Seasons
A/n: Friends, I'm back!
Before I start I wanna say a few things about this story. It is about the seasns of life and how two people are can spend them together. Here, each season signifies each stage of life where spring is adolescence, summer is youth, autumn is middle age and winter is old age. Each chapter will be on a different couple.
Chapter 1: FreNisha
Spring
He saw her coming out of her house. As usual she looked in stunning even in the bland skirt and top that was their school uniform. She seemed to be in a rather jovial mood today.
"Manisha, do you mind spending lesser time in front of your mirror? Just look at the time. Once again we're running late." He said, trying his best to suppress his laughter because he knew that she probably spent less than five minutes of her day standing in front of a mirror.
"For your information, I'm late because of mum." She said with a pout as she brought out her bicycle.
"Why blame her if you can't appear on the breakfast table on time?" This time he didn't even try to suppress his grin.
"Freddy! You're my friend or my mum's?" Manisha shouted.
She was about to hit him but failed as he started pedalling faster. But Manisha was not someone who would give up so easily. She chased after him till they reached school.
*Inside their classroom*
The classroom suddenly fell silent as the teacher walked in. It was then that Manisha remembered that they were supposed to submit their essay on Satyagraha movement, which she had completely forgotten. She crouched behind her classmate so that the teacher could not see her. But too late!
"Manisha! Why are you trying to hide?" The teacher asked. [Was it a sneer that appeared at the corner of her lips for a moment?] "Bring your essay. Today you'll be the first one to read it out."
Reluctantly, Manisha rose from her seat and was about to tell her teacher that she didn't do her homework. But she found something being shoved in her hands. She looked down to see that it was a copy.
"What's this?" She asked Freddy under her breath.
"Your homework." He smirked. "Just make sure that you don't open the first page. Your history homework appearing in my biology copy won't make a very convincing story, you know." He added with a wink as he made way for Manisha to go up to the Teacher's Desk.
"I knew she'd forget to do her homework. It's history after all. Thank God I made two copies." He thought as she started reading the essay.
Summer
"Guess what?" Freddy asked as he jumped on Manisha's bed, almost startling her in the process.
"Fred, a gentleman always knocks before entering a girl's room." Manisha said, without looking up from the book that she was reading."
"A CID Officer is not supposed to be gentle!" He argued.
This time Manisha looked up. She opened her mouth to say something in reply but closed it when she realised what he meant.
"You got selected?" She asked, still taken aback.
"Yeah. One year training and then I am a CID Officer." He said excitedly.
"And then we can get married." She completed. But his expression turned grim at this.
"No. I want you to be with someone who can be there for you. A CID Officer has to put his life in danger-" He started but was cut off by her.
"But I want to be with someone who can make me happy and that someone is you." She said.
"But I don't want to die with the thought that you'd be alone if something happens to me." He said.
"Fine. I'll have boyfriends so that I won't be alone something happens to me." She said with a smirk.
He just shot her an angry look in reply but his expression changed when he saw the smile on her lips.
"We promised to each other that whatever happens we'll remain together. Remember?" She asked putting her head on his shoulder.
"I just want you to be happy." He whispered to her putting his arms around her.
"And it lies with you." She said.
Autumn
A little girl came running inside the room and jumped on top of a sleeping Freddy.
"Daddy! Wake up!" She shouted in his ears, making him sit straight up. Thankfully, he caught the little girl before she fell down.
"Maddy! Why are shouting in my ear?" He asked.
"Mum asked me to wake you up." She said.
"And asked you to become the alarm clock?" He asked. "How do we turn the alarm off? Like this?" He asked as he tickled the 10-year-old. "Where's your mum?"
"In the kitchen." She managed to say in between giggles.
"And you should start getting ready for school, Mandira." Said a voice which made the duo turn their head to find Manisha standing there.
Maddy jumped on the floor and ran towards her room.
"Did you complete your homework?" Her mother called after her which made her father shoot a look at his wife which said that he found the whole situation very amusing.
"What?" Manisha asked her husband.
"Nothing." Shrugged Freddy. He quickly picked up the clothes that Manisha had laid out for him to wear for the day and entered the washroom before his wife could ask him anything.
*After sometime*
Maddy came running down the stairs and climbed on to her father's lap who was sitting at the dining table.
"Maddy, how many times do I have to tell you not to run down the stairs?" Said Manisha in a stern voice.
"Mum, gramps said that you fractured your leg while trying to climb a tree." The little girl asked her mother innocently.
"Stop changing the topic and listen to what I say." Said her mother and looked at Freddy for support. But the latter was too engrossed in the day's newspaper and didn't even look up.
"Did you do your homework?" Manisha asked her daughter once again as she joined the duo for breakfast.
"Princess, do you know who used do your mum's homework?" Her father asked, deliberately keeping his eyes on the newspaper.
"Mrs. Kapoor was saying that you never did your homework on your own" Giggled the kid.
"She said that?" Asked a stunned Manisha.
The little girl nodded.
"Freddy, won't you say anything about this?" She asked.
"Princess, your mother always borrowed it from me." He started. "I mean she always used to lend her's to me." He quickly said when he found his wife staring at him.
After sometime, the little girl came running running out of the house and climbed inside the car.
"Mum! Dad! We're getting late!" She called out.
"Coming darling!" Manisha called out as she headed out of the house followed by Freddy. But before she was out of the house Freddy pulled her back by her wrist.
"Freddy we're getting-" But his lips landed on her's before she could complete the sentence.
"Thanks for everything." He said as they parted for air.
Manisha nodded and went out, too overwhelmed to speak.
Winter
He answered the call on its first ring. He didn't want the woman sleeping peacefully beside him to wake up.
He found it was that girl again. She called herself Maddy. He couldn't recognize her but the woman who lives with him did. On some days they even chatted for hours.
The girl asked a few questions about him and the woman and cut off the line.
He went back to his room and saw the womar stir in her sleep as a ray of sunlight fell on her eyes. He didn't say anything but pulled the curtain so that she can sleep peacefully. He kept the phone in its place and went to sleep once again.
He didn't know who this woman is or his relationship with her. All he knew was that they both cared for her.
*After a few hours*
"Your medicine." Said Manisha and she handed him the medicines along with a glass of water. He gave her a blank look as she took them from her hand. She knew that he could not recognise her.
"Come downstairs. I'm preparing breakfast." She said as he gulped them down.
Once downstairs, she called up her daughter. She knew Freddy could not recognise them nowadays yet she wanted them to have a word. That's why she always pretends to be asleep whenever Maddy calls them in the morning.
"Yeah I'm doing fine." She told Maddy over the phone. "He remembered everything fr a brief while last night and was asking about you, Suresh, Angel. Everyone" She added.
Since the last five years, ex-Senior Inspector Fredericks is suffering from Alzheimer's. He can't recognise anyone. His wife, daughter and her family had been trying their best to cure him. But they knew it was in vain. His doctor said that he would never be able to recognise anyone as long as he lived. But Manisha was fine with it as long as they were together.
Because they had promised to be together no matter what….
A/n: Please let me know how I've faired with this chapter.