I never saw her again

"Aava, Aava!!"

"Haven't you got ready yet?"

The shriller female voice yet rude and loveless disconnected me from the depth of the most relaxing sleep, at my own home, after a week long tour organized by my college.

"Aava, Hurry up!!" The voice, much louder this time, hit me directly into my eardrum, which in turn forced my eyelids to open up widely. I got up from my bed, went to the window, and parted the curtain sideways. When I finished rubbing my eyes, the blurred images right in front of my eyes slowly started getting focused. A fat women, in a vulgar ripped jeans and in overly dramatic makeovers, was standing impatiently outside the building right next to ours where Mr. and Mrs. Khadka used to reside, at least until I waved them a good bye earlier that day when I left for the tour.

 I was still wondering why that rude women had been yelling out so loud when my mom too yelled from the kitchen upstairs, "Shuva, wake up son!! It's tea time."  

So, I went straight into the kitchen and asked about Mr. and Mrs. Khadka with my mom. I was so disheartened when my mom explained me that they had sold their house and went back to live in their village. She also told me that the ugly woman shouting outside early in the morning was the one who bought the house.

I was immediately drowned into the depths of melancholy by their departure. In fact, I was dissatisfied more with this fact that they left without my acquaintance. For some seconds, I remained nostalgic about the time I spent with them. They were so close to me. In my holidays, Mr. Khadka used to play football with me, even when he had backaches, mere to encourage me. Poor me, I could not own a quality time to even bestow them with when they were about to leave this place. I wished I could at least wave them a good bye.

I returned to my room with a cup of tea on my hand but an immense solitude inside my heart. As I put the tea on the table, I went to the window to gaze outside. At that very moment, my eyes caught a sight of a timid yet innocent looking pretty girl, probably of my age who was decently dressed up. But, what was she doing at Mr. Khadka's house?  When I saw her getting out with the same rude woman, the name 'Aava' hit my memory and I uttered to myself, 'Pretty name, as herself."  

While the woman was getting into the car, she was still scolding Aava throwing an ugly look but Aava was looked skeptical. She was accepting the unkind behavior of that ugly monster very kindly, as if it was her feed, as if she was guilty of some crime.

Well, that was the first time I fell for a complete stranger whom I first assumed to be the most humble soul and then embraced the assumption as the only truth. I generated a strange compassion towards her which instantly pulled me into her. In fact, the pull was stronger than the gravity enumerated by Newton.

"Shuva", a soft voice soothed my ear and unknowingly I answered," Yes, mom." to the only familiar voice left with me now. I was still gazing out through the same window staring Aava who was finally getting into the car after putting couple of suitcases inside. When she banged the door of the car, she looked back to me through the window as if she had been aware of me minutes earlier. At that glance of her, my heart pounded so hard.

Whole day, her innocent face kept coming into my memory. Her deeply saddened face had some story to share. I was more restless because of my inability to solve the puzzles of the complexities of her sadness and her submissive nature towards that monster woman.

In the evening, I was finally getting focused into my project report but just then I heard a car coming down. I immediately got up and looked out through the window. The same girl and the woman got out of the car. The girl looked at me twice before she slipped a paper, before she entered into house, meticulous enough to get caught up by the woman. I rushed down and picked up the slip. The girl had just stepped into the door when she turned back and gave me a despondent look.

The slip read," It's urgent. Please meet me in the Varandah."  I did not suppose that there would be something like that in the slip.  I went up in my room and got out in the Varandah that projected outward closer to the Varandah of one of the rooms of the building where Aava was staying. She too, got out in the Varandah.  She looked much timid this time.

"So, what's your name?" ,I asked.

"Aava", she exclaimed.

Without even asking mine, she started,"Listen, I seriously need to talk to you. You look trust worthy and I hope you can help me."

I, with a convincing voice, said," Yes sure! Whatever your problem is, you can trust me. Please share it with me. I will do anything it takes to help you get out of your troubles."

Then she started,"I am from a poor family in a remote village. My father died when I was very small and I am the only child of my mom. This aunt bought me here so that I could earn a good life for me and my old mom. She lured me with the bright hopes of money and luxuries. But, to my surprise, I heard this aunt talking to some stranger on her phone making plans about selling me to brothel."

Aava remained silent for a while and turned her face down as tears flooded down her cheeks. I could not stop myself from holding her hands to calm her down and to help her gain strength to tackle the rush of emotional outbreak.

She turned her face up and said in a trembling voice," I don't want to get sold. I don't want to spend my life in a hell. I want to go back to my mom. She might have started worrying about me. I have not even talked to her for weeks. Please help me. I know no one here. This aunt happened to be so mean. She keeps torturing me."

I felt so angry with that woman. I could not even decide what the best way to help her was. If I did something at that time, the ugly woman would torture Aava more. After all it was getting dark too. So, I convinced her that I would think for better plan the next morning. She wiped her tears and nodded by shaking her head gently and went inside.

I returned to my room with a heavy heart tormented with mixed feelings of hatred, empathy, love, sadness and what not. I shared the whole story to my mom who was more than a friend to me. We both decided to complain it to police early in the following morning. She suggested me to sleep.

I could not sleep until late night but when I did, it was the greatest mistake I ever did. I slept until 9 o' clock in the morning. I rushed out to meet Aava but their house locked from outside. I saw my mom rushing to me from market.

She trembled and said," Aava is gone dear. The neighbors said that they heard a car stop by and returned very early this morning. Probably, that woman forcefully took her, knowing that she talked to you yesterday, Shuva."

I went numb. My visions blurred. The image before me turned fuzzy.

I wished she would have yelled out loud or she would have called me aloud. I would not have ever let her go.

The next part of my heart exclaimed, " You idiot. How could she call you out loud for she did not even know your name?"

Since then, every time when a car stopped by my house, I wished the same innocent face had returned back. I wished Aava had returned back to bestow me with one more chance to help her but, I never saw her again.