Page 94 - You Only Live Once [BooksLD]

This week has been a crazy ride. By the way, I succeeded in completing and
performing another song for the album last night. Sunday, yes, the day has
arrived when Uncle Ricky is finally taking me to the school.

It is like one of the days when you can’t sleep for the anxiety of not
waking up on time the next day. I am wide awake before even the sun has
come up, looking at the clock as each second passes by. As I get ready and I
am about to leave at 8 AM sharp, Akkriti, another occupant of the PG who I
have befriended, knocks at my door.

‘It’s a little cold during the nights now,’ she says.

‘Yeah! When you’re near the sand you feel the heat during the day and
cold during the night.’
‘Actually, I need your help. I feel a little scared going to the store room
alone. And I can’t sleep because the blanket in my room is worthless. Mine
is in the trolley I have kept there.’

‘Sure, why not? Let us go and get it together.’

As she unpacks her stuff to get her blanket out, I roll my eyes to take in
every corner of the room and scan through all the unattended and old things
lying around. My gaze falls upon a chest of drawers on which an old chart
paper is placed with ‘Lost and Found’ hand-written on it. I feel instantly
attracted to it and move towards it.

I scan through the drawers one by one. I stumble upon a folder labelled
Room 18. That’s exactly the room I’m living in! I pick up the folder out of
curiosity and run through the documents placed in it. Much to my
amazement, it contains some half-torn papers on which songs are scribbled.
I instantly recognize it as my mother’s handwriting. This is unbelievable.

While most of the papers have grown dark yellow and are no longer legible,
I recognize a logo on one of the pages. It reads, ‘Guardian Angel Home’.
It’s the same orphanage that Parvathi’s mother works at. She has mentioned
it to me quite a few times now.
I rush to Maria’s room without saying a word to Akkriti. As I force open

the door, I see Madhuri preparing her morning tea in one corner of the
room. ‘Wake her up. It’s urgent,’ I yell in excitement. Akkriti joins us
thereafter.

‘What’s up with you? Is all good, girls?’ Madhuri asks.