“Hi I am Catherine”, she said with a charming smile and eyes as bright as sunshine, to Mike who was an H.R. of the new channel she had an interview in. He had been waiting for almost fifteen minutes and with each passing second he was making up his mind to not to recruit her.
She came in cargoes, a shirt, and boots. She was pretty but looked very informal. “I am really sorry, my train from Lisbon got late and I was on trekking day before yesterday when I got a call for this interview”. Mike kept looking at her and got angrier when she sat without his permission and asked the waiter to get a glass of water for her. “Did I ask you to sit?” he said.
She gasped and looked at him and said, “I request you not to judge, I am sorry.”
He kept observing her, and saw after drinking her glass of water she became calm and he settled his anger looking at her innocent smile. Mike decided to calm down, and conduct the interview sitting in the café.
She handed over her file to him, and he looked at her full professional profile. In the meantime she was smiling at the little Chinese baby sitting right across her with his mother.
“Hmmm, you have travelled eighteen countries, and have done mountaineering course in India. Impressive!” he said
She smiled and said, “yes, and I have done courses on meditation, and I trek whenever I get a chance.”
“What’s your age?” he asked
“I am 25” she said
“So young and still you have travelled so much”, he smiled and took a sip of his coffee.
“It’s my passion sir”, she said.
“That I can see, but why do you wish to leave Good Times, and come to our channel?”
She looked outside the window and then looked back at Mike, and said, “See I won’t provide you cliché answers, I will be honest”.
“That’s the only thing that works with us.” He said smiling.
“Ok, I want to follow my instincts all my life. One day I woke up and I realised it’s time for me to finally get myself fit in the channel that I have grown up watching and I just applied.”
He kept her file on the table and looked at her, “ok, so one day, you wake up and you realise that you want something else from life, and this channel is not giving you that happiness that you probably thought of, what you would do?”
Her smile broadened, raised her eyebrows, and said very casually, “I would leave. But yes I will serve my notice period.”
Mike laughed and said, “That was too much honest. But that also means we cannot rely on you.”
“One must not rely on anyone, who doesn’t have the guts to make his own self happy. Anyone who cannot work towards his or her dreams, and lives a life which others expect them to live, such people are vulnerable, and dangerous.” She smiled and very casually replied, and shrugged her shoulders and continued, “If you think I am a person who doesn’t have the courage to follow her dreams, then you can choose not to rely on me and tell me that you don’t wish to recruit me.”
He looked at her and appreciated the zeal in her eyes. She sat confidently and spoke her mind.
He took a sip of his coffee and smiled, “so what’s your favourite place?”
This question interested her, and she started, “Many! I guess I fall in love with every place I travel. I am in love with people, their lifestyles, and the way they have been with me. Oh my god! I write about every place on my blog!”
“I can see you are a passionate person, but tell me one place you loved and one special thing about it”.
She stopped and stayed silent for a few seconds. Mike waited for her answer and said, “Tell me”.
She looked down, and smiled looking at her bag. She looked up slowly into his eyes and said, “Spain, I fell in love there”.
Mike looked at her glowing smile, but being an intelligent H.R. immediately found out that she had a love story there, but not a very happy one. He decided not to ask further questions on it and he decided to keep her as a senior correspondent and an editor in the travellers section in the channel.
She would come to the office in casuals, with her camera and a rough bag, everyday and a fresh spirit and a big smile. She was a brilliant writer and would beautifully write articles on every coverage that she would make while travelling with the channel. “You should travel one place at a time, explore it completely inside out, feel it like an orgasm, allow it to enter you completely, and then when you travel back to your home, you should be packing your bags for another place”, she said, sitting with her colleagues for lunch, and everyone started laughing.
“Really you do a great job Catherine, your assistants always come back shocked and in a crazy state of mind”, her colleague said and everyone started laughing again including her.
“Yes, we choose the harder way, that’s what the fun is; you test your limits, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I believe if you can conquer your fears, nothing can conquer you”, She said eating her Sushi.
Catherine got a call from the reception area, and she was called in the H.R. office post lunch.
“May I come in?” Catherine peeped into the chamber of Mike Anderson, the senior H.R. and he asked her politely to come in. She sat on the chair right across his table and he casually talked about her current profile. “Well Catherine, you mind if I send you to South America for two months, on next fifteenth?”
She smiled and fumbled, “aaaa I am sorry Mike, but my leave starts next month for ten days. I am going to Spain.”
Mike frowned and said, “Well, I heard from someone that you don’t travel one place twice, what’s so special about Spain that you keep visiting it every six months.”
She looked at him and said, “I told you, I love that place, it’s the only place”.
“And?” Mike asked out of curiosity.
She looked into his eyes and said, “And nothing, I just like that place.”
“But you are contradicting; you say that you take a lot of time to explore one place completely inside out. You also find facts about a place which even great explorers of this age sometimes miss out on, then what is that about Spain that you have left unexplored, and you go back again and again. I need you in Peru for two months, and that’s final.”
She kept looking at him and noticed that he was stubborn. Whereas he noticed that she became serious but didn’t have a puzzled look on her face. She seemed like she had made her decision and she spoke after a few seconds, “Ok Mike, I guess, I will have to quit the job then.”
“What!” he said.
“I am sorry, I know that South American project is important, and by the way you are talking I guess you won’t negotiate with me. I can go to even poles if you ask me to, but I have to go to Spain next month at any cost. So why waste time and energy on something which can’t be concluded. I guess I should leave the job.” she pierced her lips and got up from the chair, walked out of the chamber without taking much time.
In the evening, while she was cooking for herself in her apartment where she lived alone, she heard the bell and she ran towards the door. As she peeped through the window she saw Mike. “Oh my God, what is he doing here!” she got surprised and immediately opened the door. “Hi!” she welcomed him with a smile and asked him to come in. “I am sorry for the mess”, she said and asked him to sit on the sofa which was filled with books and her electronic gadgets.
“You are cooking something?” he asked, and she said, “oh yes, I am making some Ravioli, would you like to taste it?” she smiled and excitedly asked.
“I really don’t believe I am talking to the girl who has just lost her job.” he said.
She looked at him with an innocent face and said, “I never won anything, so I don’t lose anything Mike.”
He kept looking at her for a few seconds and said, “I have never met anyone like you.”
She smiled, “should I take it as a compliment or I should believe you are calling me a lunatic?”
He laughed and said, “You are definitely a lunatic, but in a good way. You are different and I like you.”
She looked at him smiling, “So, what makes you knock at my door?” she asked casually.
“I’d like to take you out for dinner”, he said seriously.
She stopped smiling suddenly and didn’t speak anything for a few seconds. She got up and went towards her hot plate, to see if her Ravioli was cooked. “I make really good Ravioli, we can have dinner here”. She said and they both exchanged smiles.
“mmmmm its really good, I have not had such an amazing Italian even in Italy.” He said, while eating, sitting across her on the dining table.
“Can you believe I learnt it from a Maltese woman”, she said. “Wow. I am amazed to see your culinary skills lady. Good. I am also happy I came here tonight.” He said with excitement.
“And I am happy you are happy.” She said serving him more.
“What makes you always so happy?” he asked her.
“What?” she said.
“I mean you are always in this state of mind where you don’t get much affected. How?” he asked.
She smiled and said, “I am just like that. I don’t have fear of losing, and I don’t have any greed to possess, I guess that’s how it works for me.”
“Ok Catherine, the truth is I have come here to apologise to you for my behaviour in the morning.”
Her eyes widened and she said, “hey mike it’s alright. You are my boss and you have been giving me amazing projects in all these months.”
“Yes, but we do not want to lose you. So I have personally decided to send you to Peru after you come back from Spain.”
She looked at him and smiled. “Really!” she said with excitement, “Oh my God!”
“Yes!” he said taking a bite of her Ravioli.
“Thank you Mike, I am really happy you understood”, she said smiling genuinely.
Next day she again joined the office and behaved as if nothing happened the other day. She worked with same zeal and concentration, and her career graph was going up with each passing minute. She didn’t take much time to become an inspiration for everyone around her and whoever she would meet would want to be like her.
One day Catherine received an e-mail from Mike asking her to come to his chamber for a meeting. Without taking much time she put her laptop on hibernation mode and went to his chamber.
“Hi Mike” she peeped and said. “Yes, Catherine come, come sit down”, he said.
As soon as she sat he looked straight into her eyes and said, “ok, here it is. Would you mind if I ask you to join me for a dinner tonight?”
Catherine looked at him and said, “aaaa… Mike … you can come over to my place for Ravioli”, she said.
“No Ravioli, I want to take you out for dinner and maybe even travel to Spain with you.” He looked straight into her eyes and spoke.
This time Catherine looked at him and she was startled. “No, no Spain. I travel to Spain alone. I cannot take anyone along with me. I am sorry”, she became very serious and Mike immediately controlled his words. “Ok” he politely said raising his hands and he saw that Catherine stood up and moved out of his chamber. His motive of asking about Spain was simple; he wanted to be sure of his doubts. He knew it from the very first day that Catherine pretends to be an open book, but there is one chapter which is left unveiled by her to anyone. He knew she would never agree on him going along with her, but he played a trick in order to see her expressions. He slowly had started liking her, and wanted to discover the Spanish mystery, but didn’t know how.
The same evening he went to her place and she welcomed him with the same pleasant smile on her face. He sat on the same sofa and she went inside the kitchen to cook the Ravioli. “I have made some Risotto also along with it. I hope you like it.” But Mike didn’t pay attention to what she was saying. He saw a black diary on which it was written Spain, on the table, with a pen inside it. It seemed she was writing something in it before he came. He wanted to open it and read it but he abstained. He looked at her and tried to understand the painful story behind her cheerful laughter. She was continuously talking, but he was busy thinking about her deep connection with Spain. She came to him taking off her apron and said, “Come food is ready”. She very casually cleared the table and also took away the diary to her bedroom. He noticed it, and also the pain that she drank away every time she touched the diary.
“What is the best part you think is about travelling?” he asked her while eating.
“I guess it’s the connections you make with people, with the place, the air.” She replied and she had excitement in her voice.
“That’s great. Catherine, you’re half Indian Half American, is your mother from America?”
“No, my mother is an Indian, and my father is an American. They both live in Morocco.”
“Ok” he said.
“You want to see pictures?” she asked
“Of course” he smiled and said, while she immediately got up and ran to her room to get the album.
After they finished the meal, Mike and Catherine sat down to see her family photos.
“I have two brothers and one sister. I am the youngest, and the naughtiest of all.”
“And the prettiest of all”. Mike said looking at the pictures.
Catherine started laughing and said, “nooooo, my sister, see, my friends always made fun of me saying Cathy is the ugliest of all. Look at her hair; it’s like a big dry leaf!”
“But now you look pretty. You have big brown eyes, and straight nice hair.”
She stopped smiling and looked at Mike. Mike looked at her with the album on his lap and said, “You have really beautiful eyes, with beautiful secrets locked inside”, he said politely looking straight inside her eyes and slightly leaning towards her.
She broke the eye contact and started looking at the album. “My first Scuba dive was in Bahamas, and there was no stopping thereafter.”
“Tell me about Spain” He said.
Catherine stopped talking and after a few seconds looked at him. “What?” she said seriously.
“Tell me about your experience in Spain”, he casually said raising his eyebrows.
“What about it?” she said shrugging her shoulders.
“I mean anything, your experience and your first visit, anything that you would want to share with me.”
She stayed silent for a few seconds and then smiled and said, “It’s a majestic place. I love Barcelona in particular. Sagrada Familia is the famous church but I left my heart in Catedral de Barcelona. Moreover the Espanol, I was learning it, actually I learn it whenever I get time. I love the culture, and Flamenco!! Wow, there can’t be anything better than that. Flamenco is the best thing that has happened to Human race, believe me.”
Mike kept waiting for the sad part to come, but she kept telling him about the good things. He understood that she was a deep person, and it won’t be easy to extract the real story from her. That evening when he came back home he realised she was the one, and that he was in love with her, completely. On the other side, Catherine opened her wardrobe and took out a white wedding gown.
He booked his ticket to Spain to find out her real story. She took out a photoframe with a photo of a boy inside it from her wardrobe.
He wanted to know about her past. She wasn’t ready to part with it. She sat alone in her room and looked at that boy’s photo. She opened her black diary and opened it from the first page. A tear drop ran down her eyes, and fell on the eyes of the boy in the photograph. Alex was a fair boy, with black hair and big black eyes.
Catherine looked at her wedding gown kept beside her and felt deep pain shooting deep inside her heart. She sat numb and after a few seconds, slowly started to cry looking at the photograph. “Come back Alex”, she whispered looking at the photograph and put the photograph on her chest. “Can you hear it? Can you hear my heart screaming your name my love? Please come back! Please!” she said tightly holding on the frame.
“NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” she shouted suddenly on top of her voice. “COME BACK ALEX! COME BACK!” she shouted.
She came down on her knees but she kept holding the frame in her hands. “SOMEBODY LISTEN TO MY PRAYERS! SOMEBODY BRING ME BACK MY LIFE! ALEEEEEEEX! COME BACK ALEX! I LOVE YOU ALEX!” She shouted till the time her throat went dry and her face went red. Her eyes were swollen and tears were pouring down like flood. While she was howling in pain she felt acute pain in her forehead, her nerves were showing but she wasn’t ready to stop. She lied down on the floor and howled in pain. She so tightly hugged the frame that the iron edges slit her shoulders and she started bleeding. But the pain in her heart that she bore from six years, stood as a mountain in front of the pain that was caused because of slit shoulders.
She didn’t feel life inside her. Her organs stopped working and she didn’t have the stamina to stand up on her feet and even drink water to soothe her dry throat. She kept lying on the floor and kept crying for hours continuously. After a few hours she fainted.
When it was morning, sunlight fell on her face directly from the window and on the carpet on which she lied for the whole night. She opened her swollen eyes with difficulty and tried to get up. She felt no sensation in her feet initially and she fell on the floor again. She bruised her left knee and she cried, “aaaaahhh”. Her face showed she was in distress and she could barely feel any life inside her. She crawled and took support of one of the legs of her bed and sat resting her back. She took a deep breath and looked outside her glassed window. She kept looking for a few minutes, and again tears came out of her eyes, but she wiped them and decided to stand up to drink water. She stood after difficulty and slowly went towards her kitchen. She drank water from a big jar with most of it flowing down her neck and wetted her t-shirt. After drinking water, she felt some energy and she cooked some breakfast for herself. She ate some bread and had milk sitting on her small two sitter dining table. While eating she kept looking at the chair kept across her. She had no expression on her face. Her hair was loose and shabby. She was breathing normally but her senses were completely out of control. She sat silent and kept sitting like that gazing at the chair right in front of her until her phone rang. She slowly stood up and went towards her phone kept on the refrigerator. By the time she could attend the call the dialler disconnected and she saw that it was the twelfth missed call from her office. She called back and took a sick leave.
She went inside her room slowly and saw the white wedding gown, which looked more beautiful when sunshine directly fell over it through the glassed window. She slowly went towards it again and touched its frill with her left hand. She looked at it with those craving eyes, the same eyes that saw Alex for the first time six years ago in Spain.
She was nineteen when she first went to Spain to meet her elder sister who was a professional flamenco dancer. Catherine roamed around whole Spain as she loved travelling, so she was thrilled and wanted to explore every place possible. She decided to travel to Barcelona with her sister and explore the beautiful beach. Catherine took pictures, played with people and had an amazing time.
“Aneeta, I am here for another fifteen days. I want to make it special, take me to some magical place. I want to feel magic.” Catherine said to her sister. She had brightness in her eyes, a fresh feel for excitement and great zeal for life. Aneeta, her elder sister smiled and said, “Ok my love I know where to take you”.
After having her lunch, she took her sister to a famous church of Barcelona. “woooowww!, this is some place!” Catherine gasped, looking at the architecture of the church.
“Its real name is Catedral de la Santa Creu I Santa Eulalia”, said a fair, tall, slightly long, dark haired boy from behind, and stood smiling waiting for the ladies to turn around and acknowledge his presence.
Catherine suddenly turned around and smiled. “Thank you”, she said.
He bowed and said, “Su Senora bienvenidos”.
Catherine raised her eyebrows and said, “I don’t know espanol”.
“Oh I am sorry; I meant you are welcome lady”.
“Hi I am Catherine”, she lend her hand for a handshake.
“I am Alex, Holla!”
She laughed and said, “Yes Holla!”
“Alex!” a small boy of eight came running towards Alex through the main door, “Quire un poco de dinero comprar chocolates”.
Catherine smiled at the cute boy coming who came and stood beside Alex. “Who is he?”
“He is my little brother”, Alex said, and lifted his little brother in his arms.
“He is so cute, what is he saying?” she asked.
“He is saying he wants money for chocolates”, he told Catherine.
Before she could say anything, Alex looked at his brother and politely said by kissing on his cheeks, “Demasiados chocolates pueden danar el estomago”.
Catherine within no time took out two balls of chocolates from her bag and gave it to the child. “No don’t give him, I am telling him that too many chocolates can damage his stomach”, he said and put his brother down, while the child happily took the chocolates from Catherine.
Catherine sat on her knees, kissed the cute boy and said, “But too much happiness can cure all the damages”, she smiled and then looked at Alex. Alex looked at Catherine and liked what she said.
The little boy became happy and ran out to play with his friends. “So are you here with someone?” he asked her when she stood up. “Yes, I am with my sister, she must be somewhere around.”
“Te importaria si te muestro todo?”, he smiled and politely asked, but Catherine raised her eyebrows signalling that she didn’t understand even a single word. “Oh I am sorry lady, I meant, would you mind if I show you around?”
Catherine gave a broad smile and said, “I’d love it, if you show me around.”
“Great!” he said and they both started walking.
“Do you see that point?” he pointed towards her right after coming out from the building, “that one, with pointed edges”.
“Yes” she said. “That is called the just. King Jaume II named it when he started the reconstruction in 1298. It looks very beautiful in the evening. There are yellow hidden lights, which make it look like a real beauty.”
Catherine smiled and gathered all the information about the cathedral from him.
“Due to civil wars and the black death the construction progressed very slowly. Only the main building was complete, but the just, even after thirty years couldn’t be completed, until 1460.”
He knew everything about the Cathedral and she thoroughly was enjoying his company. She forgot about her sister and she got a call from her. She told her sister to go back to their place of stay and Alex promised her to drop her back home if she stays until late evening.
After a few hours, they decided to sit at some place under the shade. “So Catherine where are you from?” he asked.
“I am from Morocco, but otherwise, I am half Indian half American, and also a journalism student in San Francisco.” She said.
“Ok, have you been to India?” he asked.
“Yes, my mother is from India. So I go sometimes to meet my grandparents.”
“Ok, what do you do Alex?” she asked
“I am a teacher. I teach in a school for special children.”
Catherine smiled and said, “Wow, what do you teach?”
“I teach all subjects. And for part time I help my father. He is a travel guide in Barcelona.”
Catherine liked Alex’s genuine smile, and the purity of his heart. “Your brother is very cute”, she said.
“Oh yes I treat him like my son. I am 21, and he is 8, so there is huge gap. So are you also the eldest in your family?”
“Oh no, I am the youngest, and I have been a pampered, spoilt, and a crazy child”, she laughed.
Alex smiled, “Well, you don’t look pampered, you appear grounded.”
Catherine looked around and said, “That’s maybe because, I have stayed alone most of the times.”
“Why alone?” he asked
“Alone means, not literally alone, I am very loved in the family, but from past three years, I have been working in the library, and then I joined the mass communication school in San Francisco. I like travelling alone. All my brothers and sisters have their own circle, and I guess I want different things from life, so I stay alone.” She replied smiling casually.
“What do you want from life?” he asked looking into her eyes.
She stopped smiling and saw that he really wanted to know her answer. “From life, I want to inspire and stay inspired always.”
He slowly smiled and said, “You are different.”
“What do you want from life?” she asked.
“Ha ha, well, I don’t expect too many things from things around me, but yes, I want to make a difference in this one small lifetime. Even if it’s small, I want to add difference to lives.”
“Wow” she said, “even you are different.”
They both shared a very innocent smile and were getting woven into an innocent bond. She stayed there till the whole evening to see the lightening at the Cathedral. They both stood in front of the just, when Alex turned around and saw that the lights were slowly opening and he said, “Hey Catherine I want you to close your eyes”. She trusted him immediately and closed them. When cathedral was at the peak of its beauty and all the lights were open, he made her turn towards the just, and asked her to slowly open her eyes. She opened them and saw the magic. Cathedral looked beautiful, so much so that she felt tears in her eyes, and she gasped.
She had no words to describe how she felt. It looked like an amazing castle, and it took her a few seconds to realise that she wasn’t in heaven but on Earth. “It’s majestic” she said and her mouth was wide open, “You were right Alex, I am so happy I am here.”
“I am happy you are happy”, he said looking at her. She too looked at him and smiled.
After the evening, as per his promise, he walked with Catherine till her place of stay. “Have you ever tried flamenco?” he asked Catherine.
“Oh no, I am a bad dancer, my sister is a professional flamenco dancer though.” She said.
“Don’t worry, it’s not difficult.” He became excited.
“Oh no, no Alex, I am an embarrassing dancer.” She became shy.
“Don’t say no, because right now we are in front of a crazy flamenco club, look towards your right.”
And within no time, Alex convinced Catherine to enter that club for some Flamenco. She saw everyone was dancing and having beer. It was crowded and everyone was shouting and having a crazy party time. There were professional Flamenco dancers on small stages in between everywhere, and Catherine loved the scene in the club. There was loud music and Alex suddenly met a friend, “Holla Alex, me alegro de verte despues de mucho tiempo.” Alex hugged his friend and told Catherine shouting, “He is saying, hi it is good to see you after long.”
Catherine shouted back, “Ok, is he your friend?”
They had to shout because of the loud music, “Yes” Alex shouted. His friend looked at Catherine and she shouted, “Holla!” he too shouted “holla!” and asked Alex, “Quien es esta chica caliente con usted?” Alex Suddenly stopped smiling and said, “ella es una Buena chica!” he held Catherine’s hand tight and smeared through the crowd and took her upstairs.
“Hey, what did your friend say?” Alex looked at her and said, “Nothing, you want to try some Flamenco?”
“No tell me what did your friend say? Why did you become angry?” she asked.
“He asked me who is this hot girl, and I said you are a good girl and I just took you away.” He innocently and honestly replied.
Catherine looked into his innocent eyes and was trying hard to not to fall for him, and so was he. “Come lets Flamenco!” she said, and they both shouted, “yaaaayyyy!!”
They both went on the main stage and Catherine was very nervous. “Oh my god, I can’t do it” she said, but Alex held her hand tightly. “Everyone is looking Alex, I can’t!” she panicked. Alex held both her hands and shouted, “You have trusted me so much, you stayed with me the whole day, now I am keeping my trust in you. I know you can do it. And if you do anything wrong, I promise to cover it up! Now let’s do it!”. She was surprised to see Alex so excited and this was the time when she felt magic. She decided to conquer her fears and break her shell. “Ok, let’s do it!” she shouted and the music started.
She was nervous in the beginning, but Alex took control. He was a very good Flamenco dancer, and slowly she started enjoying it when people started hooting and encouraging the dancing couple. After a swift turn she lost balance and got nervous, but Alex held her tight and didn’t let her fall. They both looked at each other and smiled. She loved it and more than that enjoyed dancing for the first time. Alex completely supported her and by the end of it, she wanted more of it.
“Oh my god, I don’t believe I danced! Really! I’ve always feared dancing and I don’t believe. And look at you, you Mr. Alex you dance so well!” Catherine was very excited and she couldn’t manage her emotional outflow as they walked down the street towards her place of stay.
“My full name is Alessandro. Alessandro Dejuan Cristobal”.
Catherine stopped walking suddenly and said, “Whoa!”
He smiled and said, “yes, but you can call me Alex”.
“No I will call you, Alessandro!” she said laughing, “Or Maybe Mr. Cristobal?”
He felt shy and said, “Lady it’s getting late lets walk fast. Your sister won’t allow you to come with me from tomorrow.”
“Oh yes, lets run Mr. Cristobal!” she said in a shrilling voice but they started casually walking towards her place of stay where her sister was impatiently waiting for her standing at the balcony. She saw both of them coming and got very furious when she saw that Alex was continuously smiling at her.
“So here comes your place.” he said.
“Will you come to pick me up tomorrow?” she asked hoping to hear a yes.
He smiled, “what time you want me to come?” and politely asked.
Her smile turned bigger and she said, “You must not go.”
He giggled and said, “If I don’t go, your sister will throw the flower pot on my head.” They both looked up and saw her standing on the first floor and watching them from the balcony.
She laughed looking at her and again looked into Alex’s eyes and said, “I will wait for you. Come at 11.”
“I won’t make you wait; I will be there on time.” He looked straight into her eyes and felt like kissing her. She too wanted to kiss him but they knew that her sister was watching so they controlled their emotions, and simply did a handshake. “Good night”, they said to each other. She came upstairs and he went back to his home.
“Holla!” she shouted looking at him from the balcony next morning, exact at 11am. He wasn’t a minute late, and she was ready before time. She went running downstairs and ran straight into his arms. He held her tightly in his arms and took two turns holding her. “Holla”, he politely whispered. He kissed her forehead, and they both started walking. They walked down the city, the beach, watched theatres, and loved each other’s company. For the whole week, Catherine completely ignored her sister, and went out with Alex. He took her to his school, and they played with the children for hours.
Alex came back with a water bottle in his hands, while Catherine was sitting and playing a board game with one of the special children. He looked at her engrossed into playing with the child. He had affection for her in his eyes. “Would you like to come to my home?” he asked her. She suddenly looked at him, and smiled. He waited for her to say yes, and she said, “Ok, only if you ask your mom to teach me to make your favourite dish.”
He laughed, and said, “Let’s go”.
They went to his home running which was not far from his school. Catherine was happy like never before, and Alex was falling in love with her slowly. “Madre, veo que tenemos un invitado!”, he shouted in happiness as soon he entered the home. “What did you say?” Catherine whispered. “I said, mother, see we have a guest.”
She smiled and saw his mother coming out from the kitchen. She was a simple Spanish lady, and welcomed Catherine with a huge smile and a hug. Catherine loved her warm welcome, and she asked her son, “Ella es Hermosa, quien es ella?” Alex smiled and said, “Ella es Catherine.” He gave her introduction to his mother in espanol, and poor Catherine stood dumb looking at their faces. Alex realised she didn’t understand anything and he started laughing looking at Catherine. “haha, she is saying you are beautiful, and asked me your name. And I gave your description, that’s all.”
His mother understood about the language problem and asked Catherine to sit and have some food with them. “Chica Chocolate!” she heard Alex’s young brother from behind who came running and jumped on Catherine’s lap while she was sitting. “He is calling you chocolate girl!” Alex smiled and told Catherine while she became busy playing with his brother. “I love your family!” she excitedly said looking at Alex, and he looked at her with deep love in his yes. Their magical love story had started, and the first person to realise was Alex’s mother. “She wants to learn how to make my favourite dish, so teach her to make Paella!” Catherine looked at his mother and said, “Yes, I’d love to learn, please teach me. I can even cook for tonight if you allow me.” His mother smiled and Alex became shy. “Ok Catherine, today you cook for my son,” His mother happily invited her to the kitchen.
Catherine followed his mother, and Alex whispered, “All the best.” Catherine was a fast learner, and since she enjoyed cooking, she followed all the instructions carefully and had only Alex in her mind while cooking. His mother loved her positive presence and Alex’s younger brother came in the kitchen to help Catherine do the final touch up to the cuisine she had made. Everyone in the family loved Catherine, and Catherine loved everyone. Alex had a simple, small home, which accommodated Catherine like its own member. Alex couldn’t wait to have the meal, and he saw his mother bringing the dish for everyone. In the meantime his father also came and he too liked the fact that Catherine was his son’s friend and has prepared his favourite dish. They all loved the dish, but Catherine waited for extra compliments from Alex, who was busy eating but didn’t say anything. After having a very good time with the Cristobal family, it was time for Catherine to go. Alex’s mother wanted her to stay, but she had to go because of her sister.
“I had an amazing time”, Catherine said hugging Alex’s mother.
“For how long are you here?” she asked. “I am going back in another week to San Francisco”, Catherine smiled and replied, but after a second she stopped smiling and realised that she just had another week with Alex. She looked at him; he raised his eyebrows and said, “Let’s go.”
While walking slowly down the lane, they both didn’t talk for a while, but after sometime he politely asked, “Are you really going after a week?” Catherine didn’t say anything, and he didn’t ask her again. He saw she took a deep breath and stopped. He looked at her straight into her eyes, and saw she was about to cry. He went close to her without taking anytime and kissed her. The road was having no one except the two. She slowly dropped her bag, and put her arms around his neck. He took a turn and lifted her in his arms. She crossed both her legs around his waist and he took her hat off and threw it away. He walked inside a lane which was right beside him which was dark. They both passionately kissed each other while he made her take the support of the wall. He tightly held her from her waist and she tightly held him from his neck. Her hands were rubbing through his silky hair and he suddenly started opening the buttons of her shirt. She allowed him to open her shirt and he started biting her neck. “aaahhh”, she moaned in the pain that gave her pleasure, but he didn’t stop. He kissed all over her neck and heard her moaning. “Don’t take out noises, somebody will hear”, he whispered while he was panting and his heart beat was more audible than her voice. She looked at him, he was nervous yet excited. She giggled at his innocent face and kissed him with all the might she had. This time he started moaning, and she whispered in his right ear while passionately kissing it, “Don’t make noises, somebody will hear”, and they both laughed. “I don’t care”, he said. He took out his t-shirt and Catherine started to kiss his right shoulder passionately, and he turned around and took support of the wall right across the wall they were previously leaning on. Alex could feel the blood rushing in his body, and Catherine could feel passion. Their minds met and so did their bodies.
“que esta pasando ahi?” shouted an old woman from the terrace of her home and threw a shoe at them which hit Alex’s head. He kept Catherine down, and they both ran out of the lane. He ran wearing his shirt, and she ran buttoning her shirt. They both started laughing and Alex picked up her bag and her hat and they ran laughing until they came on the main road. “What did she say?” Catherine asked Alex. “She said, what is going on there”, he said panting and rested his hands on his knees when they stopped. Catherine catched her breath, and hugged Alex again. Alex hugged her tight and kissed her forehead. “Don’t go”, he whispered, and he heard Catherine taking a sigh.
Next day when she peeped out of her balcony she didn’t see him standing. She was surprised because he would be there standing and waiting for her everyday exact at 11, but he wasn’t there. She took her bag and ran to his school. He was taking his class when he saw Catherine sitting and waiting under a tree right in front of his class. He smiled at her and she gestured that she was waiting.
“Why didn’t you come today?” she smiled and asked Alex. Alex didn’t look at her and tried to ignore her question. “Tell me honey is everything alright? Your silence is scary”, she said.
He looked at her and said, “You would go, and I will be in a mess, so I am trying to avoid that mess.”
Catherine raised her eyebrows and very innocently said, “Please don’t complicate it. I want to stay with you every minute till I am here.”
“And what after when you would go? What will I do? I am not on a holiday. I have to stay here and work, and study, and play my role as a son. I don’t want to be in a mess Catherine. We should not meet anymore”, he said and slowly made a move towards his class.
Catherine kept standing, numb and expressionless. She came back to her apartment and sat in the balcony. She started crying after a few hours in the evening when she heard, “CATHERINE!”, She went running towards the balcony and saw Alex standing with tears in his eyes. She wiped her tears and went running down the stairs and jumped on him. She jumped with so much force that he fell on the fence of their neighbour’s house and broke it. “Tea mo Catherine (I love you Catherine)!” he said.
“YO TAMBIEN TE QUIERO! (I LOVE YOU TOO!)!” She shouted out loud. She wiped his tears and he wiped her tears. “How do you know espanol!” he smiled and asked. “I just learnt these two sentences!” she said, and he immediately kissed her and lifted her in his arms and took three four turns. Her sister shouted from the balcony, “Love birds, come upstairs!”
Alex and Catherine gave name to their relationship and it was love. The two pure souls met, and went mad in each other’s arms. That night Catherine and Alessandro did not part for even a single second. They made love and Catherine finally saw magic that came in the form of Alex in her life.
Alessandro embraced her in his arms when she kept her head on his chest and hugged him tight under one quilt. “I love your eyes Alessandro! They are so truthful”, she said. Alex smiled and kissed her left hand, “I love you, you are so truthful.” She looked at him and said, “I am not going back to San Francisco!” He laughed, “No, you go, your sister is here, I know you will keep coming, and I will come to meet you too!” Catherine suddenly raised her head and got angry, “I am not leaving you and going, either you come with me, or I stay here.” She got up from the bed and he looked at his watch. It was 3:00 am. She wore her clothes and started combing her hair standing in front of the mirror. He came from behind smiling and held her gently from the back and said, “My angry little angel, how can I ask you to go away from me”. He kissed her neck but she was still angry. “Marry me”, he whispered. Now this made her happy. She turned around and he kissed her again. “Say it again” she said looking into his eyes. “Yes, marry me, and love me like this forever.” Alex was smiling, but she started crying. She sat on the bed and hid her face with her hands. Alex got scared and ran out of the room naked to get water for her, and her sister saw him without him noticing her. Aneeta got scandalised but decided to stay shut at this. He came inside the room made her drink water, and realised that he should wear his jeans at least. “Catherine please stop crying like a baby, what is wrong with you, what have I done. Ok we won’t marry if you don’t want!”
“Oh no you idiot! I am happy that I am getting married! To you!” she shouted with tears in her eyes, and then they both laughed and hugged each other in happiness.
He left her apartment at 6:00 am with a huge smile and a huge commitment. There was no turning back for them. She knew what wedding gown she wanted and from where. She didn’t take much time. Aneeta was freaking out but she had to support her sister because she knew Catherine won’t listen. “I want to give everyone a surprise; I know they would love Alessandro! Once we are in Morocco we will do a grand function, but as of now, let me marry him. He is my life! And stop whining!” she shouted at Aneeta when she saw that Aneeta was being less cooperative.
Alessandro had some savings, he decided to buy a gold ring for her, and wear his old black suit for wedding. He didn’t tell his parents, and decided to keep it a secret until the right time. By 10:45 am, she was ready as usual. She wore her simple wedding gown and waited for him to shout Holla! But she realised that they decided to meet directly at the Church. The same Church they first met. Catherine was more than happy. “Oh my God, this all is a fairytale! I don’t believe this is happening!” she excitedly said, when her sister was getting ready. “You are mad! Ok lets go else we would be late!”
“Oh yes, I cannot make Alex wait for long!” She said smiling at the mirror.
“haah! Today is his big day, what if he makes you wait!” Aneeta laughed and said while picking up the keys.
Catherine looked at her and smiled, “I can wait for him for all my life, and for all the lives to come!”
Aneeta looked at her sister and gasped. She was surprised at what she just said, and kissed her forehead, “He will be with you in this life, and all the lives to come, and you don’t have to wait ok!”
Both the sisters hugged each other and finally Aneeta accepted the step being taken up by her sister. They took a cab to the Cathedral and they had to walk through a long passage to get to the Church. Catherine was wearing heels; still she was running in order to marry Alex as soon as possible. She went inside the Church and sat on the bench waiting for Alex. She knew he would come with his friend and his younger brother. This is how they decided. Aneeta and Catherine kept waiting with the priest. One hour, two hours, three hours, and finally the evening came. Aneeta became furious and Catherine became nervous. Aneeta was trying to control Catherine who sat numb inside the Cathedral dressed as a bride waiting for her groom.
“Catherine”, Aneeta politely said and shook his sister who was slowly entering the state of shock. “Huh!” Catherine said. “Let’s go to his place! Come!” Aneeta said.
“No! He asked me to meet here!” Catherine politely replied.
Aneeta wanted to charge Alex. She was angry at him, but she didn’t show her anger to Catherine and she said, “Maybe he has forgotten or he is stuck in somewhere. Let’s go home, you ask him tomorrow.”
Catherine slowly looked towards Aneeta. Catherine’s eyes were red, and her lips were trembling. “Do me a favour Aneeta, you please go and bring Alex. Ask him to stop playing this prank. And I will stay here and wait until you come!”
“I cannot leave you and go little sister, come with me.” Aneeta said and held Catherine’s hands.
“No, what if he comes when I am not here. Please go and bring him Aneeta!” Catherine said and decided to abide by her last words, “I will wait for him”.
Aneeta got up and decided to slap Alex for this joke when she would meet him. She took a cab and went over to his place. She got out of the car and saw that the gates were open. She felt something gloomy and she slowly took steps towards the main door, and the scene she saw was much beyond what she could have ever imagined in her lifetime. She saw that Alex lied dead in a coffin, which they closed as soon as she saw his face. His mother lied on the sofa expressionless. His father was trying to control his younger brother who was suffering from asthma attacks seeing his brother’s dead body, and everyone in the house was crying. Aneeta stood shocked and thought this all to be a nightmare. She had to take time to believe that she was seeing her sister’s life’s reality. Aneeta came out of the house and started crying holding her chest. “Oh holy mother! What have you done to my sister!” she cried out loud, and in that time she saw that they were carrying the coffin to bury it in the graveyard. She didn’t have the courage to stand there, and also she didn’t understand how she would make Catherine believe that Alessandro would never be able to come to make the marriage vows with her. Aneeta came back to the Cathedral and told the priest everything, and she asked for his help. They both saw that Catherine was sitting with her eyes closed and she was murmuring something. Aneeta went close to her and she heard her saying, “I Catherine Garner, take Alessandro Dejuan Cristobal as my lawful wedded husband. I swear to be with him in times good and bad, in illness and health, and love him even more with each passing day, till death do us part!” And Aneeta noticed that Catherine was going to and fro, with closed eyes and murmuring the same thing again and again.
Aneeta got scared and so did the father of the Church. “Oh holy mother, help your child find peace and accept the harsh reality!” he said looking at her, whereas Catherine was murmuring the wedding vow again and again. Aneeta and the father sat with her for another hour and suddenly Catherine fainted.
She opened her eyes next morning, and she noticed that she was in Aneeta’s apartment. “What am I doing here?” she got up and started shouting; she saw her mother and her brothers also in the room. Her mother went close to her and hugged her, “NO, WHERE IS ALEX! AND WHERE IS MY GOWN! WHY AM I WEARING THIS! WHER IS ALEEEEEXX!” she screamed and her brothers had to take control of her.
“My child, please, calm down he is stuck somewhere, and he said he would come!” “What! Is he mad! We are supposed to get married! What is more important to him than this! Where is he? Mom please tell him to stop playing this prank with me, I will sink! Please!” she cried in pain holding her mother’s arms.
The eldest brother called Aneeta outside the room, and said, “Why don’t we tell her that Alex is no more.”
“Oh really, you think she will be able to bear this!” Aneeta said, “She will go mad. I think we should just tell her that he has ditched her”.
“No in this way she will go searching for him, and she would come to know.” And they suddenly heard her scream, “ALLEEEEEEEEEEXXX!” They both went running inside and saw that she again fainted on the floor and both her brothers had to pick her up to make her go off to sleep again. The whole day her family kept taking care of her and kept thinking of how to tell her the truth. In the evening she woke up. Her eyes searched for Alex again, but since she had not eaten anything she was completely out of stamina to even say his name, but she gathered some strength and went up to the balcony. She looked at the place where Alex would usually come and wait for her. “Holla!’ she wanted to shout but ended up whispering. She felt her throat was dry. “Holla!” she again tried saying out loud. Her brother saw her and immediately came running to grab her because he thought she would fall.
He gently grabbed her, and she smiled and said, “Alex!” but she turned around and saw it was her elder brother. “Where is he?” she became angry. “Little one, please come inside, and eat something. He is coming.” He said.
“Ok, I will eat with him”, she said. Her mother couldn’t bear the pain of her daughter anymore and burst into tears. Something suddenly came to her mind and she ran upto her daughter. She took Catherine from her brother and slapped her. “WHEN HE CAME OUT OF HIS HOME TO MARRY YOU! HE GOT RUN OVER BY A CAR! ALESSANDRO IS DEAD! HE IS NEVER GOING TO COME TO MARRY YOU!”
Catherine heard her shout this, and kept standing like that seeing her mother and her sister crying. After a few seconds, Catherine smiled and then fainted again, and her brother prevented her from falling on the floor.
Next morning her mother woke up and saw that Catherine was not in the room, they all madly started searching for her until the eldest brother found a note written:-
“I can wait for him for all my life, and for all the lives to come”.
Catherine wore the same wedding gown and went to the Cathedral and sat there as Alessandro’s bride, waiting for him to come and pronounce the wedding vows with her.
She came in cargoes, a shirt, and boots. She was pretty but looked very informal. “I am really sorry, my train from Lisbon got late and I was on trekking day before yesterday when I got a call for this interview”. Mike kept looking at her and got angrier when she sat without his permission and asked the waiter to get a glass of water for her. “Did I ask you to sit?” he said.
She gasped and looked at him and said, “I request you not to judge, I am sorry.”
He kept observing her, and saw after drinking her glass of water she became calm and he settled his anger looking at her innocent smile. Mike decided to calm down, and conduct the interview sitting in the café.
She handed over her file to him, and he looked at her full professional profile. In the meantime she was smiling at the little Chinese baby sitting right across her with his mother.
“Hmmm, you have travelled eighteen countries, and have done mountaineering course in India. Impressive!” he said
She smiled and said, “yes, and I have done courses on meditation, and I trek whenever I get a chance.”
“What’s your age?” he asked
“I am 25” she said
“So young and still you have travelled so much”, he smiled and took a sip of his coffee.
“It’s my passion sir”, she said.
“That I can see, but why do you wish to leave Good Times, and come to our channel?”
She looked outside the window and then looked back at Mike, and said, “See I won’t provide you cliché answers, I will be honest”.
“That’s the only thing that works with us.” He said smiling.
“Ok, I want to follow my instincts all my life. One day I woke up and I realised it’s time for me to finally get myself fit in the channel that I have grown up watching and I just applied.”
He kept her file on the table and looked at her, “ok, so one day, you wake up and you realise that you want something else from life, and this channel is not giving you that happiness that you probably thought of, what you would do?”
Her smile broadened, raised her eyebrows, and said very casually, “I would leave. But yes I will serve my notice period.”
Mike laughed and said, “That was too much honest. But that also means we cannot rely on you.”
“One must not rely on anyone, who doesn’t have the guts to make his own self happy. Anyone who cannot work towards his or her dreams, and lives a life which others expect them to live, such people are vulnerable, and dangerous.” She smiled and very casually replied, and shrugged her shoulders and continued, “If you think I am a person who doesn’t have the courage to follow her dreams, then you can choose not to rely on me and tell me that you don’t wish to recruit me.”
He looked at her and appreciated the zeal in her eyes. She sat confidently and spoke her mind.
He took a sip of his coffee and smiled, “so what’s your favourite place?”
This question interested her, and she started, “Many! I guess I fall in love with every place I travel. I am in love with people, their lifestyles, and the way they have been with me. Oh my god! I write about every place on my blog!”
“I can see you are a passionate person, but tell me one place you loved and one special thing about it”.
She stopped and stayed silent for a few seconds. Mike waited for her answer and said, “Tell me”.
She looked down, and smiled looking at her bag. She looked up slowly into his eyes and said, “Spain, I fell in love there”.
Mike looked at her glowing smile, but being an intelligent H.R. immediately found out that she had a love story there, but not a very happy one. He decided not to ask further questions on it and he decided to keep her as a senior correspondent and an editor in the travellers section in the channel.
She would come to the office in casuals, with her camera and a rough bag, everyday and a fresh spirit and a big smile. She was a brilliant writer and would beautifully write articles on every coverage that she would make while travelling with the channel. “You should travel one place at a time, explore it completely inside out, feel it like an orgasm, allow it to enter you completely, and then when you travel back to your home, you should be packing your bags for another place”, she said, sitting with her colleagues for lunch, and everyone started laughing.
“Really you do a great job Catherine, your assistants always come back shocked and in a crazy state of mind”, her colleague said and everyone started laughing again including her.
“Yes, we choose the harder way, that’s what the fun is; you test your limits, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I believe if you can conquer your fears, nothing can conquer you”, She said eating her Sushi.
Catherine got a call from the reception area, and she was called in the H.R. office post lunch.
“May I come in?” Catherine peeped into the chamber of Mike Anderson, the senior H.R. and he asked her politely to come in. She sat on the chair right across his table and he casually talked about her current profile. “Well Catherine, you mind if I send you to South America for two months, on next fifteenth?”
She smiled and fumbled, “aaaa I am sorry Mike, but my leave starts next month for ten days. I am going to Spain.”
Mike frowned and said, “Well, I heard from someone that you don’t travel one place twice, what’s so special about Spain that you keep visiting it every six months.”
She looked at him and said, “I told you, I love that place, it’s the only place”.
“And?” Mike asked out of curiosity.
She looked into his eyes and said, “And nothing, I just like that place.”
“But you are contradicting; you say that you take a lot of time to explore one place completely inside out. You also find facts about a place which even great explorers of this age sometimes miss out on, then what is that about Spain that you have left unexplored, and you go back again and again. I need you in Peru for two months, and that’s final.”
She kept looking at him and noticed that he was stubborn. Whereas he noticed that she became serious but didn’t have a puzzled look on her face. She seemed like she had made her decision and she spoke after a few seconds, “Ok Mike, I guess, I will have to quit the job then.”
“What!” he said.
“I am sorry, I know that South American project is important, and by the way you are talking I guess you won’t negotiate with me. I can go to even poles if you ask me to, but I have to go to Spain next month at any cost. So why waste time and energy on something which can’t be concluded. I guess I should leave the job.” she pierced her lips and got up from the chair, walked out of the chamber without taking much time.
In the evening, while she was cooking for herself in her apartment where she lived alone, she heard the bell and she ran towards the door. As she peeped through the window she saw Mike. “Oh my God, what is he doing here!” she got surprised and immediately opened the door. “Hi!” she welcomed him with a smile and asked him to come in. “I am sorry for the mess”, she said and asked him to sit on the sofa which was filled with books and her electronic gadgets.
“You are cooking something?” he asked, and she said, “oh yes, I am making some Ravioli, would you like to taste it?” she smiled and excitedly asked.
“I really don’t believe I am talking to the girl who has just lost her job.” he said.
She looked at him with an innocent face and said, “I never won anything, so I don’t lose anything Mike.”
He kept looking at her for a few seconds and said, “I have never met anyone like you.”
She smiled, “should I take it as a compliment or I should believe you are calling me a lunatic?”
He laughed and said, “You are definitely a lunatic, but in a good way. You are different and I like you.”
She looked at him smiling, “So, what makes you knock at my door?” she asked casually.
“I’d like to take you out for dinner”, he said seriously.
She stopped smiling suddenly and didn’t speak anything for a few seconds. She got up and went towards her hot plate, to see if her Ravioli was cooked. “I make really good Ravioli, we can have dinner here”. She said and they both exchanged smiles.
“mmmmm its really good, I have not had such an amazing Italian even in Italy.” He said, while eating, sitting across her on the dining table.
“Can you believe I learnt it from a Maltese woman”, she said. “Wow. I am amazed to see your culinary skills lady. Good. I am also happy I came here tonight.” He said with excitement.
“And I am happy you are happy.” She said serving him more.
“What makes you always so happy?” he asked her.
“What?” she said.
“I mean you are always in this state of mind where you don’t get much affected. How?” he asked.
She smiled and said, “I am just like that. I don’t have fear of losing, and I don’t have any greed to possess, I guess that’s how it works for me.”
“Ok Catherine, the truth is I have come here to apologise to you for my behaviour in the morning.”
Her eyes widened and she said, “hey mike it’s alright. You are my boss and you have been giving me amazing projects in all these months.”
“Yes, but we do not want to lose you. So I have personally decided to send you to Peru after you come back from Spain.”
She looked at him and smiled. “Really!” she said with excitement, “Oh my God!”
“Yes!” he said taking a bite of her Ravioli.
“Thank you Mike, I am really happy you understood”, she said smiling genuinely.
Next day she again joined the office and behaved as if nothing happened the other day. She worked with same zeal and concentration, and her career graph was going up with each passing minute. She didn’t take much time to become an inspiration for everyone around her and whoever she would meet would want to be like her.
One day Catherine received an e-mail from Mike asking her to come to his chamber for a meeting. Without taking much time she put her laptop on hibernation mode and went to his chamber.
“Hi Mike” she peeped and said. “Yes, Catherine come, come sit down”, he said.
As soon as she sat he looked straight into her eyes and said, “ok, here it is. Would you mind if I ask you to join me for a dinner tonight?”
Catherine looked at him and said, “aaaa… Mike … you can come over to my place for Ravioli”, she said.
“No Ravioli, I want to take you out for dinner and maybe even travel to Spain with you.” He looked straight into her eyes and spoke.
This time Catherine looked at him and she was startled. “No, no Spain. I travel to Spain alone. I cannot take anyone along with me. I am sorry”, she became very serious and Mike immediately controlled his words. “Ok” he politely said raising his hands and he saw that Catherine stood up and moved out of his chamber. His motive of asking about Spain was simple; he wanted to be sure of his doubts. He knew it from the very first day that Catherine pretends to be an open book, but there is one chapter which is left unveiled by her to anyone. He knew she would never agree on him going along with her, but he played a trick in order to see her expressions. He slowly had started liking her, and wanted to discover the Spanish mystery, but didn’t know how.
The same evening he went to her place and she welcomed him with the same pleasant smile on her face. He sat on the same sofa and she went inside the kitchen to cook the Ravioli. “I have made some Risotto also along with it. I hope you like it.” But Mike didn’t pay attention to what she was saying. He saw a black diary on which it was written Spain, on the table, with a pen inside it. It seemed she was writing something in it before he came. He wanted to open it and read it but he abstained. He looked at her and tried to understand the painful story behind her cheerful laughter. She was continuously talking, but he was busy thinking about her deep connection with Spain. She came to him taking off her apron and said, “Come food is ready”. She very casually cleared the table and also took away the diary to her bedroom. He noticed it, and also the pain that she drank away every time she touched the diary.
“What is the best part you think is about travelling?” he asked her while eating.
“I guess it’s the connections you make with people, with the place, the air.” She replied and she had excitement in her voice.
“That’s great. Catherine, you’re half Indian Half American, is your mother from America?”
“No, my mother is an Indian, and my father is an American. They both live in Morocco.”
“Ok” he said.
“You want to see pictures?” she asked
“Of course” he smiled and said, while she immediately got up and ran to her room to get the album.
After they finished the meal, Mike and Catherine sat down to see her family photos.
“I have two brothers and one sister. I am the youngest, and the naughtiest of all.”
“And the prettiest of all”. Mike said looking at the pictures.
Catherine started laughing and said, “nooooo, my sister, see, my friends always made fun of me saying Cathy is the ugliest of all. Look at her hair; it’s like a big dry leaf!”
“But now you look pretty. You have big brown eyes, and straight nice hair.”
She stopped smiling and looked at Mike. Mike looked at her with the album on his lap and said, “You have really beautiful eyes, with beautiful secrets locked inside”, he said politely looking straight inside her eyes and slightly leaning towards her.
She broke the eye contact and started looking at the album. “My first Scuba dive was in Bahamas, and there was no stopping thereafter.”
“Tell me about Spain” He said.
Catherine stopped talking and after a few seconds looked at him. “What?” she said seriously.
“Tell me about your experience in Spain”, he casually said raising his eyebrows.
“What about it?” she said shrugging her shoulders.
“I mean anything, your experience and your first visit, anything that you would want to share with me.”
She stayed silent for a few seconds and then smiled and said, “It’s a majestic place. I love Barcelona in particular. Sagrada Familia is the famous church but I left my heart in Catedral de Barcelona. Moreover the Espanol, I was learning it, actually I learn it whenever I get time. I love the culture, and Flamenco!! Wow, there can’t be anything better than that. Flamenco is the best thing that has happened to Human race, believe me.”
Mike kept waiting for the sad part to come, but she kept telling him about the good things. He understood that she was a deep person, and it won’t be easy to extract the real story from her. That evening when he came back home he realised she was the one, and that he was in love with her, completely. On the other side, Catherine opened her wardrobe and took out a white wedding gown.
He booked his ticket to Spain to find out her real story. She took out a photoframe with a photo of a boy inside it from her wardrobe.
He wanted to know about her past. She wasn’t ready to part with it. She sat alone in her room and looked at that boy’s photo. She opened her black diary and opened it from the first page. A tear drop ran down her eyes, and fell on the eyes of the boy in the photograph. Alex was a fair boy, with black hair and big black eyes.
Catherine looked at her wedding gown kept beside her and felt deep pain shooting deep inside her heart. She sat numb and after a few seconds, slowly started to cry looking at the photograph. “Come back Alex”, she whispered looking at the photograph and put the photograph on her chest. “Can you hear it? Can you hear my heart screaming your name my love? Please come back! Please!” she said tightly holding on the frame.
“NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” she shouted suddenly on top of her voice. “COME BACK ALEX! COME BACK!” she shouted.
She came down on her knees but she kept holding the frame in her hands. “SOMEBODY LISTEN TO MY PRAYERS! SOMEBODY BRING ME BACK MY LIFE! ALEEEEEEEX! COME BACK ALEX! I LOVE YOU ALEX!” She shouted till the time her throat went dry and her face went red. Her eyes were swollen and tears were pouring down like flood. While she was howling in pain she felt acute pain in her forehead, her nerves were showing but she wasn’t ready to stop. She lied down on the floor and howled in pain. She so tightly hugged the frame that the iron edges slit her shoulders and she started bleeding. But the pain in her heart that she bore from six years, stood as a mountain in front of the pain that was caused because of slit shoulders.
She didn’t feel life inside her. Her organs stopped working and she didn’t have the stamina to stand up on her feet and even drink water to soothe her dry throat. She kept lying on the floor and kept crying for hours continuously. After a few hours she fainted.
When it was morning, sunlight fell on her face directly from the window and on the carpet on which she lied for the whole night. She opened her swollen eyes with difficulty and tried to get up. She felt no sensation in her feet initially and she fell on the floor again. She bruised her left knee and she cried, “aaaaahhh”. Her face showed she was in distress and she could barely feel any life inside her. She crawled and took support of one of the legs of her bed and sat resting her back. She took a deep breath and looked outside her glassed window. She kept looking for a few minutes, and again tears came out of her eyes, but she wiped them and decided to stand up to drink water. She stood after difficulty and slowly went towards her kitchen. She drank water from a big jar with most of it flowing down her neck and wetted her t-shirt. After drinking water, she felt some energy and she cooked some breakfast for herself. She ate some bread and had milk sitting on her small two sitter dining table. While eating she kept looking at the chair kept across her. She had no expression on her face. Her hair was loose and shabby. She was breathing normally but her senses were completely out of control. She sat silent and kept sitting like that gazing at the chair right in front of her until her phone rang. She slowly stood up and went towards her phone kept on the refrigerator. By the time she could attend the call the dialler disconnected and she saw that it was the twelfth missed call from her office. She called back and took a sick leave.
She went inside her room slowly and saw the white wedding gown, which looked more beautiful when sunshine directly fell over it through the glassed window. She slowly went towards it again and touched its frill with her left hand. She looked at it with those craving eyes, the same eyes that saw Alex for the first time six years ago in Spain.
She was nineteen when she first went to Spain to meet her elder sister who was a professional flamenco dancer. Catherine roamed around whole Spain as she loved travelling, so she was thrilled and wanted to explore every place possible. She decided to travel to Barcelona with her sister and explore the beautiful beach. Catherine took pictures, played with people and had an amazing time.
“Aneeta, I am here for another fifteen days. I want to make it special, take me to some magical place. I want to feel magic.” Catherine said to her sister. She had brightness in her eyes, a fresh feel for excitement and great zeal for life. Aneeta, her elder sister smiled and said, “Ok my love I know where to take you”.
After having her lunch, she took her sister to a famous church of Barcelona. “woooowww!, this is some place!” Catherine gasped, looking at the architecture of the church.
“Its real name is Catedral de la Santa Creu I Santa Eulalia”, said a fair, tall, slightly long, dark haired boy from behind, and stood smiling waiting for the ladies to turn around and acknowledge his presence.
Catherine suddenly turned around and smiled. “Thank you”, she said.
He bowed and said, “Su Senora bienvenidos”.
Catherine raised her eyebrows and said, “I don’t know espanol”.
“Oh I am sorry; I meant you are welcome lady”.
“Hi I am Catherine”, she lend her hand for a handshake.
“I am Alex, Holla!”
She laughed and said, “Yes Holla!”
“Alex!” a small boy of eight came running towards Alex through the main door, “Quire un poco de dinero comprar chocolates”.
Catherine smiled at the cute boy coming who came and stood beside Alex. “Who is he?”
“He is my little brother”, Alex said, and lifted his little brother in his arms.
“He is so cute, what is he saying?” she asked.
“He is saying he wants money for chocolates”, he told Catherine.
Before she could say anything, Alex looked at his brother and politely said by kissing on his cheeks, “Demasiados chocolates pueden danar el estomago”.
Catherine within no time took out two balls of chocolates from her bag and gave it to the child. “No don’t give him, I am telling him that too many chocolates can damage his stomach”, he said and put his brother down, while the child happily took the chocolates from Catherine.
Catherine sat on her knees, kissed the cute boy and said, “But too much happiness can cure all the damages”, she smiled and then looked at Alex. Alex looked at Catherine and liked what she said.
The little boy became happy and ran out to play with his friends. “So are you here with someone?” he asked her when she stood up. “Yes, I am with my sister, she must be somewhere around.”
“Te importaria si te muestro todo?”, he smiled and politely asked, but Catherine raised her eyebrows signalling that she didn’t understand even a single word. “Oh I am sorry lady, I meant, would you mind if I show you around?”
Catherine gave a broad smile and said, “I’d love it, if you show me around.”
“Great!” he said and they both started walking.
“Do you see that point?” he pointed towards her right after coming out from the building, “that one, with pointed edges”.
“Yes” she said. “That is called the just. King Jaume II named it when he started the reconstruction in 1298. It looks very beautiful in the evening. There are yellow hidden lights, which make it look like a real beauty.”
Catherine smiled and gathered all the information about the cathedral from him.
“Due to civil wars and the black death the construction progressed very slowly. Only the main building was complete, but the just, even after thirty years couldn’t be completed, until 1460.”
He knew everything about the Cathedral and she thoroughly was enjoying his company. She forgot about her sister and she got a call from her. She told her sister to go back to their place of stay and Alex promised her to drop her back home if she stays until late evening.
After a few hours, they decided to sit at some place under the shade. “So Catherine where are you from?” he asked.
“I am from Morocco, but otherwise, I am half Indian half American, and also a journalism student in San Francisco.” She said.
“Ok, have you been to India?” he asked.
“Yes, my mother is from India. So I go sometimes to meet my grandparents.”
“Ok, what do you do Alex?” she asked
“I am a teacher. I teach in a school for special children.”
Catherine smiled and said, “Wow, what do you teach?”
“I teach all subjects. And for part time I help my father. He is a travel guide in Barcelona.”
Catherine liked Alex’s genuine smile, and the purity of his heart. “Your brother is very cute”, she said.
“Oh yes I treat him like my son. I am 21, and he is 8, so there is huge gap. So are you also the eldest in your family?”
“Oh no, I am the youngest, and I have been a pampered, spoilt, and a crazy child”, she laughed.
Alex smiled, “Well, you don’t look pampered, you appear grounded.”
Catherine looked around and said, “That’s maybe because, I have stayed alone most of the times.”
“Why alone?” he asked
“Alone means, not literally alone, I am very loved in the family, but from past three years, I have been working in the library, and then I joined the mass communication school in San Francisco. I like travelling alone. All my brothers and sisters have their own circle, and I guess I want different things from life, so I stay alone.” She replied smiling casually.
“What do you want from life?” he asked looking into her eyes.
She stopped smiling and saw that he really wanted to know her answer. “From life, I want to inspire and stay inspired always.”
He slowly smiled and said, “You are different.”
“What do you want from life?” she asked.
“Ha ha, well, I don’t expect too many things from things around me, but yes, I want to make a difference in this one small lifetime. Even if it’s small, I want to add difference to lives.”
“Wow” she said, “even you are different.”
They both shared a very innocent smile and were getting woven into an innocent bond. She stayed there till the whole evening to see the lightening at the Cathedral. They both stood in front of the just, when Alex turned around and saw that the lights were slowly opening and he said, “Hey Catherine I want you to close your eyes”. She trusted him immediately and closed them. When cathedral was at the peak of its beauty and all the lights were open, he made her turn towards the just, and asked her to slowly open her eyes. She opened them and saw the magic. Cathedral looked beautiful, so much so that she felt tears in her eyes, and she gasped.
She had no words to describe how she felt. It looked like an amazing castle, and it took her a few seconds to realise that she wasn’t in heaven but on Earth. “It’s majestic” she said and her mouth was wide open, “You were right Alex, I am so happy I am here.”
“I am happy you are happy”, he said looking at her. She too looked at him and smiled.
After the evening, as per his promise, he walked with Catherine till her place of stay. “Have you ever tried flamenco?” he asked Catherine.
“Oh no, I am a bad dancer, my sister is a professional flamenco dancer though.” She said.
“Don’t worry, it’s not difficult.” He became excited.
“Oh no, no Alex, I am an embarrassing dancer.” She became shy.
“Don’t say no, because right now we are in front of a crazy flamenco club, look towards your right.”
And within no time, Alex convinced Catherine to enter that club for some Flamenco. She saw everyone was dancing and having beer. It was crowded and everyone was shouting and having a crazy party time. There were professional Flamenco dancers on small stages in between everywhere, and Catherine loved the scene in the club. There was loud music and Alex suddenly met a friend, “Holla Alex, me alegro de verte despues de mucho tiempo.” Alex hugged his friend and told Catherine shouting, “He is saying, hi it is good to see you after long.”
Catherine shouted back, “Ok, is he your friend?”
They had to shout because of the loud music, “Yes” Alex shouted. His friend looked at Catherine and she shouted, “Holla!” he too shouted “holla!” and asked Alex, “Quien es esta chica caliente con usted?” Alex Suddenly stopped smiling and said, “ella es una Buena chica!” he held Catherine’s hand tight and smeared through the crowd and took her upstairs.
“Hey, what did your friend say?” Alex looked at her and said, “Nothing, you want to try some Flamenco?”
“No tell me what did your friend say? Why did you become angry?” she asked.
“He asked me who is this hot girl, and I said you are a good girl and I just took you away.” He innocently and honestly replied.
Catherine looked into his innocent eyes and was trying hard to not to fall for him, and so was he. “Come lets Flamenco!” she said, and they both shouted, “yaaaayyyy!!”
They both went on the main stage and Catherine was very nervous. “Oh my god, I can’t do it” she said, but Alex held her hand tightly. “Everyone is looking Alex, I can’t!” she panicked. Alex held both her hands and shouted, “You have trusted me so much, you stayed with me the whole day, now I am keeping my trust in you. I know you can do it. And if you do anything wrong, I promise to cover it up! Now let’s do it!”. She was surprised to see Alex so excited and this was the time when she felt magic. She decided to conquer her fears and break her shell. “Ok, let’s do it!” she shouted and the music started.
She was nervous in the beginning, but Alex took control. He was a very good Flamenco dancer, and slowly she started enjoying it when people started hooting and encouraging the dancing couple. After a swift turn she lost balance and got nervous, but Alex held her tight and didn’t let her fall. They both looked at each other and smiled. She loved it and more than that enjoyed dancing for the first time. Alex completely supported her and by the end of it, she wanted more of it.
“Oh my god, I don’t believe I danced! Really! I’ve always feared dancing and I don’t believe. And look at you, you Mr. Alex you dance so well!” Catherine was very excited and she couldn’t manage her emotional outflow as they walked down the street towards her place of stay.
“My full name is Alessandro. Alessandro Dejuan Cristobal”.
Catherine stopped walking suddenly and said, “Whoa!”
He smiled and said, “yes, but you can call me Alex”.
“No I will call you, Alessandro!” she said laughing, “Or Maybe Mr. Cristobal?”
He felt shy and said, “Lady it’s getting late lets walk fast. Your sister won’t allow you to come with me from tomorrow.”
“Oh yes, lets run Mr. Cristobal!” she said in a shrilling voice but they started casually walking towards her place of stay where her sister was impatiently waiting for her standing at the balcony. She saw both of them coming and got very furious when she saw that Alex was continuously smiling at her.
“So here comes your place.” he said.
“Will you come to pick me up tomorrow?” she asked hoping to hear a yes.
He smiled, “what time you want me to come?” and politely asked.
Her smile turned bigger and she said, “You must not go.”
He giggled and said, “If I don’t go, your sister will throw the flower pot on my head.” They both looked up and saw her standing on the first floor and watching them from the balcony.
She laughed looking at her and again looked into Alex’s eyes and said, “I will wait for you. Come at 11.”
“I won’t make you wait; I will be there on time.” He looked straight into her eyes and felt like kissing her. She too wanted to kiss him but they knew that her sister was watching so they controlled their emotions, and simply did a handshake. “Good night”, they said to each other. She came upstairs and he went back to his home.
“Holla!” she shouted looking at him from the balcony next morning, exact at 11am. He wasn’t a minute late, and she was ready before time. She went running downstairs and ran straight into his arms. He held her tightly in his arms and took two turns holding her. “Holla”, he politely whispered. He kissed her forehead, and they both started walking. They walked down the city, the beach, watched theatres, and loved each other’s company. For the whole week, Catherine completely ignored her sister, and went out with Alex. He took her to his school, and they played with the children for hours.
Alex came back with a water bottle in his hands, while Catherine was sitting and playing a board game with one of the special children. He looked at her engrossed into playing with the child. He had affection for her in his eyes. “Would you like to come to my home?” he asked her. She suddenly looked at him, and smiled. He waited for her to say yes, and she said, “Ok, only if you ask your mom to teach me to make your favourite dish.”
He laughed, and said, “Let’s go”.
They went to his home running which was not far from his school. Catherine was happy like never before, and Alex was falling in love with her slowly. “Madre, veo que tenemos un invitado!”, he shouted in happiness as soon he entered the home. “What did you say?” Catherine whispered. “I said, mother, see we have a guest.”
She smiled and saw his mother coming out from the kitchen. She was a simple Spanish lady, and welcomed Catherine with a huge smile and a hug. Catherine loved her warm welcome, and she asked her son, “Ella es Hermosa, quien es ella?” Alex smiled and said, “Ella es Catherine.” He gave her introduction to his mother in espanol, and poor Catherine stood dumb looking at their faces. Alex realised she didn’t understand anything and he started laughing looking at Catherine. “haha, she is saying you are beautiful, and asked me your name. And I gave your description, that’s all.”
His mother understood about the language problem and asked Catherine to sit and have some food with them. “Chica Chocolate!” she heard Alex’s young brother from behind who came running and jumped on Catherine’s lap while she was sitting. “He is calling you chocolate girl!” Alex smiled and told Catherine while she became busy playing with his brother. “I love your family!” she excitedly said looking at Alex, and he looked at her with deep love in his yes. Their magical love story had started, and the first person to realise was Alex’s mother. “She wants to learn how to make my favourite dish, so teach her to make Paella!” Catherine looked at his mother and said, “Yes, I’d love to learn, please teach me. I can even cook for tonight if you allow me.” His mother smiled and Alex became shy. “Ok Catherine, today you cook for my son,” His mother happily invited her to the kitchen.
Catherine followed his mother, and Alex whispered, “All the best.” Catherine was a fast learner, and since she enjoyed cooking, she followed all the instructions carefully and had only Alex in her mind while cooking. His mother loved her positive presence and Alex’s younger brother came in the kitchen to help Catherine do the final touch up to the cuisine she had made. Everyone in the family loved Catherine, and Catherine loved everyone. Alex had a simple, small home, which accommodated Catherine like its own member. Alex couldn’t wait to have the meal, and he saw his mother bringing the dish for everyone. In the meantime his father also came and he too liked the fact that Catherine was his son’s friend and has prepared his favourite dish. They all loved the dish, but Catherine waited for extra compliments from Alex, who was busy eating but didn’t say anything. After having a very good time with the Cristobal family, it was time for Catherine to go. Alex’s mother wanted her to stay, but she had to go because of her sister.
“I had an amazing time”, Catherine said hugging Alex’s mother.
“For how long are you here?” she asked. “I am going back in another week to San Francisco”, Catherine smiled and replied, but after a second she stopped smiling and realised that she just had another week with Alex. She looked at him; he raised his eyebrows and said, “Let’s go.”
While walking slowly down the lane, they both didn’t talk for a while, but after sometime he politely asked, “Are you really going after a week?” Catherine didn’t say anything, and he didn’t ask her again. He saw she took a deep breath and stopped. He looked at her straight into her eyes, and saw she was about to cry. He went close to her without taking anytime and kissed her. The road was having no one except the two. She slowly dropped her bag, and put her arms around his neck. He took a turn and lifted her in his arms. She crossed both her legs around his waist and he took her hat off and threw it away. He walked inside a lane which was right beside him which was dark. They both passionately kissed each other while he made her take the support of the wall. He tightly held her from her waist and she tightly held him from his neck. Her hands were rubbing through his silky hair and he suddenly started opening the buttons of her shirt. She allowed him to open her shirt and he started biting her neck. “aaahhh”, she moaned in the pain that gave her pleasure, but he didn’t stop. He kissed all over her neck and heard her moaning. “Don’t take out noises, somebody will hear”, he whispered while he was panting and his heart beat was more audible than her voice. She looked at him, he was nervous yet excited. She giggled at his innocent face and kissed him with all the might she had. This time he started moaning, and she whispered in his right ear while passionately kissing it, “Don’t make noises, somebody will hear”, and they both laughed. “I don’t care”, he said. He took out his t-shirt and Catherine started to kiss his right shoulder passionately, and he turned around and took support of the wall right across the wall they were previously leaning on. Alex could feel the blood rushing in his body, and Catherine could feel passion. Their minds met and so did their bodies.
“que esta pasando ahi?” shouted an old woman from the terrace of her home and threw a shoe at them which hit Alex’s head. He kept Catherine down, and they both ran out of the lane. He ran wearing his shirt, and she ran buttoning her shirt. They both started laughing and Alex picked up her bag and her hat and they ran laughing until they came on the main road. “What did she say?” Catherine asked Alex. “She said, what is going on there”, he said panting and rested his hands on his knees when they stopped. Catherine catched her breath, and hugged Alex again. Alex hugged her tight and kissed her forehead. “Don’t go”, he whispered, and he heard Catherine taking a sigh.
Next day when she peeped out of her balcony she didn’t see him standing. She was surprised because he would be there standing and waiting for her everyday exact at 11, but he wasn’t there. She took her bag and ran to his school. He was taking his class when he saw Catherine sitting and waiting under a tree right in front of his class. He smiled at her and she gestured that she was waiting.
“Why didn’t you come today?” she smiled and asked Alex. Alex didn’t look at her and tried to ignore her question. “Tell me honey is everything alright? Your silence is scary”, she said.
He looked at her and said, “You would go, and I will be in a mess, so I am trying to avoid that mess.”
Catherine raised her eyebrows and very innocently said, “Please don’t complicate it. I want to stay with you every minute till I am here.”
“And what after when you would go? What will I do? I am not on a holiday. I have to stay here and work, and study, and play my role as a son. I don’t want to be in a mess Catherine. We should not meet anymore”, he said and slowly made a move towards his class.
Catherine kept standing, numb and expressionless. She came back to her apartment and sat in the balcony. She started crying after a few hours in the evening when she heard, “CATHERINE!”, She went running towards the balcony and saw Alex standing with tears in his eyes. She wiped her tears and went running down the stairs and jumped on him. She jumped with so much force that he fell on the fence of their neighbour’s house and broke it. “Tea mo Catherine (I love you Catherine)!” he said.
“YO TAMBIEN TE QUIERO! (I LOVE YOU TOO!)!” She shouted out loud. She wiped his tears and he wiped her tears. “How do you know espanol!” he smiled and asked. “I just learnt these two sentences!” she said, and he immediately kissed her and lifted her in his arms and took three four turns. Her sister shouted from the balcony, “Love birds, come upstairs!”
Alex and Catherine gave name to their relationship and it was love. The two pure souls met, and went mad in each other’s arms. That night Catherine and Alessandro did not part for even a single second. They made love and Catherine finally saw magic that came in the form of Alex in her life.
Alessandro embraced her in his arms when she kept her head on his chest and hugged him tight under one quilt. “I love your eyes Alessandro! They are so truthful”, she said. Alex smiled and kissed her left hand, “I love you, you are so truthful.” She looked at him and said, “I am not going back to San Francisco!” He laughed, “No, you go, your sister is here, I know you will keep coming, and I will come to meet you too!” Catherine suddenly raised her head and got angry, “I am not leaving you and going, either you come with me, or I stay here.” She got up from the bed and he looked at his watch. It was 3:00 am. She wore her clothes and started combing her hair standing in front of the mirror. He came from behind smiling and held her gently from the back and said, “My angry little angel, how can I ask you to go away from me”. He kissed her neck but she was still angry. “Marry me”, he whispered. Now this made her happy. She turned around and he kissed her again. “Say it again” she said looking into his eyes. “Yes, marry me, and love me like this forever.” Alex was smiling, but she started crying. She sat on the bed and hid her face with her hands. Alex got scared and ran out of the room naked to get water for her, and her sister saw him without him noticing her. Aneeta got scandalised but decided to stay shut at this. He came inside the room made her drink water, and realised that he should wear his jeans at least. “Catherine please stop crying like a baby, what is wrong with you, what have I done. Ok we won’t marry if you don’t want!”
“Oh no you idiot! I am happy that I am getting married! To you!” she shouted with tears in her eyes, and then they both laughed and hugged each other in happiness.
He left her apartment at 6:00 am with a huge smile and a huge commitment. There was no turning back for them. She knew what wedding gown she wanted and from where. She didn’t take much time. Aneeta was freaking out but she had to support her sister because she knew Catherine won’t listen. “I want to give everyone a surprise; I know they would love Alessandro! Once we are in Morocco we will do a grand function, but as of now, let me marry him. He is my life! And stop whining!” she shouted at Aneeta when she saw that Aneeta was being less cooperative.
Alessandro had some savings, he decided to buy a gold ring for her, and wear his old black suit for wedding. He didn’t tell his parents, and decided to keep it a secret until the right time. By 10:45 am, she was ready as usual. She wore her simple wedding gown and waited for him to shout Holla! But she realised that they decided to meet directly at the Church. The same Church they first met. Catherine was more than happy. “Oh my God, this all is a fairytale! I don’t believe this is happening!” she excitedly said, when her sister was getting ready. “You are mad! Ok lets go else we would be late!”
“Oh yes, I cannot make Alex wait for long!” She said smiling at the mirror.
“haah! Today is his big day, what if he makes you wait!” Aneeta laughed and said while picking up the keys.
Catherine looked at her and smiled, “I can wait for him for all my life, and for all the lives to come!”
Aneeta looked at her sister and gasped. She was surprised at what she just said, and kissed her forehead, “He will be with you in this life, and all the lives to come, and you don’t have to wait ok!”
Both the sisters hugged each other and finally Aneeta accepted the step being taken up by her sister. They took a cab to the Cathedral and they had to walk through a long passage to get to the Church. Catherine was wearing heels; still she was running in order to marry Alex as soon as possible. She went inside the Church and sat on the bench waiting for Alex. She knew he would come with his friend and his younger brother. This is how they decided. Aneeta and Catherine kept waiting with the priest. One hour, two hours, three hours, and finally the evening came. Aneeta became furious and Catherine became nervous. Aneeta was trying to control Catherine who sat numb inside the Cathedral dressed as a bride waiting for her groom.
“Catherine”, Aneeta politely said and shook his sister who was slowly entering the state of shock. “Huh!” Catherine said. “Let’s go to his place! Come!” Aneeta said.
“No! He asked me to meet here!” Catherine politely replied.
Aneeta wanted to charge Alex. She was angry at him, but she didn’t show her anger to Catherine and she said, “Maybe he has forgotten or he is stuck in somewhere. Let’s go home, you ask him tomorrow.”
Catherine slowly looked towards Aneeta. Catherine’s eyes were red, and her lips were trembling. “Do me a favour Aneeta, you please go and bring Alex. Ask him to stop playing this prank. And I will stay here and wait until you come!”
“I cannot leave you and go little sister, come with me.” Aneeta said and held Catherine’s hands.
“No, what if he comes when I am not here. Please go and bring him Aneeta!” Catherine said and decided to abide by her last words, “I will wait for him”.
Aneeta got up and decided to slap Alex for this joke when she would meet him. She took a cab and went over to his place. She got out of the car and saw that the gates were open. She felt something gloomy and she slowly took steps towards the main door, and the scene she saw was much beyond what she could have ever imagined in her lifetime. She saw that Alex lied dead in a coffin, which they closed as soon as she saw his face. His mother lied on the sofa expressionless. His father was trying to control his younger brother who was suffering from asthma attacks seeing his brother’s dead body, and everyone in the house was crying. Aneeta stood shocked and thought this all to be a nightmare. She had to take time to believe that she was seeing her sister’s life’s reality. Aneeta came out of the house and started crying holding her chest. “Oh holy mother! What have you done to my sister!” she cried out loud, and in that time she saw that they were carrying the coffin to bury it in the graveyard. She didn’t have the courage to stand there, and also she didn’t understand how she would make Catherine believe that Alessandro would never be able to come to make the marriage vows with her. Aneeta came back to the Cathedral and told the priest everything, and she asked for his help. They both saw that Catherine was sitting with her eyes closed and she was murmuring something. Aneeta went close to her and she heard her saying, “I Catherine Garner, take Alessandro Dejuan Cristobal as my lawful wedded husband. I swear to be with him in times good and bad, in illness and health, and love him even more with each passing day, till death do us part!” And Aneeta noticed that Catherine was going to and fro, with closed eyes and murmuring the same thing again and again.
Aneeta got scared and so did the father of the Church. “Oh holy mother, help your child find peace and accept the harsh reality!” he said looking at her, whereas Catherine was murmuring the wedding vow again and again. Aneeta and the father sat with her for another hour and suddenly Catherine fainted.
She opened her eyes next morning, and she noticed that she was in Aneeta’s apartment. “What am I doing here?” she got up and started shouting; she saw her mother and her brothers also in the room. Her mother went close to her and hugged her, “NO, WHERE IS ALEX! AND WHERE IS MY GOWN! WHY AM I WEARING THIS! WHER IS ALEEEEEXX!” she screamed and her brothers had to take control of her.
“My child, please, calm down he is stuck somewhere, and he said he would come!” “What! Is he mad! We are supposed to get married! What is more important to him than this! Where is he? Mom please tell him to stop playing this prank with me, I will sink! Please!” she cried in pain holding her mother’s arms.
The eldest brother called Aneeta outside the room, and said, “Why don’t we tell her that Alex is no more.”
“Oh really, you think she will be able to bear this!” Aneeta said, “She will go mad. I think we should just tell her that he has ditched her”.
“No in this way she will go searching for him, and she would come to know.” And they suddenly heard her scream, “ALLEEEEEEEEEEXXX!” They both went running inside and saw that she again fainted on the floor and both her brothers had to pick her up to make her go off to sleep again. The whole day her family kept taking care of her and kept thinking of how to tell her the truth. In the evening she woke up. Her eyes searched for Alex again, but since she had not eaten anything she was completely out of stamina to even say his name, but she gathered some strength and went up to the balcony. She looked at the place where Alex would usually come and wait for her. “Holla!’ she wanted to shout but ended up whispering. She felt her throat was dry. “Holla!” she again tried saying out loud. Her brother saw her and immediately came running to grab her because he thought she would fall.
He gently grabbed her, and she smiled and said, “Alex!” but she turned around and saw it was her elder brother. “Where is he?” she became angry. “Little one, please come inside, and eat something. He is coming.” He said.
“Ok, I will eat with him”, she said. Her mother couldn’t bear the pain of her daughter anymore and burst into tears. Something suddenly came to her mind and she ran upto her daughter. She took Catherine from her brother and slapped her. “WHEN HE CAME OUT OF HIS HOME TO MARRY YOU! HE GOT RUN OVER BY A CAR! ALESSANDRO IS DEAD! HE IS NEVER GOING TO COME TO MARRY YOU!”
Catherine heard her shout this, and kept standing like that seeing her mother and her sister crying. After a few seconds, Catherine smiled and then fainted again, and her brother prevented her from falling on the floor.
Next morning her mother woke up and saw that Catherine was not in the room, they all madly started searching for her until the eldest brother found a note written:-
“I can wait for him for all my life, and for all the lives to come”.
Catherine wore the same wedding gown and went to the Cathedral and sat there as Alessandro’s bride, waiting for him to come and pronounce the wedding vows with her.
This was her painful story that Mike came to know when he himself went to Spain and talked to her sister in person. “From past six years, she comes here on her birthday and Alessandro’s birthday, and sits on the same bench, wearing the same gown for ten days, closes her eyes, and pronounces the wedding vows.” Aneeta had tears in her eyes, and Mike sat expressionless. She wiped her tears and said, “Sometimes God does no mercy, and every time I look at my little sister, I control my tears and ask for Alex to come back and take my sister along with him. She is so dead without him.”
Mike went to the same Cathedral and slowly went towards the main church where he knew she would be sitting. He entered the main door and saw a girl in wedding gown sitting with her veil covering her face. He knew it was her and he slowly moved towards her from her left side. He felt scared but he decided to see her face. He went slightly closer and stood beside her. He saw her eyes were closed, she had Alessandro’s photo in her hands, and she was murmuring, “I Catherine Garner take Alessandro Dejuan Cristobal as my lawful wedded husband. And I swear to be by his side in times good and bad, in illness and health, and love him even more with each passing day, until death do us part.”
Mike went to the same Cathedral and slowly went towards the main church where he knew she would be sitting. He entered the main door and saw a girl in wedding gown sitting with her veil covering her face. He knew it was her and he slowly moved towards her from her left side. He felt scared but he decided to see her face. He went slightly closer and stood beside her. He saw her eyes were closed, she had Alessandro’s photo in her hands, and she was murmuring, “I Catherine Garner take Alessandro Dejuan Cristobal as my lawful wedded husband. And I swear to be by his side in times good and bad, in illness and health, and love him even more with each passing day, until death do us part.”
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