It was 14 February, 2024,
The Valentine's Day.
The sky was clear, but the weather was foggy. The sun was hidden behind thick mist, and only flickers of sunlight pushed through, trying to wash away the fog hanging over beautiful capital of Nepal (a small country situated in South Asia)
At 11 a.m., five friends sat inside a small cyber café, their eyes glued to the screens, waiting for the CA results. The tension was sharp in the air.
In Nepal, Valentine's Day doubles as result day for CA aspirants. Many wait eagerly to celebrate with their partners afterward, turning success into a reason for flowers and chocolates. But for some, heartbreak doesn't come from love..,it comes from failure.
The clock struck 11:11.
A ringtone broke the silence..,
🎵 "It's a beautiful life, we need to live every moment as we wish,… as we want… We need to love the life to live…" 🎵
Jeena picked up her phone.
"Hello… Miss Lî Jeena? I'm calling from One More Life Hospital. Your medical report is ready… But there's something urgent we need to discuss," the receptionist said.
"Yes, sure," Jeena replied, shifting slightly.
"Do you remember the additional tests Dr. Dhital asked for? ( Dr. Dhital is one of the best Cardiothoracic surgeon in the Country ) He needs to speak with you personally. It's important."
"But I just came for a routine check-up to get my medical report for job verification… Were those tests for something else?"
"I'm not authorized to explain, ma'am. But Dr. Dhital asked you to come before noon. His shift ends at 12 o'clock, and he said it's urgent for your life."
She nodded silently, ending the call.
Jeena grabbed her bag and stood up.
Her friends turned toward her, confused.
"What happened? It's almost time! Let's check the results first, and then you can go"
"I know I've passed this time," she smiled. "Whatever the result is, just call me later. I need to leave urgently… I'll explain later, okay? Bye!"
(The life was not easy for the Jeena from the beginning only..)
[Backstory:]
(Tibet, once functioned as a de facto independent state, with its own government led by the Dalai Lama, its supreme religious and temporal leader, was free from Chinese control. But in 1950, China reasserted its claim over Tibet by invading and occupying the region. This event marked the beginning of China's control over Tibet, which continues to this day. . Thousands of Tibetans fled across borders, seeking refuge in Nepal and India.
Among them was Jeena's grandfather.
Still young, he and his wife crossed into Nepal through the Pum Qu River which is also known as the Arun River once it enters Nepal. They settled in Kimathanka, a small, remote village in Sankhuwasabha District which was just border ahead from Žhentaňg of Tibet.
So Kimathanka lies on Nepal's eastern border with Tibet. It's nestled between valleys and gentle Himalayan peaks. Fog often kisses the slopes in the early mornings, while golden light dances across ridgelines on clear days.
To the left of the village sprawls a dense conifer forest, home to unique birds and rare herbs. Though not crowded with wild animals, its quiet richness adds to the mystery of the landscape.
Life there was hard.
The infrastructures were too poor at the time even not fully developed till now. No schools No hospital Not a built road and bridge. There was barely a local market. Most people survived there on subsistence farming.
Jeena's grandparents farmed, built a life from scratch, struggled to settle there and then had a son—Jeena's father. After her grandmother passed, her grandfather served in a local monastery, embracing his Buddhist path.
Jeena's father was… different.
He didn't want the struggle. He wanted shortcuts.
Moreover the forest there provided rare medicinal herbs. He began trading them weekly in Zhêntang, a border town across the Chinese side in Dinggyê County. But this trade was illegal. The crossing itself was unofficial..,it was just an old wooden bridge across the Pum Qu River, used quietly by locals for generations.
During one of his visit crossing the northeastern border of India, he met a woman in Sikkim. They fell in love and married. He brought her back to Kimathanka, where they had two daughters.
But hard times returned.
Jeena's mother left taking the elder daughter with her.
Jeena was left alone with her father. She wanted to move to the capital and work hard to live a better life. But everything came crashing down when her father got arrested for illegal smuggling in Zhentang.
Now, Jeena was all alone.
After graduating in business from a small university nearby, she moved to the capital with high dreams in a hope to build a better life…,but the degree didn't hold much value in the capital. So she pursued CA (Chartered Accountancy) to earn a highly respected degree and started working hard, studying, hustling, and dreaming of a better future and gathering with family again at the good point of time.)
[Back to
The Result Day:]
As Jeena arrived at the hospital, she asked for Dr. Dhital and went to his cabin.
The doctor didn't look at her when he started speaking. He just stared at the report like it had disappointed him personally.
"Jeena," he said, "I'm going to be honest. The scans show advanced Dilated Cardiomyopathy."
"It's a kind of heart failure, your heart is going to die soon," he said. "Your heart muscle is stretched and weak. You're not getting proper blood flow. It's why you've felt tired. The breathlessness? That wasn't just stress."
He turned the monitor toward her. Black and white. A blur she didn't understand.
"You don't have much time… you'll have about 45 to 60 days. Maybe a day less… maybe a day more."
Jeena was trying to understand the situation..,as she uttered..: "Can't it be treated? Isn't there any surgery or treatment, doctor?"
He paused.
"There is… but not for you."
She yet didn't understand
She asked, "Do you think I can't afford it? I can manage it… no matter how much it would cost."
"It's not about the cost," he said softly. "You were born with a much smaller heart than average. A congenital defect. Your chest cavity, your chambers… they're all smaller. Honestly, it should have been detected at birth. I don't know how it wasn't."
Jeena quite understood the situation and clarified to doctor..,"I was born in a small village, doctor. I never went to a hospital. I never got sick. I always thought… whatever life wronged me, at least it gave me a healthy body."
Doctor sighed. "DCM is a treatable disease with major heart surgery or a heart transplant. But in your case, surgery is impossible. And no donor would match."
He nodded. "Even a smaller heart wouldn't fit properly. We've checked your vascular measurements. Your body would reject it instantly. Or worse ..,rupture on the table."
"So that's it?"
It is quite inhuman to say but "you shouldn't have survived this far. But you did. You were a statistical miracle. The life you've lived so far… wasn't supposed to be possible."
(And now, the very miracle that let her survive… was the reason she couldn't be saved. She didn't cry. She didn't know how to react. There was an eerie silence in the room as the clock hit 12, echoing a soft chime. The doctor stood and said, "I have another appointment. If you feel unclear or want a second opinion… you're free to do so.")
As Jeena walked through the hospital corridor with a numb heart and a blank mind, her phone rang. That same beautiful ringtone played.
Jeena: "Hello, Melli?"
Melli: "Congratulations! You passed the exams, Jeena! Now you can finally put 'CA' before your name. Let's celebrate!"
Jeena (softly): "I'm really happy, Melli. And I really want to celebrate with you all. But I have… some other plans. Let's do it next time, okay?"
Melli: "Okay, dear. I know you probably have plans with your Valentine. Go on. Take care!"
At that moment, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad. To mourn… or to celebrate.
"I failed I fell... Finally when I made it all through...it feels like I made a sand castle which is blew by the tide."
"Did I hustle my whole life just to die like this?" she whispered.
"I'm Jeena. I was meant to live… but now I'm supposed to die."
My mom named me Jeena — which means "to live" in Hindi.(The indian language)
"Will I even get to see my parents before I die?"
A thousand dreams… now seemed to have no meaning.
"God can't do this to me. He can't make me survive a miracle birth only to kill me when I'm finally trying to live."
"How can I die without living even one day the way I always wanted?"
"This is not fair!" she screamed outside the hospital.
She looked up at the hospital sign: "One More Life."
She whispered,( In disappointment ) "You don't give one more life. You just give one more chance… and I think mine has already been used."
"But dear God… you can't play with my life like this. If you think you can let people live and die whenever you want — then you're wrong. I don't want to live the rest of my days in fear of death. It's better to end it myself."
It felt like a heavy weight pressing on my tiny heart. I wanted myself to be released from the fear of dying drastically.
I stood at a highway intersection, staring in all four directions. Waiting… to see which way death might come.
Suddenly, a truck sped toward me. I stood still, breath caught in my throat, eyes wide.
As it neared, I closed my eyes — ready to blink life away and embrace death.
TO BE CONTINUED…
PREVIEW TO CHAPTER 2:
Jeena: "Why do I feel dizzy? Why is it all blurred? Who are you? Why has everything stopped? Am I dead?"
Voice: "I'm your soul. We don't decide when to enter or exit the human body. It's all already destined . If you think you can die as you wish, you can't. If you've been given limited time — maybe it's a chance. A chance to live again. Or die meaningfully."
(He threw a charming glance and everything seemed to be frozen in the air.)
(Why did that glance make me smile? Why did my cheeks turned red? Was it because of the cold or was there something else in the air?)
She couldn't figure it out.
A thought crossed her mind: "Is he going to be part of my that last seven minutes?"
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. The characters, events, diagnoses, and locations are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to real people or places is purely coincidental or inspired. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is subject to copyright infringement.