It all began with a simple date...

Chapter 2

         You reached and your neighbour who was a forty-year-old woman had been waiting for you, at home.

           Her husband had passed away early and had remained childless for her entire life.

          She has been like a mother to you for these two years and you loved her for everything she has done for you. She has been by your side all these times especially when you had weird moods swinging by. She has treated you like her own offspring made of her own blood and her dead husband's flesh which had become a mere fantasy for her but still she took you in as her own. She even doted upon you, giving you all her love and care and left no desperate need of yours unattended as she fulfilled each and every one of them.

            You knew she hated seeing you sad and loved to dwell in your happiness.

     She was the only thing that is normal in your weird life and is everything you have. And you always told her everything. She at least deserved to know after all she has done for you. All your trust had been graciously given only to her.

           Since those two years, she knew everything about you and it would make you feel really guilty if you didn't tell her as you knew she only cared about your welfare unlike others.

           You reach the doorstep of your beloved house, placed your hand on the knob and let a sigh escape your lips and then proceeded to open the door and enter the heavenly abode where you thought you belonged. You didn't know whether the sigh was a tired one or an excited one or somewhere in between.

            You directly put on a mini red apron and got along to make the stew. It had to be ready before you went for the date.

            As you start with the stew, your well-wisher notices the huge smile plastered on your face. She drags a chair and sits on the counter in your mini U-shaped kitchen polished in soft marble and observes you working on your dish. She smiles looking at the innocent smile on your face.

            "So what's the big occasion?" She asks curiously. "Huh?" You reply as you snap out on to reality. "As usual, people are not treating you well and knowing you didn't get the job, there must be another reason of why you have a 16-inch smile plastered on your face." She simply pointed out.

         Guess she knows you pretty well, better than you know yourself... At least in the current state.

          "Well, I got asked out..." You tell her, smiling dreamily as you stir the creamy concoction you were preparing.

          Her body comes into the excited state and she was nearly jumping out of the chair. "What? Wow, that's great news!... How did you he ask you out? Is he local? Is he handsome? Does he have those big dreamy eyes? Does-"

          "Hey hey hey! Chill down, mum!" You try to tone down the excitement but from the inside you felt really happy that she felt the same as you did. "How can I? My baby is growing up and she is going on her first date..." She started to get all teary with a flair of dramatics that every mother seemed to have.

          "Mum! It's ok! You know I'll be fine..." You try comforting her. "Oh, you think I didn't know that? Of course I know that. You will be absolutely fine... Anyways now you have to get ready for that date. Today is it?" You nod to answer her question.

          "Oh my God! We have no time. How am I going to get you ready in time for the date? We haven't even picked out your dress. Or make up. Or hairstyle. Or anything for that matter of fact. What are we going to do? I mean...." She continued to drone on about the preparation of your date while you started laughing silently at her childishness.