CHAPTER 2- MONA

I woke up early, getting ready for my office work. My parents were already having their breakfast, vegetables, fruits and a glass of Juice was a standard every morning. They were both hard workers. While one went out to earn money, the other took care of the house.

They always tried their best to support me but disregarded the emotional support that came along with it. I held them responsible from time to time when I would get depressed, but my friends did a good job of listening to my problems so I could sometimes ignore the way my parents treated me. My friends are a pillar of support. They stay in the same neighborhood, so we meet and hang out after our office hours. Only Liam has joined a university to major in Physics. He was an intelligent kid and always ranked in the top 5 in our school.

Mona is a bright girl, she works in a hotel as a receptionist, customer service was always her forte. She is always kind to her peers, well too kind to be the guarantor

I received a phone call during office hours. Her voice was hoarse from crying. Unable to mouth her worries in a sentence, she bitterly cried over the phone. Concerned about her safety I took the day off, I called Liam who had just finished his lecture to meet us immediately near prasfir café.

Mona was already inside, I could see her through the glass window, wearing a purple hoodie, matching it with a night pant. Her hair was messy, making her look terrible. She was nervous as she kept looking around anxiously. I hurried my footsteps closer to her table.

' Mona, what happened' I asked. Looking at her shiver.

' It's going to be alright, Liam will be here soon, he is going to help you too, we will always be there for you,' I said sitting next to her, giving her the hug she needs to calm down.

10 mins later, Liam comes running in his red sports shoes and a bag which holds nothing except his pencil. He was breathing heavily like he had just run a marathon.

He sat opposite to us, his brown eyes reflecting the sunlight. He gulped down the water only to wince later that it was cold.

' what the hell? Why is this so cold?' he shrieked. I looked at him in disbelieve that he was concerned about the water while Mona was crying.

' Calm down Mona, tell us what happened, and we will help you' I said brushing her hair. She looked at both of us, before holding onto the coffee mug.

' you know Martin, right?' she said, her voice wavering.

' yes, he is your boyfriend, right,' I said calmly.

' Don't tell me you got fooled again?' Liam asked her, I moved my finger against my lips asking him to shut the hell up.

' Well three months back, he had asked me to sign a letter, he wanted to start a new business and.......... I was excited seeing him take a step towards his future .......he talked about how we would marry and would live together so I trusted him,' she sobbed.

' I trusted him, Mia' she said, shedding tears.

' well, we had our arguments, but I really thought he was the one, so before I knew it I signed the document for him to take out a loan,' she paused.

' The bank called me yesterday, asking me for money and when I confronted him, he said he dint know anything about it, and left the house, I tried calling him so many times but it's unreachable, I even looked at all the places he might be, I called his friends, but he.....he....left' she cried.

'That bastard, I knew he was an ass' Liam cursed.

'come on Liam, we need to help her, bitching about him doesn't help,' I said.

'how much is the bank asking to pay' Liam asked, with his wrinkled forehead.

'for now, they said, we can pay in installments, so they need 20,000 dollars to be paid by the end of this month' Mona replied, bending her head.

'I have 1000, probably if I ask my parents..' Liam said but Mona cut in ' you guys don't have to pay, it is my fault, I will look into it,' she said.

'stop acting like we are strangers, we are family and we help each other out,' I said holding her hands in mine.

'We can arrange 5000 for now, let me try asking some of my friends' Liam took out his mobile, searching through his contact list.

'And I will try asking my parents or my colleges' I said smiling at her 'it's going to be okay, we are here with you' We hugged each other, her earrings got tangled to my hair and we both laughed it off.

My family is not rich, nor is Liam's or Mona's. Well, we accept that we are deprived of some facilities, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. To gather such an amount may not be a big deal for businessmen, but it is for us.

After a thousand phone calls we managed a sum of ' 1 million' which was nowhere near the required amount. Struggling and desperate, Liam suggested we go clubbing and take our minds off the present.

And that is how I have ended up in the car. My mind is still hazy from the drinks I had. We dropped Mona to her place, and then the cab stopped at my house, I bid my goodbyes with Liam as the cab turned left towards his street. I noticed a vehicle stopping 4 blocks away from mine, I just shrugged it off. The night was calm, and I wanted to walk and feel the serenity it offered, clearing my mind.

The footpaths were barely lit with broken street lights, some pavements broken and a few street furniture destroyed. Well, we lived downtown and the officials never bothered setting things right and we as citizens never sent a letter to the district head.

It's a cause and effect both ways, I had already removed my heels, my aching ankle met peace with the ground and the relief was unspeakable. I kept walking, feeling the summer breeze which bought along a dry wind messing up my hair.

The dress I wore was too tight to stretch myself and so I could only move a few feet with each step. It was pleasant as I reached an open ground where the moon shone sharply. This is where our neighborhood kids play, it is filled with energy in the afternoons, and the dark silence preludes the night.

Suddenly, I heard a loud scream, piercing my ears, and my feet started moving towards that direction. Everybody knew our neighborhood wasn't safe, especially in the night. There were a lot of smugglers and drug dealers who were caught. Yet the cheap rent makes us helpless to move.

My body stopped near the abandoned bridge which once served as a national highway, but the shift of political and financial power to the other states made vehicles take another route, neglecting the road and the neighborhood.

Even as kids it was always a dare for us to go near the bridge, but nobody dared too. Many had myths, legends, some even haunted to make people fear into obedience.