Chapter 92

83(IV). Hum Tere Seher Mein

'And this is Kirti Singh who won the Principal Silver Medal,' Kirti's office head introduced her to the Governor.

'Good evening Sir,' Kirti shook hands with the Governor. 

'Kirti Singh. Yes, I remember you from the training academy. What was the answer you'd given for equity question? The analogy and solution you'd given that day?' Asked Vaibhav Aggarwal, dressed handsomely in a dark expensive suit.

For a moment Kirti thought he would say he knew her as his son's friend. She should have known better. It would have been highly unprofessional in this setting.

'Sir, about the phenomenon being with a deceiving simple outer face while having multiple sides to it?'

When he nodded, Kirti replied, 'Sir, the tip of melting ice was the analogy while the solution was to go by Gandhiji's talisman. Sir, I confess it was something I had read in a book.'

'Haha. Your concepts are strong and your mind and heart is at the right place. Which office have you been placed in?'

'Central Office, Sir, ' she replied.

'Policy making? Good! All the best for your future, ' He said then turned his attention to Yogendra who by the virtue of winning the Gold Medal had been invited to the dinner along with her.

The task then to introduce herself to Governor's wife who stood next to him, fell on Kirti herself.

'Ma'am,' she extended her arm. 'Kirti Singh. Officer Trainee. Batch 2020.' Kirti smiled.

That Rimjhim Aggarwal had been surprised to see her here, had not gone unnoticed by Kirti but the older woman had reined in the astonishment well. A woman like Rimjhim Aggarwal did not reach her position by betraying one's heart in public. She was a lady of class through and through and Kirti aspired to reach that level of stoicness.

Kirti had before cracking the examination held various notions of vengeance against the woman. Flames of revenge had intensified her rigorous preparation.

Once I crack, I will prove to her my worth!

I will show to her I did not need her prince to achieve my dreams!

That I am no gold digger!

But now as she stood shaking the hands of the older woman, oddly she felt nothing. 

There was no sense of insecurity gripping her throat. No frenzied thoughts like what Nishit's mother was going to think or did she still think me to be a loser? Perhaps most of these thoughts stemmed from her own self esteem issues?

'Congratulations Ms.Singh,' Rimjhim returned the smile. 'Welcome to the NBI family. Continue working hard and luck and success will follow you.'

'Thank you, Ma'am.' She said after taking a minute to find her voice; then withdrew from her two minute limelight, stepping back into the shadows.

The lawn was filled with eminent personalities many of whom she did not know about. 

There were also people who she had mugged up about during her preparation, and they now stood before her in flesh and bone.

As Kirti strolled to a corner while Yogendra moved to meet his friends from Statistics Department, Rimjhim Aggarwal had turned to Dr. Vrinda Madhurkar, who was an agricultural economist and a guest professor at Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, said, 'That girl has an inspiring journey.' She was the nominated member of the Policy Committee.

'Who?' Rimjhim asked.

'The trainee who was just here. I was the Chairperson of her interview board. I remember this candidate. She was a sales girl at some shop in the past and to reach this position! It's truly commendable.'

'It is indeed,' Rimjhim eyes sought the mentioned trainee who stood quietly in a corner observing her surroundings just like she used to when she attended the birthday parties when young. She was draped in a flamingo pink sari with a golden zari border; her finely washed and combed to a sheen hair had been pulled back in a chignon at her neck and her straight back exhibited natural confidence and elegance.

'Where's your son, Rimjhim? I can't find him here. I assume he's back?' Vrinda asked, bursting into Rimjhim's reverie.

'Yes. He's busy with something,' Rimjhim evaded.

'Oh. I met him in a forum last year and it was such a pleasure to discuss theories with him. I was looking forward to meet him here.'

'Yes, I remember him mentioning you.' Rimjhim lied.

'I hope what happened early this year did not affect him adversely. I was really furious at insensitiveness portrayed by certain media houses. I hope he sued them.'

'We did,' Rimjhim informed and since it was an uncomfortable subject for her she swiftly moved to other topics. 'How's your son doing? Why didn't he come along with you?'

'Well because of the same reason Prasanna is missing. I guess they got a whiff of our matchmaking plans.'

Rimjhim genuinely laughed.

XxxX

'How long do we need to stay here after dinner?' Kirti asked Yogendra, picking up the dinner plate and serving herself food.

'Not really sure. You have somewhere else to be? Some other plans?'

'Not really. Just asking.' 

Despite herself Kirti had hoped she'd come across Nishit. Like it happened in movies or serials she had grown up watching. 

All day long her blood had thrummed with a nervous energy. She had almost believed her gut that something monumental was to happen after her dream last night where he was back in town. 

But all of it had turned out to be her wishful thinking.

Her head had begun to hurt with the disappointment.  Even Prasanna was not anywhere in sight!

'You did not bring your wife? I was looking forward to meet her.' She asked Yogendra.

'She's got a paper tomorrow.'

'Oh.' Kirti remembered Yogendra mentioning that his wife was pursuing Masters in Education.

They wandered to a small round empty table covered in silk and bow and sat down and started eating as they watched the big shots of their world mingle, laugh and joke.

A few minutes into sitting down and eating when Kirti began to feel an itch in her neck and nape. She wound back her hand to relieve the discomfort away. The burning in her skin felt like an ant's bite. She turned her head to notice that there were ants crawling all over the silken robe of the chair. 

How could she have missed it earlier?

'Ohhh,' she said, getting up and scratching her back as the recognition of the cause made her neck itch more. 'I did not notice!'

'Here,' Yogendra pulled out another chair for her but not before checking it for any pests.

'You'd think ants will leave such elite parties alone,' Kirti murmured.

'They don't distinguish,' He wise-cracked.

Kirti had to despite her antsy state smile at that.

Forced to quickly gobble down her food, Kirti sneaked away to the powder room, so she could finally rub her neck to her heart's content. Outside in front of others she couldn't break out of her elegant lady persona. Here, she turned around, her back facing the mirror and checked out her neck. Sure enough, the ants had managed to leave bumps there. She had a small clutch for a purse and after her phone went in there wasn't much space left for anything else. Thus, apart from a lipstick she wasn't carrying any cosmetic which she could apply on her neck.

She beat her shoulders and back to get rid of any ant stuck by and was exiting the washroom when she met Prasanna and just like that Kirti's night felt better.

XxxX

'I thought you weren't interested in talking to me so I had stopped calling you.' Kirti said, taking in the view of the craft room of Prasanna.

'Oh no, it's nothing like that. With Bhai gone and me being alone I realised I had become very dependent on others and decided to disconnect from others and invest time to reinvent myself. I wanted to find real me.'

'Did you?' Kirti asked.

'I am still in the process. I have decided I don't want to go overseas anymore. These few months I tried a lot of things. I went to stay with Dadi. I volunteered with a few NGOs and I started making these goodies,' Prasanna's hands circled in a sweeping motion.

The teal colored room had walls with inbuilt  low transparent cases that showcased colorful, velvety and adorable plushies.

Kirti pulled out one from one of the wicker baskets placed on the wooden table. It was a light blue dinosaur with a white stomach.

'It's so cute Prasanna! You are so talented. The stitching is so neat.'

'Got inspired by the ladies at Dadi's Institute.'

'Wow. You sure made good use of last few months.'

'I wrote a book too!' Prasanna added, a little shyly.

'Wow!!! Which book? Why didn't I know about it? Tell me the name so that I can buy it immediately. So I befriended an author! Do I get an autographed copy?'

'It's not really that big. I mean I wrote this romance and self-published it on Savanah and I wrote it under a pseudo name.'

When Kirti looked on puzzled, Prasanna rushed to explain, 'I have been waiting to write this really perfect book. But could not come up with a good subject. Then, one day I started writing a romance about a mute girl who loves this guy but cannot express herself. It was far from perfect but it was something. I send it to a few publishing houses but they all turned it down. A few accepted it because of my father's  name but soon enough began mess with my storytelling. So finally I took up this route.'

'Getting a book published is sure a tough business. But - ' Kirti beamed, ' Prasanna, you've become an author! On your own!! That's such a huuuuge thing! What is the book's name?' Kirti immediately fished her phone from her clutch to Google the novel.

'I have a copy with me and I will give that to you!' Prasanna said.

'You will? But I will still want to order one,' Kirti said pulling up the book on the net.

'Mist and a Weeping Rain by Prajakta,' Kirti read it aloud. 'Prajakta eh?' She asked adding the book to her cart.

'I always fancied that name.' Prasanna revealed.

'Oh Prasanna! You are so out my league now! Can't believe a person can achieve so much in such few months.'

'Look who's talking?' Prasanna rolled her eyes. 'I was so surprised when I saw you here. I assume you are now an NBI employee or something related?'

When Kirti filled her in and accepted her good wishes, it was only then she dared to broach the subject, her heart had been so restlessly waiting for.

'And your brother, Prasanna? Does he have any plans of returning?'

'But he has returned!' Prasanna tone was a matter of fact and Kirti's heart sped a several beats faster.

'Has returned!' She could only utter.

'Yes, a month ago itself.'

'A month ago,' Kirti repeated. So when she had landed in Mumbai, he had stepped back into the city too.

'Did you not know Kirti?' Prasanna asked, a genuine surprise evident in her voice.

Kirti shook her head. But she had known, hadn't she? She had felt it in her heart. Him featuring in her dreams regularly was not her obsession but an indication of the Universe, wasn't it?

Ohmygod. Ohmygod. OHMYGOD.

He was back! Her heart flailed like the wings of a bird in a cage.

'Kirti...KIRTI!!!' Prasanna's shrill voice pierced through her haze.

'Huh? I am sorry I was...' Kirti did not finish her sentence. She could not. Her head was buzzing with hopes, with possibilities.

'I said my copy of the book is down there in the cave room. There are stairs so I can't fetch it for you. Can you go and retrieve it for yourself? Who knows you will come across whom there?'

'Huh?' The look in Prasanna's face was trying to convey something.

'The room is bit  on the inside. Take right from here, then go down the stairs. It's a basement room sorts. You will fetch the book?'

'I will,' hoping the whole hopping around in her employer's house was worth the risk. 

[NOCOPY]

[MEMBERSONLY]