The moment you stole everything from me
Aditya was sitting inside the car with his eyes closed.
I never thought I would react this way after seeing her, even after so many years.
My heart is still beating just like it did the first time I saw Anamika.
It was 14 years, 10 months, and 21 days ago... when I saw her for the first time.
It was summer vacation, and like every year, Dad wasn't going to take us anywhere. I was very angry about that.
In that anger, I left the house early in the morning... without eating anything.
By noon, I was extremely hungry and thirsty, but how could I return home after saying:
"Even if you come to call me, I won't come back!"
And they... didn't even come to call me.
Pouting, I started walking toward Aniket's house. But somehow, my feet unknowingly moved toward the sound of a sweet giggle.
I stopped at the end of a lane. At the far end, a lovely girl was playing with her pet dog. Her clothes were covered in paint, and she had some colors beside her. A beautiful painting was made on the wall-maybe she had painted it.
I don't know why, but my heart started beating faster when I saw her. A smile appeared on my face. At that moment, all I wanted was to talk to her... to be her friend.
I called out to her, and she looked at me. That first glance felt like it took everything from me! After that, nothing in me was mine... she began to live inside me.
She ran away after one look, and my heart broke. I wanted to know about her... to talk to her.
I stood in front of her house, staring at the door. She didn't even peek outside.
Her things were still lying there. I picked up a paintbrush from there, thinking I'd use it as an excuse to meet her again the next day.
I looked once at the painting on the wall, where it was signed: "Anamika."
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That name engraved itself on my heart. I told Aniket all about it.
The next day, he came with me-not to see the girl but to see her painting because I had praised it so much.
The same thing happened again. She ran away after seeing us, and I was left standing there with the brush in my hand.
That day, a question entered my innocent little heart for the first time:"Do I really look that bad?"
On the third day, Aniket and I went dressed in suits. I even brought chocolate for her that I bought with my saved pocket money.
I still remember... Aniket was so angry with me that day, because even after all the effort, she still ran away after seeing us.
On the fourth day, Aniket didn't want to come, but I forced him. That day, she was again painting on the wall.
I brought her a color box as a gift, but again, the same thing happened. She didn't stop for a moment to talk.
It kept happening every day, but I still kept going. Aniket really liked her paintings. She didn't paint every day, but Aniket would take a photo of the painting every time she did-and I'd take that photo from him!
Back then, my naive heart couldn't bear the thought of anyone else having something of Anamika's-not even my best friend! Aniket still teases me about that!
Gradually, I stopped trying to talk to her and just started watching her paint from a distance. At least she didn't run away when I did that.
Whenever she went inside, I started leaving a letter in her mailbox-hoping that one day she'd come out to talk to me. But that never happened.
She would take the letters and leave. I don't know what she did with them, but even today, I hope she didn't throw them away. I had poured my heart into those letters-just for her.
Then one day, when I went to her house, my heart shattered. I saw tears in her eyes. Her grandmother had passed away that day. She lived with her grandma.
After her grandmother's death, her parents took her away. I never saw her in that alley again. I thought I'd never meet her again-but I did.
I almost failed my 10th-grade exams. Someone told my dad about a boarding school.
He got me admitted there. When Aniket found out, he also insisted on joining the same school.
I was very upset with myself that day because I had to live away from my family. But maybe God didn't want me to be upset.
When I saw the paintings on the walls of the boarding school, I suddenly remembered her. And my heart wished:"I wish I could meet Anamika one more time... at least talk to her once."
If I had asked for anything else that day, maybe it would've come true too. Because as soon as I entered the school, the first person I saw... was Anamika.
Sitting away from everyone, all by herself.
Her eyes still held the same fear and hesitation I had seen in childhood.
Even in school, she didn't talk to anyone, and if someone tried, she'd walk away.
I don't know why, but that gave my heart peace... peace in knowing that she didn't run only from me.
But at the same time, my heart wished:"I wish I could stop her from running away from people. I wish I could be that person she could trust-the one who helps her connect with the world."
Maybe today, God is giving me that chance... and here I am, just sitting here!!
I have two choices:
Either I protect myself from pain,
Or I heal the pain in Anamika's heart and introduce her to this world.
But what should I do?
Just then, Aditya imagined Anamika's smiling face-the one he had seen when they first met.
He stood up and said to himself,
"No matter how much it hurts me, I won't give up!
It doesn't matter whether you like me or not,
But you have to like this world!You have to connect with it!
I can watch you go away from me...
But I can't watch you drift away from the world!"
What do you think? Will Aditya be able to reconnect Anamika with the world?
Will this girl, who always runs away from it, ever embrace it?
And the biggest question-why does Anamika always run away from this world?
What do you think?
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