This was the first evening that they were going to spend away from each other. At first, when she suggested this, a slight anxiety burned through his veins. But then, he eased into it, thinking that he had to let her be with her friends, once in a while. This girl was something else. She had changed him immensely. From wanting to live the glamorous life of a bachelor to begging her to marry him, he knew that her mere presence soothed his soul. Now married for eight months, he looked forward to growing old with her. Such is love, he thought. He felt like the lead character of a movie as he spent his time chit-chatting with his friends but slowly suffering from separation anxiety as her picture played on his mind. He ordered her favourite avocado toast and relished it. Thinking that she would be eating the same thing, wherever she was. Just then, he saw her name pop up on his phone screen. He eagerly opened it, happily thinking to himself that she was missing him too. The toast cascaded down from his grasp as he read the message. It said, “Fire. I’m suffocating. Save me.” Losing his senses, he found his legs running. Faster. Harder. Than ever before. He revved the engine and drove towards the love of his life. But it was too late. He saw the restaurant burn. And with it, so did his reason to live. This was supposed to be the first evening they were going to spend away from each other. Little did he know that it was the last morning that they would spend together.

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This post is written keeping in mind the loss of precious lives because of the fire that broke out at Kamala Mills, Mumbai. My thoughts, prayers and heart goes out to all the victims and their families. Let’s be vigilant about the places we visit this New Year. Let’s find out about the emergency exits before we decide to spend the evening there. Let’s care for each other. Because the authorities don’t really care about us. Let’s look out for each other. And hope we don’t lose precious lives because of carelessness.