After sometime later, the soft creak of the old wooden door stirred Anaya from her stillness. She turned her head slightly and saw her grandmother step inside, her frame slightly hunched from years of tending to the earth, but her eyes still glowing with the same warmth Anaya had always remembered.
Anaya's grandmother named Ganga, a 48 year old grandma. who is good at cooking and done farming in her small piece of land. which is only her way of support to lead her life forward.
"Anaya?" her grandmother's voice was quiet but touched with happiness. "You've come without telling me again."
Anaya gave a small smile as she walked over and hugged her. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. There were no dramatic reunions, no outbursts. Just warmth. The kind that only comes from being in the presence of someone who had held you as a child and loved you through silence.
"I missed you grandma," Anaya said, resting her chin lightly on her grandmother's shoulder.
Her grandmother pulled away gently and cupped Anaya's face in her weathered hands. "You've grown thinner. Are you eating well in that city?"
Anaya smiled faintly. "I eat. Just not well."
Her grandmother sighed and tapped her gently on the forehead. "Then tonight, you'll eat like you used to. How about your favorite fish, cooked with love. coincidentally, I bought it when I went to the market this morning."
That evening, the small kitchen was filled with the scent of frying spices, fresh fish, and warmth. Anaya sat at the small wooden dining table, the same one she used to sit at as a child, her chin resting on her palm while watching her grandmother move about with practiced grace. There was something deeply comforting about the sounds like the bubbling of the pan, the clink of metal, and the gentle hum of a familiar kitchen.
When the food was ready, her grandmother placed a full plate in front of her and said, "Eat now. No arguments." in an orderly manner.
Anaya nodded and took a bite. The taste made her eyes sting with tears she didn't expect. It wasn't just about food. It was home, that something she hadn't realized how much she missed until now.
Later that night, they sat together in the small living room. Anaya leaned gently into her grandmother's lap, just as she did when she was little. Her grandmother's fingers found their way to her hair, brushing it gently as she spoke softly about old neighbors, silly childhood memories, and the weather.
Before long, Anaya's breathing slowed. The ache in her chest, the loneliness, the uncertainty, the questions about who she really have to care. all began to ease under the weight of her grandmother's presence.
She fell asleep like that, wrapped in quiet warmth.
---
The Next Morning...
Sunlight filtered through the small gaps in the curtains, casting long strips of gold across the floor. Anaya slowly opened her eyes. Her grandmother had already left the room, probably tending to the plants or preparing breakfast. The house smelled of something warm and sweet.
Anaya sat up, rubbing her eyes, then reached for her phone, only to place it back down. Today, she didn't want to wait for any calls, notifications, or anyone's voices that can clouding her peace.
She walked to the kitchen and found her grandmother sipping tea.
"Grandma," she said gently, "good morning.."
her grandma whispered, "why had you wake up this early. get some rest."
Anaya replied, "grandma.., i want to go out today? can i ?"
Her grandmother looked up and smiled. "I was wondering when you'd say that."
Anaya chuckled. "It's been a while."
"okk! take your time there," her grandmother said, handing her some amount. and also i've prepared breakfast. eat if you get hungry. i know, whenever you are sad you just want to go to beach. The ocean listens better when you're not grumpy. i don't know what you were thinking about but if you wanted to tell me you can, i'll listen to you"
her grandmother continued, " and the weather is good too, came back early. and also take are of yourself. don't get wet, you'll catch cold easily.
Anaya laughed and chuckled, "okk!"
then her grandma made her out of way of the home..
Anaya make her up herself and packed somethings like her earphones and a drawing book, sketch pens and some money and some snacks to eat in her backpack. and made her way out of the home.
the weather is kinda good. the sky filled with whity clouds under those the sunlight is hiding. she finally reached the bus stop.
as the bus arrived she hoped in it and the bus was half-full and quiet, the kind of morning when no one was in a hurry. Anaya sat near the window, her eyes watching the familiar countryside pass her by. Patches of green, palm trees swaying gently towards her way she travels. She remembered the way she used to press her face to this same window when she was younger, begging the breeze to hit her face harder.
She didn't plug in her earphones this time. She wanted to hear the rattle of the bus, the passing birds, and the distant clouds in the sky that shows a little moments like a shaped heart of cloud and some different types of clouds like of trees. Anaya just enjoyed to look at those clouds.
as the times passes, after half an hour later..
the bus reached the beach road, Anaya watching the beach through the window seat. the sea breeze slowly touching her face with a little quietness.
as she drop down from the bus, the smell of the sea hitted her nose a little stronger.
she had taken some steps from the bus and runs towards the beach.
Anaya shouted hardly, "woah! the Beach. I'm finally here to see you..., woah! so long... I miss you so much."
The smell of salt in the air. The stretch of the endless sea. The way the horizon melted softly into the sky.
then, she stood still for a while, just breathing it in. The February breeze was crisp, but not biting. It brushed against her cheeks, fluttering her hair and sleeves.
And then, the familiar sound of waves crashing onto shore met her ears.
later, Anaya took her sandals off at the shore and walked barefoot toward the water. The first touch of the cold waves against her feet made her shiver slightly, but then she smiled. a real, wide smile that reached her eyes.
She walked along the edge, letting the waves kiss her ankles.
She had always loved the ocean. Not because it was loud and dramatic, but because it never needed words. Its just whenever she visit the sea, she gets existed, steady and deep. she treat the sea like a friend that which one is always there to receive whatever emotions she brought with her.
She sat down near the rocks and stared at the wide expanse before her.
"I missed you.., I missed you so much" she whispered to the sea.
There was no answer, and yet it felt like the ocean understood.
She took out her sketchbook, one she had left untouched for months. The pages fluttered in the breeze. She drew the horizon first, then the curve of a wave, and then a girl sitting quietly on a rock, watching the ocean how it slowly moves. like imagining herself and painted it. maybe not a master piece but just for herself as a moment of emotion that keeps in a paper like a photo. but she enjoyed to paint.
It was her, of course.
Not the version of her that others saw at college. But the quiet girl who felt safe beside the sea, safe in her grandmother's home, safe when no one expected her to be anything but herself.
Hours passed as she watched the changing colors of the sky. The blue slowly warmed to shades of peach and lavender. A child nearby laughed, chasing a crab. A couple walked hand-in-hand a few feet away. She didn't envy them. She just felt at peace.
When she finally stood up and dusted the sand off her clothes, she realized how light her heart felt. Like maybe, even if things didn't go the way she hoped, she still had places like this. People like her grandmother. Moments like today.
And sometimes, that was enough to live a long life without having anything..