Epilogue (Four Years later)
Fight for the things you want. Don't let fear control you.
These lines did change my life. It brought me out of my misery, pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to search for solutions that were not visible and seemed impossible to achieve. These lines helped me in the darkest of times. Hardest of the times. Every time I reminded myself of them, things came under my control.
In the last four years, I had to leave school. I had to say goodbye to my father and mother after a four-month gap. To feed my brother and myself, I had to find a job in a restaurant. Where my modelling career launched when a man approached me, claiming that he was from a modelling agency and would like to hire me. And to give it a try.
I did and now here I am. Living in my apartment with my cat, who liked to rip the cushions and sofa. From my modelling career alone, I managed to pull my brother off his dead end and send him to a military school. Now, he serves this country. We left our old poor house. Instead of selling it, we turned it into a charity place where people donated to the poor and I took care of it. Well, not just me but my team.
During this time, I managed to keep in touch with Shirley and when she told me that she wanted to become an actress, I had her back. I found her an agency, found her a manager and helped with all the expenses for her to move into a new apartment. Even though she kept telling me that she would repay it all and I told her not to, I knew that she would do it. And even if she doesn't then I know that my spending on her would be far away less than how much she had spent on me.
I was, am and always will be in her debt. No matter how much I help her with anything.
Shirley just did her first movie and with that, she launched her career. I was there for her of course. Although I helped Shirley with a few connections, it did not mean that she did not work hard for it. I just asked some directors to give her a chance of auditioning, and from there it was all her. From giving her best performances to working day and night on her acting skills, she proved to be worthy of the success that she had achieved. And it did not even one per cent of my effort.
From my modelling career, I was able to complete my studies as I can afford them now. But somehow, it did not feel the same when I finally got a university degree. Of course, I shared this news with my class school teacher who taught me by coming into my place every day, and he could not be any happier. He even attended my graduation ceremony. Looking like a proud parent, and in reality, he did play a part in that one.
"Mommy. I'm ready." A cute little girl's voice echoed and I spun around to find my little, cutest daughter, smiling my way with her toothy grin.
And who could forget my daughter? The decision that I made that day, I had kept with it. Even though in the beginning phase it was difficult as hell. But again, the same lines- Fight for the things you want. Don't let fear control you-help me through it all.
And today we were going to meet the person who told me those lines. All those times whenever I wanted to reach out to him and ask him how he was, I could not pull myself to do it. I wanted to meet him when I had pulled myself off from all that mess when I finally had achieved something when I was finally not fearing anything. But, who can guess, to do that I needed time? Way too much time that I realised had passed.
Now, I was not sure if he wanted to see me or wanted to know if I had moved on or not, but this time I wanted time to let it all decide. And so, today we- me and my daughter- were going to meet him.
"Very good." I said, before picking my daughter up and going outside to my car. I buckled her up in her seat and settled down in the driver's seat. Taking a deep breath, I told myself to not fear anything. And then we were off to his place.
I parked my car outside a restaurant that seemed completely different from when I had first seen it. It was familiar but completely different. Everything had changed. The whole structure had been rebuilt, becoming bigger and broader, a proper restaurant. It had turned into a more modern one but the authentic feeling it gave out was all the same. Everything had changed. Everything, except one thing, the very headboard that we had bought together.
Japanese House Restaurant.
I pulled my daughter off the seatbelt before taking her outside. Slowly, I walked inside the restaurant. I walked inside and asked the first waiter that I saw if a person named Nel ... Nelson worked here. He nodded his head and asked me if I knew him and I swallowed before replying with a yes. He asked me for my name and I told him. He left telling me to take a seat and wait. In a minute, he returned.
He told me that he wanted to see me.
With my heart in my throat, beating like a hammer, I followed the waiter as he led me straight to a different section of the restaurant. A private one or the VIP one. He opened the door before taking his leave.
Feeling my daughter's hand in mine, I entered the door and I saw the very person who had been in every dream of mine.
With his hands in his pockets and a big smile on his face, he stared back at me.
"Welcome back, Viri. I told you, your life is worth fighting." He said.
Both of us met halfway before we both collided in a hug. When I pulled apart, I turned to introduce my daughter to him and suddenly realise, how far have I come.
"Your daughter." He said before he went to pick her up.
"This restaurant?" I questioned.
"The owners have passed away. And I purchased this place. It's mine now. I run it." He said.
Holding my daughter in one arm, he grabbed my hand with the other before kissing it.
"Things have come full circle now." He said.
Yeah, yeah, they have.
Looking at my daughter, I thought they certainly have.
Worth fighting everything.