It was her first day in Mumbai & it was raining cats and dogs. She took out her hand from the windowpane & felt the raindrops on her small, delicate hands. She was enjoying every bit of it. She had a reason to.
She was here, in this city of dreams, with her father. Her
mother and sister were back in Chandigarh
for Anya, her sister, still had some auditions left. Then they both would come
here too, she thought sadly. She wished her mom would love her the same way she
loved Anya. She wished her mom would cater to her needs the way she listened to
Anya's. She wished --
"Kiya beta, have you begun unpacking?"
And she was broken from her reverie of thoughts.
"No dad, not yet. Abhi karti hun"
She, Kiya, was her dad's princess. Kiya loved her dad. And they shared a wonderful father-daughter relationship.
Mr. Gujral came into Kiya's room & smiled on seeing her daughter playing with the raindrops just the way she used to when she was 7. Well, now she was 17. Ten years! And she hasn't changed a bit, thought Mr. Gujral amusingly.
"Kiya, I have enrolled you in Royal Academy, which is the most prestigious school of Mumbai. You'll be joining from tomorrow. Is that alright beta?"
"Ofcourse dad. Thankyou! I love you."
"Love you too beta."
& saying so, Mr. Gujral left her room.
Kiya was happy. It'll be a new beginning, she thought. New school, new teachers
& the best part, new friends!
There was another thing that Kiya was happy about. No mom for almost a month
which meant she could do whatever she want & not worry about spoiling her
sister's evolving career.
She begun unpacking & arranged her clothes neatly in the
almirah. Underneath all the clothes, was a diary. Her personal diary. She sat
on the bed & opened it. There was a picture of her in a shining, bright,
new uniform & under that picture was written "My first day in I standard"
in her beautiful handwriting. She smiled and turned the page over.
A class photograph. VI standard. & there he was, standing right next to her
in the picture, smiling his ever charming smile. & before she could stop them,
tears had rolled down her cheeks.
"Where are you Keshav? Where did you go? You didn't even bother to write to me
once? Don't you miss me Keshav? Your best friend? I miss you a lot Stoneface. Like
hell. You were the only "friend" I had. The rest weren't friends. They were just
fellowmates. No one understood friendship. It was you who valued friendship. I
miss you Stoneface. I really do."
"Kiya, come here princess."
"Coming Dad!"
& she went away wiping her tears.
"Kiya, how would you like to spend your first day in Mumbai?"
"Dad, the weather is so beautiful. Let's just roam around the city."
"Chalo, lets go. "
& so they went. And what a day it was! Kiya loved it. She couldn't remember
the last time she was so happy.
They came back home & hopped on to their beds and in a minute, they were asleep.
MEANWHILE'
"Is my mind playing tricks with me?
No, this is not possible.
But then why can't it be?
Was that really her?
But how come she's here in Mumbai?
Whatever the reason is, the best part is that she's here!
Oh god, I'm not even sure if it's her & I'm already beaming with joy."
Keshav Desai had been walking around the city enjoying the weather when he saw her. His heart had stopped beating for a second. He looked down & when he looked up, she was gone.
"If it was Chicklet, then I'll see her again. I should better go to sleep else I'll be late for school."
& he surely didn't want to be late, since students of Royal Academy
are expected to be punctual. π
Part 2
The next morning.
"Bye Dad."
"Bye Kiya. Take care."
..
"Bye Maa."
"Bye Keshu."
Oh Kiya, I've missed you so much. I hope you are really here in Mumbai. I hope
you'll forgive me for not being in contact with you, he thought.
I hope I make some friends, although no one can take the place of Mr. Stoneface, she thought.
Keshav reaches Royal Academy & sits on the last bench in his classroom. He opens his textbook & begins reading it. But his mind kept drifting away for he really wished Kiya to be here. & now that he thought he had seen her, he was missing her badly.
Kiya entered her classroom & sat on the first bench,
which happened to be the only vacant one. She turned around and saw her new
classmates chatting around. No one paid attention to her since everyone was
busy with their own friends. Except for one boy. She couldn't see his face
since he was busy reading with his head bent down.
Keshav bhi bilkul aise hi last seat par baithkar padha karta tha, thought Kiya with a sad smile.
At that moment, the teacher entered the classroom. Everybody stood up to wish her.
The teacher asked Kiya if she was new. Kiya nodded.
"What is your name child?", she asked.
"Ma'am, my name is Kiya Gujral."
Keshav looked forward, stunned. So she is here. And his happiness knew no
bounds.
Thankyou God, thankyou so much. As soon as this class gets over, I'll give her a surprise! , he thought.
But, what if she doesn't forgive me. Or if she doesn't remember me. Or even if she does, what if she no longer wants to be my friend. Or -- Stop it. Jo hoga, dekha jayega.
& he waited for the class to get over. Sitting in his favourite class for 45 minutes had never been this difficult for him.
The bell rang. & he jumped with joy.
All the students rushed out of the class leaving the two of them alone in the classroom. She was not aware of his presence. She took out her cell to check for any messages her dad had left for him. & what Keshav saw filled him with different emotions at the same time. So she remembers me, he thought with joy. He had seen Kiya's wallpaper. It was a picture of him & Kiya together.
VI standard. McDonalds. 17th September 2006. It had been his
birthday. Yes, he remembered. He remembered each and every moment he had spent
with her. Because she was his best friend. She still is. And shall always
remain.
He crept up quietly behind her & put his hands over her
eyes.
"Kaun hai? Remove your hands. Who's it? Kya tareeka hai? Dekho, remove your
hands, warna I'll shout." Kiya warned him.
And he let out a small laugh. She hasn't changed a bit, he thought.
"Hey Chicklet."
And the words kept ringing in her ears. No, this is not possible. Keshav? Here,
in Mumbai? In Royal
Academy? In my class?
God, I hope you're not playing a trick on me.
"Stoneface?"
"Who else, Kiya?"
& she removed his hands & turned around.
"I'm sorry Kiya"
"It's okay Keshav."
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
They both had tears in their eyes & were beaming with joy. None of them
said a word, just sat there silently with each other.
And the world became a better place to live in!
_______________________
This is it guys. That was the end. A happy one. π³
Comments/criticisms welcome. π
Don't want to comment? Hit the 'like' button! π³ π
Love,
Yoshita β€οΈ