INESSA

"You're an insane....Inessa Suarez," 

Her beige hazel eyes shimmered with utmost amount of happiness by hearing those words whereas ,an alluring warm smile crept on her pouty pink lips by watching that little puppy snuggling in her arms.

"Well if it makes me an insane, then I am an Insane, Mirana. " 

She replied while giggling and stroking that puppy's head gently which in return, rubbed its face on her chest that was covering in mud.

"Oh! no.  Ness , place it back on the bench. Look, it's dirtying your clothes, "

A soft chuckle escaped from her mouth hearing her friend but instead of following her words, she rubbed that puppy's muddy face tenderly with the sleeve of her plain white middy which was covering her till her knees and then brushed her nose bridge against its cheek which made her friend sighed. 

"You're never going to change. Right?"

"Till the last beat of my heart, " 

Her response made her friend to suspire softly but then Mirana chuckled by watching Inessa snuggling that puppy into her neck like a kid . 

"Hold on, Ms. Suarez. It's not your baby, "

"Are you calling me a bitch , Mirana ? " She questioned her by giving her friend a cute glare which made Mirana to laugh and shrug her head. 

"You're everything but a bitch, Ness especially after having your precious habit for caring about each and everything, "

Both the girls tittered but their attention got dart towards the puppy which started barking in her arms. 

"Now look, even he's agreeing with me, " Mirana remarked , pointing her finger at that puppy, making Inessa  smiled and caressed its head.

"Ok but now , what we are going to do with it because I can't keep it with me as my brother is allergic to dogs and you can't keep it with you because your aunt would never let it inside her house ?" 

Her beautiful smile fell from her face at Mirana's words and she swallowed hardly.. 

"But we can't leave it alone like this. Look ,it's so tiny and even weak. It won't be able to survive the night here at this chilled weather, " 

"Then I guess, I have an idea, " Mirana spoke, making her eyes again to twitch in excitement.. 

"Really? But what ? "

"I will search the nearest animal shelter in internet then ,we can drop it there so they can look after it,"

Her hazel eyes filled with happiness again hearing her friend, she immediately nodded her head at her which made Mirana to take out her phone and then browsed it to find the nearest animal shelter from their location.

"Yeah, I got it but there's a problem, " Mirana uttered ,making Inessa tensed. 

"What ? "

"The shelter is a little far from here, almost one and half hour drive from here so, we need to book a cab for it because there's no vehicle service facility available from the authority of that shelter, " 

Inessa heard her friend's words and the hesitancy in her voice made it completely evident that what was the problem which made Inessa to heave softly.

"Don't worry, I'll pay for the cab as I have gotten my remuneration from the cafeteria today, " 

Her friend's eyes widened hearing her reply. 

"Have you lost it, Ness? Your aunt will kill you ,if she finds out that even a single peny is missing from your remuneration. Did you forget, what she had done to you last time when you took some money from your salary ? No, don't  even think about it, " 

Her hazel eyes , on their own got deprived of every emotion as her mind recalled that day, when that woman who was supposed to be her guardian and was supposed to love her like a daughter after she had lost her mother . That woman had how brutally torn her clothes and then had pressed an extremely heated ladle on her bare skin of her arm to make her remember that she should never even dare to think about doing something for her own self, just because she had taken some money from her own earnings for buying a shirt for her that day for the first time in her life.

Her painful thoughts got broken by the soft barking sound of that puppy in her arms. She blinked her lashes for clearing her vision which had turned slightly blurry because of her uninvited tears and then she gazed at that puppy for a while and sighed heavily.

"I can't leave it here alone, Mi. I'll take it to the animal shelter, " 

Her friend got stunned at her words but automatically exhaled a firm breath and nodded in agreement because she was completely familiar with Inessa's nature.

"I am sorry, I wish I could have gotten my wages today but I haven't and I don't have that much money, " She apologized with her regretful voice which made Inessa beamed. 

"Hey, it's okay. Don't be sorry. I know if you had, you must have surely help me, Mi ," 

Inessa responded ,smilingly because she knew her only friend Mirana was a very warm hearted person, whom she had met at the cafeteria where they both were currently working as a waitress from the past 3 years . 

And Inessa knew that her friend would never step back for helping her but she was in need of money more than her because Mirana's younger brother was diagnosed with cancer and she had requested their cafeteria owner to give her salary to her on quarterly basis for her brother's treatment.

"Ok, now call the cab. We've to get back before the sunset , " Inessa said beaming while swing that puppy in her arms which made her friend  smiled and then to nod. 

After a couple of hours, they both reached at the animal shelter and then handed the puppy to the shelter authority.

"Bye.I am going to miss you, little one., " Inessa uttered, pecking that puppy's head. 

The old lady who was the incharge of that shelter, smiled by watching her and then took the puppy from her . 

"Thank you, dear. Nowadays, when human doesn't even hesitate to take another human's life in their own selfishness ,you cared for this little animal's life," 

Both the girls beamed at that lady's words . 

"Because she's our one and only Inessa who is a little different and unique as compare to today's people ," Mirana spoke chuckling which made Inessa to roll her eyes.. 

"Yeah she basically means, I am an insane, " 

Inessa also laughed stating her own words until she heard that lady replying. 

"It's better to be an insane than to opt to the fakeness of sanity, "

Her smile broadened at her those words.

"Exactly, I am totally agreeing with this, "Inessa commented ,making everyone laughed. 

" Ok, now it's already very late. We've to get back to home now, " 

Inessa sighed hearing Mirana's statement because for her, there was nothing in her life which she could consider as 'her home'. But she still reluctantly nodded and spoke. 

"Ok then, it's good to meet you. " 

Inessa said to that lady with a smile who returned the gesture with a soft beam. 

"And I hope, I will meet you soon little one, take care, " Inessa uttered to that puppy while tapping on its head and then both the girls walked out from that shelter.

After half an hour, the cab stopped in front of that tiny wooden door which made her hazel eyes to turn almost lifeless because that was where her journey ended but her destination was never supposed to be that. 

"Ness,"

Inessa trailed her eyes away from the glass window and then looked at her friend hearing her voice and by watching the fear in her light brown orbs, she completely understood the reason behind it because Mirana was the only person who knew what was possibly going to happen to her inside that door.. 

"Ness...I..."

"It's ok, Mi. I am fine, " 

Her reply made her friend's eyes to slightly fill with tears because Mirana was completely familiar with the cruelty behind that closed door had held for her friend but the thing hurted her even more that Inessa had never let her smile to fall from her face even when she clearly knew how much pain that smile was going to cost her.

Mirana sighed heavily for holding back the tears which started filling into her eyes and then she held her hand in her and spoke while looking into Inessa's beautiful beige hazel orbs. 

"Once again happy birthday , Inessa. Hope your this 20th birthday would end your each and every pain and tears and is going to get you blessed with the things you worth and deserve, " 

Her those beautiful words made Inessa's smile to broaden. She gave her friend a soft hug and replied beaming. 

"Thank you so much, Mi , " 

Mirana never halted herself to get stunned by watching and hearing her friend's happiness which she was showing even in those worst circumstances of her life. Mirana weakly beamed and then nodded at her.

"I'll meet you at the cafeteria, tomorrow, " Inessa said which had made Mirana's grip to tighten around her palm.

Inessa darted her eyes down at their collided palm and suspired. 

"I am fine and I really am. Don't worry, " 

Mirana breathed out sharply at her those words and then freed her hand from her grip which she didn't want to but she had to. 

"Bye. Take care, " Inessa uttered with a warm smile and Mirana bobbed her head hesitated. 

"You too, "

Inessa nodded at her and then opened the cab's door and then got out of it and as soon as she stepped out and placed her feet on the ground, a bone chilling air stroke against all over her body and face and dried up the lone tear which was rolling down on her cheek by staring at that closed wooden door because she knew what pain it had stored inside it for her but she immediately wiped her face with her palm and then walked towards the door because she also knew that she had no escape from it.

And there sat Mirana inside that cab who was just helplessly staring at her friend's figure which was walking closer to that door of the hell where her soul was going to get ruptured which made a single tear to fall from Mirana's eyes when her eyes had seen that door to get opened and Inessa to get completely disappeared inside it and the door behind her to get shut closed. 

"Hope this new year of your life really gives you the reason where you will not have to hide your tears and fake your smile, Inessa...."