From Leah's Diary...

20th October
Sometimes, it's not just about FALLING in love..sometimes, it's about climbing down the stairwell, slowly and steadily..It's a long and dark descent, and there might be places where you might trip, get exhausted, or maybe even decide to climb back up and move on with your life..But if you keep on going down, you'll eventually find the person of your dreams at the foot of the stairwell, waiting for you..Arthur, I want you to be there when I get down, with your usual faint smile on your long and gorgeous face..And as I climb down the last step, I want you to take my hand and give your regular little nod..I don't want you to sweep me off my feet and carry me to a fantasy land..I just want you to be there next to me, with me..And we'll walk..To where, I don't have the faintest idea..And well, it doesn't matter..As long as you are by my side, I'll go to every place you take me..Just you and me..Together..Forever.. =)

25th November
It's 1:30 AM now..I'm wide awake, thinking of you..There is no sound except the clattering noise of Buffy biting his cage bars..As I turn towards the bed, I notice the dim light flooding my room..I slowly lift up my head and peep out of the window to spot the source of the dim light - the Moon..Looking at the ball of gold, I smile..And then there's this wild thought which suddenly erupts in my mind and overshadows all other thoughts - even though we are so far apart, we are under the same starlit sky, with the same Moon watching over us.. <3

A Hint of Happiness, A Shade of Sorrow...

Leah sat on the bed with an unmistakable frown on her face which was the result of an argument she'd just had with her dad. She blankly traced her fingers over the design on the bed-sheet and was so lost in the abstract pattern that she didn't notice her mom entering the room.
Angela smiled when she looked at her sixteen-year-old daughter. She knew Leah had always been this way - she fought with her dad over stupid things, pulled a big frown and stormed away from her dad to find 'mental peace'. At the end of the story, she always landed up in her Dadda's arms, laughing over the argument they just had!
"You are a typical Dadda's girl, you know that?" Angela said. Leah looked up at her mom, let out a grumpy "Hey mom" and went back to tracing the pattern on the bed-sheet.
"Well, I've got some interesting news for you," Angela said, picking up scattered clothes from the bed to make some space for herself.
"Go on," Leah replied, without looking up.
"I finally got my transfer order, dear, and I'll be leaving after ten days."
Leah stopped her tracing job and absorbed the words her mom had thrown so casually at her. "transfer", "ten days" - the words whirled round and round in Leah's head and she found herself unable to comprehend the simple yet complicated meaning behind the words. Or maybe, just maybe, she understood every bit of what her mom had just said, yet failed to accept it.
Leah slowly looked up at her mom and noticed the smile on the angelic face. Angela had been promoted to a higher post and she had to fill in a vacancy at the company's branch located in a town 122 km away. Leah had always known how much her mom had wanted this to happen. In fact, she was pretty much happy herself. She knew her mom deserved it. Leah was prepared for this, or at least she thought she was. But now, she realized she simply wasn't being able to digest the fact that her mom would be leaving her after ten days. And then Leah was absolutely positive about one thing - if her mom noticed any hint of uncertainty in Leah's approval, she would drop the plan. THAT was the last thing Leah wanted at this moment.
"Should I go?" Angela asked in a low voice.
This was the moment Leah had dreaded all along. while all her insides urged her to scream "NO!!!" and cling to her mom, Leah mustered all her courage, looked her mom in the eyes and with a big ear-to-ear grin, said, "Obviously, mom!" As she watched her mom's face light up like a 20 W bulb, Leah knew she'd done it.
"Oh, baby..." her mom said as she leaned forward to kiss her forehead.
"Now don't get all cheesy, mom!" Leah joked, pulling her mom's cheeks.
"You should've been born as my mother, Li. It seems God accidentally switched our roles!" Angela said.
"You better make a  good cup of tea for Dadda, mom. He is in a terrible mood right now," Leah said and winked at her mom.
"All thanks to you, my child!" Angela exclaimed, and got up to leave the room.
Leah sighed, finally letting go off the fake grin she'd been carrying. She so wanted to hug her mom and cry her heart out, but she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't compel her mom to make another sacrifice for her, she wouldn't stop her mom from following her dream. Hadn't she always wanted her mom to escape the monotonous life she had been living all along? All of a sudden, Leah's mind was filled with the happy times she'd spent with her dear, dear mom. How she would share each and every little thing that happened at school or college with her mom; how she would hug her mom tight whenever she felt low; how she would make her mom smile whenever she was in a bad mood; how they would watch cartoon shows together, go for shopping together. She remembered the moments when her mom would randomly take her out for lunch just to cheer her up. She recalled the times when her mom would crack a very silly joke just to break the glass after they had an argument. She would miss the all-time entertainers - the funny fights between her mom and Dadda. She'd miss her mom. A lot.
There was a part of Leah, and she had no idea how predominant that part was, that wished something bad would turn up and her mom wouldn't have to go. "No, that won't happen. Ever." Leah thought. She had to be strong, it was high time her mom got the happiness she deserved. And out of all the people, Leah wouldn't be an obstacle this time. She knew her mom would just be physically away. Now feeling like a responsible daughter, Leah stood up to help her mom in the kitchen. It was then she noticed a photo-frame on her study table - it was a photo of hers with her mom and Dadda when she was just a year old. She slumped on the bed, and felt tears running down her cheeks...