly. Thabal dropped the cleaning stick and clutched her face. Her heartbeat was racing at a high speed.
"Che. Keidawrage. Eie tari. Haiu" she urged her sister to speak.
(What's wrong? I am listening. Tell me)
"T-thoi. Mama- mama" Nungshi couldn't continue more and broke into cries. Thabal felt her heartbeat rising more, her eyes widened. Mama? What happened to her? Is she in danger? Did she get herself in trouble? Thousands of questions started arising in her mind.
"Mama keidawrage che. Mama keidawrage? Mama is fine right? Please, tell me she is fine" Thabal pleaded, her body tensing up.
(What's wrong with mama sister? What's wrong with her?)
"Che! Amta haiu!" Thabal shouted into the phone, her voice cracking with desperation.
(Please tell me)
On the other end, the sound of Nungshi's hitching breaths and jagged sobs made the room feel too thin.
"Thoi. Ma-mama, her blood pressure, it shot up so high. She collapsed in the kitchen. We are at the hospital, the doctors are saying it's a stroke. A severe one" The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Thabal felt the strength drain out of her legs, and she sank onto the cold, half cleaned floor. A sudden chill swept through her.
"Stroke?" Thabal whispered, the word tasted like ash in her mouth.
"She's in the ICU. They aren't letting me in. I am all alone here, Thoi. I don't know what to do. Papa is trying to arrange the medicines but he is shaking so much" Nungshi cried out, hicupping in between.
Thabal's mind went into overdrive. The distance between her and her family felt like an ocean. She was here, in a big, silent bungalow, while her mother was fighting for her life miles away.
"I'm coming" Thabal said, her voice suddenly dropping into a soft and shivering one.
"B-but ng gi classes-" Nungshi stuttered. But Thabal cut her off.
(B-but your classes-)
"Che. Family always comes first. My classes can be handled later. I can't leave you alone in this condition. Eie na houjik mama kamaina thadokaga siga leidoino" she said the last line softly. Nungshi cried more hearing it.
(How can i stay here leaving mama away in this condition)
"Che, listen to me. Breathe. I am getting a flight. I will be there. Just hold on, okay? Don't leave Mama alone" She hung up, her fingers trembling so violently she almost dropped the phone.
She quickly took off her headphones and closed her eyes.
"Fuck" she muttered to herself. How did this happen? That too all of a sudden? It was just yesterday she talked to her mother. Though not so sweet, but yeah she was fine. Completely.
She was in a dilemma right now. Remembering about the flight booking, she quickly went through her phone and booked the earliest flight to Manipur for the following morning. Her hands shook as she typed on her phone.
She quickly wrote a paragraph about the situation and sent it to the two. Deciding that she will take a week break. She sighed as she dropped her phone.
What was happening in her life?
By evening, the bedroom was a mess of half folded clothes and an open suitcase. Thabal was moving mechanically, her mind miles away in her hometown. She couldn't think straight. Her heartbeat didn't seem to calm down.
She just wanted to see her mother right now. Regardless of how their relationship was. She was still her mother. The one who gave birth to her. She couldn't think bad about her. Especially in this situation. She just wanted her mother to be safe and sound till she reached.
God, please. Just keep her safe. She prayed internally.
She didn't even hear the front door open or the heavy, footsteps of Vikram entering in. Vikram had walked in with a bouquet of lilies, his heart heavy with the need to make things right after yesterday's event.
He wanted to see her smile, to hear her laugh, to prove that he could be the man she deserved. But when he reached the bedroom door, the flowers slipped from his grip, scattering across the floor. He saw the suitcase. He saw her throwing her clothes inside with a frantic, desperate energy.
The color drained from his face. His mind, already frayed by guilt, took the scene and twisted it into his darkest nightmare. She was leaving. I shouted at her, and now she is leaving me.
"Thabal?" his voice was a broken whisper. Thabal immediately stopped and looked up to see him standing near the door. She didn't notice his broken expression in her own grief.
"Thank God Vikram, you are back early today. I have so many things to tell you-" she looked back at her suitcase, thrusting a few clothes in.
"No" he choked out, cutting her off in between. He lunged forward and hugged her from behind. He grabbed her hands, stopping her mid motion.
"No, Thabal. Please. Rehne do. Don't do this" he pleaded, his heart already paining than any torture he have ever suffered from.
Thabal froze at his words. What is he even saying?
"Vikram, listen to me, you are-"
"I know I am a monster!" he interrupted, his voice rising in a panicked, raw pitch she had never heard. He fell to his knees right there, clutching her waist as if he were a man drowning.
"I know I am not perfect for you. I know I am too much, i am too violent. But please, Chand, don't leave me. Punish me. Don't talk to me for a month. Beat me if you want. But don't walk out of that door" he pleaded, his voice was too broken. It felt like he would cry any moment.
"Vikram! Please. Let me speak. You are not understanding-" Thabal started, sighing at his words. He has just flipped the whole situation.
"I will change!" he begged, his eyes bloodshot and wide with genuine terror.
"Please. I-i will change. I swear
I will be the man you want. I will be whoever you want me to be. Just don't go. I love you. I love you so much" Thabal tried to pull back but his grip was like iron.
"Hai bhagwan! Vikram, listen to me-" Thabal sighed and tried to speak.
"I am sorry" he sobbed, the dam broke. Large, silent tears tracked down his face, soaking into the fabric of her shirt. He was crying like a child whose life depended on her. He gripped on her tightly, as if trying to stop her from going.
He sobbed against her waist. Guilt and sorrow eating him up. He couldn't imagine his life without her. He has been so habituated to her presence that he feels he would go crazy without her.
"I can't lose you. I will die, Thabal. I swear to God, I won't survive it. Please, stay. Please. I love you. Please" Thabal's heart shattered at his words. The sight of this powerful, cold man weeping at her feet because he thought he would lose her was too much to bear.
She dropped to her knees as well, cupping his face and forcing him to look at her.
"Vikram! Shh! Listen to me!" she gently shushed him up. Wiping his tears. Vikram gripped her wrists, his chest heaving, his eyes looking at hers, begging her not to leave.
Thabal felt her heart constricted at it. She didn't know he was this guilty about yesterday. She sighed and caressed his cheek.
"I am not leaving you Vikram" she said softly, her voice firm and dripping with love. Vikram blinked, a tear hanging from his lash.
"B-but. The suitcase-" he started but got cut off when Thabal placed her palm in his mouth.
"Shh! Kitna bolte ho aap. Now you keep quiet and listen to me" she narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to continue further. Vikram looked at her meekly before lowering his lashes, letting her speak.
"Look at me" she commanded. And he did.
"I am not leaving you Vikram. Chiche called. At afternoon. Mama is sick, she has been admitted to the ICU. It's serious. She suffered from a sudden stroke. Chiche is alone there. And i just can't leave her alone. Haina? Toh I have to go. I have booked the tickets for tomorrow morning. Early at 6 am" she informed gently.
"Your mother is sick?" he repeated, his voice small.
"Yes" Thabal wiped the tears from his cheeks with her thumbs. Vikram closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. A long, shuddering breath escaped him.
"I am sorry. I am an idiot" he rasped, his hands finally relaxing their grip on her.
"I was so fucking invested in myself that i didn't notice your tension. I am sorry chand-" he sighed with regret. For his earlier action.
"Shhh" Thabal shushed him, pulling his head into her chest and rocking him gently.
"It's okay. I know how much you love me. I know you are scared. But trust me, Vikram. My home is where you are" she whispered gently.
"Thabal" he whispered against her skin. Thabal smiled and hummed. Amidst the chaos in her life, he was the only one who could bring calmness and peace in it.
"I love you" he muttered, nuzzling against her skin. The smell of her calmed the last of his tremors.
"I love you Vikram. I love you so much" she muttered slowly and placed a kiss on the top of his head.
🦋🦋🦋------------------
The atmosphere at the airport was suffocating. Vikram held Thabal's hand so tightly it was as if he were trying to fuse their palms together. He kept pulling her into his embrace, kissing her forehead every few seconds.
"Call me the moment you land. If you need anything, doctors, money, you tell me, Chand. Do you hear me?" his voice was thick, his eyes carrying concern for her. He cupped her face and gently caressed it.
"I wish I could go with you. I don't want you to deal with this alone" he whispered with a sigh. Thabal shook her head at it.
"It's okay Vikram. Just focus on your work. I will be okay. Take care of yourself" she whispered, her heart aching at the sight of his vulnerability.
"I love you" she muttered to him.
"I love you" he repeated, looking at her so deeply that it might consume her.
An announcement was held for the flight. She looked at him for the last time with sadness lingering in her eyes. Standing on her toes, she pulled him down by his collar and placed a lingering kiss on his lips.
Pulling away after a second, she tore herself away and walked through the terminal. She didn't look back, knowing that if she did, she wouldn't be able to leave.
The journey to Imphal felt like an eternity. The flights, the layover, the dusty taxi ride, every minute was fueled by a sharp, piercing anxiety for her mother. By the time she reached the familiar area. She called Nungshi. The latter picked up the call in just few rings.
"Che, eie city mall do, duga yawre. Mama do karamba hospital da admit tawrino? Eie duga sum thungage" Thabal asked, agigated. Her heart racing with an unknown feeling. She didn't know why but she felt a restless act in her heart, which she brushed it off thinking it must be due to the panic and stress.
(Sister, i have reached City mall right now. Where is mama admitted? I will just reach at the hospital)
"Natte thoi. Hospital natte. Yum da laku. Eie yum da lei pot khra lawbagi. Yum dei punna sum chatkhrasi" Nungshi said. Thabal paused for a moment but then agreed.
(No thoi. Not hospital. Come home, i am there to take some things. Let's go to the hospital together from home)
"Dada. Amta Sanasam Leikai do duga thawjanbew" she requested to the cab driver.
(Brother, please head towards Sanasam Leikai)
The drive to Sanasam Leikai felt strangely surreal. Her heart wouldn't stop its frantic drumming.
"Dada, khra yangna please" she whispered to the driver, her voice trembling.
(Brother please, a little more faster)
As the cab turned into the narrow lane leading to her house, Thabal leaned forward, her eyes searching for the gate. As her eyes landed on it, a sigh of relief escaped her lips.
"Siga mamang gi siga khammo yarani" she said and quickly took out the money.
(Please pull up here. It will be fine by here)
The cab pulled up. Thabal quickly handed him the money and sprinted toward the front door with her luggage, pushing the door open with a frantic bang.
"Che!" she called out, her voice cracking.
She rushed into the living room, expecting to see her sister broken and lonely. In a miserable condition. But the scene infront of her made her freeze in her place.
________🌸_________
Hope you like it
Stay safe sweeties🐻🌻
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