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Lipsa Mohanty

Drama

5.0  

Lipsa Mohanty

Drama

I Wish

I Wish

8 mins
3.0K


The crystal droplets of water kissed the wet roads of Mumbai..as Rahul stood there watching the rains with a steaming hot cup of “cutting chai” in one hand and a cigarette bud in the other. The air was a mix of the aroma of fresh hot tea and little smoke rings. It being a lazy Friday afternoon, Rahul had come down for a ‘chai break’ to a small stall opposite his office building.

Juggling between the bud and the brew, his eyes suddenly fell on something that had instantly caught his attention. There, at some distance, a girl was trying to cross the road with two little kids. She was in her early twenties and was clad in a baby pink lucknowi kurti and white pajamas. Her silver danglers danced as the cool breeze caressed her hairs on which the raindrops had settled down like tiny stars in the black sky. The silver bangles in her right hand tinkled when she waved to stop the cars so that she could cross the road. Finally, when the road was empty she went to the other side. As they reached, the kids who were holding onto her hands till now, set themselves free and started playing in the small puddles that the rains had formed in the lap of the earth. Mesmerised by her beauty and innocence, Rahul was lost in her when suddenly he was jolted back to reality, “lets go Rahul, we have a meeting lined up”. Rahul turned one more time to get a last glimpse of her, but by then she had already disappeared.

What followed was a long waiting weekend for Rahul as he had started missing the girl and craved to see her again. Tossing and turning in the bed, Rahul was awake till late night thinking of ideas to find out about the girl but nothing worked in his favour.

Sitting in his office cabin on Monday morning, Rahul thought of going to the same tea stall at the same time in the hope of seeing her again. As soon as the clock struck four, he rushed to the tea stall and waited. But his hopes were shattered when could not get to see her and had to come back disappointed and disheartened. Rahul’s anguish kept intensifying and he could concentrate less on work and more on rummaging ideas to unveil the mysytery of the girl who had his heart skip beats and had left him yearning for her. Days turned into weeks but nothing could solace Rahul and take him out of his thoughts.

As Rahul sat twiddling with his mouse, there was a knock on his cabin door. He gave a blasé look but was taken aback with what he saw infront of his eyes. There she was, standing in person. The girl had suddenly walked out of his dreams and stood before him. Pairing up her whilte kurti with a beautiful bandhej dupatta, she looked ravishing. Her eyes were contoured with a single line of kohl and her lips wore the shine of a pink gloss. Rahul had not even soaked in this ecstatic feeling when she spoke, “Hi I am Ananya.. actually Mr Puri asked me to meet you regarding the cheque for donation to “House Of Hope”. He could not register what she had just said and looked at her in awe. Then regaining his composure, replied “yes..yes we had a discussion about this but I am extremely sorry that the cheque is not ready yet. Ananya, you can leave your number with me, will give you a buzz once it’s done”. (Rahul had cleverly played his cards).

Ananya smiled in affirmation and jotted down some numerical in a small piece of paper.

Two days later, Ananya had missed a call from an unknown number. When she called back, a husky voice greeted her. ‘Hi..Rahul here..its about the cheque. You can collect it tomorrow anytime.’ The conversation ended with an appreciable thank you from Ananya.

Rahul had never taken so much care to get ready for work. But today was different. Clad in a white crisp shirt teamed up with jet black trousers and a neatly trimmed stubble, he epitomized elegance and chivalry. As the watch ticked, the butterflies in his stomach had taken flight and started fluttering. The wait seemed to be never ending. Finally in late afternoon, the embodiment of beauty walked into Rahul’s cabin.

Hi..Rahul! how you doing?

Hey Ananya! Good to see you! Please have a seat!

“Here! This is your cheque”. Rahul’s lips curved into a sweet smile while handing her the cheque.

“Thank you so much! This will shape the future of a hundred little children”. And she too smiled.

I will make a move then, Ananya said and got up to leave. Rahul escorted her till his office gate and got back to work.

The night had descended and as Ananya sat in her balcony sipping her favourite cappuccino, the light in her phone flashed.

Hi Ananya.. its me Rahul! Is this a good time to message?

A large smile spread across Ananya’s face as she took her phone to reply.

Hi..Rahul! nice to hear from you..

Rahul: just pinged to ask if there was any problem encashing the cheque!

Ananya: not at all! I should rather thank you for getting it done so fast. :)

Rahul: well! in that case, can I treat you to a cup of coffee, if that’s fine with you?

Ananya: :)

Rahul: should I take that for a yes?

Ananya: tomorrow 6:30 at Starbucks?

Rahul: wont make you wait :)

Ananya: Goodnight.

Rahul took extra efforts to get ready for the coffee date. After all it would be their first casual meet. At sharp 6:25, he parked his car outside Starbucks and went inside. He chose a corner seat so that they could talk comfortably. He had just taken out his phone when Ananya walked in. After placing an order for two cappuccinos and club sandwiches, they were so immersed in conversing that they lost track of time. It was almost past 8:30 and had started raining incessantly when they left the café.

Rahul: how will you go?

Ananya: I will take a cab.

Rahul: its already raining bad and it wont be safe to go alone at this hour. Come, I will drop you home.

Ananya: no I will manage! Please don’t worry! I will be safe!

Rahul: Ananya, you don’t have to be so formal. Come, sit.. will drop you home.

And they drove off.

“Rahul, at least wear the seat belt!” Ananya said.

“Actually, wearing a seat belt on this jacket is a little uncomfortable”.

Ananya just made a poky face and continued looking at the raindrops that tapped against the glass windows and drew smileys on them.

“Oh God! Rahul! You just jumped a signal..”

“Don’t worry its already raining so badly and there are no cops on the road”.

“But you should not break the traffic rules! Its for our good!” Please be careful with your driving too.

Rahul dropped her and went back home. That night they chatted and talked to sleep.

The next few months were both a mix of blessing and bliss for Rahul and Ananya as they were basking in the glory of their new found love! Movies.. shopping.. luncheon.. dinner.. they did everything together.

It was Ananya’s birthday the next day and Rahul had decided to propose her on this day. He had planned a surprise party for her in a quiet serene resort in Lonavala, surrounded by the green Shayadris. All the arrangements had been done and it was decided that Rahul would pick her up at 9 in the morning.

6th July….

The sun rose high in the sky and its rays played hide and seek on her beautiful face, through the light blue curtains that donned her large glass windows. Ananya quickly got ready and wen down. Rahul was already there, waiting for her with a lovely bouquet of red roses!

Happy Birthday! Princess! You look gorgeous :)

Ananya gave a shy smile and hugged him.

The duo then started off to their destination. Though Rahul’s hands were controlling the steering and the gear, but he could not control his mind and heart, which were constantly going out to the damsel seated beside him. Ananya looked angelic in a red gown that Rahul had gifted her. The beads of pearl on her neck and ears added to its charm. Rahul was spellbound with her looks and was at a loss for words!

“Rahul, see again you are not wearing the seat belt! And what excuse do you have today?”

“Sorry! Let me just drive through this stretch of the road, will wear it after that”.

Ananya: by the way, where are we going?

Rahul: that’s a surprise!but am sure you will love the place!

Ananya: of course! I will.. that’s because I have such a wonderful company :)

Rahul: listen.. can you pass me the water bottle? Its in the back seat pocket.

Ananya: oh my God!! Is that for me?

A big rectangular shaped packet wrapped neatly and tied with a red ribbon was kept on the back seat. Ananya’s eyes gleamed and she chirped in joy as she unwrapped it.

It was a beautiful collage which had all their happy and crazy moments pasted together. The happiness on her face and the twinkle in her eyes made all his efforts worthwhile.

“Thank you Rahul! Thank you so much for this amazing gift! Am gonna treasure it for the lifetime” :)

“Thank you Ananya for making my otherwise boring life interesting and filling it with the essence of your love, innocence and happiness” :)

It was a special day for both of them and Rahul was going to make it a memorable one by proposing her. So it was going to turn into a double celebration for them.

The talks continued as they crossed many small villages and greenery. Right from their childhood stories to their teenage tales, they talked about everything. The car was filled with the warmth of their love and laughter.

“Rahuuuuuuuuul….watch out!”

The car screeched and came to a deafening halt.

“Ananya!!!!!!!!!”

Rahul screamed and opened his eyes! Finally he had come out of his coma after eight long months! The nurse rushed out of the ward to inform the doctor.

EPILOGUE:

It is on few nights that Rahul still wakes up to that screeching sound! Though it was an accident, he blames himself for it.

“I wish, I would have listened to you and had been a little careful with my driving. Life would have been completely different!”

“I wish….”


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