"It's going to be one year. I never thought I would be able to live a day without you, let alone a year." Uttering these words, I wipe away trailing tears from my cheeks as I sit in front of Lucas' grave.

The cemetery is silent today. Though it always is. But today, the silence is carrying an uneasiness. It's like all the oxygen has been sucked away from the air. No sign of life, no sign of floating air, nor any single sound. It's like someone has stopped the time of this cemetery with a stopwatch.

Sighing, I blurt out the question which has been roaming in my mind for the last few weeks.

"What am I doing Lucas? Am I even doing anything? Eating, sleeping and editing works, which can be done by someone else as well. I don't even know if I'm happy doing all these? But I should be right? After all, I love editing and doing book related works. Then why am I not happy? Why do I always feel that something is missing? What is it Lucas? This emptiness within me, what is it exactly? I thought if I let myself be distracted, I'll be able to fill this emptiness but it's not working Lucas! What should I do? What can I even do? I'm helpless! Why can't I just bring you back? Why? I can't do this Lucas. I just... can't. Please take me with you. Please. I'm begging you." My mask breaks and lands on the ground in the form of tears.

I keep on crying, not caring to wipe away those tears. As I cry, I feel more tears pooling in my eyes. Like a stream, the water is flowing from my eyes. I pull my knees closer to my chest and sit in a foetus position as I bite my arm to refrain myself from shouting.

All of a sudden, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I straighten up my backbone as I feel a presence behind me.

"Hey." A soothing female voice embraces my ears running a warmth throughout my body.

Wiping away the tears haphazardly, I look behind. An old lady is standing behind me with the most calm face I've ever seen. She is wearing a bright smile on her face and has a loving gaze upon me. I don't know what it is but I can't take my eyes off her face. Giving a smile, I quickly stand up holding that serene gaze.

Giving a faint smile, I say, " Hello."

The old lady keeps on smiling as she replies, "Hello. I'm sorry to disturb you but I overheard your questions and I couldn't stop myself from talking with you. I know I'm sounding creepy but I couldn't help myself. So, I just want to say if you want to talk, you can talk with me."

Not knowing how to respond to this sudden warmth from an unknown person, I just nod and smile. I can feel my eyes still burning which is giving me the indication that I'm going to cry again. As I gulp down the new ball of tears, I lower down my eyes not being able to hold the lady's gaze anymore.

Out of nowhere, the old lady embraces me. A warm homey vibe flows throughout my body. I stand there, rooted at the spot.

"I know how it feels when you have to let go of the person whom you love the most." Her voice sounds like a light wind in my right ear.

My dam breaks down and gushes of water pours out. Her words make me realize that I still haven't let go of Lucas. I'm still holding onto him. I'm still hoping that maybe Lucas will return one day. My heart is still hoping for his arrival. My mind knows that a dead person can never return, but my heart is not ready to accept.

I return back her embrace as whimpers leave my mouth and my body trembles.

"Let it out my child. Let all your pains out. They don't deserve you. Lucas will never be happy seeing you hiding so much pain. Cry until you want to."

My tears keep on pouring down until a thought hits my mind. I break the embrace, mumbling a sorry while wiping away the trailing tears and moving slightly back.

"It's okay." The old lady gives that same soft smile to me.

I keep on looking at her from the corner of my puffy eyes in the pretext of wiping the tears as my mind starts thinking.

She took Lucas' name! Does she know Lucas? But how will she? I've never met her before, nor Lucas talked about anybody like her. But the way she talked just now... the warmth... the love... it's not possible by someone who never knew Lucas. But who is she? Why did she suddenly start talking like she knows both Lucas and me very well? What is she...

"I'm Steph and I've come here for my grandson." Cutting my thoughts in between and as if answering one of my questions, she says her name.

"Oh okay. Sorry for taking your time Ma'am." I bow down a bit and start walking away.

"Wait. Don't you want to know who my grandson is?" I halt on my path, confused.

What does she mean? Why will I want to know and what will I do even if I know?

"I have come here for Lucas, your beloved husband. We don't have any blood relation but from my heart, he is my grandson." As soon as those words reach my ears, I turn around within a second.

I stare at her intensely rampaging my memory shelves to find this old lady there but none of the shelves has any single memory of hers. Seeing my confused state she gives one huge smile and starts walking towards me. To my astonishment she cups my cheeks with her wrinkled skinned palms. I can see the nerves of her wrists as the full sleeves of the white cardigan slides towards her elbows. The skin on her face also portrays the decades she has spent in this world but the vibrant glow in her eyes and that beautiful smile are denoting the liveliness of her soul.

While my eyes wander over her face, she looks into my eyes forcing me to gaze at her emerald green eyes.

"You are really beautiful Eve. Much more than the pictures. I've always wanted to say this to you in person. Looks like today is the lucky day. I have so many things to say to you." She gives a peck on my forehead and moves back a bit while I still stand at my place like a statue not understanding what on earth is happening.

"Umm... Thank You, but I'm really not getting anything. You know... Lucas? I... I'm sorry. Obviously you know him, or else why you would have come to meet him. But, I... I really don't know you. I never heard anything about you from him. I'm really confused." As I speak out my confused state of mind, her smile keeps on getting bigger and bigger which somewhere starts irritating me.

"I... I think I should go." With that I turn around but she stops me once again by placing her right palm on my right shoulder.

"I want to show you something." Her soothing voice now has a serious undertone which makes my irritation diminish.

Turning around, I wait for her. With her smile still intact, she makes me sit in front of Lucas' grave as she settles down beside me.

It's like time has standstill. None of us are talking, rather gazing at the name written in front with love.

"I'm dying and... I owe my life to Lucas." Steph whispers while caressing the petals of fresh red roses which I've brought today for Lucas.

But I stare at her not expecting this kind of confession right at the beginning of the conversation.

"You may be thinking I'm talking some nonsense. But..." Steph turns her soft gaze towards me and continues.

"One year back, when Lucas was returning from his work in the evening, I met him because of an accident." A sad smile appears on her face as her bright eyes get kissed by a nostalgic touch.

I try to recollect if Lucas had any accident but I can't remember as such.

"Accident?" I ask to bring her back from her memories.

"Yes. A year back, just a few months ago that fatal accident. One evening while returning from my evening walk, I was crossing the road but a car came out of nowhere with full speed and was about to hit me. Lucas pulled me back and we both fell on the sidewalk. I was still fit and fine at that time. The accident was not something major and none of us were hurt as there were soft grasses where we fell. But that evening, a beautiful relation took birth. A relation of care and love." Steph's eyes are now filled with tears waiting for one single touch to fall down.

"My house is on the opposite side of that road. Lucas helped me to go there. I couldn't let a person like him go without making him eat something. I felt as if I'm meeting my grandson after a very long time. He sat with me, finished all the food and talked with me for a long time." Steph smiles with teary eyes as she gazes at Lucas' grave.

But as she says the incident, I slowly start recollecting that Lucas had indeed once told this exact incident to me. At that point, I was already impressed by Lucas' helpful nature but still I used to hear every word of his, mainly because of the happiness I could see in his eyes.

"Since then he used to visit me almost all the days. He helped me so much to fight with my loneliness and he always wanted to bring you there. But... fate intervened and..." She sighs while gazing up towards the sky.

"A few months back I was diagnosed with cancer, last stage, at most six months more to live." As she says this my eyes notice her beige coloured straw sun hat for the first time, though she has been wearing it since I first saw her. I guess, it's in human tendency to take everything negligible until it forces human beings to notice it.

"Cool, right?" She touches the hat making a little pout trying to lighten the air.

"Yeah. It is." A warm smile appears on my face as I see the liveliness amidst impending death for the first time and truly it has surprised me to the core. People with such sickness should be staying at home and take rest. I gaze at her and I can still see some strands of grey hair on her shoulders. But I don't say out loud my doubt instead a much deeper thought starts growing in my mind.

"So... what is it that you wanted to show me?" I say as I sadly smile thinking how unpredictable life is.

"Oh right. Silly me. Making you wait for the surprise made by your Lucas. Come, let's go." Saying that, she slowly gets up as I help her by holding her arms.

"Um... we need to go somewhere else?" I was expecting something like a gift which maybe Lucas gave to Steph to surprise me later, but her statement makes me confused once more.

"Yes. Let's go. A beautiful place is waiting for you." Saying that, she holds my right wrist like a mother and starts walking towards the gate.

Without saying anything I follow her like a little child. As we get closer to the gate, I feel that the wind is slowly picking up its pace. That stillness from before is getting cut by strong blow of winds from time to time while birds start chirping.

I don't know if everything is just a coincidence or not but I feel as if all these are connected with each other. My urge to come here today, the stillness that was here before Steph's arrival, her connection with Lucas, us leaving together and then the sudden change in the atmosphere with our departure. As I ponder on these, a question pops up in my mind and I ask it to Steph.

"Um... Steph. How did you know that I'll be here today?" Steph turns back her head slightly towards me with her beautiful smile on the face and then again turns back as we come out of the cemetery.

Leaving my wrist, she closes the gate while answering, "I've been coming here everyday since I got to know about my disease. Lucas was my only family, but though I never saw you..."

Steph looks at me and continues, "... Lucas always made me feel you as my family. He always used to talk about you without any break. So, I was very eager to meet you and I knew this is the only place I can find you."

Her gaze shifts towards the cemetery for a second then again moves back to me. "I knew you would be coming here more often now since the day is approaching. And maybe my wish was really strong, so God made us meet too."

"I guess so." Smiling, I answer.

"Shall we call a cab?" I ask breaking the sudden settling silence in between us.

"No need. We are going to take a shortcut." Saying that, she again takes hold of my wrist and starts walking while I hear the birds chirping and screeches and whooshes of vehicles behind me.

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