On A Rainy Day...

It happened on a rainy day..........She doesn't even want to remember about that day.. the most accursed day of her life..... 5 years has passed... Devapriya is doing her final year BSc. Course in Bangalore now. She was very introverted and shy type.. She doesn't have a lot of friends as the other girls at her age. The only friend she is having is her roommate Niharika, who is also her classmate. Niharika is completely opposite to Devapriya. She is very bubbly, smart and noisy type...Devapriya's best friend is her diary which is like her soulmate....

Niharika used to ask her "Devu.......why are you not enjoying the campus life? I feel like you don't know how to laugh...always a same face expression...how is it possible for a normal person dear"

"Am simply like this and I don't want to change myself, dear..." Devu always have the same reply

But nowadays Niharika noticed that Devu smiles sometimes when she writes her diary which doesn't come on her face normally... "Hey, why are you smiling...are you happy? what is the matter.. let me also know about that...."

"It's..nothing... " Devu replied with her usual gloomy look

"Hi Guys..wt's going on..?.Niharika, I need your help in making one love letter prank.. please come with me for some time..." Pooja,their hostel mate called Niharika

" You won't be coming with me na Devu....k.... I will be back soon".... Devu just nodded.. actually Devu was thinking about Niharika's comment on her smile... She started thumbing through her written pages.... What is happening to me... All I have scribbled here is about him only...who is he for me... Why I feel something different for him only... Why I really feel good when I see his smiling face....?? Mohith Verma..,is a smart guy,college union chairman and rank holder of bachelor degree and college's rank expectation for his Post Graduation... But very down to earth nature n warm to all... She likes the way he calls her "Priya...", She didn't talk to him much. But she likes to hear him. He used to come to chit-chat with Niharika. Devapriya enjoys it unknowingly even though she has never been a part of it....

"Am I falling for him...? Am I in love..? How can I...? No....I can't love anyone..." She closed her diary and went to the window side...The stars were twinkling and smiling at her.. A gentle breeze wafted the scent of jasmine flowers in ! she was trying hard to stop her tears which were streaming down her face...

"Devu, come... will go for supper.... The 'delicious' chappathi and dall …oh! I hate that dry chappathi… " Niharka came back to room n talked.

Suddenly Devapriya closed the windows and told "You leave first..I will be coming just after a few minutes…"

No…am not going.. will go together only. tell me what is bothering you…This is not the first time am seeing you like this…I have seen you crying before also…Niharika replied

Ok…ok..it's nothing! am coming…lets go …Devapriya took their plates from the shelf

"Am I not your friend? Y can't you share your problems with me? I don't want my friend as a mysterious person…be frank… I may not be able to vanish all your troubles…but I will reduce your stress for sure…share it … please Devu…" Niharika tried to make her open up.

"It's nothing..You are overthinking…I have already told you sometimes I get homesick… nothing else…come..will have food". She pulled Niharika's hand.

Next day morning Devapriya heard Mohith calling her Priya…, She turned back. She saw Mohith is running towards her. She could feel the pounding of her heart…She could realise that her feelings towards him is blossoming inside…

"Hi Priya, you are alone…Niharika hasn't come today? Actually Niharika asked for a book. It's with me now. Can you please give it to her?"

Eventhogh she likes to be with him, intentionally she started to walk away just after saying "ok" to him.

Priya, wait.. I wan't to talk to you something…Can we walk for sometime ? Mohith stopped her.

Eventhough she really wanted to walk with him and hear from him, she said "Sorry Mohith, I need to meet Our Proffessor Sinha. I was going to his cabin."

"Oh! It's ok then…catch you next time…" Mohith walked away…

"Did you meet Prof.Sinha …? You didn't tell me…I met Mohith on my way to canteen.. I understood you lied..I didn't tell him.. You were avoiding him…right? I can't understand why… ?". Niharika told.

"I just…" Devapriya couldn't give her an answer. She looked Niharika with her miserable eyes…

"Will talk about it later… next is our lab practicals..come.." Niharika didn't pressurize her.

While going back to their hostel they met Mohith and he told he was waiting for Priya." Can we have a talk? "

"Yeah! Sure…Devu is free now. I hope you don't mind if I leave first….Take your time Devu…." Niharika left with a smile.

She felt so nervous and wanted to run away from there….She thought if she could do some magic and make herself vanish at that time.

"Priya…," he called her

 Devapriya lift her face and looked at him. Eventhough she tried her best to wrap her feelings infront of him, her eyes couldn't support her. She couldn't look into his eyes as she felt like she can't hide her feelings towards him any more.

"I have been longing to spend some time with you since the day I met you.. Do you remember the day we met for the first time? Am not sure if you had seen me or not as you are always in your own world… "

Devapriya remembered that she was the one who had noticed him first before he saw her for the first time and she still has a good memory on that…But she didn't reveal that and tried to act like she doesn't remember it at all. But she didn't know that she was blushing and her her eyes were shining……

"Priya, I want to tell you…..Mohith couldn't complete his words as priya suddenly got a phone call. Her face became so pale… her eyes became so miserable… she looked very tensed.

What happened…? Whose call was it? Are you ok? Mohith asked anxiously.

She walked away with teary eyes without even uttering a word….

"Devu, what happened? Who was over the phone? Mohith has just called me now. What is going on your mind…? you have to tell me now.. I won't let you go like this…you have to speak it up…tell me dear, what makes your mind disturbed? Don't lift the burdens alone… Please share it…" Niharika held Devapriya's hand and asked when she entered their room.

"What should I share….Should I tell that my mother had eloped with her old lover… or should I tell that my mother hadn't even thought about me… or should I tell you that she made my life like an empty desert…Devapriya screamed….. I don't know why I still love her a lot and miss her very badly…. I am not able to hate her or erase her memories… I thought my mother is my idol… You don't know how much I loved her. My world was simply around her only. I have never seen her anger but have seen her caring for me… I experienced the divine love from her… Then why? Tell me why she had gone leaving me crying behind..? Tell me Niharika…

Niharika couldn't find words to console her… She hugged her and told "sorry to hear my dear…you cry.. until all your wrapped grief melts… if an important person leaves from your life doen't mean it's the end of your life. Its just an end of their part in your life. You have only one life. Live it happily. Don't think that you are alone. Am I not your friend and sister? Cheer up… I won't let you sit like this. Let us go to cafeteria and have coffee. Come…" Devapriya followed Niharika as an obedient kid.

"She was over the phone and not even a word came out from my mouth at that time. So many things I wanted to hear from her…so many questions were in my mind… But I got shocked seeing her call. It has been 4 years since I talked to my mom and suddenly when I got a call I couldn't say even a word. She requested me to meet her tomorrow morning near our collage bus station. She didn't talk anyhtng more.I don't know am happy or sad." Devapriya took a deep breath

Devapriya received a message on her phone. Hi Mohith here. Is everything fine ? are you ok now?

"Devu, don't run away from your true feelings…" Niharka told her

Before going to bed Devapriya dropped a message to Mohith that she wants to meet him at 9 tommorrow morning and will be waiting for him under the last gulmohar tree.

Mohith reached at 8.30 itself there and he saw that Priya was already there. He checked her message and confirmed that she told him to come at 9.

"Hi Priya, you came so early…Then … Yesterday… What I wanted to tell you is…."

"Before I hear you, I want to tell you something. After that you decide whether you want to complete your incomplete lines or not " Devapriya interrupted him

"No need of it Priya. Niharika told me everything. I know your situation. Eventhough I can't change anything, I can support you. There was nothing that you could do… don't be upset. "He told

"No Mohith! Niharika doesn't know the full story". Devapriya's voice was very strong

It's fine Priya. If you want to share something… am happy to hear from you.

 "I am not a virgin" Suddenly she said.

What did you say Priya….? He asked slowly

"Yes, what you heard is right. I was raped, brutally raped. Before 5 years."

Mohith could see that her eyes n words were very sharp at that time.

"It was on a scary rainy day, the most accursed day of my life! Can you believe that It happened in my home, in my room itself…? He came into my room while I was taking rest on my bed. Nobody was there. It had been raining for that whole day. He had locked my room before I could realize what is happening to me. I was not strong enough to resist him. I cried,yelled, begged in front of him. But he didn't show any mercy on me. I cried so loudly, but nobody was there to save me. I was in hospital for one week."

" Won't you ask who was that heartless man?"

Mohith couldn't talk anything and just looked at her.

"The only person who could come to my room was my own father. The person who gave me birth was the same person who had ruined my life. The wounds he had created on my mind was bigger than the wounds he had given me on my body. Only my mother's younger sister knows about this as she had arrived on the same day at my home from Bangalore. She took care of me. As I was in a mental trauma I had gone throgh several counselings. Now am staying with her."

After a small silence Devapriya asked " Do you still want to make me hear those unspoken words ?" She looked at his face... inside her heart she was expecting those words which she wanted to hear from him...

He didn't tell anything. He was not able look in to her eyes.

"Mohith, come here…" His friend called him.

He walked away from her sight with out even a word… She looked at him going... with a smiling face. She didn't cry.

Devapriya's mobile rang. 'Mom calling'.

She walked towards the bus shelter and it was raining there…