HARDEST THING :LETTING GO
The story starts with a faded childhood memory of two friends, Rachael and Saloni, playing together in a playground.
Suddenly, Rachael wakes up and reaches for her phone. The time is 6:30 in the morning, and the date is September 10. Upon seeing the date, she feels excited because today is Saloni’s birthday.
She freshens up, eats her breakfast, takes Saloni’s birthday gift, and runs towards her scooty to go to their favourite café.
When she reaches the café and enters, she feels as if somebody is following her, but she ignores it. Then her friend Saloni arrives, and suddenly, the air around Rachael becomes heavy, as if something tragic has happened before. She thinks it is weird but ignores the feeling because it is her friend’s birthday.
A waiter comes to take their order. Rachael gives her order and looks towards Saloni, asking her what she would like to have. But at the same moment, she notices that the waiter looks confused, as if she is talking to thin air.
As always, she ignores this too.
They enjoy their day together with food, cake, an amusement park, and loads of love.
Later, when they are outside in a park in the evening, Rachael receives a call from her office asking her to report immediately. Rachael is a fashion designer, and her work is deeply appreciated and highly valued. Her appearance is bossy, and she carries a strong main-character energy.
She says goodbye to her friend and leaves for work.
According to Rachael, Saloni is a sweet, nice, and loving person. As for what Saloni does for work, Rachael doesn't know. Whenever this question arises, Saloni simply says that she will tell her when the right time comes.
Rachael reaches her office, attends a meeting, and at around 11:00 at night, she comes outside to leave for home. However, she is stopped by a colleague who truly admires her and wants to be friends with her.
The colleague asks Rachael if she can accompany her on her way back, but Rachael refuses, saying that she can go on her own.
Angrily, the colleague asks, “Rachael, why don’t you want to be friends with me? We have so many things in common, but I never understood why you love the colour white and sunflowers the most.”
Rachael replies, “You can’t understand these things until you have a true friend. You said we have things in common, and that’s true. But remember, parallel lines never meet. They always maintain a distance.”
She pauses.
“I love white because it resembles peace. And as for sunflowers, they are the most beautiful things to exist because whenever they need light to live, they face towards the sun. But when the sun is not available, they face each other, showing people who truly matter.”
She looks at her colleague.
“The person who truly believes in you and trusts you can stand with you even when you are not feeling good.”
Her colleague asks, “So, do you have a true friend?”
Rachael replies, “Yes, I do.”
And then—
Rachael faints.
Her colleague takes her to the hospital. While there, she notices Rachael’s phone ringing. The name displayed on the screen is Dr. Raghav.
She is shocked because she knows that Rachael has no illness.
She picks up the call.
On the other side is Dr. Raghav.
“Are you the one who brought her to the hospital?” he asks.
“Yes,” she replies. “What happened to Rachael?”
The doctor asks, “What time is it?”
She looks at the clock.
“11:46 at night.”
The doctor becomes serious.
“She has a very serious mental health problem.”
“What?” she asks, confused and shocked.
“What?”
“Yes,” the doctor replies. “It has been there since her friend Saloni’s death.”
She is confused.
“Who is Saloni? And can I know the backstory?”
The doctor tells her to bring Rachael to his clinic and asks her to come along with her.
On the way, she cannot stop thinking about how deep their friendship must have been. How could someone be unable to accept the death of a friend to the point where their mind created an entirely different reality?
When they reach the clinic, she takes Rachael inside and lets her rest in a room. Then she goes to the doctor’s cabin.
The doctor introduces himself.
He is Rachael’s brother, and he has been taking care of her and treating her.
She asks him, “What exactly happened?”
Dr. Raghav explains.
“Saloni and Rachael were childhood best friends. They couldn’t live without each other. Saloni loved celebrating her birthday, and Rachael accompanied her every time.”
“But as they grew older, things changed.”
“When they were around twenty-one, Saloni was quite depressed because she had lost her parents in a car accident. She wanted to celebrate her birthday with Rachael, but Rachael, because of her busy work schedule, said no.”
“This hurt Saloni deeply. She was crying miserably, thinking that she was alone.”
“Later that night, at around 11:45, Rachael received a call from the hospital. Saloni had been hit by a car and was in critical condition.”
“Rachael ran to the hospital, but it was too late.”
“She couldn't see her friend's face for the last time. She couldn't spend her friend's special day with her. And this is the regret she has been carrying in her heart for the past five years.”
“Every September 10, Rachael goes back to the past. She remembers Saloni and spends the day with her, just as she used to.”
“Until today, she has never been able to accept her death.”
“She believes that Saloni is still alive—just busy.”
Dr. Raghav looks at her quietly.
“Rachael can never let go of her friend.”
And perhaps that is the hardest thing of all.
Letting go.
