another name—a friend she was going to meet first, so that she could take her notes. But her mother had already smelled something fishy and she looked at Neeru and asked, ‘Neeru. What’s happening?’
And Neeru, helping her elder sister out of the mess, replied, ‘Mumma, she has to get her maths notes from a friend, first.’
At that moment, the cab arrived at the dairy where their mother was to halt. I’m sure she wanted to say a lot of things to her daughters, especially the elder one but, because of my presence, she only said, ‘Come back home on time.
Theek hai
?’
‘
Haanji.
Yes, Mumma,’ the females in the cab replied. And I bid goodbye to their mother for the last time.
A soon as she left and the cab moved on, Neeru and I both yelled, ‘What the hell did you do!?’
Khushi looked down and said, ‘Sorry,’ like a kid whose parents have caught him breaking a window with his cricket ball.
‘
Marte marte bache hain … Ye bhi naa
,’ Neeru said.
Still, all of us were relieved by the narrow escape. But it was not an escape. Parents know their children so well. They have spent much more time than us in this world and, of course, if at our age we think we are smart, then at their age they are smarter. Her mother had understood very well that her elder daughter was definitely not heading towards IMS but someplace else. But that’s the beauty of a mother’s heart. She allowed her to go, without letting her know that she knew where her daughter was going.
Back in the cab, Neeru and I were laughing at Khushi’s great work. I noticed the driver’s smiling face in the rearview mirror. He had also figured out what we were up to. In another five minutes, we reached
IMS, where Neeru got down.
‘Bye-bye beautiful,’ I waved my hand.
‘Byeeee,’ she sang in her sweetest voice and reminded me, ‘Bring me a ton of chocolates from the US.’
‘I will, for sure,’ I replied.
She then walked towards her destination and we moved towards ours—the hotel I was staying in, in Delhi. This part of the plan even Neeru didn’t know about. All she was told by her sister was that we were going to watch a movie. A double-cross!
Khushi, again, touched my heart with this. I was happy seeing her excitement and satisfaction matching mine. My love had cooked up a story to spend time with her prince charming. (Oh, yes! I was given that title by my princess, that evening.) I appreciated her guts and her willingness to be with me. After all, she was the one who lied and planned things. The eagerness in her, to spend a few more moments with me, an evening … The trust she showed in me that day created an intangible bond between our hearts.
I turned towards her and saw that beautiful innocent face glowing with happiness. I was sitting by her side and it was like being in a beautiful dream. Yes, I know what was happening was all real. Yet, it was so magical. Even the air that surrounded us in the cab was different. I felt great and was glad that she was mine and I was with her. And, at that point of time, I never knew she was going to give me the best hour of my life.
At about 6 p.m. that evening, we reached my hotel. Before we got down, I asked the cabdriver to be back by 7.30 so that Icould drop her home by 8.45 or so. According to the plan, her class at IMS was to last till 8.30 that evening.
Walking up the staircase of the hotel I felt a different feeling. I found myself among a different section of my friends. Friends who possessed a girlfriend, with whom they hung out in their cars, took them out to dinner, or maybe to a disco or a movie. Maybe their girlfriends had to lie to their families too, just like mine. I don’t know why I never felt that way earlier. Khushi had been in my life for a couple of months by then. But I guess her presence in front of me was making me see myself in that class of my friends. And, to be honest, seeing myself in that category was exciting. With her in my life, the world appeared
And Neeru, helping her elder sister out of the mess, replied, ‘Mumma, she has to get her maths notes from a friend, first.’
At that moment, the cab arrived at the dairy where their mother was to halt. I’m sure she wanted to say a lot of things to her daughters, especially the elder one but, because of my presence, she only said, ‘Come back home on time.
Theek hai
?’
‘
Haanji.
Yes, Mumma,’ the females in the cab replied. And I bid goodbye to their mother for the last time.
A soon as she left and the cab moved on, Neeru and I both yelled, ‘What the hell did you do!?’
Khushi looked down and said, ‘Sorry,’ like a kid whose parents have caught him breaking a window with his cricket ball.
‘
Marte marte bache hain … Ye bhi naa
,’ Neeru said.
Still, all of us were relieved by the narrow escape. But it was not an escape. Parents know their children so well. They have spent much more time than us in this world and, of course, if at our age we think we are smart, then at their age they are smarter. Her mother had understood very well that her elder daughter was definitely not heading towards IMS but someplace else. But that’s the beauty of a mother’s heart. She allowed her to go, without letting her know that she knew where her daughter was going.
Back in the cab, Neeru and I were laughing at Khushi’s great work. I noticed the driver’s smiling face in the rearview mirror. He had also figured out what we were up to. In another five minutes, we reached
IMS, where Neeru got down.
‘Bye-bye beautiful,’ I waved my hand.
‘Byeeee,’ she sang in her sweetest voice and reminded me, ‘Bring me a ton of chocolates from the US.’
‘I will, for sure,’ I replied.
She then walked towards her destination and we moved towards ours—the hotel I was staying in, in Delhi. This part of the plan even Neeru didn’t know about. All she was told by her sister was that we were going to watch a movie. A double-cross!
Khushi, again, touched my heart with this. I was happy seeing her excitement and satisfaction matching mine. My love had cooked up a story to spend time with her prince charming. (Oh, yes! I was given that title by my princess, that evening.) I appreciated her guts and her willingness to be with me. After all, she was the one who lied and planned things. The eagerness in her, to spend a few more moments with me, an evening … The trust she showed in me that day created an intangible bond between our hearts.
I turned towards her and saw that beautiful innocent face glowing with happiness. I was sitting by her side and it was like being in a beautiful dream. Yes, I know what was happening was all real. Yet, it was so magical. Even the air that surrounded us in the cab was different. I felt great and was glad that she was mine and I was with her. And, at that point of time, I never knew she was going to give me the best hour of my life.
At about 6 p.m. that evening, we reached my hotel. Before we got down, I asked the cabdriver to be back by 7.30 so that Icould drop her home by 8.45 or so. According to the plan, her class at IMS was to last till 8.30 that evening.
Walking up the staircase of the hotel I felt a different feeling. I found myself among a different section of my friends. Friends who possessed a girlfriend, with whom they hung out in their cars, took them out to dinner, or maybe to a disco or a movie. Maybe their girlfriends had to lie to their families too, just like mine. I don’t know why I never felt that way earlier. Khushi had been in my life for a couple of months by then. But I guess her presence in front of me was making me see myself in that class of my friends. And, to be honest, seeing myself in that category was exciting. With her in my life, the world appeared
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