CRAVING FOR LOVE

"I am unable to find the books?" Anna asked. “Makes it interesting for, you stupid" Ben replied laughing. "Hey, who are you calling stupid. You were the one who placed them somewhere at a stupid place" she said with irritated look. "Well they are in that cupboard" Ben said. "Well Ben did you heard about those new infectious weed discovered in West Africa last week." "Yeah I heard it from the boys in our school that some scientist have been trying to extract some chemicals from that weed." "Really that's interesting, by the way how are things going with your girlfriend Janice." she said giving him a curious look. "Great, you know she is a nice girl, nice in every way I think I have found 'the one' for me." "You didn't." Anna said in the shocked voice. "What! Are you alright Anna?" "Ah! yeah well I mean you are just with her for 6 months it's really a short period of time, you must spend at least 3 years to find the one." "Really girl what kind of theory is this?" Laugh all you can now and don't come to me later crying if you regret the decision of finding your the one.” “Ok calm down its just the way I feel by the way what about you, did you find someone?” “Well you know my dad he is against love marriage he is finally going to find someone on his own and get me married off to him. That’s why I don’t think about it” Anna said with a sad expression lying to Ben. “Yeah you are right but don’t you have ever dreamed or thought about the type of guy you want maybe I can help you find him.” He asked raising his eyebrows “well yeah I do have my ‘type’ but it’s alright I don’t have want to have some false hope.” “Your dad seems a strict person to me.” “Actually, he is” Anna said exhaling the air out. “That reminds of Mr. Alex Blue. We have an assignment to submit this week or else we know about his anger.” “Truly said .” “Let’s start it from tomorrow still have 2 more days left to finish it.” “Ok bye I got to pick Janice up.” “Yeah” Anna said feeling the rise of bile in her throat, her heart felt weird. She longed for her best friend’s company why won’t she after her mom who passed away a few years ago, he was the closet to person to her. Things weren’t smooth for her. She didn’t hate her dad but she felt just an invisible person in his presence. She only exchanged just few dialogues when it was necessary. She was blessed with rich family but not that lovely family that she wanted. Her grandmother forced her dad to marry some other women so that he can have a son as the heir of his family and it’s been 3 years since her stepbrother was born but she never met him. She had everything a rich family, a house full of people who would never give her the love she craved for. Anna still can’t forget about that unfortunate day of her life, her memory of the day when her mother passed away. It was exactly 15 October, 5 years from now. Anna was 15 years old and it was her birthday, so her mother went to buy Anna’s favorite pineapple flavored cake for the party she had organized. The cake didn’t reach the party but the news of her mother, that she was on her death bed, reached her. She could only see her dad telling her mom to wake up and that he only loves her mom and will only love her forever. Anna slowly-slowly reached towards her mom’s body to feel her touch for the last time and give her the last farewell. But her grandmother threw her out of the room she kept on begging her and calling out her dad, her dad did look at her but those eyes felt as if they were blaming her for her mom’s death. She stopped struggling to go inside the room where her lovely mother’s body laid and her dad blaming eyes stared at her. She started walking with no place to go, with every drop of her tear the heaven cried with her. She was completely wet when she reached her second home Ben’s house. Since that day she just live like some person on rent in her own house it’s just that she doesn’t have to pay it. Next day after school she went to Ben’s house to finish off the assignment. She was just at the door when she saw Ben and Janice sitting together and laughing. Mrs. Park, Ben’s mother was looking at them lovingly. She suddenly felt the urge to run back to her home. Her heart pained for some reason. “Hey, look who’s here” Janice said excitedly. “Oh! hey, Anna why don’t you come in” Mrs. Park said. Anna moved towards the couch where Ben and Janice were already sitting. “Hello Anna, nice to meet you. Well I must say you are a frequent visitor at this place” Janice said with not so happy face. “Hello to you too Janice, actually me and Ben had an assignment to complete” Anna said. “ Yeah actually Janice ,we together decided for this time to finish the assignment. It’s you who called me at this hour to pick you up and I completely forgot about it. “What! Are you blaming me Ben?” “ You are overreacting Jen.” “Guys it’s alright calm down” Anna said. “ Oh please Anna ,stop it. It’s all because of you, Ben is always busy with you why can’t you just leave him to be with me?” “I didn’t mean to do such thing Janice. I’m sorry” Anna quickly apologized and walked out of Ben’s house. It pained her heart Janice’s words stabbed her heart like dagger. She walked inside the park and settled herself there on a bench . Actually Janice was right Ben loved Janice not her so she was no one to disturb their relationship. Ben’s house belonged to Ben and his family the people he wanted to be in his life. He just gave me a place or a shelter when I needed but that doesn’t mean it was shelter for forever. She was thinking all this when her phone started ringing it was Ben’s. She didn’t want to talk to anyone but she knew that Ben would come after her so she picked it up “hello Ben look I’m sorry for the trouble I caused today.” “ Just shut up Anna I should be sorry for Jen's behavior you know she is a nice girl but today she was angry. Tell me are you alright ?” “Yeah” Anna lied  wiping her tears . “I know you are crying Anna.” “No Ben I am not it just I’m sleeping” “ok talk to you tomorrow” and with this the line went off. “Are you sure you are sleeping?” a voice came from the boy who was sitting beside her. “Excuse me!” Anna said looking towards him. “I mean you are crying and sleeping together…” “Listen mister, I’m not interested in talking to any stranger.” The boy looked same age as Anna “ Well I am sorry I just wanted to have some water. Do you have some?” “ Yes” Anna said extending her water bottle. After drinking the water the boy again looked at Anna and said “Thank you miss, you are very generous and I want to give this to you.” he said extending a locket to her. “What is this? I can’t take it.” “Believe me miss when I say that there is something big coming up in your life.” “what is it?” “It must not be told now but at right time you will come to know. There are pills and they will save your life.” And with that the boy disappeared somewhere. Next morning when Anna woke up her ears couldn’t believe on the news they were telling on the TV that the weed from which scientist were extracting chemical had some virus which is fatal for all the O blood group people as few days ago one scientist was exposed to it and he died along with people who came in his contact were all dead in a span of 30 minutes after the virus’s attacks . The symptom for it was that slowly the person’s body starts getting paralyzed and then at last with stopping of heart they die away . The virus was named BOTTLE WEED VIRUS . Anna had O +ve blood group but she was not scared to die but she was scared for Ben as Janice’s dad owned a supermarket near the airport  and Ben would definitely meet up with Janice . It was said that the virus was spreading rapidly in the whole world because of the people travelling to different places . She quickly called Ben “Hello, Anna.” “Hi Ben, where are you?” “I’m at Janice’s supermarket to meet up with her.” “Ben didn’t you watch the news today?” “Yeah but believe me I am  safe.” “You just stay there I’m coming.” It takes 25 min to reach the supermarket Anna quickly took a cab. No one stopped  her in her  family but she knew it all, she just wanted to save her only closet person and the person she loved all these years Ben. She was going when she had a vision in which the same boy from park was telling her that one pill can be consumed by two, half dosage each and that the full pill would we needed for its production at the lab. Her vision ended and with that she reached the place and her fear came true many people were crying as they lie helplessly on the floor asking for help most were in the last stage of the viral infection . As she entered the supermarket she saw Ben lying on the floor with Janice beside her . She quickly opened up the locket and gave half of the pill to Ben and now she was infected as she came in contact with Ben. As soon as Ben woke up he looked at Janice’s pale and cold body just like Anna’s mother. He had hold Janice’s hand same way her dad held her mother’s.  “Wake up Janice you can’t leave me alone I swear to god I won’t fight with you ever again please Janice wake up.” Anna never really saw her best friend crying for any other girl before so she thought maybe he has really found her ‘the one’. Everything was repeating the same 5 years old scene Ben looked at Anna but not with blaming eyes but with pleading one. “Anna please save her, like you saved me. I can’t live without her Anna .She is my everything.” and with this she heard sound of  something being broken and that was of her own heart. She couldn’t help but smile at the two same scenes yet so different in one scene she lost her mother and became a criminal in his father’s eyes and today she could save Janice and her love of life Ben. She smiled and without second thought she gave Janice the other half dose as Janice started catching her breath back . Ben hugged Janice and then Anna and said “thank you so much you truly are my best friend.”  “Ben listen I must not get time to say this again so I will say this and I apologize in advance Janice .Ben you remember once you asked me the type of person I would like to stay with that is you . Yes Ben you are my everything, I know this isn’t right time but you are the one for me.” “Anna I …” “I know Ben you love Janice and I am glad that unlike me you could find someone to love and  being loved back for the person you are. Janice I am sorry again for this but this is the last time I am able to meet him” She said smiling through her tears . “Are you going somewhere ?” Before she could say anything a group of people came running towards them they were infected “listen Ben and Janice I want you to take this pill to the drug production center so that we can save other people. You must hurry.” “Anna we can’t leave you back here.” “Ben you must say goodbye to me now and I am glad you will have a new best friend after me ,it’s time to say goodbye Ben.” “ No Anna you will be my best friend forever I can’t leave you here.” “Look Ben I am already infected and there is no chance I can survive now so please, Janice take him and hurry” she lied again as she just got infected. “I know you can save everyone Ben.” with that she ran towards the crowd to divert them and then she escaped the people and reached her rented house to bid them official farewell forever . She loudly started in front of her house “Dad and grandma listen it for last and also for first time, I didn’t kill my mother but if still you feel I did then I am sorry . now I won’t bother you anymore I request you to fulfil my last wish if you can do so which is to grant my body a patch of land near my mother’s cemetery .if you wish to bury me and if not then forgive me if my soul come here or you find it near you . No, no it won’t be here to there to scare you it might be asking for one lovely action or one lovable smile because if we don’t bury the body the soul will search for the things it craved for and I craved for your love.” she saw her dad in front of their house and then it all went black for her . When her eyes opened up she found her mother in front of her. She quickly hugged her tightly “I missed you so much mom.” “Me too and  I am so proud of you Anna you saved everyone .Though many of them lost their lives and some of them their families.” “Mom you knew.” “Yes I knew look everything is settled now.” “ Mom look, dad he is offering you daffodils and those white lily?” “They are for you look closely at your cemetery beside me.” “Mom he knew, but he never gave me one when I was alive.” “ As Anne Frank  has said that DEAD PEOPLE RECEIVE MORE FLOWERS THAN THE LIVING ONES BECAUSE REGRET IS STRONGER THAN GRATITUDE.” “Mom look, Ben and Janice are happy together . I am so happy for them .” “Hey Anna I know you are looking at us from heaven I miss you stupid girl” ben said looking at the sky and then Janice waved at the sky. “You love him” her mother asked her. “More than my life, I still crave for his love” and she could just smile sadly . THE BOTTLE WEED VIRUS changed lifestyle now people preferred their family’s company because somewhere in their hearts they were scared to lose their loved ones. And at last Anna understood that some love stories are meant to be incomplete.