MY ORPHAN BRIDE

YOU HAVE TO BRING HER BACK

THIRD PERSON

[INSIDE THE HOSPITAL CHAMBER]

The old man was out of danger, but he was still weak. His agile body couldn't take the sudden gush of emotions and, as such, he fell victim to a black-out. His wrinkled face had turned even more pale and lifeless.

"How is my grandfather now, doctor?" asked Priyam.

“He couldn’t have made it if you were even late. Mr. Fezong merely escaped death this time. How could you be so reckless? You know his condition is very critical." The doctor showed genuine concern for his patient.

Priyam opened his mouth to say something but couldn't say anything except apologize for the grave mistake he had made.

"You must remember one thing sir, your sorry won't bring your grandfather back to life. I am here to monitor his condition, but I am no god. You must be cautious. I can only ask you not to stress him any further. I hope you understand what I mean." saying that the doctor tapped the side of his left hand as if assuring the already troubled person that everything was going to be alright.

Priyam entered the chamber fighting the negative thoughts. His heart trembled seeing his grandfather sleeping in the bed. But he braved himself up and began to take careful steps. Careful not to disturb the old man's rest.

He gently took the hands of his grandfather as he sat on a chair beside the hospital bed. He sighed hard, as if he was trying to control all the pent-up emotions that threatened to fall from his eyes. Then slowly he began to remove a few hair strands from his grandfather's forehead and planted a kiss on his exposed temple.

“Old man, please open your eyes and talk to me.” His hopeful eyes were fixated on his grandfather. He had tons of questions to ask him. He also had so many things to say to him. But the old man was not in the mood to wake up from his slumber until the next morning.

..........

“Good morning old man! How are you feeling now?"

" When did you wake up? Shall I call the doctor? Do you need anything?” He started adding questions after questions as soon as Mr. Fezonzg Senior opened his eyes the next morning. The old man just waved his hand in reply.

He breathed a sigh of relief only after the doctor examined his grandfather. It was for the first time ever that Priyam chose to remain with his grandfather for the rest of the day. Work was least important when matters came to Feong Senior. He loved his grandfather more than he loved his job. That was the same reason that he stayed in the hospital for the next two days until he was discharged from there.

Once at home, putting in his round glasses and taking the brown envelope from underneath his pillow, he handed it to the hands of his grandson and gestured to him to see what lay inside.

"What is this Gran?" Priyam asked his grandfather. His thick eyebrows were raised in question. But the old man only gave a small smile as an answer.

"Why are you acting so secretive? Is it something bad? Something good?” He began to flip the envelope from one hand to the other, eager to know the truth. His curious fingers itched to tear the thin sheet of paper so badly.

‘Just promise me that you won't hate me after you open that envelope, okay?’ Feong Senior said, further adding fuel to the already restless heart of his grandson.

“Oh god! Old man, why don't you just tell me what's in here?" He added, looking at the envelope in his hands with suspicion.

"Just open it and see, Priyam." There were a few photographs inside the envelope. There weren't many but enough to let an onlooker have a general idea about the background of the person in the photos.

He held one of those photos and looked at it for a long time. The girl in the photograph was wearing the college uniform, a royal blue skirt paired with the same colored blazer, knee-high stockings with black buckled shoes. She had fringes running down her forehead. Her hair was tied loosely because a few strands of her hair were visible alongside her face. She looked innocent and cute, a typical lash from Richmond Hill. His eyes slowly crawled towards the nameplate pasted on the left side of her blazer but he couldn't read the name.

"Who is she, Gran? And why are you showing me her pictures?" He asked as he took out another photograph from the brown envelope. This time, the girl was wearing a white dress. Nothing was extraordinary in the photograph. She was standing in the garden area of a Buddhist Monastery. The colored walls of the temple complemented the white dress with yellow tulips that she was wearing. The dress was ordinary; the girl was ordinary too, but she had something attractive in her that lured Priyam to keep looking at her for another few minutes. It was wrong to say that it was the first time that he had seen her. However, her smile reminded him of someone from his past. The same almond-shaped eyes, the same pinky pouty lips. If she was alive, then she would look exactly the same. He couldn't help but mentally compare the similarities between the two. He was slowly being teleported back to his good old childhood days.

‘Priyam, I want you to get this girl for me. Can you do that?’ The old man's question brought him back to reality. He shook his head, not understanding what was going on.

“Who is she? And why do you expect me to bring this stranger?" He couldn't help but ask his grandfather. He needed to know the real identity of that person in the photograph. He needed to be sure that whatever was happening wasn't a joke. And that it wasn't a mundane dream. He waited for an answer but was met by silence. The old man wasn't going to melt just like that.

" Gran, I am not doing anything before I know why you are adamant to bring her here! You need to give me a good reason first.”

He said when he understood that Mr. Ghanashyam Fezong was not going to open his mouth to tell the truth just yet.

‘I am going to tell you everything. I give you my word.’ He said, patting the back of Priyam's hand in assurance. 'But if you are interested in knowing who she is, you have to bring her here, at the earliest.' He said, ending the conversation as well as trying to make his grandson understand the severity of the matter.

"You have to bring her back to me. And you will bring her to me!" That was the only sentence which remained in Priyam's head after that.