So many stories, so little time.

Everything is a blur. They feel like distant memories, yet at the same time they feel like they happened just yesterday. Having spent a long time trying to forget them, remembering them once again feels like betraying self. But how could one forget their past and just move on? Do those memories mean nothing anymore? Of course, they do. They define her, but also hold her back. Past is past. Life goes on and so must she.

‘Madam… madam!’ a voice called out to her.

Monica was pulled back into reality and found herself staring at the driver, who was looking back at her curiously.

‘We have arrived at your stop,’ he said.

It took a few seconds for her to make sense of what was happening. The last thing she remembered was getting into a three wheeled auto to meet an old friend. She had no idea how long back that was, but all that mattered at the moment was that her ride had come to an end.

‘Yes… yes,’ she replied ineptly before getting out of the auto. She proceeded to pay the driver, who quietly accepted it and went about his way.

The day was coming to an end and the setting sun soaked the entire city in bright orange. The market that lined the road she was on was buzzing with people going about their business. In front of her was a small clinic which had comfortably inserted itself in between two stores. The one on the right was a pharmacy that run twenty-four seven while the one on the left was a convenience store. All three were owned by Monica’s old friend, Samrat aka Sam, who worked as a doctor at the clinic.

The shutter for the clinic was closed, as Sam was yet to arrive for his evening duties. There were no patients waiting for his arrival, but a few stood before the counter of the pharmacy. Monica quietly walked to the side of the building, where she decided to wait patiently for him.

‘Hello madam,’ a very familiar voice called out to her. She turned to her right to see the pharmacist looking at her with an annoyed look on his face.

‘Bala!’ Monica said as she approached the counter.

‘No time for little folk likes us?’ he asked.

‘Oh, come on. I was just waiting for the customers to leave.’

He looked at her suspiciously for a moment, but broke his façade, seeing her smile again. He had known her for as long as Sam did. Though much of her life was a mystery to him, he knew just enough to know what she had been through. So, he made sure to be very careful about what he spoke.

‘So, when did you come back into town?’ he asked.

‘Just a few days back. Had to clean out the entire house, so I hadn’t stepped a foot outside till today.’

‘You… doing okay now?’ he asked.

Bala was thin and short with dark skin. He always maintained a clean trim, which accompanied by his square face, made him look sharp as a tact. But he was by all measures a humble person and soft-spoken as well. So, Monica could feel his unease at trying to make a conversation with her as he tried to tiptoe around any sensitive subjects.

‘I am doing fine. Don’t worry about it. What about you? How are things at home?’ Monica asked.

Kollum is one of the innumerous small towns scattered throughout the country. Most of its inhabitants come from the villages that surrounded it. So was the case with Bala. With an ailing mother and an overworked father, his life wasn’t always pleasant. But when his father handed his live savings, asking him to make something of himself, he knew right away he would waste it all if he wasn’t going to be careful. As luck would have it, he met a budding doctor by the name of Samrat. Before he knew it, he was running a pharmacy, had money to send back to his home, and a doctor who offered to treat his mother for a reasonable price.

‘Looks like you two have gotten started already?’ said a voice.

Monica turned around to see a young man walk up to the counter. He was tall and had a wide frame. He wore a neatly ironed formal outfit while carrying a satchel with a stethoscope hanging out from its side. Monica’s face lit up seeing the face of an old friend. ‘Hello sir, aren’t you early today?’ she said with a wide smile on her face.

‘Early? If I had patients waiting for me today, they would be livid. Speaking of which,’ he looked at Bala and asked, ‘anyone came for me?’

Bala shook his head and said, ‘you can take a break. I will inform you when someone comes.’

Sam turned back to Monica and asked, ‘where do you want to go?’

‘You know exactly where?’ Monica replied.