The Loss

“I am sorry”, he said.

“Both?” she asked, stunned. He nodded, kept a consoling hand on her shoulder and left.

Shivering, she sat down on a chair behind her, rocking back and forth. She got up and left the corridor as fast as she could. She went down the stairs and into the dark night. She had tried to be strong all along the episode and now she was being greeted by the most terrible news. This was not right. This should not have happened. She knew things were not in her hand. She lit a cigarette, and took a long drag trying to suppress her tears down her lungs through her nostrils. Her phone rang. She saw the name and received it.

“Hello?” said a female voice on the other end.

She couldn’t speak. She knew she would lose it if she did.

“Where are you? Are you alright? Say something, I can only hear you breath.”

She could feel the concern in the voice of her only close friend. She tried with all the strength and said, “Yes, in the lawn. Coming.” and disconnected the call.

She took another drag and closed her eyes to feel the breeze flowing on her face making her aware of her lone self. She let the memories fill her. They had grown her up and taken care of everything about her till now. Today when she gets back home it will be hushed and empty. No usual greeting, no one asking her about her day, whether she had eaten anything. This day was to come but not in this way, not all of a sudden because of some random person’s fault, or may be her fault. She felt anger and remorse conquering her. She wanted to crush the person just the way he did with her folks, her creators, with his black Honda. That was the information she had received through the inquiry.

A hand on her shoulder interrupted her trail of thoughts. This was the only person she was left with. Her colleague, her best friend, her guide the only person on whom she could rely blindly.

“You have formalities to complete”, said her only support, “I wish I could do this on your behalf but the doctor wants to see you to wrap things up.”

She took another drag from her tear suppresser.

“I can only assure you that we won't let them get away, it’s a promise!” said her friend.

She threw the butt in the grass, crushed it under her shoe and turned to look into her friend’s face with a blank, stern look. She nodded and her friend gave her a reassuring hug, completely understanding the chaos in her best friend’s inside. She revoked, “Let us go”, she said, took a deep breath and moved towards her horrifying nightmare.