Faith

She was imagining herself. With vermilion on her forehead,bangles on her hands, new found love around her and a whole new sweet family to live with. She clutched onto the small Ganesha sculpture that was her guiding light since she was 4 and prayed for all to go well.

Naina was a God loving and an extremely religious girl. Visiting a temple every day was like breathing to her, a necessity. In sunrise, in flowers, in stars, in her fiance's eyes, in her parents love...she felt blessed by the force above.

"We have to distribute just two invitations. Still, the drive from Mumbai will take some time. We will be back around midnight. So take care Naina." said her mother while leaving for Pune.
" Get some chocolate fudge for me if you take the Lonavla route!"
"Right, and what about the skincare regime. You're forgetting something dear, your wedding is in a week!"
"Oh! Ma, thats my last wish..."
"Shhh, never say that. Take care of the house."
"Alright, I'll just light a lamp for your safe journey. Enjoy!"
"You just need a reason!" smiled her mom and left.

Yes, her faith was funny sometimes. For a 20 year old, coming from a family who wasn't so religious, it was strange. But she never questioned it. She just had faith. And the fact that life was going smooth further strengthened that her faith was right.

"So you like the fudge hmm? Want to go to Lonavla for our honeymoon?" Siddhant was romancing on phone at 1 in the night.
"You think I'll let you get away with such a cheap trip. Plan something quick to Singapore, else, I'll call off the wedding!"
"C'mon, don't say things like that."
"Funny. Mom also said something...uh...by the way, it's 1 and they are not back. Let me check."

When the phone was not answered, Naina panicked. Where were ma and pa? She called up her uncle but there was no response.

Half an hour later, she received a phone call from a stranger saying that her parents had met with an accident and that she should reach the Highway Hospital immediately.
With her heart beating fast, she clutched the Ganesha and picked her uncle on the way.

Screams, tears, and her whole world was torn apart. Her Ma and Pa lay dead in the hospital. The Ganesha fell on the floor and was shattered into pieces.

Naina got married a month later. A small ceremony and a gloomy atmosphere marked the day. There were tears of pain and no smiles of joy.

She never recovered from the tragedy. She became cynical. Everyday temple visits? She could not even bear to see the sight of a God's sculpture anymore. For her, her beliefs died with her parents.

More than that, she lost faith in everything. Her relationship with Siddhant, her daughter Tanya, her mundane life, everything suffered. If there was something that was keeping her alive was the store, where she worked as a floor manager.

"What's that? A Jesus statue? Why is it on my floor?"
"But mam, we are showcasing our new range here," trembled a salesgirl.
"Why will people buy them? For some blind faith they have?"
"Some people are strong believers mam, you should not be so rigid."
"Oh, don't teach me. Display this on the first floor. As long is its away from my sight, its okay."

"Daddy, why does mum hate God? Miss told us today we should all love God," Tanya questioned Siddhant one evening.
"Sweetheart, when we love something a lot, we start expecting. And when we don't receive what we expect, things change. You are too small to understand."
"But I will tell mum to pray. Can I pray?"
Siddhant stroked her hair and nodded. He had had a tough life. He had to understand all eccentricities of Naina. He was a doting husband and a firm believer in God himself. And he knew somewhere, that one day, everything will be alright.

Naina was working late that Saturday evening. It was rather very hot. She could not eat anything as well for all the restaurants were on the 7th floor and that was closed due to reconstruction. Apparently, there was a lot of load on the mall, and it needed repair.
Suddenly, she heard a loud noise. Something terrible was happening above her. As she ran towards the staircase from her basement department, something hit her and she felt unconscious on the floor.

The whole mall had fallen apart. 5 years after the construction, the building collapsed because the builders had overlooked certain necessary requirements. Hundreds died that fateful day.

When the injured were being rescued, Naina was no where in sight. And the rescue operations reaching the basement seemed way too far. Siddhant and Tanya's life was shattered. Tanya started visiting the church. And she pulled Siddhant along.

People were being evacuated even after 7 days. After that all lost hope. But under all brick and mortar, Naina was breathing. Without food and water, she was desperately trying to stay alive. The smoke had not choked her. But the fear of death was terrifying.

16 days after the collapse, a miracle happened. Naina was rescued under unimaginable circumstances.

A week later, when she really recovered from the injuries, she heard how Tanya had prayed.

Siddhant held a Ganesha in his hand. That day, she got her parents back. And her faith too.



notes:
1. The mall incident is a real one. It happened in South Korea. visit:
blogs.nationalgeographic.com/channel/blog/2005/09/explorer_collapse.html
(its one link, could not fit the frame)
2. however, the story is fictitious.