EMBRACE OF MISTS by Sowmya Latha (important of reading books .TXT) 📕

My enemy, the girl, Carolina Thomas. She was shopping in the stores. Blood flowed fast to my brain and a vibrating energy to taste her murder aroused inside me. That unlucky girl too saw me and after a cat and a rat chase, I was hit by a car. I thought that was the end of me. The girl escaped and I would die in few minutes.

When I opened my eyes, I saw her. She was bandaging my wounds. But this place was a hospital and she was a nurse. I got to get out of here. If the police find my trail, they’ll arrest me and my friends too will get caught. I decided to die. I begged the girl to kill me before I closed my eyes.

I felt light entering my eyes. I should have been dead by now. Is death so painless? No… I could feel the pain in my legs and arms. Something soft was holding my wrist. I squeezed my eyes through the light to see the girl counting my pulse. Anger rushed through me. Why is she trying to save me and hand me over to the police? They’ll kill me. I saw her getting up and moving towards the cupboard of medicines.

“What did I ask you to do? Kill me”, my voice was hoarse and weak.

“You gave me another choice too”, she replied calmly without turning back. She was busy filling the injection.

“What?”

“You said you wanted me to shift you out of the hospital. Do you feel your memory is collapsed?” she turned, leaned over the cupboard and smiled. I shifted my eyes through the room and I realized I was not in the hospital. It was a bedroom. Where was I?

“You are in my room, in my house”, she gave the answer to my confusion. I sat dumbfounded. This girl had saved me from the police and she had brought me to a safe place, her house, inspite of the fact that I was trying to kill her.

“Why did you do this?” I saw her approaching me. She lifted my sleeve and injected me the dose.

“Because you told you’ll spare my life and moreover I have a few questions for you” she said softly.

“Ask”

“Why did you choose me as the bait for your killing?” this time she sounded harsh but she naturally ought to.

“I did not choose. It happened to be an accident. You brought yourself forward to help me.” She got up and looked at me in disgust. “I wanted to help you? In your killing?”

“No, No not that way. Your intention was some other. But I had to use you. I am sorry Carolina.” I kept my eyes down with no strength to meet hers. She pushed the pillow behind my head and asked me to rest.

When I woke up, I saw an old lady knitting. “Would you like to drink something?” she asked kindly. My head was pounding and so I decided to have a coffee.

“Coffee, please”

She wheeled her wheelchair and came near the table beside my bed. She opened the flask and poured the coffee into the cup and handed it over to me.

“Thanks. You are Carolina’s mother?” I noticed the similarity of Lina’s eyes in her mother’s.

“Yes, she has left for shopping. I am instructed to take good care of you until she comes back” smiled the white haired lady as beautiful as her daughter.

“Did she tell anything about me?” About me chasing to kill her? My silent question which I dared not to raise.

“Yes. She told you met with an accident and that you didn’t have enough money to pay the hospital bill and so that she had brought you here.” Her satin voice moved me. I wondered how would have my mother’s voice sounded when she was old. Poor thing, she left me when I was very young.

We spoke for nearly an hour before Carolina busted into the room. Her eyes searched for her mother and after a moment she heaved a sigh of relief.

“Sorry. Caught in the traffic.” She smiled. She wheeled her mother to the living room, leaving me alone. After twenty minutes, she came in carrying supper for me. The smell of food made my stomach grumble loudly.

“Ha…Ha… I suppose you are starved. Here, have your food” she handed me the plate. I didn’t even wish her thanks but started to gobble the food. The hot soup scorched my throat but I felt better. In no few minutes the plate was empty.

“Would you like some more?” she asked as if I was a guest, paying a casual visit to her house.

“Nope, thanks”, I stared at her. What a lady was she? I was the man who made her get caught by the police for no mistake of hers. Today, I chased her with my gun aiming to kill her.

“What’s your name?” she asked me.

“Michael.” We sat in silence for a long time.

“A month before I thought I should kill you for disgracing me” she said and smiled. Her green eyes remained pure.

“I had that thought few hours back” I said and hung my head down.

“Not now?” she asked curious.

“No” her question irritated me.

“How do I believe?” she scrutinized me again and I got angry.

“Because your mother is alive” I replied sternly to her. She opened her eyes in horror picturising me killing her mother.

“I promise, I mean no harm to your mother dear.” I couldn’t bear to see her in pain.

She looked into my eyes, to find whether I meant it. She finally saw the truth in my eyes and she smiled her sweetest smile to me. I gazed at her open mouthed while she wished me good night, leaving me to sleep. For the first time in my life, I had a pleasant sleep remembering the saint-like face in my mind.

The next day I woke up and realized the crushing pain all over my body. I could not lift even my finger and I laid there stiff. Carolina came into the room with a tray of bandages and cleanses.

“Carolina, my muscles are stiff and it is aching everywhere” I said to her.

“Then what else do you expect? I will give pain killer and you would be better in a jiffy.” She looked white and pure after her morning bath. Her hair was dripping wet. I laid there watching her tender movements as she opened the windows and cleaned the room. Then she went to the bathroom and filled the tub with water. It was then I realized that it would be her who was going to help me with my bath. I felt the most uncomfortable thought attacking me.

“Carolina” I said slowly.

“Lina would be fine” she replied taking the towel from the cupboard.

“Lina, I can manage my bath myself” I said hopefully though I knew I would never be able to lift even my little finger.

“Oh…can you?” she made fun of me. I was ashamed. She came near me and helped me sit up.

“You know you can’t. Look, I am a nurse and it is my duty to take care of you. I don’t feel bad and neither should you. Come on now, the water will go cold.” She made me sit in the wheelchair and took me inside the bathroom. She undressed me and I had the worst experience in my life. She bathed me, dried me and slowly covered me again with bandages. At times, she felt shy but she made sure that I didn’t notice it and I had to act for her. Then she fed me the breakfast while she sat near me. She lifted her head up and told me, “I got to go to the hospital now. I’ll meet you in the evening. Just give a call if you need me.” She showed me the telephone near the bed. I nodded to her and she left.

I sat wondering the kindness she showed towards me. She must have helped her mother too in the morning before I got up. She meant a lot different from other girls known to me. There was a photo of hers hanging over the wall. I admired it for a long time before I drifted into sleep.

The days went by and Lina took good care of me. Every morning she bathed me, fed me and then went to work. In the afternoons I had lunch with Lina’s mother. In the evenings Lina would return from work and clean my wounds again. We would have our dinner together and then go to sleep. I felt I belonged here. The two ladies looked after me and cared for me. One of them knows everything about me and the other knows nothing about me. Day by day, I felt better and stronger. My bones recovered and I could stand on my legs and Carolina would help me walk inside the house.

That night Lina had arranged a small cheer party for my recovery. We had lavish foods and drinks. Lina helped her mother to bed. After that she entered my room and closed the door. She made me walk inside the room holding my shoulders. The moon shone brightly on us and I could see the sparkle in her green eyes. I stopped walking and caught her hands. She lifted her head up to see me. She had the most beautiful face I have ever seen.

“How could I ever thank you Lina?” I whispered into her ears. She leaned her head on my chest and told, “Stay with me….forever.” I was stunned by her words. I never realized that she was in love with me. I lifted her chin up to see whether she meant it. She blushed and I pressed my lips over hers. Our lips moved passionately and slowly, forgetting our surroundings that minute. It felt like ice over fire. When we slowly gained our senses she buried her face into my chest. We spent the night talking our hearts out.

After all these years, I came to find my girl without whom I can live no more. She was crazy on me and I wanted to keep her safe and happy. I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to her. Lina’s mother accepted me happily and we were indeed a real family. Then Lina and I spent the days and nights together. We went out every weekend and enjoyed ourselves. We were in deep love and I was sure I would never be able to leave her. One evening, we went to the church where she introduced me to Father Richard. We often visited the church to meet him. He was kind and pure at heart. Lina made me confess all my sins to him and she changed me into a new man. She helped and treated me to quit drugs but I never felt to use them after I had started to love her.

It was then I told her about Jared, Jacob and Alvin. She was interested in Jacob and asked me to take her to him. That Sunday we decided to go to the brick house. The night had fallen when we reached there. Jacob was sitting by the window when we went and I was shocked to see his face. His eyes were dull and weak with sleeplessness. His dress was dirty and crumpled. He had forgotten his shave too. I couldn’t bear to see him.

“Jake! What is the matter with you? What happened?” I hugged him.

“Oh hi Mike … and whose this? He looked at Lina and her mother. Lina immediately went to his side and touched his forehead to check for a fever. She took his pulse count and bit her lips. Later she shook her head to me. I swallowed my fear and acted normal.

“This is Carolina and her mother, Jake. She took care of me after the accident” I said bluntly.

“Carolina?? The girl you were searching to kill?” Lina’s mother shuddered hearing him and Lina held her hand. “Accident? What accident?” he continued urgently