CH:3 Saying Goodbye

*Third-person P.O.V*

Leila was feeling as if it was the demise of her entity and the whole world was falling apart. Those words from her brother snatched the light of her life. She didn't only lose her senses but she lost a part of herself. Leila was unable to understand her feelings. She wanted to cry, shout, and grieve to let all the pain out from her heart, but the tears were frozen in the lake of her eyes. The banks of this lake were iced and her heart was frozen. But if her heart is iced, why is she feeling the hell in her heart? This burning to let go of her loved ones was too much to handle. She fainted three times, Anna was beside her... Cara was also taking care of her, but she wanted her mother. Her mother's embrace was snatched from her by fate. Fate is immeasurable, but she didn't think that God would take her parents away from her. She never worried about anything in her life. Her life was so perfect. But this storm destroyed everything; it took her happiness. Leila would never be able to smile so heartily ever again. She was watching blankly all the people who were coming to give her condolences. What is happening? What is all this? The comfort of anyone is not good enough to make her understand. She didn't know where Danny was. What was he doing? But she was watching these two coffins placed in front of her eyes. These two casket boxes were going to bury her, but thinking about it, she felt as if her heart was smashed with a hammer. The two people in these boxes were her universes, the light of her life. She saw blankly towards Anna blankly.

"Leila!" Anna was crying. She saw the warm tears flowing down her cheeks. Leila wanted the same; she wanted to hug her mother and cry. But she was nowhere...

"Anna, where is Danny?" She asked in a lost voice.

"Danny is outside. He is preparing for the..." Anna sobbed then stopped talking!

"For what? He went to take Mom and Dad. Where are they?" Leila asked her. Anna hugged Leila closely.

"Leila, please. I want you to cry. Don't conceal this pain inside," Anna said.

Leila looked at her with stray eyes. "Why are you saying this?" She asked. "Why are all these people here? Why did we come here?" Leila was asking difficult questions from her best friend. Anna didn't know how to make her understand. How to tell her that it's her parents' funeral? Cara looked towards Leila and Anna. She came closer to them, she sat beside Leila.

"Leila, it's your parents' funeral. Your brother is preparing for that... You have to be strong," Cara said.

Leila looked towards her in shock. "What are you saying? Are you gone insane!!! No, Cara, you are lying," Leila said. Anna was also looking at Cara with anger. How can she just say it like that? Didn't she know the condition of Leila? She is going through so much pain. Her parents died yesterday; Cara is such a careless person. Leila may not understand the behaviour of Cara. But Anna saw the real colour of Cara; she saw a glint of happiness in Cara's eyes. Anna thought to tell Leila slowly, so she came out from this trauma. She comes out from a state of shock. But what Cara did made it worse.

"I am not lying. You have to accept it. It is the truth. Your parents died," Cara said. Leila was watching her with utter shock; her eyes were teeing up.

"Anna, is she telling the truth?" Leila asked her friend. She wanted Anna to deny it. She wanted her to say it was all a lie. Anna raised her tight and then nodded her head. Cara moved up from the bench and then walked away from them. Leila was now crying. She didn't know for how long, but she was crying for hours. She was hiccuping due to continuous crying; she was feeling dizzy. Her eyes were dry, and the tears were dried on her cheeks. But now, the salty water was not coming out. Anna gave her comfort; she gave her water, but Leila didn't drink it. After hours of grieving, she saw her brother coming towards her, she stood up and then ran towards Danny. Leila hugged him. She didn't know if the frozen lake again melted; she cried like a little child. Danny solaced her, he was caressing her back to calm her down.

"They are gone, brother. They left us," she said in a breaking tone.

"Yes, Leila. They left us alone," he said. Danny also wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.

"But we have to be strong for them, Leila. We have to do it. It is so difficult for me. But please, I want you to stand beside me. Our parents will rest in peace if they see their children doing their last rituals," he said. Leila sobbed. She was still amazed by the cruelty of fate. One moment she was so happy, as happiness will never fade away from her life. And the sorrows will never enter her life, and the next moment, she felt as if this sadness and sorrow are for eternity. She will never feel happiness again.

After the presence of her brother and crying for too long, Leila was a little calmed down. Now it is time for the most difficult moment of her entire life. She was going to say goodbye to her parents. Danny was also crying. All of them came out of the hall. They all gathered in the graveyard. The coffins were placed in the graves. Danny and Leila put the dirt on the graves. They both hugged each other and saw their parents going away. They were now sleeping peacefully under the burden of this dirt. All the people did all the rituals. And with a slow pace, the time went by as everyone started going away. The crowd gathered there faded. Now there were only Leila, Danny, and Cara standing there. Danny hugged both of them. They were tired, and this was a very difficult day. Leila didn't want to go back home. But no one can live here until it is permanent. So, Danny made her understand, and all of them came back home. Leila with a broken heart and a tired body.

(On the other end of the City)

He was sitting on the office chair. It was a very busy day; he just finished a meeting. It is so difficult to manage business and studies at the same time. Damien looked at the clock. It was ticking, and the time was 10:00 pm. He stretched his arms and then put his head on the backrest of the chair. He closed his eyes.

"Oh, Dad. I wish you were here. I hope you will get better soon," he thought then heaved a deep sigh. It was time to go home. He was so exhausted. Damien opened his eyes, he made his composure back to his business self when he heard a knock on his door.

"Yes, come in," he said. Damien saw his assistant, Liang, coming in.

"Sir, it's too late. Should we go home now?" He asked. Damien nodded his head.

"Yes, you go home. Thank you, Liang, for all the help," Damien said. Liang smiled.

"Sir, it's my work. Aren't you going home?" He asked.

"I have to complete an assignment. I will go home late. Have a good night, Liang," he said. Liang nodded his head.

"Have a good night, boss." Liang thought about his boss. This boy will sit here and complete his university assignment. He is so hardworking. Liang smiled and then exited the office. Damien again turned on his laptop and started searching for the topic of his assignment. He has to submit it tomorrow. Life is not so easy for him also.