A big fight was happening between a lady and a guy on the bus. Others were
also interfered with in that and hitting that guy. Alex was looking at all
these near the window seat. His grandfather is sitting near him and giving a
lesson to him. Don’t stare at girls and touch them without consent. Little Alex
understood that point in his own way. He is an introvert. Grandfather gave
lessons to him, and he took them in his own style. He won’t see people
directly. If he wanted to see someone, he would see through reflections, either
in a mirror or in a shadow. Window glass and mirrors won’t be there everywhere,
so sometimes he will picture people through shadows.
One day a girl came and asked him for the way to the post office. He didn’t give
her eye contact, and by looking down, he said the route. The girl felt
something odd and smiled at him. For little Alex, it was cute behavior. But
when he grew up and joined college, he was not able to face people. Many
thought he was having mental issues. Most of the college students were teasing
him and he didn’t want to study anymore in that college. He always wanted to stay in the room
alone. It’s been more than a month since he went to college. His family felt
suspicious and took him to a psychiatrist. Several sessions were done, and
gradually the family accepted his condition. So they made him go for a job far
away from home. His grandfather has a tea estate in Munnar. After grandfather’s
death, his uncle is taking care of all that. They made Alex the supervisor of
that. It was part of therapy as well.
It was morning, and he was shaving near his room. Suddenly, he saw another
face in his mirror. It was a girl, Katherine. He got shocked. She came to join
today as the accountant for the tea estate. She asked, “Where is the office?”
Without turning his head, he replied. Katherine went to the office by saying a
thank you!. That face stuck in his head. He recollected her face somewhere but
was not sure where it was. Alex took a bath and went to the factory. His uncle
introduced Alex to Katherine. She smiled at him; he gave a weird smile. But not
on her face. Alex went off then. There was another woman in the office. She is
explaining procedures to Katherine. She told about the history of this tea
factory and the legacy of Alex as well. Katherine was curious about Alex and
asked more about him. Alex is not looking as confident as Legacy speaks. That
lady explained about Alex’s condition to Katherine. Katherine now understood
his fear, anxiety, and the reason behind the weird smile. There was not much interaction
between Alex and Katherine, as she is working in the office and he is looking
on the production side.
One day he came to the office as his uncle is not well and not able to come
to the factory for one week. So Alex wanted to take care of all office work and
production work as well. Alex will check accounts daily, and Katherine will
explain all details. But Alex won't look into her face. This was a daily
routine for a week. Sometimes Katherine is laughing inside by seeing this. She
already knows about his condition.
So many months passed, and Katherine wanted to go home for some urgent
matters. Uncle called Alex and told him to drop her near the bus stop. She sat
behind his bike. He started the bike. Through the journey, Alex was silent.
Finally Katherine broke that silence. She was talking about casual things. Now
Alex can talk to her nicely. He is looking at her through the bike mirror and
giving a reply. Katherine got to know he can talk to anyone without hesitation
through reflections. Alex dropped her at the bus stop. She was given a smile
and went to catch the bus. He made sure that bus started moving, and then he
went back to the factory.
Months passed, and their bond became stronger. One day randomly, Katherine
asked him to take her somewhere. He took her into a hill station. Alex took two
glasses of tea from the shop and gave one to Katherine. Tea was not that hot
due to the weather. She took one sip and started some Sanskrit lines. Alex
didn’t understand anything, and he asked. She took his phone and recorded the
same lines on his phone. “Find this if you can,” Katherine said and gave a
smile.
It was midnight, and Alex was not able to sleep. He took his phone and heard
the recording again and again. He was curious to find out what that means.
Finally he found the meaning. It was about love, how Parvathi Devi felt the
first time by seeing Shiva. For the moment, he was very much confused. The next
day, in the factory, Katherine came near to Alex and asked, “Did you get the
meaning’?” Alex nodded, but expressionless. “What did you want to comment on
that?” He didn’t tell anything. Katherine already knows about him. So she left
him without going intense. After two days, Alex took her to church. He said, “I
don’t think this will work out. Your family won’t accept it. We are extremely
different characters, with no common interests. We won't sync in life.
Katherine replied, “I have a common interest. That is you. Without telling the
family, how do you know they won't accept? First we will try to tell the
family; later we will see. If that is a concern, don’t worry. I will marry you
with permission of family only, and they will accept at last due to my
stubbornnes. Katherine said so many things. Even though he was not convinced,
he came into that relationship. They started talking in depth.
It was one year anniversary of that relationship. She changed him a lot. Now
he can talk to people by seeing their face. Katherine’ s parents started
looking matches for her. But she is keep on rejecting all. She is keep on
telling about all these to Alex. Until her family accept their relationship She
wont marry Alex. So there is nothing with Alex. The only thing he can do is to
wait. Now, the pressure is more for Katherine. So she revealed about this relationship
in home. But they didn’t agreed for that. She was keep on showing her
stubbornness in home. But still they are not ready for this. At one point
Katherine got that things are not going like what she thought. She texted all
this to Alex. Alex texted back, “This is reality of life. Live in reality so we
can sort out on this. Only thing I can do is what I am doing now. Waiting for
you”. There is no reply from her end. He waited so long and finally slept.
It was some months before their second anniversary of love. Now the
relationship is not like before. Katherine is confused in between her parents
and this relationship. She is confusing Alex also. She wanted to marry Alex.
But her family is not accepting him, without their acceptance she won’t marry him.
Alex don’t know what to do in this. In Alex home also they started looking for
matches. One day Alex took her to same hill station, where all this started.
Now the tea is hot, because weather changed. Alex started. “You are confused.
You really don’t know what you want. You want to be in this relationship. But
you don’t want to. You are confusing me as well. If you want to go as per your
family. You can, I don’t have any issue. Marry someone your family likes”.
Katherine closed his mouth, ”No Alex. I want you. But I want my family as well.
I can’t leave you, also my family. We need to fight this. Stay with me.
Please.” Alex asked, “If your family not accepting this, what will you do”.
Katherine replied, “I won’t marry anyone. I will stay single lifelong. Alex
didn’t replied anything. He leaved her and went back alone. Evening Katherine
got a text message from Alex. “If you wanted to stay single, why you pulled me
in to this. I even told about all these in starting itself. But you never
heard. Now you are leaving my life in middle of road”. Katherine didn’t replied
anything to that.
Katherine is living in a dilemma now. Their relationship deteriorated. They both are living detached. No calls, no messages. Alex went to his home one day
and came back after so many days to the factory. Katherine put in her
resignation and left the place. He didn't get any information on this. She
didn’t tell anything. He asked his uncle about this. Uncle told her marriage is
fixed, so she left. Alex became numb. He was living a peaceful life. Katherine
came to the frame, given hopes, colors, and memories, and left him in the
middle of the road. He doesn't know how to face this. He is not able to cry.
It’s been one week since he didn’t sleep well. He is afraid of night, especially
sleep time. He lost interest in life. Things are going beyond his control. Old
memories eating his brain. No alcohol or drugs are able to clear all those.
One day he was drunk and not able to control emotions. With a sudden
thought, he took his bike and went to the top of the hill where all this
started. He decided to commit suicide. So many reels going through his mind, he
looked into the sky. Sky is smiling on him. That smile converted to a white
light ended up in lighting. The scene became fully white. The image is blurry,
and it ended up in a snow mountain. We can see an apple tree nearby. Alex is
meditating under the tree. Sun reflecting in ice and giving an aura around him.
Reflecting on history from some years back. The white light from the sky blessed
Alex on the top of the hill. It was a thunder. He got an electric shock, and
people took him to the hospital. He stayed in the hospital for so many days,
and those days gave so many realizations to him. So many people are wishing to
live in this world, and he simply decided to end up that. He started reading
books in his rest period. IKIGAI, he read this book. That was the life-changing
moment. He started his journey to find the purpose of this life. He continued
his education as distant. He got on the job, and he is doing work from the
location. Each month he is traveling to different places, staying there for
some period, and moving to other locations. Now he took a vacation to explore
the ice lands. He woke from meditation and looked into the ice; there he saw a
face in reflection. That face was connected to the face that he saw years back
in the mirror. But it was not her. That was a girl from Rajasthan, Swapna. She
is disabled but a traveler. Alex went near her and helped her to stand. Now the
shadow is reflecting as two. But the reflection is not complete. So histories
should be left incomplete, like this reflection.
