A few months later

Nidhi's POV:

"What's going on in my life yaar?" I asked my friends, Ravali and Varun. 

A frown got etched on my face which I felt will remain permanently. Placing my hands on my head I am staring nowhere. 

Varun, Ravali, and I are sitting in a cafe close to our office as we finished our previous coverage, submitted it to the broadcasting room, and waited for some next incident to occur somewhere so that we will go to that place. And in the meanwhile, we take some rest so that we can recover from the coverage. 

"Same as usual, Nidhi," replied Ravali continuing to sip her tea. She sat beside Varun who was busy cleaning his camera. While he was busy with his work, his doting girlfriend feed him his ordered snack. 

"No. No. No. It's no longer the same as usual. It's... It's turning out to be worse, cruel, evil, demonic, and...."

I couldn't complete my sentence as I ran out of words to describe the agony I am feeling. I let out a deep breath trying to cool myself, but I am nowhere near it. 

The past few months were turning out to be so stressful professionally. Every day the news is only negative. One day one kills another, one day a rape case, another illegal scam, natural disasters, suicides, accidents, and many more.

And it slowly took a toll on me. I am getting scared to go to the office and report such kind of news without me crying. I can't even emote my feeling on air and have to keep a straight face all the time. 

It's not like I am not used to such kind of news. I choose this profession preparing myself that I will come across all such things daily. I wanted to be on screen as an anchor but when I didn't get such a role as a fresher I compromised with reporting role and joined the organization in the hope to get a transfer of designation within some period. 

Three years passed but nothing changed. Constant discouragement and demotivation from others and self too. Now I want to take a break from all this.  

"I want to take a break," I declared. 

Saying so I went to pay the bills without even waiting for my pals' reaction. They followed me back and turned me around holding my shoulders.

"You are not serious, are you?" Varun asked me with a stern look. 

"I am. I... don't want this. Not at the moment at least."

"Nidhi, think again. What will you do after resignation?" Ravali spoke this time. 

"Resting. I will rest in peace," I showed the peace symbol and walked out of the cafe to the office. They both followed me and tried to convince me to change my mind, but I have reached my limit. Even if there is a little more value for my work then that motivation would have helped me to boast myself and do better work but even that is lacking in my workplace. 

Either way, I have made this choice and I have decided. Now I have so many things to do, have to write a resignation letter, settle my balance salary, and inform my parents.

Inform my parents! That's a difficult thing now. 

Well, at most they will be shocked at first and then will turn so happy that I finally left that useless job. But I will not inform them as of now. 

I went ahead of Varun and Ravali and as soon as I reached the office my boss came towards me and without even looking at me handed over some piece of paper that contained some location details. 

"Go to this place. There is some clash between two parties and resulted in a big mess."

"I am quitting my job." 

"What?" he asked me, looking perplexed and shocked. 

"I QUIT."

I declared my decision. 

****

A Month later.

One month passed by and I didn't feel any change within me. The frustration remained the same and to be honest it increased even more. 

The reason is I am shifting back to home. Yeah, after 2 years I am again shifting back to home as I am unable to manage my finances any longer. Though I expected this day would come, I thought I can survive for 2 more months. 

And here I am packing all my stuff to go back in one month only. I told them what all has happened and that now I plan to shift my base a few days back and they were visibly relieved, as I expected and were happy that I would return, especially Grandma. Well, the latter part was a good thing for me as well. She already is planning many things for me specially to get me a good alliance. And I promised her that I will fail that plan of hers.

Just because I got free from my work doesn't make me ready for marriage. I know even my parents think that way but I plan to ignore this issue for as long as possible.

"I will miss you," Ravali said out of the blue as she packed some of my books in the bag. 

"Me too. And all the fun we had, I will miss it all," I replied giving her a side hug. She had been my solid rock for the past two years and this room has become my home, my safe haven. But now unable to pay the rent I am leaving this room. 

"But now you can talk to your boyfriend all night, I won't be there to disturb you," I said and laughed and she joined me in laughter too. That's one of my favorite thing to do, to annoy her. 

"Varun is also feeling so bad. He will miss you too."

"I know. Now I wonder whom he will record in his camera." 

"Yeah. Hope we will be paired together," Ravali wished and even I wish they will be the reporter and cameraman pair. 

"But you know," she continued, "Even I want to quit this job and find some other work, but if I don't earn then it gets difficult not only for me but for my whole family."

Ravali is from a middle-class family and being the elder one she has the responsibility for her younger sibling and even her parents. So she has to work even if she doesn't want to unlike me who has more stable financial support from my family. 

"Everything gets better for you too, Ravali," I assured her squeezing her hand lightly for which she nodded. 

Before we could continue our banter and work my phone buzzed showing the name of my brother. Don't tell me he is coming to pick me up. Well, he isn't that type so this must be for something else. 

"Where are you?" He got straight to the point without even greeting me. 

"In the hostel. Packing my stuff."

"Come to dad's hospital quickly."

Sudden panic kicked me. He never calls me to come to the hospital no matter what happens and the last time I went to the hospital was when grandma was unwell. That place itself scares me and now he is asking me to visit that place. 

"What happened?" I questioned hoping nothing went wrong. 

"Grandma collapsed in her room and was taken to hospital. Come soon."

And I collapsed hearing that.

Hello Everyone.

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