Opening the wedding invitation, she asked herself…“Why now? Do I get an invite” She tossed it away and gazed at a streetlight in the distance. Its yellow glow illuminated the dark and seemed to radiate warmth. The outside was shrouded in darkness, while the weather was shrouded in coldness and tremulous accompanied by strong and gusty winds blowing through the narrow streets and roads. The passing cars' headlights cast shadows on her window as if she were playing with a flashlight, flickering beams of light on and off.  The gloomy atmosphere buoyed her state of mind and twirled to the days of happiness and joy being with him and doing things and activities that they both liked to do in their holidays and off days from work and daily routine.  Reminiscing those days as they unfolded in front of her as if they were happening now, she moved from one happening to another and she seemed to smile, laugh and cry along with those events as they transpired, once again in her mind.  Her mind brought out a very sorrowful moment and at that instant, she tried to erase that moment and in the process burst into uncontrollable tears, holding her knees in her hands and lying down on the cold ground in a crouched position and crying her heart out.  She couldn’t do anything about it now, could she? Could she bring him back? Will he come back to her? It was a moment of stupid decision to separate from each other and be fine with all the things that brought with it.  She was the one, who gave him an ultimatum and said, “Enough, I am done with you. Please, leave me alone and don’t even try to disturb me or try to come back to me or call me or persuade me. I am done. Do you understand?”  He was astonished and didn’t expect her to be so harsh and he stood there for long even after she walked away and never seemed to turn and look back at him, not bothered if he was still standing there or left.  She walked away and from then on never bothered to talk to him or reply to him, even for that one message he sent after days, he couldn’t resist himself, he had sent it in a moment of despair and hoped she would reply. That was months ago, and now it is almost a year and a half gone by.   Will he now listen to her? When he didn’t even say a word or try to keep in touch with her even for once, when her stupid heart longed for him to come back to her, by any means. Alas, he listened to her with such a determination that it rocked her world and her heart with utter distress.  She opened her mobile phone and looked at the last message he had sent, and wondered if she had replied to it. Would it have saved her now, will she wouldn’t have faced what she was facing now? She was determined to forget him, move on from him and have a good life.  A good life she certainly had, but she couldn’t erase him and move on, he was with her at all times, and she even sometimes solved her problems at hand with him in mind and how he would have looked at the situation and derived at solutions, such were his impressions of him for her.  Will he listen to me, now?! Is there a possibility to bring him back to me? If, I go to the marriage before he ties the knot, will he drop her and come to me? Will he?  Those words gave her a flimsy hope and with some courage seeping into her she got up from the despair feeling and lying lifeless on the ground, sat straight on the chair at her work desk and opened the Website to book a flight to get him.  His marriage was the day after tomorrow, and she had a whole day to get to him, talk to him, no, plead him to be with her. Will he listen?! She put her hands to her head and held it still as it swirled with thoughts of him and what-ifs. Will he listen? Then, another mind of hers said, “You will never know unless you do it. So, do it for your closure.” That’s it. She decided she was going to the marriage and decide for herself. For a minute she felt sorry for the Unknown Bride, then showing away her thoughts, she bent down to pick the Invitation from the Dustbin and looked at the location.  Oh! God, there isn’t a direct flight to the place. She had to book a train to the exact place of marriage. She had a flight for three hours and then the train to get to the location of the marriage.  What trouble? Her mind again questioned her, is it worth all the trouble? Why just let go and do what is required?  No, it is the last chance given and nothing she can do to turn it back. So, she had to do it come what may!? Browsing all the possibilities, she had to look for the fastest and quickest travel to the said location. She found some flights that left in the morning. She thought that would give her enough time to talk to him and convince him to get back with her.  With some forethinking and all sorts of thinking, she booked her full travel tickets, the flight and then the connecting train to the location. A satisfaction spreading across her face, she slowly broke into a nervous laugh and reminded herself, she had to do it.  With only a few hours before her flight, she went into the bedroom, shut her computer, took the laptop, and necessary things, packed in her bag, and moved to pack her other necessities. She won't be staying there, so she just needs a pair of clothes and as it was pouring another set of clothes just in case, the clothes get wet. She packed her overnighter and was all set to go get her love back.  Having called for a taxi, with few hours to spare, she lifts the mobile phone, scrolls to his name and wonders if should she message him of her arrival. Probably, he might come to pick her up from the station.  Would that happen? Would he be happy to find her there and come forward to pick her up at the station? No, I shouldn’t tell him, lest he denies and stops me from going there.  She dropped the mobile phone, set an alarm for an hour later and dropped onto the bed, to close her eyes and catch up on the sleep that was left for the night.  She hears a thunder outside her window and sends a silent prayer hoping that the clouds clear up and let her on her journey, without any glitch. She closed her eyes and sleep came to her in a swift motion and without any thoughts about her abrupt plan to stop a wedding, she tossed in her sleep.  She got up and got ready, with her baggage and handbag, ready to take her flight to her love. She was going to bring him back with her, come what may. With a never-before determination, she sat in the taxi and looked forward to the journey. Her flight was at 8 am and she had to reach the airport at the latest 45 minutes before the departure time. She tried to do a web check-in but couldn’t due to some server issues.  The clouds were pouring down, and it was difficult to navigate through the rain and water, but the taxi driver spoke to her and told her, he would take her to the airport in time so that she doesn’t miss her flight. She looked out the window of the car, it was clogged, she swept her hand across the glass and looked for hope, the merciless downpour rain to stop and her plan not to be shattered.  Somehow, almost an hour before her flight, she reached the airport and quickly got to the counter to check herself in.  There was a lot of chaos in the airport and the rain was still lashing outside. But, she thought to herself, thank god, got in time for the flight.  Waiting at the counter she looked around everyone present there had a worried look on their faces and was in animated conversations, amongst themselves. Amid lots of sighs, screaming and worried looks, she looked at the flight ground staff and lost hope. The flight crew member looked at her with a pleasant smile and said, “Madam, all flights today are delayed and there is no further notice as to when it will take off at the present moment. You have to wait at the gate till further notice.” To that, she asked, “Why what's the problem?”  The crew member replied, “Madam the rain is lashing down, the runways are getting flooded, and a lot of water everywhere. So, we don’t know, when the situation will get all right. But, we hope, the rain will stop and the services will resume. Please bear with us and watch for the announcements.” - the crew member moved on to the next passenger.  She didn’t know what to do and with an impending marriage on the cards, her aim to stop the marriage, the never-stopping rain, the stranded passengers, the grounded flights, everything around her seemed to stop forever and stop her from achieving her aim.  She was in despair to get out and continue her journey. Without the flights running up and flying she didn’t know how she could reach Kinglsey. She looked at the mobile phone in her hand and thought of sending him a message or calling him right away, to blurt out her stand.  But something held her back and she didn’t want to do it over a phone call. She wanted to look at him when she said those words - I want you. With hopelessness, she sat on the chair and waited for the staff to give her some good news. Outside the rain was lashing against the window panes and the wind was hauling, she was clueless. With her fingers hovering over the message window, she started typing a message to Kingsley, but deleting them as she typed them, she was in a great struggle with the thoughts and her mind winning over the turmoil of her heart.  She put everything away and collapsed onto the chair, covering her face and letting out a cry inside her head, she just let herself close her eyes, and then she seemed to slip into a slumber, her restless body, taking note of her sleeplessness, working on it.  When she dosed off into oblivion, her fingers had sent a blank voice message, with too many surrounding voices and the cries of an infant, distantly.  The recipient was Kinglsey.  The mobile phone network was getting patchy and she felt her signals wavering one moment with full signal and the next moment without signals, and it was draining her phone batteries.  When a loud voice shrieked, she woke up with a start and looked around, trying to get her whereabouts. That’s when she noticed that she had sent a message to Kinglsey in her slumber. She didn’t know what to do, she looked at the signals of the phone completely off and thought, Now what to do? How do I tell him, it was a sheer accident?  She started typing a new message and prayed it reached him when she hit the send button. For an instant, the phone flickered and then shut down. She restarted it and looked for a power point to charge her phone.  *** “Stephen, I need the plane ready in half an hour. I don’t know what you will do. Just get it moving.” “King, it is really difficult. It´s bad weather there, heavy downpours and it has been raining the whole day without stopping. Even if we make it to the airport we won't be able to land as the runway is flooded.” Shoving his hand, he screamed, “Don’t give me excuses, I need to know who to do it. At any cost, I have to be there. I need to see, Jacquline. I need to know if she is safe. Do you understand? Get moving and see what can be done.” “OK, Give me a few minutes, let me see what can be done.”  “I give you 5 minutes, that will give me time to get ready. Don’t give me excuses. I am looking for solutions.”  Saying this, Kinglsey got up and started moving around the hall restless, looking at his mobile phone and the last message he received from Jacquline before she drifted off. Her phone is not reachable and I don’t know what she is up to. She looked distended and in these many months, she had never bothered to call him.  “King, we can do as requested by you, we can fly you to the nearest Helipad and from there you are own. Do we have a location?”  “No, we don’t. I am hoping Jacquline calls me again so that I know her whereabouts. She seemed to drift off and I was not able to reach her mobile phone. Looks like the network is patchy. I wonder what is she up to.”  “Maybe, she is travelling or on her way back to the city, with so much rain, I guess, the network is supposed to be patchy. OK, if you are ready we can take off, in another twenty minutes.” “Yes, sure. I am ready let's go.”  Reaching the topmost floor of the building, with light rain falling, they wait for the helicopter to land and pick them up. In minutes, it landed and both of them boarded. Kingsley held on to his mobile phone, tightly hoping for her call to come through, he knew he would not be able to talk to her on air. But, he would be able to send her messages and get her replies. He hoped, she replies. And with that thought lingering in his mind, they took their three-hour duration flight. It wasn’t going to be a jolly ride, it was about 2 pm, and the rain and sun were creating havoc in the sky.  After about 30 minutes of air time, Kingsley received a message. It just read, I am sorry to have disturbed you.  He replied, Jac, please let me know, you are safe. Where are you, right now?  He kept looking at the phone, but nothing came through and was getting frustrated. He didn’t know what to do and he didn’t know where he was flying to, upon all things he was also risking everyone's life.  After an hour or so the clouds seemed to clear and there was a bit of sunshine. He received a beep tone another message, he hoped he had the answers.  It read, I am safe. I am stranded at the international airport. It's been raining and all flights are cancelled. It's such a chaos here.  The cogwheels in his head churned in rapid succession, and he started decoding her message - Why is she in the airport? And which airport she is in? She said International Airport. So, where is the closest location where I can get dropped? Talking to the pilot on the intercom, they located the closest location, got approval for landing and took action.  But his mind kept running, why did she have to travel on this day? What made her move? Why is she stranded? I hope she is safe, she had something to eat at all. Fighting with his thoughts, he closed his eyes and the good times of them together unfolded in his mind. Her smile, her sunny disposition, her laughter, the way she looked at him, her eyes, the way they spoke to him in countless ways, without even speaking a word…he loved her with all his heart. He always she was made for him and she would spend the rest of her lives together, carefree and deeply in love with one another.  It was all like a blessing till the fateful day, she turned away and stopped connecting with him once and for all. Never bothered about him or his whereabouts, she asked and he listened to her. Though he silently kept a tab on her and didn’t want to anger her, deep down he always thought she would one day repent and come back to him and he would take her in his arms and come what may never let her go.  He promised himself to give her whatever time she needed to take, he would wait patiently for her and in this if it wasn't her, then no one. He waited and waited for her, and today she chose to talk to him of all the days. He just wished he could get to her and nothing would stop him, even if she pleaded to be left alone, he would not let her go, thought he as he heard the pilot speak about landing on the helipad and dropping him off. When he got dropped off at the building's helipad, it was dark and the rain had stopped for a few hours, he had still to get to the airport. He didn’t know how to do it, but he hoped that the car that was waiting for him down, would wade through the traffic and water and let him reach her.  When he got to the ground floor of the building he didn’t expect so much water running on the road level. He just hit the basement to get to the parking and slip into the car. Thankfully, the car selected for him was a Jeep and it could wade through the tough water conditions.  He got into the car and knew, it would be difficult to get to her in less than an hour or so, but he would have to drive in the maximum capacity of the car to get to her.  As soon he put the car into gear, he got a call on his mobile phone, it was Jacquline.  Hey, I am ok. Just that I am stranded here, don’t know when will they resume the flights. Some of us… Hello, Jacquline, you there…no sound and after a minute or so there was this static sound and flickering sound from the other side.  He was reluctant to let go and put it on speaker and left it on the dashboard. Maneuvering the vehicle, towards its destination. After a minute or so, there was a voice message, he heard the broken words from Jacquline, “I am fine. Don’t you worry? Sorry, I called you. I didn’t mean to…” And then dead silence again. This time, he disconnected the phone and angered by her words he just put the car to high speed and drove through the city traffic, the cars had been stranded on the way as the water levels were rising, and a lot of cars got stranded, couldn’t be moved out of the way…there were a load of people working in the rain, moving things away, making way for others who could drive. He was getting impatient.  After an hour or so, he reached the airport, looking for an appropriate parking spot, which took a lot more time than anything else. The whole airport along with the people, cars, water and other things, was in chaos. Things were flown across and lying haphazardly, with the rain still in drizzles, making people run across for covers, there wind was too strong with chillness biting into the flesh, though it was a drizzle, still could wet up, with great struggles Kingsley parked his car and then ran up to the entrance.  He ran in and then remembered she might be at the gate, and he wouldn't be able to go into where she was unless he had a ticket for himself. Now, that was going to be challenging.  The airport was crowded with people in various positions. Some were squatting on the floor, others were lying down, while some stood in groups and had conversations. Children ran around, some sat playing or having fistfights, while others moved around aimlessly. Some were immersed in books, while some listened to music or podcasts. All of them were stranded in the airport waiting for some good news about the resumption of their flights so that they could return to their destinations.  He stood and took in all the view wondering, how he was going to find her. He didn’t know, what her gate was where she was travelling to or the airlines she was on, He looked at the board, and it read –  ALL DESTINATIONS CANCELLED until further notice He looked at his watch it was close to 7.30 pm, where could she be travelling to, he racked his brain and didn’t come up with anything. He kept moving along the gates in the hope he could see her, sitting somewhere… As he approached the Air Canada counter, he spotted a familiar figure and his heart filled with hope. He moved closer to the silhouette and confirmed that it was indeed her. She was sitting with her legs crossed and her head resting on a nearby pillar, her eyes closed. She hadn't noticed him yet, but he couldn't help but notice how calm, composed and determined she looked amidst all the chaos.  He noticed her unique calmness and determination as she waited for something. Though he couldn't figure out what it was, seeing her there made him feel relieved. He felt an overwhelming desire to take her into his arms, hold onto her forever, and never let her go. He stood there for a few moments, gazing at her from a distance, contemplating whether he should take a photo to remind him of this moment.  He pulled out his mobile phone and got the camera, on…when she opened her eyes and looked at him, he smiled and clicked the photo, it was a great moment. Her confused look slowly dawned into recognition and the moment she got up and ran into his arms. It was all worth it, the struggle to get to her, aching limbs, the tension of not knowing if things will get him there, the worry about finding her in the chaos, the whole world ceased to exist and it was just them…the feeling will go on forever. He had dropped the mobile phone and hugged her as if there wasn’t any tomorrow. After what seemed like echelons, they looked at each other and both of them spoke at the same time. “What are you doing here?”  “Hmm…well, I thought I would come to you to stop you from doing it.”  “Doing what, Jacquline? I don’t understand,” - he said moving a stray strand of hair that fell across her face. She was coquettish and looked at him, and said, “Well I thought you were getting married and wanted to come and stop it from happening.” “What?”  A confused Kinsley just looked at her. Then, it dawned on him that it was his distant cousin's marriage and he happened to have his exact half name. But wait, how did she get the get to know that…when she pulled out the invitation card from her handbag and showed him, is when he understood, they had sent the card to her by mistake.  He just threw the invitation into the air hugged her tightly and said, into her ear, “Listen carefully, in this lifetime, there's only one person in this whole female population, I want to get married to and that is my dear Jacquline, who is in my arms right now. I don’t want anyone else. It's you, only you for any number of lifetimes…” They looked at each other, with so much love and the notice board above them came alive and announcements said, the flight services would start in a few hours.  They both looked at each other and then laughed and continued to walk towards the exit, hand in hand to their own destination as soon they exited the airport, the old clock from across the road, on the chapel tower stuck eight times, to indicate the time of the day.     Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!