On a chilled winter morning, only the wind made sounds. It was a little dark for a December morning, but it was pleasant. She rubbed her hands on each other to try and shoo away the cold, but it was impossible. She blew some hot hair from her mouth in between her palms and rubbed her hands again. She kept looking at the sea and got lost in the scenic beauty.

She sat on the cold sand of the seashore. She took a deep breath and tried to remember each and every moment she spent with her nani. She closed her eyes and tears rolled almost instantly. She missed her nani terribly on this special day. It was her nani’s birthday today. She wanted to be alone with her nani’s memories. She wanted to be away from people, work and phone. And so she was all alone. 

She wiped her tears. But she became so emotional that she was unable to control herself. And in no time, she started crying. She could not control it. She took her phone out of the pocket of her jacket and kept staring at her nani’s picture. The more she looked at the picture, the more she cried. She then kept the phone back in her pocket, kept her hands on her knees, and with her head bowed down, she started crying again. 

Within the next few seconds, she felt a warm hand on her back. Someone was standing behind her. She turned to look at who it was and she saw a lady who was at her age of 70. 

“Darling, are you okay?” The lady asked. 

“Well, I am not”. She said, still sobbing. 

“I can see that. What happened? Do you mind sharing it with me or do you need something? ” The lady asked warmly.

“I don’t need anything. I am missing my…“ She could not control herself and started crying again. 

“Whom do you miss, sweetheart, tell me?” The lady said she was sitting next to the girl. 

“I miss my… Nani” she said, sobbing. 

“Okay” The lady did not ask anything further, sensing the seriousness. 

“I lost her 4 months back, and it’s her birthday today.” The girl said, wiping her tears and trying hard to control herself. 

“Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. I can understand what you must be going through”. The lady said, holding the girl and giving her a quick hug. 

“Thank you, aunty. But I will be okay. “

“Of course you will be. My child, all you have to know is, if you love her so much and miss her today, trust me, your nani also loves you the same way and she is surely watching you from heaven”. The lady said, pointing to the sky. 

“I am sure she is. She loved me a lot, no doubt about that. But I was so used to her and her presence around me that I couldn’t take that she was not with me”.  The girl said, sounding thoughtful. 

“I can understand. This will take some time. But you will be fine soon. And when I am saying that you will be fine, I do not mean that you will forget her one day. But you will eventually accept that she won’t come back”.

The girl kept looking at the lady. 

“Also, I am sure you have beautiful memories of her. You must have spent good times with her. Why don’t you focus more on cherishing those memories?”

“You are right.” The girl said, looking at the lady. “Thank you so much, Aunty, for hearing me out”. She said this while hugging the lady.

“You are very welcome, darling.”

“So, what brings you here, aunty?”

“Morning walk. I usually come here.”

“But on such a cold morning?”

“I love winters. It gets a little difficult for me to adjust sometimes, but I like taking a walk on a windy morning, and when the sun rises with warmth, I feel even better. I love that feeling.” The lady explained it like a child. 

“Wonderful, nothing like you enjoying something. And remember, age is just a number. So, as far as you want to do something, nothing can stop you from doing that.” The girl said cheerfully. 

“Absolutely!” The lady said,

“Do you mind a hot cup of tea with me?” The girl asked. 

“Why not?”

“Okay, you sit here. I will bring us tea from that shop.” The girl went and came back with two steaming hot cups of tea. 

“Be careful.” She said, handing the tea cup to the lady.

“God bless my child. Nothing like tea on this freezing morning.” She said, sipping her tea. 

They sipped their tea, and the girl went on, “My Nani loved tea. We used to have a morning tea, then one more at 11 in the morning. We were just used to that routine. ” She said, remembering her nani. 

“How wonderful! You know, I am extremely happy that you are cherishing these moments with her. I’m not sure if grandchildren are still this attached to grandparents these days”. She said, looking at the girl.

“Well, then I consider myself lucky that I got my grandparents’ love and attention”, the girl said, smiling. 

“That you are. How old was your nani? ” the lady inquired thoughtfully.

“No, you are quite young.” The girl said, looking at the lady. “She was 89 years old when she left us.”

“89 years of age? My god!” She exclaimed. 

“Yeah, she lived a very long and healthy life.” Thinking about her grandmother, the girl said.

The silence followed for a few minutes. No one uttered a word. 

“Do you have grandchildren?” Girl asked. 

“Yes, I do. I have two daughters and three granddaughters. “

“Oh wow, we even have the same equation, you know. My aunt has two daughters, and I am the only child of my parents. And maybe that’s why I am close to my grandparents. I mean, I was.. ” She said nervously. 

“Don’t say anything like that. As I said, you loved her so much. Why don’t you consider that she must be around and watching you? Can’t you feel her presence around you?” She asked.

“I do. No, I mean seriously, I do. You know, I tell my mom so many times that I literally feel that she is sitting on her chair where she usually sits. And at times, I feel that she is calling me, or sleeping next to me, blabbering something in her sleep. I was so used to her that I still feel that she is still there.”

“These are signs that you have her around you, and she will never leave you alone.” The lady said with a smile.

The girl kept looking into her eyes. Unknowingly, she rested her head on the lady’s lap. She felt the same warmth as her nani. She closed her eyes and tears rolled down her cheek. The lady kept moving her hand through the girl’s hair. 

The girl felt as if she was resting in her nani’s lap. She embraced this feeling. She did not feel like getting up. She hugged the lady’s legs tightly, and the lady kept moving her hand on the girl’s head. 

A long silence followed for a few minutes. 

“Excuse me,” the girl said as she heard someone call her name.But she was fast asleep.

“Excuse me” She heard the same voice again. 

She finally opened her eyes and looked at who was calling. She expected it to be the old lady. But it was a stranger. She sat straight, looking at him.

“Are you okay? You must head home. It’s pretty cold here. I woke you up because you were shivering.” He said.

“Yeah, actually we were talking and then… ” As she turned to see the old lady, she did not find her sitting next to her. She looked around.

“What happened? “The guy asked. 

“I was talking to… .” She was confused. “Did you see an old lady sitting here?” 

“No, you were sleeping alone here on the bench. I would suggest you get going. You will catch a cold otherwise.” He stated. 

“I …….” She did not know what to respond to. “Sure, I will. Thank you.” 

Where did she go? I don’t even know her name. Why didn’t she wake me up before leaving? Where must she have gone? Why did she leave me alone? 

She tried to look around for the familiar face. But alas! She was confused, devastated and sad. She sat on the same bench and thought about the conversation that she had with the lady sometime back. 

Was it even real?

And she remembered the last sentence the old lady said, ‘These are signs that you have her around you and she will never leave you alone’ 

I am sure she was my guardian angel. She came to calm me down because I was crying. My nani would never have liked me crying. I am sure she is my nani and she will always be around me whenever I need her. 

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Editor: Namita

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