OS: The Rescue - AK

With an old Hindi song playing in the background, Kripa concentrated on the treacherous road. The snowstorm had been completely unexpected. She had planned the trip by checking with the weather stations, but this was Colorado. It could snow anytime, anywhere.

She couldn’t wait to get to Colorado Springs, but at the pace she was driving, it would take a very long time to get there. She considered stopping at a hotel but she could hardly see any signs. It was a miracle she could even see where she was going. Should she stop? Was it better to keep going or to stay where she was?

She decided to keep going. It was too cold to stop and at least she had enough fuel to keep her going for a while. Her mind wandered to the reason she was moving to Colorado Springs and she smiled.

Living in an orphanage in Boston had given her immense empathy for others. It had always been her dream to open a new orphanage or to work at one. After working at an orphanage for a few years in Boston, she finally got the chance to open an orphanage from scratch. And the orphanage was going to be in Colorado Springs.

She couldn’t wait.

With her mood lifted again, she started humming with the music.

Suddenly, she saw a red car at an odd angle at the top of the hill. She shivered. She would have hated to be in that position in the freezing weather. She considered continuing without stopping but even just the thought of leaving without checking made her shudder. It went against everything she believed in.

She slowed down her car and saw a red jacket flying near the railing. That was odd, she thought. Then she gasped, was it someone hanging from there?

She stopped suddenly terrified for the stranger. Without a thought of her coat, she flung the door open and ran towards the red jacket. She saw a bloody hand barely clinging to the foot of the railing and panicked. She grabbed it without thought and tried to pull the weight up to the edge of the cliff.

She heard a grunt. She froze, ‘Are you alright?’

‘Lady, do I look alright to you? I’m hanging off this cliff; do I look OK to you?’ a frustrated gravelly voice spoke.

A giggle escaped her before she could stop it.

‘And now you think this is funny? I’m probably going to fall off the cliff and die and you think this is funny. Or if you don’t pull me up in this decade, I’ll definitely freeze to death.’

‘If you keep making me laugh with your jokes, how am I going to pull you up? Now, are you hurt anywhere? I need to be careful when I pull you up,’ she asked mirth dancing in her eyes.

‘Will you just..’ he stopped and she audibly felt him control his frustration, ‘I’m fine. Please just pull me up.’

Kripa rolled her eyes. She tried to pull him up but he was very heavy. ‘Come on, you have to help me some. I can’t just pull you up on my own. Can you make an effort too?’

There was a short silence. ‘Fine,’ he bit the word like an oath, and pushed himself.

With a lot of grunts and a lot of effort, she managed to pull him enough to see his face. Half of it was drenched in blood which had frozen on it like a second glove. And she felt immediate sympathy for this man. How long had he been hanging from there?

‘Come on,’ she huffed trying to encourage them both. ‘You can do it.’

With one final pull, she managed to heave him up and they both just lay there on the snow panting with exhaustion.

‘Thanks,’ he finally said in between pants. ‘I wasn’t sure how long I could have hung on. And I didn’t think anyone would be passing here anytime soon. You saved my life.’

Kripa chuckled, ‘You sound very melodramatic. But you’re welcome. On a serious note, let’s get out of this cold or we’ll both become popsicles.’

She got up and saw him struggling to get up too. She offered him her hand. He grabbed it and she pulled him up with such force that she had to stagger back when he was on his feet. She steadied him.

She let go of him and saw that all the energy had been drained out of him. She put his arms around her shoulder, grabbed his waist and walked him to her car. She opened the passenger door in the back of the car and gently made him sit down.

Kripa hurried to the driver seat and grabbed her water bottle. ‘Here, water and a hand towel. Why don’t you wash all the blood off of your face? I have some antiseptic in the car’s boot.’

When his face came in sight, Kripa’s heart gave a small lurch. He was very attractive.

‘Thanks,’ he washed down the aspirin with the water. ‘Please be gentle. Gosh, this is going to hurt.’

He closed his eyes and waited for her to clean his wounds. Kripa gave a small smile and cleaned up the wounds. His heartbeat had also accelerated.

‘Where were you going when the accident happened?’

‘Colorado Springs. Are you going in that direction? Can I get a ride?’

Kripa smiled. ‘I am going to Colorado Springs, I’ll drop you wherever you want.’

At the end of the conversation, he lied down on the seat and immediately fell asleep.

Kripa had been driving for an hour and the weather had cleared up significantly. At least she could see the signs for rest areas. Suddenly, she heard his voice. ‘Wow, I feel so much better. Can you stop at any of the rest areas?’

Kripa complied and they both freshened up. They grabbed some snacks at the gas station. He came back, sat at the front of the car at devoured the muffins in front of him.

‘I was driving really carefully when I hit an icy patch. My car just skid out of control and I was flung out of it. Barely managed to hold on to the railing.’

‘I’m glad you’re OK. I’m Kripa by the way.’

‘And the person you just saved is Angad. Very nice to meet you. Where are you from? Your accent doesn’t sound like you’re from down here. East Coast maybe?’ he asked facing her.

She smiled, ‘You’re good. I’m from Boston. I’m moving here though.’

‘I’m from Colorado Springs. I was in Texas for a conference and decided to drive back as soon as it was over. The worst idea ever. I even grew up here and know how bad the roads can get during the winter, but nope, I just had an urge to come back home. What do you do for a living?’

‘I’m going to open an orphanage.’

‘Oh shut up now, I can’t take it anymore. Must you go on and on? Stop blabbering Kripa, I just don’t know how you do it.’

Kripa laughed. ‘OK, smarty pants. I’ve always wanted to open an orphanage as I grew up in one. I was very fortunate in that the people there were very good to me. And I want to make a difference in somebody’s life like the difference that was made in mine.’

‘I know how you feel. I’m a doctor too and making a difference in somebody’s life just opens your heart up. I’m glad you’re doing that. If you ever need any help, you just let me know.’

He glanced at the iPod laying down on the cup holder. He grabbed it and hit the play button. The song Kripa was listening to before she saw the accident streamed in the car, ‘Gosh, I love old music too.’ And he started singing along with the song. ‘Come on, you take the girl parts.’

Kripa laughed and joined in. They kept talking, laughing and singing during the whole ride. He made her laugh with anecdotes of his family. She learnt that he had a big family of five brothers. His brothers Karthik, Prithvi, Nishant and Josh were all married. He relayed hilarious stories about each of them getting into sticky situations with their wives. In no time, they reached Colorado Springs. Kripa turned the engine off in front of his house.

‘Why don’t you stay for dinner?’ he asked her suddenly.

She turned to face him, ‘For dinner?’

‘Yeah, this is my parents place and Fridays are always our big dinner nights. All of us, my siblings, their wives and kids, and our parents, get together for dinner and the whole nine yards. It will be fun. I think you’ll fit right in.’ he told her in earnest.

Her heart fluttered but she managed, ‘Do you invite every woman you meet to your family dinners?’

His gaze suddenly smoldered, ‘I have never invited any other woman to our family dinner. Will you stay?’

She knew his question meant more than just staying for dinner. It had meant becoming a part of the family as well. His heart was in his eyes and she had never felt such an instant connection with anyone before. He made her feel alive and made her laugh. She hadn’t laughed as much before than she had tonight. Was this fate’s way of bringing them together?

‘Yes.’

With that one word, their lives changed forever.