Page 54 of Broken Destiny

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” he said.

I nodded. “Alright. I’ll wait near the Ferris wheel. I want to go on it.”

“Okay,” he replied before heading off toward the restroom.

I walked toward the Ferris wheel line, the towering structure glowing, its lights spinning slowly above the crowd.

And then I spotted her.

Again.

I watched Jiya from a distance as she made her way toward the Ferris wheel with Emma, guiding the little girl carefully through the crowd.

A few minutes later, after waiting in line, they finally reached the front near the loading platform.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” the young ride attendant said politely. “She’s too small for the ride. Another adult needs to sit beside her and you.”

“Mama,” Emma protested, her voice rising. “I go up. I go up. No fair.”

“But my son is in the other one with just one adult and?—”

“I understand,” he replied patiently, “but he's a big kid and can ride safely on that one. Your daughter is too small in height and weight to sit with you on this one. Chances of her slipping out and getting hurt are quite high.”

“I’ll hold on to her really tight. Can’t you make an exception… just this once?”

I could hear the strain in her voice now. She wasn’t arguing out of stubbornness. She was trying to protect her daughter’s happiness. Emma had clearly been excited about this ride, and her lips now pressed in a tight grimace with her shoulders drooping, tugged at something inside my chest.

“I’m sorry. I?—”

“I’ll sit with them.”

The words left my mouth before I had time to think.

The attendant and Jiya turned toward me.

Pin drop silence descended for a few seconds.

“No, it’s fine. We’ll get off,” she said quickly, reaching for Emma. “Next year, sweetheart.”

Emma started to cry.

The sound cut straight through me.

“I said I don’t mind sitting with you,” I repeated calmly. “And it seems like she really wants to go.”

Jiya looked at me, her eyes bulging.

“Thanks, but no thanks. There are many things children want at their age, and sometimes it’s not possible. She’ll learn to understand and accept it.”

She tried to lift Emma again, but the little girl whimpered, clinging to her.

Without thinking, I reached out and placed my hand on Jiya’s arm. The moment my fingers made contact, I felt her body stiffen beneath my touch.

It had been years since I had touched her like that, yet the familiarity of it hit me instantly—like muscle memory returning. I felt the slight tremor that ran through her, and saw the way her breath caught.

I removed my hand quickly as if I had been burned and shoved both hands into my pockets.

“The problem can be solved easily,” I said. “The solution is staring right at you. Let’s sit down and enjoy the ride.”