After the Last Goodbye (1).

 

A beautiful smile on that innocent face, took her heart away. But, something felt uneasy, inside her. Manasi clutched her belly and exhaled promptly. She looked around but the innocent face had vanished in the crowd. Manasi raked her fingers through her hair and stood on the street, still feeling a knot in her stomach, her eyes still searching.

The street had posh cafes with teenagers queuing up at the entrance. The couples were holding hands, whispering in each others ears. Inside the cafe, were groups of friends sipping coffee and laughing at silly jokes. Alongside, there were garment shops buzzing with women and young girls. Daughters insisting their moms to buy more clothes, and moms arguing with them saying their cupboards were already full. Yet, surrendering to their daughters' demands, eventually.

The school across the street had ended for the day and little kids adorning blue uniforms, were rushing out of the gates with their parents. Few kids were crying, hugging their parents tightly. Some were happy with faces brimming with glee. Some were blabbering, non-stop, re-iterating their day at the school. Soon, Manasi's glum face broke into a tender smile. She stood by, watching more innocent faces with beautiful smiles.

"I wish I was a teacher at such a kindergarten!", she murmured. All the kids had now dispersed. The school gates were closed with a loud 'thud' sound. And Manasi was brought back to her senses.

She brushed her dress at the belly, as it was creased from the sudden clutch. Tucking her hair properly behind her ears, she crossed the street. Her car was parked at the corner, down the street, so she kept dawdling along. Manasi tried to unzip her handbag but found it was already open. She searched for the keys, "Lipsgloss, oh no! Pen, handkerchief, where are the keys?", she blurted aloud.

A little hand emerged in front of her eyes. "Are these yours", a sweet, soft pitched voice said. Manasi glanced down. The litte hand had the four-leaf clover keychain attached to car keys. 

"Oh! That's my lucky clover", Manasi abruptly said looking at the little hand. Her gaze shifted from the hands to the face. It was the same innocent face with the beautiful smile that had taken her heart away.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a fictional story. Resemblence to any sort in real world is purely coincidental. 

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