31st December

"Has anyone seen my Mom?

Please , let me know".

Runa sighed a bit before proceeding on to the next words.

I have forgotten her , I hardly remember her face , yet I still miss her , ever since she has left me.

SWAT ...

The Calendar fluttered in a gentle breeze that blew in through the window.

December. The end page of the Calendar swayed up & down as if it's eager to run away from it's boredom.

Runa stared at the circled date.

31st December.

That fateful day. The Day she had left , the day Runa had no one to comfort her cries.

She had faint memories of her grandmother feeding her some bottled milk & a muscular hulk trying to lift her from the crib.

Was that Dad?

Yes . Unfortunately yes , that's him.Throughout her life , she has visualized him as her guardian angel , escorting her to school , feeding her the biggest chunk of meat from his plate , buying all the comforts he could afford , just for her.

But it was Dad. He looked scary that day but his intentions weren't terrible enough. But the lady with a brown mole on her chin just like Runa's was the real villain in the game.

"I'm not going to feed her" , the woman spoke through her teeth."She's full of diseases , who wants a child like her?"

"But.." , Dad's voice turned hoarser as if someone is gripping his larynx , "You're the mother , darling , how could you leave your child like this ? By the way , she's your first born..."

"Will you please stop telling this shit?" , the woman screamed , her eyes burning like a hearth. "Listen , I've got my boyfriend back & I'm gonna get back to my old life... besides , we're planning for a baby too , a healthy baby boy" ,

"How could you!!" , Dad's voice crashed into the room like an explosion . Anger , frustration & grief has rendered him much less than a madman.

"GET OUT . JUST OUT. OUT !" , he shouted as loudly as he could.

As the woman headed out , her chest puffed up in cruel pride , the grieving father picked up the howling baby & wept bitterly over the tiny hands that stroked his stubbled chin.

12 years before....

"Dad .

Please don't cry " , Runa entwined her fingers into his & gently pulled out the wedding photograph from his grip.

"I'm sorry to bring you this . I had no idea that it was in our family album" , Runa wiped the tears off her eyes.

"Gimme that , daughter " , Dad snatched away the photo from her hands ,

"Wait Dad , what are you doing?" , Runa tried to take it back but ,

"These memories are too painful for both of us. The night I discovered her secret affair , the days we fought at the Court & the evening she left us... everything was like a nightmare " , he stared into the photo once more , "She was a devil , a snake in our family . I hate her ".

"I hate her " , he repeated.

Runa watched with horror as he tore the photo into pieces & tossed it into the trash bin. "Please try to forget her , dear" , he forced a weak smile on his wrinkled lips , " She doesn't deserve to be your mother .Make sure you don't meet her in future , never ever" .

Present Day..

Runa wiped off her wet cheeks as she continued to write . She has been writing this part ever since she has discovered about her real mom. She remembered that her aunts used to make a lot of fuss around her as if she's some sort of a celebrity , they would snoop around her & whisper to each other about something Runa could hardly make out ,

"I have stopped letting my daughter play with her , she's​ that slut's child after all , who knows..." the conversation would stop abruptly as Runa would make her entry into the room , leaving a grimace of disgust on the faces of those women.

Such things used to happen at every family events . Starting from birthday parties to weddings. In a place where people would rejoice in gaudy clothes & blood relations , I had to excuse myself from the noise into the quiet corners of the room. So , that's why ,

"Runa , won't you be celebrating your birthday this year?", said my best friend Adrian. " No Ad , I can't do that", I had replied him with a sigh.

"But why ? We used to have so much fun" , I knew Adrian would force me to do that. After all , he's another human being who cares about my happiness.

"You see , my aunt's would be coming & they'd gossip again about my mom.." ,

"Oh oh I understand. I'm sorry I didn't realize that. But if you think that way , then I should support you, because I would have done the same thing if I were in your place" , said Adrian.

So I stopped celebrating my birthdays. My father was surprised while my step-mom felt strikingly relieved. But that didn't stop me from gaining happiness points. The man whom I call my best friend, would send me memorable gifts every year & it's​ because of him , I haven't forgotten my date of birth yet. Amusing , isn't it?

Runa closed the diary & rose from her chair. The crackers are making a lot of noise, making it impossible for her to ruminate over her past. She stared at the clock . 12:30 , it read.

Time for a new start , she fell asleep onto the pillows.