537 Up in the air - 3
"Oh no, I think I should be sorry for existing here!" muttered the female sitting on the seat ahead of Dr. Nelson and her words rendered him perplexed. She was annoyed for no good reason, and he wasn't expecting someone to be so harsh about just a small bump.
'Damn economy seats!' he muttered inside his head and then prepared himself to apologize again but saw the female getting up instead.
"Since the flight is quite empty I will move and let you bang your head over..." and the forthcoming words just stayed inside the mouth of the irritated passenger for the man at whom she was yelling was one of the UNICEF ambassadors with whom she had the opportunity to work briefly at the Amazons.
And thus the barrage of words, and her angered expressions switched in a moment,
"Doctor!"
"Elina!"
"What a pleasant surprise doctor! It's been what? Like four or five years."
"How have you been?" asked Dr. Nelson.
"I am good. Busy here and there. So busy that I had to miss my best friend's wedding today!" and her tone became all sullen.
"I guess that was the reason of your great mood earlier!" Dr. Nelson commented.
"Erm.... so sorry about that. But the thing is she is my best friend and her wedding was sort of like 'the wedding' of this year and given that she has only very few close ones in her life, I feel bummed."
"I see!" Dr. Nelson replied and looked down, probably in an attempt to end the conversation and to go back to the world of his thoughts. But before he could do so, Elina, who was still standing came towards his row and sat next to him. Given that she was an outgoing and cheery sort of person, she couldn't take a hint from the tone of Dr. Nelson's words that he wanted recluse.
The last time she had met him, he was still in a bit of grieving mode as that was the year that he had lost his wife, so Elina couldn't interact much with him, even though she was very impressed with his noble charity work.
"So why are you travelling to London? Any seminar there?"
"Huh!" Dr. Nelson sighed and then replied, "No, I have relocated to London now. Need to breathe fresh air!"
Elina could sense a hint of sadness in his tone and then asked,
"Are you still ... I mean. I thought you would have moved on."
"Move on!" Dr. Nelson chuckled. "I had moved on. Or rather I should say, I was trying to move on. But destiny didn't let me. It brought my past back in front of me when I was trying hard to forget about it."
And he let out a deep gasp of air.
'What should I do? How should I change the topic? This man is going to sulk to death, and I am going to die along with him.' Elina thought in her head and then looked ta her watch.
'Jesus, three more hours to go. Why did I shift next to him? What should I say now?' Elina pondered and then said,
Dr. Nelson again let out a deep breath and then said, "I will think about it."
"One second!" Elina said and excused herself to her seat to get her purse. She then took out her wallet and her card from inside and gave it to Dr. Nelson.
"Just in case you want to change the way you live, don't forget to give a call. We need more doctors like you." and saying that she offered a warm smile. Her smile was so genuine that Dr. Nelson felt bad for a moment for trying to dismiss her earlier. She was girl, still in her prime, yet she had devoted her life to social causes. She was way maturer than her age.
"Thanks! Will keep it safe," and saying that Dr. Nelson took out his wallet to put the card inside. But then all of a sudden he was bombarded with a question,
"Why do you, Why do you have the picture of my friend in your wallet? Do you know Akira?"
And then there was a silence that prevailed.
There was mark of question on Elina's face and there was nothing but a tired expression on Dr. Nelson's for no matter how hard he ran, he could never avoid the shadow of Akira.
He took a deep breath and then said,
"That's my wife Alita. And unfortunately she looks exactly like Akira," and saying that he looked outside through the window. But nothing was visible outside except for pitch black darkness.
"How do you know Akira?"
"I met her at a symposium in London. And later on I was helping with Raymond's case."
"Gosh, seeing her must have been painful for you. No wonder you ran away from New York." Elina said and took a couple of deep breaths.
"How is that even possible?"
"Believe me, even I don't know how is that possible given that they aren't even related by blood. Alita's family has no connection with Akira's."
Elina heard him and then paused for a while and then said,
"Maybe her parents didn't have any connection, but maybe her real parents did!"
"What are you trying to say?" Dr. Nelson questioned but when he heard what Elina had to say, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, unable to believe that life had become so complicated for him. In his head echoed Elina's words,
"Well she was adopted. She doesn't know though."
Co-incidence? Is there even such a thing?
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