The Visitor

[WP] There's a girl who knocks on your door at exactly 9pm on every full moon, expecting sweets. It's been more than ten years and she's never aged a day.

*****

“Nurse, I need favour from you.” I said, the words heavy from the drugs.

The nurse turned around and gave me a queer look.

“What’s your name, Miss?”

“Manisha.” She said as if she was asked her name a thousandth time that day, and continued filling the injection in her hands.

“Miss Manisha, I need you… to buy some sweets for me.” I said with heavy breaths.

“What?”

“I need a few boxes of sweets. Please. I will pay you the money, plus more.”

“We are not allowed to buy or fetch anything for the patients, Sir.”

“Please.” I whined. “This is very important.” I said and wondered about today evening. My heart raced and I tried to sit up, but after barely moving an inch the nurse gently pushed me down.

“Don’t get up, you can’t.”

“Where’s Nurse Anita? She knows me.”

“She’s on a leave for this week. Her son’s surgery is scheduled tomorrow.”

I grunted, more with the pain in my heart. “Listen, I beg you, I am not asking for a lot. Just a few boxes of sweets. I will definitely pay you, if that’s what you’re worried about. In fact, get me my phone, I will pay you now.”

“Sir, you need to relax. This is not good for you. Why do you need the sweets for anyway?”

“It is my ritual. Today is a full moon day. I haven’t missed getting sweets on a full moon day for the last eleven years and four months. And I don’t want to miss it in any case now.”

Her eyebrows lifted higher. Then she squinted at me and said, “I will see what I can do.”

“Thank you! Please get it soon before 7PM. Get me my phone, I will pay you now.”

“Pay me later.” She said and injected me with some drug. “You will sleep now. I will check up on you later.”

“Remember the sweets,” I lifted my arms with some efforts and joined my hands together.

She nodded and walked out of the room.

Alone, I could now hear the beeps of the monitor behind and above my head. I cursed myself for getting in that accident. If only I had not left my home that morning. Fifteen days had passed since that day when I was slammed into the sky from my bike by a speeding car. I don’t remember who brought me into the hospital, but the doctors somehow managed to keep me alive.

When I had woken up the first time, I had first asked about what day it was, Nurse Anita later told me. I don’t remember any of it. They said I was so relieved to hear that it was the fourth of May and quickly went back to sleep before they could ask me anything more.

Sixteenth of May, I had hoped it wasn’t sixteenth of May or even past that, asking the nurses every time I woke up what date it was. They must have told my doctor who one day during my checkup asked me, “Is there a certain date you are waiting for, Sir?”

I had nodded and blurted out Sixteenth of May. “I want to go home before then Sir.”

“We’ll see about that.” The doctor had said.

And now, here was the day and I was still lying in the hospital bed like a glued insect on a wall.

I wanted to stay awake but I don’t know when the drugs took over me and I dozed off.

When I woke up, the only light in the room was turned on. The fan whirled at a slow speed. I knew it was past sunset and I felt like choking. Did I miss her?

“Nurse!” I began to call out. “Hey!”

Some nurse I had seen once before came barging in. “What happened?” she said worried and scanned me all over with her eyes.

“Where is Nurse Manisha?” I need her.

“I don’t know, she must’ve left. It is past her shift already.”

“No!” I yelled. I felt tears well up in my eyes. I wondered what would happen now. Not once had I missed her sweets. Would she get mad at me?

“Are you up?” another nurse walked in and I looked over and saw it was Manisha. I gasped for air and blurted out, “Did you get them?”

She quickly came closer to me and pressed my hand. She looked back at the other nurse and said, “I will handle him Noor Ben. You know how he talks non-sense.”

The other nurse looked at both of us and walked out.

“You would get me fired like that,” Manisha snapped at me.

“Did you get the sweets?”

“They are over there.” She pointed and I turned and stretched my head to see the table to my right. There was a stack of patterned boxes on it in different colors.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!” I said and cried.

After I quieted down after a minute, she asked, “Is it that important to you?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, I’m off now. I wanted to tell you personally myself when you woke up. But I’ve told others that some visitors brought the sweets for you.”

“Ok. Thanks. Hand me my phone please, I will send you the money.”

“It is ok, Sir. You can pay me when you get better and pick that phone up by yourself.”

I sighed with relief, “You have done me a huge favour.”

“Good night, Sir.”

“Good night, Miss. Wait, what time is it?”

“8.30PM.”

She left me with my thoughts, closing the door behind her.

I began counting my breaths to get an idea of how much time passed. I had always been home on every full moon day at 9PM. I had always made sure that nothing came in the way. But now, there was nothing I could do about that. Sooner or later, this day was going to arrive. But I hated that it was this way.

I missed my breaths and focused on counting the drip-drip of the IV. It was faster than a second and I had to calibrate it in my mind for a minute. But it felt too exhausting and I closed my eyes. Then there was only the beep-beep of the monitor ringing in my head every few seconds. I gave up trying to track time.

Suddenly I heard the door open and thought the doctor or a nurse must be here. I looked up and the door was still opening but I could not see anyone, the bed and my feet were blocking the view.

Then I saw her walk over from behind the bed and I choked up. She found me.

“Hi Papa!” She said with a smile.

“Hello, my little princess.”

The door closed behind her.

“How did you find me, baby?” I asked squeezing out the tears to take in my girl clearly.

“I will always find you Papa.”

“Oh my sweetheart. Come to me. Look what I got you.”

“You remembered!” she shrieked. I laughed despite my tears and felt a tense feeling in my gut.

“How are you baby?”

“As always Papa. Wow, there are so many boxes this time! How much should I take this time Papa?”

“As much as you want sweetheart. They are all yours.”

“Yay!” That lovely shriek again. How I wait every month for hearing that voice!

“I am sorry I denied you sweets that day,” I said and suddenly I was no longer in the hospital but I saw myself running with my little daughter in my limp in my arms, her pink dress drenched in red and her hair shiny and sticky. I was in the middle of some work and she was asking me for sweets. I denied her but she kept asking every few minutes. Finally, I had snapped and scolded her. She ran out of my room crying, but I did not follow her as I usually did. I curse myself every moment for not following her back.

If only I had went after her. I could have held her and calmed her down as I usually did.

I thought she’d gone to the living room to watch the TV or something when a few seconds later I heard a loud thud and yells of people outside. I ran out and saw my little girl sprawled on the ground in front of a mini truck.

I tried to stop her bleeding but her head was split open. She was pronounced dead when I reached the hospital.

“Will I see you at home next time Papa?”

“Yes honey. I will be home next time.”

“Does it hurt?” she came closer and put her hand on my heaving chest. She looked the same like the day she…

“Nothing compared to what you went through, my love.”

She smiled. If only I could keep looking at that heavenly smile!

“I have to go now Papa.”

“Can’t you stay a bit longer, please?”

She pushed herself up on her toes and kissed me on my cheek.

“I’m not allowed to Papa.”

She turned around and picked up the sweet boxes, leaving one.

“This one is for all the people who are taking care of you Papa.”

“So sweet of you, my baby.”

“Bye-bye Papa.”

“See you.

I watched her disappear behind my feet again and then the door opened and closed softly.

I was thinking about the kiss and how I felt no pain now. A few minutes later the door opened again. I quickly turned but saw the nurse from earlier ahead. Noor.

“That little girl is so cute. Who is she?” Noor asked.

“She is my daughter.”

“Oh. Manisha told me you said you don’t have a family.”

“Yes, I don’t have a family.” I said and closed my eyes reliving the kiss in my mind.

*****

THE END