Secrets Hidden In Time (Time #1)

42 | Maple Leaves

"Come here." She ushered him into her embrace, cooing him into a motherly warmth. "I am sorry. I am so sorry." A tear dabbled down her cheek. "I am so sorry for leaving you behind."

"You shouldn't be Didaa; its not your fault." He consoled her. "I guess it's just in our surname. Both the boon and the bane of our existence, all enclosed in one word-Dogra." He concluded.

Silence followed, accompanied by the occasional rustling of leaves and the delicate blowing of breezes in between.

Roughly, half an hour later, Darshana looked on as Karim patiently warmed his shoes on the drive, standing beside a car.

Her eyes averted to the teen sitting in the gargantuan porch of the manor, just beside her, patiently waiting for his parents to say a last goodbye.

Placing her arm around his back, she rested her head against his shoulder. "Do you know that maple leaves turn red and start shedding only in autumn?"

"I do." He answered. "They shed in the month I was born in."

"Then, did it never cross your mind, how do the leaves of just that one maple tree back in the manor grove, that you like to sit under, turn red and start shedding every year in summer itself? While the others remain green and shed in autumn only."

He nodded. "I noticed. I even asked Karim to get someone to check if that tree had some disease or something. In the end, we found nothing. Moreover, it's not the only maple tree that sheds its leaves in summer."

"What do you mean?" Scrunching her brows together, she asked, appearing confused.

"Nothing." He whispered back.

"Anyway, maybe I know the reason behind their early shedding. Quite unrealistic it is!" She suggested, quite excitedly. "But I won't tell you, because you will find it yourself someday in the future." She paused. "By the way, you planted that Gulmohar tree back in the grove, didn't you?" She asked with a raised brow.

He nodded again.

"I knew it!"

He let out a gentle laugh, his head shaking in amused resignation.

"Devi." She called, suddenly turning all serious.

"Yes?"

"Leaves that fall from their trees in autumn signify something very important in life." She smiled.

"What?" He glanced at her.

"Because those leaves grow in some season, they take up a new shade in some other season, then they fall, and a year later, a new set of leaves grow up on that same tree. And the cycle continues." She trailed. "Just like in life, we grow, we fight, we fall, we hurt, we heal, and then we grow again. And the cycle continues."

"Yes." His lips curled up.

"As you dive into college life, you will find a number of things that won't match your expectations. The mess food, for example, for a matter of fact, won't be up to your liking. You will feel like cursing the food and the mess manager at times. You will feel like calling them names, which is something understandable because that's human nature. But then, you will have to understand this at the same time that the food you are cursing might be someone's sole purpose of offering prayers to the almighty. Every grain you curse might be an empty stomach's desperate need. The shower heads in the hostel bathrooms might be broken, the toilet seats might be unclean, the rooms might be dirty, and the study tables and chairs might be old, broken, and dusty. There would be a number of problems and inconveniences awaiting your presence there, but you must never lose your patience. Learn to keep calm at all times. If you are wrong, make it a habit that you bow your head and apologize. I know you face problems while controlling your anger, but then, your anger is just one facet of your persona. Learn to subdue it as much as possible."