3 Chapter 3: 12 Years Later

Nearly twelve years had passed since Abhi had left his favorite place and his only best friend.

— The Sun rose on the tidy brown fields and beautiful houses in the village called "VITHURA," surrounded by green hills at every corner. The sunrays litup the last house in the village that was built a long time ago — it has a lovely front yard and a maxi truck was parked outside. Those sunrays crept into its living room. Although the house was old, it was fine, and every house item was beautifully arranged and the calendar on the wall displayed a date; 1994, October 28. The living room was well furnished with elegant vases and wall paintings. It has stairs connected to the bedroom made of wood. A young man was in the bedroom, asleep at the moment, a wooden truck toy was on the table, and a dog was sleeping in the same room next to the bed. The sunlight from the bedroom's window fell on him; and he woke up. The first thing he saw was the truck on the table, he looked at it with a smile and said, "Good Morning". The young man, Abhi, grew up. He was handsome with tall, broad shoulders, and has silky hair. He woke up from his bed and stepped out slowly to enjoy his regular morning view — Very few houses could be seen nearby. The whole place was amazing with wonderful scenery; all the corners lined with beautiful hills, and a tiny trickle of water from the hills looked like a waterfall. When Abhi was breathing the fresh air, TITLE came out at the same time and stood next to him. TITLE was now a twelve years old russell terrier but he was still active, Thank you.

Morning:

— Abhi always stayed alone at home and had very few connections. His day usually began to bathe his dog, and wash his maxi truck; it was white in color, it had a front side like a jeep and the backside had free space to load pickups. Abhi had to get into his truck every day and drive to the Market yard; it was a little far from the village. He always took TITLE with him. Every time on his way to the Market yard, he had to cross the railway gate. He waited until the train arrived at the railway gate, he enjoyed it. Once the train arrived, TITLE jumped off the truck and shouted at the speed train. Abhi, too, attempted to shout. He had always practised shouting, this was to overcome his weakness, but he had never been successful. After the train crossed the gate, Abhi drove to the Market yard. He parked his truck along with other vehicles. His work was to pick up the loads and deliver. Most of the market workers knew that Abhi could hear but had trouble speaking. That's why they always write the address on the paper and send it to him. Every time his truck was loaded, Abhi delivers the load to the address given. This was his everyday life, he loved it, and his job helped him make enough money. But there was a secret nobody knew, GABRIEL; the only person Abhi speaks with, it took years for Abhi to speak with him.

Morning:

— It was a rainy Sunday, 8 O'Clock in the morning. The village was covered with dusty clouds, but it still seemed like early in the morning. TITLE, who was sleeping under the bed, woke up. He rushed out to see his Master, but he couldn't see him anywhere and also his Maxi Truck. He started running as though he knew where he was and reached the top of a hill; it was full of trees, and there were many tombs; perhaps a graveyard. He saw that Abhi was soaked in the rain, standing near the tomb, gazing at it silently. TITLE rushed and stood right next to him. Abhi saw TITLE and ruffled his head. He looked at the Tomb; it was written — JOHNSON— and it says … "you will always stay in our hearts". The drizzling was a sign of our beautiful memories — It reminded Abhi of his past and the day when he met him; probably 12 years ago, on the same day when Abhi had left Akshara.

— — — 12 Years Ago …

— The villagers were having the best day migrating to some other place for work; every one seemed to be very excited with lots of happiness; except for one — Abhi; He looked dull, silent and probably thinking about his only friend Akshara. He sat at the edge of the truck with his pet and was looking at the trees and hills leaving him far from his place. It was midnight and one by one the villagers fell asleep; except Abhi — His head was running with some thoughts and was waiting for the right moment. The trucks travelled for a long time, and stopped at a place which was surrounded by hills all the corners. The truck drivers were tired; they decided to take rest and continue the journey early in the morning. Abhi was waiting for this moment, he looked at each of them to make sure they were all asleep. He took a deep breath and got off the truck slowly with his pet. He held Wooden Truck and TITLE with his hands and started running back without wasting a second — His idea was to move back to his place and to meet his friend Akshara.

It was midnight, Abhi was now very far from his truck and hardly any sign of humans showed; but it did not bother him much. He ran for a long time and reached a place which showed him two ways, one to the left and another to the right; his straight way was blocked with dense trees and mounts; he couldn't figure out where to go. He walked near a tree and sat under it thinking of which way to take the turn — but, he fell asleep without taking any decision.

Early Morning:

— Songs from an unknown truck were playing —

Two people were travelling in the truck on the road; enjoying the music. The person who was driving the truck looked almost 70's but was still very active and energetic. The other was probably in his 50's, and he looked like his follower. The truck driver who was looping the song noticed Abhi sleeping under the tree — He was very surprised to see him at an unknown place and stopped his truck. He got off the truck, walked to Abhi and patted him on the hand. After a few pats Abhi woke up, opened his eyes, and looked at them.

" — Who are you dear, how did you come here —" asked the old man surprisingly. But Abhi showed no response. The other person who was standing next to him whispered, " I think he can't speak or hear and someone might have wantedly left him here". The old man felt sad to hear, he thought Abhi was abandoned and walked to his truck to bring him some fruits. He gave him two bananas.

" — Eat these … and come along with us. We will drop you at your village." he asked.

Abhi smiled for a second. The old man then realized Abhi could hear but could not speak. He knew from his heart that it was not that easy to drop Abhi at his place and decided to take him along with them; but he did not say anything about it. He picked Abhi and his pet in the truck and started driving to his village.

Abhi was very happy, his heart was filled with lots of excitement — he was enjoying the journey like never before. The old man who was driving the truck looked at Abhi and said, " My name is Johnson and he is my friend Gabriel".

— They travelled and reached a place which says … "Vithura"—.

Abhi was surprised to see himself at an unknown place. He was sure that it was not the place he was looking for, and at the same time Gabriel got out of the truck; he said bye to Johnson and walked away. Johnson reached a place; probably the last house in the village — It was located at a place which was covered with green hills and a waterfall. Johnson seemed to be staying alone; as no other person could be seen in the house.

— It was night and the sound of crickets could be heard all around the corners—

Abhi kept his hands close to his chin and was sitting on the front door staring at the stars; he was probably thinking how to go to his village. But … TITLE seemed to be enjoying the place; he was running in the front yard chasing the glow worms. He was very happy and surprised, because he saw them for the first time. Johnson walked out with some snacks and sat next to Abhi; he was also holding a paper and pencil in his hand. He gave them to Abhi and asked him to write his name. Abhi took the paper, and wrote the names.

"— Abhi and TITLE," Johnson read.

He cleared his throat and said again, " Well … I just thought to ask you something … Do you like to stay with me? I will teach you how to write, read and also bring you many books. I promise, I will drop you at your place one day" .

Abhi thought twice, he grinned and nodded his head like, Yes.

One thing that liked Johnson in Abhi — Even though Abhi could not speak, his expressions explained everything.

— The smile on Johnson was evident. He was now having a little responsibility. He started teaching Abhi how to write and read, it took time for Abhi to learn, but Johnson never hesitated to teach him twice. He even built a wooden bedroom for him to stay. On every Sunday Johnson visited the Market yard to meet his friend Gabriel. He always took Abhi and TITLE along with him.

But ... One thing always surprised him; it was Abhi's visit to the village's bridge which linked the main road. He noticed many times; Abhi spent some part of his day at the bridge. It always reminded Johnson of his promise — But he could not do anything; because Abhi did not know the name of his village — He always felt sad about it and decided to do something.

It was night and the sky was covered with bright stars and Moon. Abhi was sitting on the rock near the bridge with TITLE. After spending some time; he walked back to the house — Johnson was already waiting for him near the front yard. Abhi walked to him and sat next to him.

" — Do you recognize how your village looks?" asked Johnson.

Abhi was surprised and nodded his head like, Yes.

"Okay then … We will search for your village … Look around every village I take to you. I hope we will find your place quickly..." he said.

Johnson did not know from where to start and which village to visit first. He then saw a train coming from the west.

"West … We will follow everyday the direction of the first train we see …" he said.

Present …. ( At the graveyard)

— Drops of water falling from the leaves indicated that the rain has stopped. Abhi's eyes clearly indicated, he now realized that Johnson was no more.

"— You always wanted to see me in my village. I miss you Grandpa. I hope I can tell you one day that I found my place, " he said calmly.

— Abhi and TITLE spent some time and returned to their truck parked on the hill. They sat on a rock looking towards the railway track which was somewhat visible from the hill. Abhi was tossing stones and was thinking deeply.

As Johnson said, Abhi believed that following the direction of the train would help him reach the place he had been looking for many years.

Some time later he saw the train on the track, which was facing east. Abhi and TITLE went back to the truck and started going in the same direction. They randomly visited new places to the east. Abhi looked at every house, every alley, but could not find what he was looking for. They went too far, and it became an evening. Abhi parked his truck somewhere at the hill and looked towards the sunset; He took a deep breath and said,

"— I hope I can see you one day."

—Slowly, it turned into night and Abhi reached home. The sky was clear and the stars were bright. Abhi came out and sat at the front door. He has a habit of writing his memoirs in his book, it was not a diary — only a book with his memoirs.

Abhi opened his book and wrote, "It's been more than 12 years, I've seen you, my friend. I hope you're all right. I've tried a lot of times to find you, but I can't. I hope I'll reach you one day". He closed his book, kept it on the table and walked to his bedroom.

Morning, Market Yard:

— It was a very sunny day and the market yard was crowded with lots of farmers.

Somewhere at the yard Abhi was busy filling his truck with boxes full of fruits. TITLE was also busy chasing butterflies.

— When Abhi was busy with his work, a man was observing him from a distance, probably in his 60s, he was a tall, stout man, and he had an attractive smile — he was Gabriel, most of whom called him Master and he was a member of the Market Committee. He loved Abhi very much and always supported him when he needed him. Gabriel always hoped that one day Abhi would talk to everyone.

He walked over to Abhi and said, "I think you're really going to be busy, this delivery is almost 300 miles away. New place. It's going to be the best experience for you.

He pointed to another truck and said, "They're going in the same direction. I already told them about you. All you have to do is follow them." He smiled and walked back to his office.

Abhi quickly set his load and picked up the paper with delivery details. He started his truck and followed another vehicle. Gabriel, who was in his room, saw Abhi leaving, took a deep breath and said to himself , "I hope you will overcome your weakness one day."

— Abhi was still on the winding lane, he was already far from his location, and was following another truck. He had the privilege of visiting new areas.

— Slowly, it turned into night. The people who came with him stopped their truck at the hotel on the roadside. One of them got off the truck and walked to Abhi and offered to eat with them.

— The main road was clean and very few people could be seen. The clock was ticking so fast. Everybody had dinner, Abhi had a wonderful time meeting new people and listening to their funny stories.

They went on their journey. After some time they reached the place and stopped the truck, one of the truck persons shouted at Abhi, "I think you have to travel this route, we're going straight. Follow the same road you are going to do." Abhi put his hand up and smiled at them. They also smiled and fled.

— Abhi turned his vehicle and went in the direction they indicated. The road was narrow, with many beautiful hills and trees, most of which were coconut. He was now having trouble finding the address, , because every time someone helped him he had to show the paper, some of them were uneducated, and some of them didn't know the address. At last, Abhi reached the place, it was already late at night, and the entire village was shrouded with fog. When he reached the delivery address, the whole place looked like a very lush farm. At the main entrance stood a man, probably a farm keeper. He was waiting for him, he looked thin with a dark complexion and almost 50 's old. Abhi was tired, not in the mood to unload the boxes, and the farm keeper was good enough to notice it and asked him to rest there, as it was late at night. Abhi has decided to stay and leave tomorrow.

Early morning at 7:00 A.M.

— Abhi was still asleep. The chirping of birds and the breezy wind ruffling his hair made it the perfect place to sleep. At the same time, the farm keeper was busy sweeping the farm and the sound of his broom could be clearly heard. Abhi woke up with the broom's noise. He stretched out his arms and yawned. He rubbed his eyes, — and the first thing he saw was a farm, a beautiful farm with almost orchards all over it. He walked up to the farm pump and washed his face. With the help of the farm keeper, he unloaded the boxes. After spending some time with the farm keeper, he started driving back to his village. The road he was driving was very quiet, and there were no other vehicles. TITLE relaxed next to Abhi 's seat and was almost lazy-but he enjoyed the ride. Suddenly, TITLE pulled his head out of the truck window and began to bark loudly. Abhi didn't know why he was barking, and he stopped the truck. TITLE jumped out of the truck and started screaming out into the clouds. Abhi didn't know why he was barking and looked up at the sky. For a second, he didn't realize what he had seen — a hill. It was a very beautiful hill and a temple was built on it. It's the same hill on which he spent his childhood. At one point, the hill reminded him of his life and the days he spent. His heart pounded so quickly, tears rolled out of his eyes. He was overjoyed, jumped on the roads, kissed his pet, and was almost gone mad. He couldn't believe that he'd found the place he 'd been searching for many years. He sat down on the lane, looked up at the temple on the hill, and said, "— I can't believe, I thought I couldn't find this in my life. Thank you so much god. I hope this isn't a dream."

— Abhi without thinking about a second turned his truck back and followed the hill. He travelled some distance, it was on the right side of the road he noticed a sign that said, "— Welcome to Vinnur— ."

— It started to drizzle when Abhi entered the village and the village was barely changed, the roads were almost the same and most of them were shrouded with fog due to the cool breeze. Abhi 's heart was filled with a lot of happiness, very happy like never before. His excitement was evident in his face. He looked here and there, and his eyes turned to a place that looked like a school, almost broken down, and it looked like it had been operated for a very long time. There was a sign that says, "Government School, Vinnur." Abhi smiled with a deep breath, it was the same school he visited in his childhood. He looked at the TITLE, he was asleep. Abhi covered him with his favourite blanket, ruffled his back. He parked his truck near the tree, got off the truck and walked to school. The school reminded him of his best friend, Akshara, and of the moments he spent with her. The land next to the school and the mango fields remained unchanged. Abhi was now having a thought in his mind, he gave himself a little shake and started running. He reached a place — It was the Akshara's house — It did not change anything and was almost the same the last time he had seen.

The front yard and the trees in the balcony all remained the same. Abhi rubbed his eyes, he could not believe he was now at his best friends house. He walked to a place and stood by the tree, watching the house without blinking. As he stood by the tree, he couldn't believe something to glimpse — a girl. She walked out of the house, holding an umbrella. She dressed in a white salwar. Abhi rubbed his eyes and looked at her. She looked really pretty with her big eyes and her hair was long. He supposed she might be someone. It was then that he heard a sound, "— Akshara, wait — ".

Abhi could not believe she was Akshara, his best friend — she was very beautiful. He was in a very good mood and he had forgotten himself.

He saw an old woman almost in her '70s. She walked out of the house and gave a lunch box to her. Akshara seemed to be in a hurry, she took the lunch box and walked on the streets.

Here Abhi started trailing her from the back. Akshara reached the bus stop in the village and waited for the bus to arrive.

— After some time, the bus arrived and Akshara got on the bus — she sat by the window and enjoyed the rain.

— Abhi stopped in silence — He looked at Akshara as if he wanted to say something to her, but he was scared. When he was guessing what to do, the bus moved. Abhi waited there until the bus left the bus stop and walked back to the place where his truck was parked. TITLE was waiting for him at the same time — he saw Abhi coming and ran towards him. Abhi hugged him and said, "— I saw Akshara, she is so beautiful—." He blinked one of his eyes, sat in his truck and drove back to his village. He looked at TITLE and said, Every Sunday we've visited a lot of villages. I think now we've just got one village to visit..

Time Night: Vithura

— After many years, Abhi had had a very nice day, because he had seen Akshara. That evening he sat on a wooden log in his front yard and was looking at the sky — TITLE was sleeping in his lap. Abhi looked at the stars, grinned and said in his mind, " She is very pretty. I was very happy that I could see. But, I don't know, I feared meeting her, I think I still need time. I can spend my entire life just looking at her. At last, she is my only hope. right." Abhi was not feeling sleepy, infact, his mind was completely running with Akshara's thoughts.

Time Morning: Market Yard

Abhi was doing his routine work. He was very happy like never before, some of the market workers were surprised to see him unnaturally very happy, Gabriel too felt the same. Everyday on his way to work, he looked at the calendar on the wall, waiting for Saturday, so that he could travel to Vinnur just to see Akshara. With lots of excitement, Saturday arrived. That early morning Abhi traveled to Vinnur, he slept in a truck that night in the vinnur, so that he could see Akshara the next day.

Sunday Morning:

— That was a very sunny day and the sky looked very bright. Abhi parked his truck somewhere at distance from Akshara's house and was waiting for her. As he had expected, Akshara came out, but this time there were two more people, who looked very old, an old man aged 75's and an old woman aged 70's, probably her grandparents. They walked on the streets, chit chatting. Abhi followed them with his pet, TITLE. They reached a church in the village. After completing the prayer, they went nowhere and walked back to the house. It looks awkward how can someone enjoy just looking at the person they like, but Abhi did, he was very happy just to see her. He does not want to meet her, because he feared if she could not recognize him. It turned evening and Abhi travelled back to Vithura very happily, thanks to his selfless happiness.

It became an every week routine for Abhi to visit vinnur just to see Akshara. He waits for her, sees her, and travels back to vinnur in the evening. But without his knowledge, Gabriel always observed him, and was astonished to see him visit Vinnur every weekend.

Morning: Vinnur

— Like every Sunday Abhi was waiting to see Akshara. He parked his truck somewhere, and sat on a rock. TITLE was too accompanying him. They both were waiting for her. It was afternoon, but still Akshara did not show up. Abhi picked up some stones from the ground and threw them near her front gate, so that she would come outside, but to his surprise nobody came. He did not know why she had not come out, he questioned himself if everything was alright? Slowly, it turned into evening, and Abhi had to leave for his village, but his mind said, no. He waited till night 9PM, but still nobody showed up, and now he has to travel back to Vinnur.

Midnight: Somewhere in the Journey

The atmosphere was very cool with breezy winds. Abhi was travelling to Vithura. TITLE was silently watching the trees. The windy air was ruffling Abhi's hair. His eyes clearly showed that he was not happy, and his heart was filled up with unknown pain. His mind was completely running with her thoughts. A major missing, that he was leaving back without seeing her. His heart does not want to go back.

"— I don't want to go back TITLE, I want to see Akshara. The steerings are in my hands, but still why I can't return back to see her. I feel like someone is stealing away my happiness. I want to stay here for life, do something? he said, looking at the TITLE.

— TITLE barked immediately.

Abhi stopped his truck somewhere in the middle of the road, took a deep breath and said again, "I have decided. I will move to Vinnur. I will write a letter to the Master that I want to move back to Vinnur. If I don't dare today, I can't meet Akshara in my life. I hope Akshara will be happy to see me.

With lots of hopes and expectations Abhi travelled back to Vithura, but this time he was not like usual.