GUEST POST 2: Hustle

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Orange Stories. This is yet another guest post by Syona Tiwari. It's overwhelming to see that so many people fancy for writing stories. Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading it.

Happy reading ♥️


THE STORY ...

As the evening turned, Abby walked alongside Brynt, frantically expressing her mind in and out. The tall guy listened closely to the worried girl when they both met for their daily stroll, through the gritted road paved alongside the park, occupied with people minding their own errands. Some walking in groups, others contemplating their day long toil, while some gearing up for the completion of unfinished works.

"No I don't wish to do it!" Abby exclaimed in despair. "I am not happy with the course of things that's going around me, and do not wish to continue living like this under the suppression and expectations of fulfilling the role of someone, which I am not. I don't know where I am heading towards in future, this way. Doomed definitely." Her mental loathing aggravated by the mild pain down the gut, that she considered too insignificant to express.

"It's alright Abby, calm down. Be what you want to be, but for now, this is the reality." Brynt comforted her, as he saw few familiar faces walking on the other end of the road. Coby and his younger brother, Stuart  were walking steadily with their heavy trolleys after sightseeing, whole of Montreal , through the day. 

"Abby! Let's just walk around and do not look up front." said Brynt as he despised the sight of Coby and Stuart. They were not the best of friends, although they belonged to the same junior year.

"What!! Why?" said the muddled brain of Abby, as she looked up to see the same faces that Brynt had been refraining her from watching. Ignoring the voice of her company, she waved a hand towards the boys. Coby and  Stuart waved back. Sooner she regained her senses to listen to the voice that had been asking her to turn around , and in an instant her brain processed the command, and she abruptly changed the path of her stroll alongwith Brynt, much to the astonishment of Coby, who out of the disbelief continued walking through his path, wondering how Abby could do something like that.

A bewildered Abby felt guilty of her actions and questioned Brynt  "How could you make me do something like this? Coby is a good soul!"

Brynt replying with a cold smile, "Let's just leave the discussion to some other day, They're not worth our time."

Abby returned to her room, with a more intense and grave pain, that projected on her face. She didn't feel like the need to do her dinner, but the cajoling and concerns of her flat mates made her eat the flavorless porridge. To subside the mind's voice, she picked up her phone, gathered a chair and sat in the verandah. The contacts list showed up Coby's number on dialler's list. 

"Hey Coby! It's Abby here."

"Oh Hi Abby! What's Up?"

"I just called up to say that I wasn't feeling right about something." said Abby.

"What is it.." came the reply from other side.

"Please forgive me, but I did not wish to turn around and hung up on you, the way I did today. Really Sorry about that!" The tone of pity was inevitable in her voice.

"Aww, and you called up just to say this. It seemed a bit weird to me as well. Are you okay?" said Coby.

"Yeah, everything's just fine. When are you introducing me to Stuart?"

"You could've met him, had you not gone away. Nevertheless, he resides in your hometown!"

"Ok! We can catchup some time, then." said Abby, as she kept the phone down.

Sooner, Abby was joined in by her flat mate Emma. 

"Should I get you some tablets? You do not look good." said Emma, when she saw her pal Abby suffering from the unbearable pain.

"Yes! Please. The porridge has not been the best of the dining menu." came out the low voice of Abby.

Two hours passed after popping in the pills, to no change in the intensity of pain. Terrified, Abby dialed up emergency contacts, i.e home.

"Meet the nurse tomorrow and update me about your situation as soon as you can." came the reply.

*****

Gushing in a new morning,  Abby grabbed the geometry box and  tools for the practical examination of Plant Immunology, which were scheduled exactly after an hour from then. She hurried her footsteps through the corridor, to step out on road. A few steps to the nurse's office and she crossed paths with Abhish, Deban and Aron, who were heading for their exams. 

"Hey Abby! Why are you in such a hurry?" exclaimed Deban

"Oh Hi there! It's nothing. I'm .. I'm just visiting the nurse. I think I might need some consultation." replied Abby.

"Alright!" came their reply , in unison.

"All the best for your examinations." said Abby.

"Same to you!" and there voices diminished into indistinct chatters.

There was a look of horror on her face as Abby stepped out of the nurse's office to muster the courage to attend her final assessment. However, it did not deter her from tackling the obstacle.

An hour later, the symptoms of her drastic condition showed up, when the end of her forefinger shivered as she turned the glass funnel over the climbers of Hydrilla.

"You can do better, Abby! There are still some air bubbles lingering over the tip of the plant." said Ms. Ruby

"Ma'am , I think this is the best I can do for today. I'm not in the perfect health to do this." answered Abby

"What happened?"

Abby shared all that she was said at the nurse's office to Ms. Ruby.

"Stupid! This is not possible. You won't be able to stand if that happens to you." said Ms Ruby in an elevated pitch. Little did she know that the girl was telling the truth.

Emma waited through the entrance of the door when Abby rushed in and blabbered "Emma, we need to go! We need to get it checked from the city."

"Calm down girl! I've been through this kind of procedure multiple times. Not a big thing! Hush." said Emma.

" Hoping for the same girl!" said Abby as she dozed off.

In a few hours, the professional statement was there in print. And it was exactly what Abby had feared. She had to leave the place in no time. Thousand of thoughts running and passing through the eyes, which no longer looked into the present. All she wanted was a comforting voice saying "This too shall pass!'"

With no surety of the next move and what shall happen to her, the cell ringed. And this time for the better.

Coby was on the other end of it, ' Abby! Are you okay?'

Abby replied, "No there's something quite serious! And I might need some help!"

"Hey, what is it? Just tell me everything. You know you can count on me." said Coby

After listening to the narrative of Abby, "Abby! It's completely fine. Sulk for now, but you have to act strong back there. We shall leave for the port tonight, don't you worry. Did I ever tell you the story about my god sister, Roxainne, she's the strongest lady I've known. She hadn't deterred from her path in the face of the worst of adversities. If she can make it, then even you can.'

"Yes Coby! Thank you so much." relaxed Abby, as she continued packing her stuff.

*****

The evening of departure turned in, and there was a honk on the steel gate, the phone blinked every few seconds with notifications. Everyone waited as Abby carried her bags through the main door.

Emma said, "Take care of yourself Abby. It'll all be over soon"

"Yes girl! See you soon." said Abby as she hugged her. Other girls waived her goodbye as she hopped in the car.

A few miles later, Coby joined her in the vehicle, narrating how Ms. Ruby had been saying a lot for both of them.

The commotion was starting to build up as the clock ticked, with little to no sleep in Abby's eyes. She gazed through the window, looking at the city's light, each giving her words of optimism that something big is going to happen. The hustle that she had been into since the past few days had completely made her forget about Brynt. She hadn't spoken to him since a long time. And that didn't seem to have any effect on Abby, because she was too preoccupied by her mind's chatter and the speed of thoughts that were chasing the next, faster than the speed of light.

Two hours of waiting at the port, and clicking a few snaps to shift the attention from the dim view, was when the announcement for departure was made. She waived a bye to Coby, when he said "Do ring me, whenever you need words of encouragement!" 

"Sure Coby." said Abby as she made her way in, and hit the upload button.

*****

Forthcoming morning was a new challenge. Abby carried her luggage out. On the way home, she turned on her phone to find multiple call notifications and a text from Brynt on the picture uploaded the last night, "Is this for real!?"

She glanced away from the screen and typed, "Yes!It is."

A new Abby  was in the making.

The diagnosis of the medical practitioner had made a mark on her, "Being a young woman and
experiencing sadness, anxiety, mood swings, loss of appetite, and loss of interest in things. Do
you feel too isolated or embarrassed to discuss this? Oh! poor child. You need treatment, this is

not the common cold but signs of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder."

- Syona Tiwari 

(Instagram handle- @syonatiwari)

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