Aditya & Zoya retelling or ff, I'm not sure it. - Page 2

Aditya

Aditya goes into the bathroom and as he looks at himself in the mirror and buttons up his shirt, he grumbles to himself, "go wherever you want to. Wow!" I take my toothbrush and notice my gel toothpaste is missing. "Puja! Where is my gel toothpaste?"

"I'll get it tomorrow, Adi. Please use this for a day!"

"Okay, ma'am!" I shout mockingly. "She woke me up before time and now wrong toothpaste. Wow!" I resume my grumbling and as I start to brush my teeth, Sakshi ma in law walks in and hits me on the head.

"It’s not her but you that is wrong. She remembers every little thing about you." She starts counting on her fingers. "Your toothpaste, your aftershave and everything else and you have forgotten such a huge occasion?"

I look at her in shock and ask "Annimershary?" I decide to spit out the toothpaste and rinse my mouth to speak more properly.

"Not the anniversary, it's her birthday." I look up at her, ‘I forgot Puja's birthday again?’

"Plus, you said so much to her that you'll go far and you'll go to New York..." ‘Was she listening through the door?’

"And so many bad things." I wipe my mouth giving up on properly brushing my teeth. "Very bad," she says living me too late to think about finishing my task. I make a face at the mirror and the mirror makes a face back. Knowing how much trouble I'm in, being woken up by an alarm is the least of my troubles and now even my own reflection is mocking me for my mistake. I ditch bathing for now so I can talk to my wife whose uncaring behavior today makes more sense now.

She's still in our room, packing her clothes onto a suitcase. Oh man I'm in real trouble if she's packing. I opt to take the simplest way out of this situation, beg. "You thought I forgot your birthday and now you're leaving the house?" I hold my ears to show my sincere apology. "I am sorry. I genuinely forgot your birthday. I'm really sorry. I am sorry. I am absolutely sorry."

"It's okay Adi." Her words keep me from more begging. "You don't need to apologize because I am used to it."

Wait what? "Used to it?" I ask taking her arms to turn her around, so she can face me and stop her packing. "Wow! Emotional drama! My tragedy queen." I say squeezing her cheeks a little. "My love, my life." I hold her arms again to stop her from resuming her mission. "My love, my life." I manage to get a little smile out of her. "My love is not fake. I made a mistake. Please forgive me. I Love you. Please smile.” I want a bigger smile now "A tiny smile?" I say, hoping to make her laugh.

"Okay Adi, now let me pack," she says getting back to packing and I turn her around.

"No. Okay, I need a huge smile. I need full-fledged laughter."

"Stop it." She tries to pull away as I start tickling her. "Don't. Adi, don't." As she gives in to the need to giggle, she drops something, we both look down and I notice her long time diary. The only thing she has never shared with me. It’s a light brownish, vintage looking diary, with circular patterns all over the cover. It has long lines on the spine and a white wool like thread that attaches to a fastener to close it. She nervously looks at me like she's afraid I might take it and before she can pick it up. I snatch it from the floor and give my back to her so she can't reach it. I'm in the mood to tease her and have always been curious about the diary."Adi."

"Okay." I tap on its sides in anticipation. "I have been looking at your diary since we were kids." I settle myself on the couch as if readying myself for a long read. "Now, that we are married. I should know what's written in the diary."

"Adi, you are not supposed to read people's diaries. Please," she says looking nervous.

"There's nothing private between spouses." I say." You know all my passwords, right?" I unwind the thread around the diary while looking at her very uncomfortable face, as I'm about to open the diary-

"Adi, please give it back to me," she begs. Giving up on my teasing when I see how uncomfortable she is, I close it again.

"Okay, I won't. I know that you love your privacy. Here, I am not reading it." I reattach the thread and give it back to her, she takes it relieved and turns around. "However, one day I will." She walks away so I speak louder. "I want to find out what you write about your husband."

She resumes Her packing. "Even if you do find out you won't be able to do anything about it," she confidently declares. "Mmh You have now married me." I stand up, bewildered that she could actually be hiding something.

"Hey!" I hold onto her arms again a little baffled by her words. "Are you really hiding something?"

"Adi, there is no person in this world who shares everything with someone. If there is someone who claims to do it, then it's a lie." This is news to me, is she really hiding something important from me, her best friend? And here I was thinking her biggest secret was something like how me not waking up early sometimes annoyed her.

She knows I don't do well with big secrets, hence we agreed to not keep them between us. We promised to respect each others privacy as long as we were always honest with one another about things that matter. A promise we made back before we even dated.

A promise that came from a place of the betrayal we both felt when our Pa’s lied to and cheated on our Ma’s. And as I fully trust her it never occurred to me to worry. As she tries to walk away again. I hold onto her hand and don't face her as I talk in a tone that I don't often use with her. A tone that I mostly reserve for liars and cheats.

"A liar is someone who hides the truth. Someone who keeps secrets. Someone who lies." I look back at her without turning the rest of my body. "The other name of lying is trickery. Cheating." I add as we both turn to fully face each other. "And you know I hate cheaters!" I finish with conviction, because she knows why I hate them, she was there. She saw and experienced it with me...

Aditya at age 12 & 16

I'd come back home early so I could do my homework and call my friend. At the time Puja was my study partner and also one of my closest friends. Her father had also cheated on her mother. But hers left them for the other woman and never came back, while mine kept going back and forth, which is how we first met.

She was at school one afternoon and I found her in one of the classrooms I used to practice law in. I wanted to impress Pa when he got home from work with my latest knowledge of law. I found her there, sitting in the classroom crying over her Pa leaving her and her ma. We were both 12 at the time.

At first, I wanted to run away and avoid her, but then I remembered the challenge my friend had given me to be nicer to at least one girl this year and she would try to at least make one friend at her school. I figured this was my opportunity. After this I never have to talk to her again. I don't hate girls, my ma is a girl, I just never thought of befriending one again. My friend never managed to make a friend though. She tried, but no one was interested, instead she seems to have made a friend to yet another tree.

I sat next to her and gave her a tissue, she took it. After a while of sitting in silence something I learned from ma, I just let her cry for as long as she needed, she started talking. ‘My dad left us for another family this morning and I don't think his coming back.’

After a couple of minutes of contemplating whether or not it would help if I told her my story, I decided to tell her. ‘Pa often leaves for other women and I come here to practice law, hoping to impress him enough to make him want to not go away, because I'm scared one day he will leave and never come back.’

For a while we sat in silence and not knowing what else to say I got up to leave and she took my hand to stop me from leaving and said, ‘I'll help you learn law.’ She smiled through her tears. ‘We’ll make sure he doesn't leave.’ From that day on we became friends and met every day to study law and later became study buddies.

The day things changed and Puja soon became my best friend we were 16. Arjun was at school and went to his friend’s house so we were not expecting him until much later. When we came in, the house was empty and there were pieces of glass and furniture on the floor. As if the furniture was playing a game of who can break into the most pieces.

Ma was nowhere to be found which was strange for her as she always greeted us with snacks when we got back home. And spent close to an hour wanting to know how our day went, hence I came home early. I didn't want to have to call my friend too late.

The broken furniture and my parents fighting the night before left me worried that this time, Pa may never return and I'm glad I only brought Puja with me as I never told most of my other friends about Pa. I don’t want Ma to be publicly humiliated.

We both go upstairs to check on her first and we find her on the floor. Sitting with a piece of paper in one hand and Scotch on the other. The scotch itself is still full and sealed, but she has a slack face and blank eyes, a look that I have never seen before and scares me more than her crying herself to sleep at night ever did.

She had cut off all our phone cables, later she told me it was because people wouldn't stop calling the house and she needed silence. For the first time that year I didn't call my friend, nor did I call her for a couple of days. When I did things were not the same, we fought more and more... And I became closer with Puja as she understood what I was going through and my friend never could.

Zoya

Our house walls are white, with a green roof and the main bedroom has a big balcony space that overlooks the mountains of Mussoorie. I spend most days on this balcony awaiting Yash's return, hoping to get a glimpse of the airplane that might be carrying him. I hate boarding planes, but I love watching the ones that bring Yash back to me.

Today is not one of those days that I watch out for his arrival though. Today I go out into the balcony to talk to Yash because his home. "I think we should write Happy Anniversary on this with crystal to make it look better." I say still holding my hand made heart.

"Zoya, please don't do anything now. You've already ruined your dress." I put the heart down, turn around to face him and put my clay filled arms around his neck. "Before this I looked beautiful to you in every dress now a little sand... is making it look bad?"

"Zoya," he says putting an arm on my back.

"You look beautiful to me everywhere, every time and in every dress." This puts a smile on my face. "I Love you. No matter what."

I tuck my arms around him more snuggly and smile teasingly. "I have suddenly started doubting that. Should I test it?"

"How" I come closer to his throat. "Zoya, what are you doing?" I back away from him a little "Zoya...." He turns us around so that his back is towards the view. "... you'll ruin my clothes."

"You can take them off, then." I look at him putting one hand on his neck and the other on the front of his grey Hoodie. I start to smear some of the clay residue on his hoodie to further encourage him to take it off.

"So is that the plan... For our anniversary?" He says wiping off some of the clay on my chick. "To play with muck?"

"Anyway, I was wondering..." I say ignoring him and still wiping some of the clay on him with a playful smile on my face.

"Yes."

"That... I'll clean it later..." A text message interrupts us. "Let it be." I request.

"Well. It could be important." I put my hands around his neck. This time to stop him from taking his phone.

"More important than your wife?" I ask him a little hurt and mad.

"Uhh, huh. Still, I should check." He then pulls my arms away from him and holds my wrists. "Sorry." He let’s go of my wrists and takes his cellphone. He moves away from me and looks at the text.

I turn my attention to our view. I don't know many people in our neighbourhood as all the houses are far apart and I hardly ever see anyone coming out of their houses from our view point. I'm not sure how many houses are actually occupied with people. The trees are more real to me than my neighbours. We have very long, green trees around here and as trees tend to live for a long time they are always there, throughout every season... Yash comes back after reading the text. "Zoya, I.."

"hmh."

"I need to leave early. Something urgent has come up." I feel my stomach drop in disappointment.

"What is this, Yash? You stay in Mussoorie only 4 days a week. Then you go to Mumbai." I take his hand. "Yash, tomorrow is our anniversary and-"

"I know, Zoya. The anniversary is tomorrow, not today. I'll go now and return at night. Listen. I'll return before midnight, I promise. We'll bring in our anniversary together." He holds our hands between us. "Zoya, I promise."

I look at him for a second and walk back into our room in a huff. "Yash, I must say, these days you stay aloof. A little distracted." I open our wardrobe to start packing his clothes and take out his suitcase.

"What do you mean?" He says, putting some shaving cream on his face. "I listen to your blabbering daily, with full attention. Uncle Hari did this and Haseena did that." He continues applying the cream while I start taking out his clothes to pack them.

"You listen to all that, but you don't do anything. Earlier you used to make plans for our anniversary," I say waving my hands in the air. "You used to bring surprise gifts, now..." As I take out more clothes in the wardrobe something small and square falls out. I look down and take it. It looks like an almost transparent, see through plastic or glass jewelry box. I open it and find a ring inside.

I exhale in surprise and a joy bubbles up from my belly to my throat and comes out as a series of excited shouting. "Yash! Yash! this is so stunning! The ring is very beautiful!" Laughter takes over and I throw the clothes on the bed and run back to him. “Oh my God! Yash, this is so beautiful!" I pull him in for a hug not noticing he cut himself while shaving. "Thank you so much!" I shout excitedly. "I'm sorry for saying all that, but this ring is so beautiful. Yash, thank you!" I say admiring my ring. "I'll wear it" I try to put it on, but it’s a size too big. "It's a little loose. Have you forgotten my size?" I say looking at him up my nose, mock angry.

"Well-"

I interrupt him. "Actually, you know what? I have lost some weight. Never mind. I'll wear it after wrapping a black thread around it. Then, I won't attract the evil eye either," I say hugging him. "I love you, Yash. Thank you so much! Look at how beautiful it is! Right?" I say showing off my ring finger. "Now, I'll never remove it. Never. Sorry. You continue shaving. Okay?" I run off to finish his packing, never noticing the look of shock on his face.

Zoya

Later I stand on our driveway. Freshened up in a long white dress and him a suit. l wave my goodbye to him, unable to speak. "Bye." He says. Carelessly walking away and getting into his white car. The car drives away leaving me looking on.

Not for the first time I feel I should not have let him go. I should have held him longer. begged him to stay more, but unlike the other times. This time, I feel like that was my last goodbye....

"I know, Yash it's something very important and that's why you are leaving me alone here and going, but I don't know. I don't know why I'm feeling so restless." I say my heart sinking again.

"No matter why Yash is going... I hate you." I try to get rid of the bad feelings by looking at my new ring. This puts a smile on my face. "At least you are here even if Yash isn't here. Together we will plan our anniversary. Okay?" I say kissing the ring.

As I walk back to the house a storm starts to build, which makes me look up at the sky in worry. When I was younger it was because it meant the sun was hiding behind the clouds and I didn't like it when the sun hid. That feeling left when I met my friend.... But then he went away from me and with his departure the anxiety came back. And it took Abhu the rest of the year to convince me bad weather did not mean bad things are going to happen. Now it seems to be back again. And this worries me.

"Oh, God. The weather had to be bad today." The day he left it was raining too and now... " I hope, his flight isn't delayed because of the weather and he comes home late." I hold my ring finger close to my chest while I look at the sky. ‘This time, Yash won't leave, not like...’ No, I don't know why I'm thinking about him so much today. I haven't thought of him this much in years, nor has thoughts of him troubled me this much in a long time... ‘but... Yash, he's coming back.’ I will the heavens to hear my silent plea.

Aditya

"Adi, I..." I interrupt her, because as much as I hate cheaters, I remind myself who I’m talking to. I remind myself that she would never cheat on me. She's the one person who knows everything I went through during that time and the memory of this gives me complete confidence in her. Anyway, today is her birthday not a day to bring up my least favourite topic, cheaters. Whatever she's hiding in her diary can wait until she can share it with me.

I make her sit on the corner of our brown leather couch. "What are you talking about? Come here. Sit here." I sit on the corner of the other couch. "I have an idea. Sit. You'll love this. I'll call at my office. I'll call in sick. You cancel your trip. We'll go to Dubai for 2 days," I say making a two sign with my fingers. "We'll invite all our school friends too. I'll go, get the mobile," I say grabbing my mobile from the zebra striped chair.

"You message them, make a group.

"Yes." I say distractedly.

"And get scolded too." I look up at her confused.

"Why?"

"Because, except you, everyone knows that my birthday is tomorrow not today." I hold up my phone and turn around in shame.

"Your mother-in-law told you that it's my birthday, but didn’t tell you when." I give up on the trip idea and put my phone down, once again, I have been caught.

I half heartedly hold my ears again. "Now, even sorry won't work." I say embarrassed. I can never hide anything from Puja.

"Exactly."

"Let's do one thing. Forget Dubai, let's go to Paris." I suggest and raise my hands a little more excited again.

"Yeah. Let's go to Paris. After all the expenses you'll borrow money from me at the month's end." I put down my raised hands, deflated by her comment.

"Thank you! I don't want to go to Paris," she says getting up to take something.

"No," I say not giving up.

"And besides I need to go to Chennai for my exhibition. And Captain, you can't cancel your flight at the last minute." I still give her a pleading look.

"Okay fine. You return from Kathmandu I'll return from Chennai and we'll bring in my birthday together before midnight," she says holding my cheeks to soothe me.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure." She goes to the mirror to put on lip stick. After a moment I follow her and hold her from behind.

"You are leaving." I say looking at her looking at me through the mirror. "Please don't go." I plead with my eyes. I hold her lightly by the shoulders and she looks up at me, I pull back her hair and put it behind her ear to-

"Adi, come on!" She says pulling away and putting her lipstick back to its place. "Even the boy who said this dialogue has grown up. When will you grow up." I walk back to her as she resumes her packing.

"Never. I'll never grow up. I'll spend my life with you like this. I love you, Puja." Done with her packing she gets ready to go downstairs, but I softly pull her back by her hand. "Go wherever you want, but remember nobody will love you more than me," I say smiling at her back in contentment.

We walk to the dining/living room together. "Return soon," I plead.

"Hmm," she replies distractedly. "Good morning, mom! I'm leaving," she says when she sees her ma and goes for a hug.

"Have a safe trip." She replies.

"Thank you." I watch on happy to see my two-favorite people in the world together and join on hugging her too.

"Bye, mom in law," she says, hugging Ma.

"See you," she responds.

I sneak in a question to ma-in-law. "Why didn't you tell me, her birthday is tomorrow?"

"You are-"

Puja interrupts our chat when she comes back to give me a hug. "Bye." She finally leaves the house and as she does I hear Mr. Hooda's footsteps coming down the stairs. He comes down like a shadow looming over us. He walks confidently while his butler follows.

I use to look up to those walks and imitate his every movement, while reciting the little law book I snuck into my room in hopes to impress him into never leaving again. I joined every debating class and topped everyone in hopes that he would notice. And he did, but it was never enough for him to stop seeing the other woman.

Now every time I hear his footsteps come down the stairs. I remember the days I longed for them. And silent rage lingers in my heart at his audacity to walk around freely as if his footsteps were always there.

Thank God he was upstairs when Puja left. I look away trying to ignore him.

Subconsciously pulling up my sleeves as if ready for a fight, but it’s not a physical fight that I'm bracing for, we have never needed it, nor will I ever need it with him. Words are our biggest weapons in this house. And that is what I'm bracing for.

He greets everyone and they greet him back. He sits down and at the corner of my eye I see his butler put his suitcase on the floor next to him. “Adi, did Puja go to the exhibition?" Ma asks.

"Yes." I say taking an apple so I can make a quick exit, before-

"If they were going to the airport then they could have gone together." Mr Hooda says to my Ma taking out todays paper to read. I look at him my escape plan evaporating, he of course ignores me and continues to open his newspaper.

I too don't talk to him directly. "Ma tell Mr. Hooda that my wife and I don't need his advice." He looks up.

"Son, he is just asking a normal question. Is it necessary to answer back?"

"Has he ever answered me properly? So, don't expect me to be the perfect child!" In turn, he gives me a look that has often coward most men as it meant the end of their careers. I close my eyes for a second to calm myself. And direct my answer to the one person at the breakfast table who is guaranteed to not leave me angry.

"Anyway, ma-in-law Puja is going to Chennai and I am going to Kathmandu. Our terminals are not the same," I say leaving them to their breakfast. "I will have my breakfast at the airport."

Aditya

I arrive at the airport with a little sprint on my step, I have on my favorite sunglasses and my navy-blue blazer. It has 4 thick gold stripes near my sleeves and has an eagle badge on one side of my chest and my name badge on the other. I'm also wearing a white shirt with a navy-blue tie. I have my captains cap with the same colors as my blazer under my arm. The air hostesses who are wearing the red air hostess uniform with white shirts are following right behind me with their suitcases in hand. I stop for a second to greet one of the pilots whom I haven't seen in a while as we don't often have colliding work schedules.

I smile to myself, ‘today is going to be a good day, I think I'll buy Puja a gift before I go home and surprise her. I'll make sure it’s something special to make up for forgetting her birthday this morning.’ I learned a long time ago to not let Mr. Hooda ruin my day. I leave home things at home, this is my free space, a place where Mr. Hooda doesn't have his mark on.

Everyone thought I’d follow in mr. Hooda’s footsteps and become a lawyer and so did I, but I later decided to take my own path and become a pilot.

I decided this when I first boarded a flight by myself on vacation. I realized just how much staying with my family had taken its toll on me and needed to feel free while also being in charge of my own destination.

I saw pilots walking in their suit uniforms and sure strides, men and women who looked like they knew where they were going and how to get there. Men and women who got to see clouds up close, who traveled frequently, from place to place, while also getting to come back home to their families.

The thought of being a pilot gave me a feeling of flying free, while also having a good grip on my wings. As soon as I was old enough, I was out of the house. I only came back because I missed Puja and both she and Arjun asked me to stay. I decided to make a compromise. I’d stay and become a pilot.

We board the plane; I greet my co-pilot and not long after we take off. A little after take off, I feel a little turbulence which is not a worry for me, but may be for my passengers so I turn on the intercom to put them at ease.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain Aditya Hooda. There is nothing to worry about. This is normal turbulence. Just like a rollercoaster ride. So put your seatbelt on and enjoy the ride," I say and switch off the intercom again, that should do it. I relax and stretch out my arms just to get a little more comfortable. I put my hands behind my head-

"Captain."

I look at my co-pilot and notice his gestured hands that ask what I'm doing with my hands off the control wheel "Yes, yes," I say putting my hands back on the control wheel and the pilot goes back to looking ahead instead of at me. All the while having a smile on my face as I know nothing will happen to the plane while I'm captain.

----------

Meanwhile in the passenger cabin a middle-aged man holds his chest as he feels a sharp pain there and finds it difficult to breathe. The woman next to him, his wife notices and turns towards him to hold his hand where his holding his chest.

"What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"I have chest pain," the man barely manages to answer.

"Is there a doctor in this flight? Please get water." The man turns pale and looks like he could pass out at any moment.

"Are you alright? Are you alright?" The woman asks in growing concern and one of the hostesses goes to help them...

----------

In the pilot’s cockpit Aditya makes a call to ATC which stands for air traffic control.

"Come in flight 7C4."

"Come in, ATC"

"Captain Hooda, there's a cyclone alert ahead. Weather conditions are bad. Take a detour and return to Delhi." The captain next to me starts to look nervous, but I pay no attention to him.

"Copy ATC," I say switching of the radio contact. Soon after one of the air hostesses comes in.

"Captain there is a problem." I give her a quick glance "The passenger of seat number 25D has chest pain." I turn my face towards her again without fully facing her. Concerned about the passenger. "Must be a heart attack," I guess.

"Let me talk to ATC," I say switching the radio contact back on. The air hostess leaves the cockpit.

"Come in ATC. Come in."

"Go ahead, flight."

"This is the captain speaking. There is a heart patient in flight. We must land. Please advise."

"Stand by."

"Standing by."

"The nearest airport is Jolly Grant airport. Dehradun."

"Copy, ATC," I say looking up at the radio as it's placed above my head, I keep looking at it like I can see the person on the other side, waiting to hear from them, hoping I'm allowed to land.

"Please be advised that the visibility there is very low. It is impossible to land there." I exhale heavily, thinking about the passenger with chest pains, knowing his unlikely to survive a longer trip and immediately decide against the speaker’s advice.

"Please fly back towards Delhi."

"I will handle that. You clear the runway."

"Clearing." I switch off the radio again.

"Adi, in such conditions landing amidst the mountains... Are you putting others' lives in danger to save one person’s life?" my co-pilot asks in concern.

"Don't worry. No lives will be lost today," I say confidently looking at him. "Nothing will happen, I'll handle it."

"Yes, how will you do that?" He asks me skeptical, today is the first day in a long time we are flying together and he has been a pilot here for longer than me, but I got promoted first. His a little skeptical of my promotion. I look at him, not because I want to prove myself, but because there's a reason I got promoted. It takes more than longer hours on the air and we both know it. If I thought we wouldn't make it, I'd turn this plane around right now, but we'll make it and I'm not willing to let a passenger die, because of my co-pilot’s fears.

"Like this," I say switching on the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain, again. Due to an emergency, we are landing at Jolly Grant airport, Dehradun." I pull up the plane and prepare for landing. I look at my co-pilot and he gives me a quick glimpse back, too scared to make eye contact with me.

I decide not to make myself nervous by looking at his frightened face. I face forward and concentrate on landing the plane. My co-pilot starts to sweat and uses his hand kerchief to wipe his face. I distract myself by determinedly concentrating on landing. As we get closer to landing, I switch on the landing gear.

Good thing we took off our jackets when we came in or else, I'd be sweating as much as my co pilot. I land the plane and we both feel a small kick as the wheels find their footing and the pilots eyes pop out like toasted bread popping from a toaster. We feel another kick as the plane comes to a stop.

I breathe a sigh of relief and smile for a second, just as I said, no life is lost. I take off the headphones we wear to protect our ears and turn to wink at my co pilot. He looks back at me and shakes his head, the man probably thought he was a goner today and is speechless at the moment.

----------

In the passenger cabin a doctor comes in followed by one of the flight attendees who helped the heart patient.

"Please move. What happened? Come." He helps the man to his feet and with one arm over his shoulder helps him to walk as they reach the exit Aditya comes out.

"Come."

"Take care of him." Aditya requests the doctor, the people at the airport called for an ambulance, but it hadn't made it yet and the doctor was waiting for his own flight when he was asked to help. He was going on vacation and was put on a later flight so he could help this man while they waited for an ambulance.

"Be careful." The man’s wife hovers over them to make sure his ok.

"Please come. Be careful." The doctor continues to half carry half walk the man out of the plane.

"Thank you, captain." The wife thanks Aditya.

"My pleasure."

"God bless you." She holds his cheek like an elder does.

All the passengers start to stand up and one of them says, "well done captain. You've done a great job." They all start to clap their hands as no-one’s life was lost today, Aditya smiles taken aback by the attention.

"Okay, settle down. I think, we will be ready to fly back in 5 minutes." The passengers start to sit down again.

"Okay, captain."

"OK, yes."

"Yes."

"Well Adi, I just spoke to ATC. They say the same thing." The co-pilot comes in to talk to Aditya.

"What?"

"It is impossible to fly in this fog. So, we can't fly to Kathmandu."

"What do you mean by that? Tomorrow is Puja's birthday. I have to reach Mumbai by evening." Aditya looks at the pilot like his solely responsible for the delay.

"I understand, but we cannot do anything." Aditya looks away for a moment in irritation and puts his hands on his hips like his ready to push the matter, but the captain is prepared this time. As much as he is beginning to see why Aditya got that promotion before him. He's still not willing to risk his life again so soon, so he makes a suggestion. "But Mussoorie is one hour away. So, you can go there, I guess." Aditya thinks his suggestion through.

"Maybe, I can get a gift for her." He warms up to the idea.

"Yes." Aditya pokes him on the chest and smiles as he walks out.

"Thanks."

Zoya

"Ammi, Zoya just arrived." my sister announces my arrival as I come in. We have a family lunch outdoors and after lunch me and Noor decide to play a game. I get the game chips ready while she gets us drinks. Noor is a 22-year-old student on her final year of Mussoorie university.

"Thank God, the sun is out. Hopefully, Yash comes home sooner," I say looking up at the sky.

"Here, have some cola." My sister hands me a coke and I give her a look; she knows I've been watching my weight. "Have it, it's diet cola," she says understanding the look.

My sister is a younger version of my Ammi, black hair up to her shoulders with soft curls and a hair style that keeps her hair from her face, but lets it flow freely behind her. Mine would also be the same if I didn't dye it brown and leave only the top part of my hair to its natural black color and I also grew my hair up to my waist. I also think I look more like my abuu. My sister sits down on the chair opposite mine.

"They don't want clarified butter in their meals and sugar in their tea." Ammi comments also sitting down on her own table with abuu. "Even though they are both so thin you still want a diet coke? I think soon enough both my daughters will disappear in the wind." She speaks like she's directing her words to abuu, but she's looking at us. She has never approved of dieting as she thinks we are already too skinny. She herself is a full-figured woman. Me and Noor give each other a knowing look, this is not her first speech on the subject, nor will it be her last.

"Our Darling Ammi the people of the Siddiqui clan have such pointed noses that even if we disappear totally our noses will still remain the same."

I say teasing her and give Noor a high five as this is an ongoing debate in our household. She smiles at us as she has always let us make our own choices, no matter how strongly she feels against them.

"Hey! Show me," Noor says as she notices my ring for the first time. "Wow! The ring is so lovely, did brother in law give it to you?"

"Yes, it's for our anniversary tomorrow."

She admires it even more. "I never knew my brother-in-law has such a good choice." she says teasingly. I snatch my hand and hit her hand lightly.

"He has the best choice, because he married me." I say defending him from her teasing and proudly look at my ring again.

"But, it's a little loose." She notices what I first noticed too.

"Yes, a little." I say worried I might lose it.

"Roshna, whenever I go to buy a ring for you then I take a ring of your size to the jeweler." abuu speaks for the first time pretending to direct his comment to mother. "This is very common. I mean, it's common sense which is not common anymore," he says barely lifting his eyes from the newspaper. His been attentively reading since I walked in. I look down uncomfortable.

"Do you understand?" He goes back to his newspaper.

"Wasim, you've started doing it again. "Ammi replies with both hands clasped together in front of her.

"If Zoya stops coming into this house then you will understand everything." Ammi defends me.

"Tell me something, why do you always have a competition with Yash in every matter?" She asks curiously.

"I already lost the competition five years back." Abu has stopped reading the newspaper now and is answering with his head turned my way while not looking directly at me. Noor and I fidget, knowing this conversation will not end well. "Zoya decided then who plays an important role in her life." My Abu goes back to reading his newspaper, mother sneaks us a glance and the game me and Noor were attempting to play comes to a pause.

"Let bygones be bygones. Here, have some tea." Ammi tries to change the subject and gives him his tea.

"Abu your whisper is so loud that our neighbors know our kitchen politics. "

Noor says attempting to make him stop too and defend me without rebuking him too much about what he said. I smile a little not quite allowing my smile to show, just in case he sees and thinks we are ganging up on him. "Anyway, what did you buy him?" She asks like she already knows and is looking to tease me. We both know she is only redirecting the conversation back to the gift. "Let me guess." She says looking up and lifting her colorfully bangled arm to her face as if she's really thinking about it.

I notice how her bangles match her colorful jacket. Noor is always wearing clothes with many colors and yoga boho gypsy hippie trousers, its not that it's the typical Mussoorie fashion for young people, but it’s a Noor thing. She has always worn clothes that match her personality, bright and free. Which is a nice difference to my softer colors and normally gold and silver bangles.

She puts her hands in front of her and gives me an ashamed smile. "It must be your amazing pottery, right?"

I also put my hands on the table. "You know in the entire house, only he was able to guess what I've made." I smile at the memory.

"How could you give such a silly gift despite being Noor's sister?" My sister asks as if my gift is making her look bad somehow.

I open my mouth in shock. "Hey! Zoya! His gift was a thousand times better than yours." I look at my ring again because she's right it was better than mine. "You shamed us." Noor say's putting her bangled arm on her cheek again and pouting.

"The Aroras can never be better than the Siddiquis." Abu answers as he cannot stand Yash being praised. We both turn to him; I try to maintain a pleasant look on my face while my sister gives him a bored one magnified by her closed hand still on her chin. After he has spoken, he gets up to leave, leaving his newspaper behind.

Ammi gives me a concerned look, I look away used to abuu's comments about Yash and know how to act like they don't bother me as much as they do, or at least I hope so. Noor also looks at me and a second later brightens up, "Zoya! Let's play," she says and I try to smile but can't.

I absently look at my ring, really looking for comfort as it’s fast becoming my source of reassurance of Yash's love and this reassurance, my strength. I pretend to not notice mothers look of concern still on me and continue to look at my ring. I never understood why Abu hates Yash so much. They both wear glasses and were made fun of growing up, both are first born sons and lost their abuu at a young age, living them both to have to take care of their families, in Abu's case, he had to take care of a larger family. Yash has been good to me. I thought by now they would get along, but that's not the case.

----------

Wasim goes into their living room and searches for an excuse to leave the house in his diary, when he hears someone entering, he puts the diary down. "Wasim. Listen to me..." Roshna says touching his hand briefly to get his attention. "...it's been five years. Forget about what happened," she pleads. "You'll simply cause problems on the basis of religion." He looks at Roshna, offended by her words.

"You still haven't understood me in over 30 years, hmh." Roshna looks away feeling bad for having suggested it. "I'm not that shallow to bring religion in between. My problem was never concerned with religion. Yash is not fit for Zoya. Everyone will get it, some day."

"What will they get? You're talking as if he's going to commit a crime." Roshna says gesturing with her hands. Wasim looks away and goes back to searching his diary. Roshna lightly touches his arm to get his attention again. "Do one thing. Have you seen the ring Yash gave to Zoya? Have you seen the size of the diamond on that? Wait here. Zoya!" she shouts turning to call Zoya. "Come here. Zoya dear!" she turns back to Wasim. "You will be delighted to see it."

"Yes, Ammi," Zoya replies coming in. "Zoya, come and show your ring to dad." Zoya looks at her hesitantly and her mom comes to take her hand. "Come here. Come on." She says bringing her to her abuu. "Look at this. It's such a beautiful ring," she says showing him the ring. Noor also walks into the room.

"Zoya was right when she said that he has great taste," he says after taking a moment to look at the ring. "I wish, I could say the same about my daughter," he says and just as everyone starts to relax the room becomes tense again.

He turns his back on Zoya and Zoya gathers the strength to open her mouth. "Abu." she tries again. "Abu, Yash is working so hard. Thank God that his company is also running fine. He keeps working the entire day and.." Zoya breaths out, pauses"...just because I'm not a fan of big cities he lets me stay in Mussoorie and..." Zoya speaks with her hands nervously knitted together and her face nervously looking back and forth between her parents, while trying to keep a calm countenance"... Goes to work in Mumbai. He's traveling to and from Mumbai to Mussoorie every week.... but, he doesn't even complain once." Zoya pleads to her Abu’s back. "And the most important thing is that..." breath in. "...he keeps me very happy. So, Abu, answer me. Whose husband turns out to be this good? Answer me." I plead so I can have my Abu back again.

"If I say anything now then you will obviously misinterpret it." And just like that. "It is better for me to keep quiet instead." Family day is over.

"Then it will be better if I leave at once," Zoya says and takes her bag to leave, upset now.

"Zoya?" Noor questions and gives her father a pleading look before she gives up and goes after Zoya instead. Outside she runs after Zoya. "Zoya? Listen to me!" But Zoya goes into her car. "Where are you running off to? Zoya, listen to me!" Noor follows her to the car and also goes in. "Okay. At least, give me a lift till mall road."

Aditya

I change into my normal clothes and search for directions to an antique shop in Mussoorie on the gprs. This leads me to a small antique shop, it has everything one would need for a gift, so I look inside. "Hello, sir." A lady approaches me. "Hello" I respond politely.

"Are you looking for something special?" She must be a sales person here.

"I will recognize it the moment I see it," I say as I'm not yet sure what to buy.

"No problem, sir," she says walking away, I carry on looking.

At this moment Zoya also walks into the same antique shop, as Noor convinced her during the car ride to get Yash something different this year. She also suggested that this may also cheer her up after what happened during lunch and she was right.

Aditya and Zoya look around for something special for their spouses. After a while of searching both turn at the same time to look at something that caught their eye. They look away, daydreaming about Puja and Yash, one couple sitting outdoors and the other indoors, both only have eyes for each other. Their thoughts bring a smile to their faces as they know they found the perfect gift for them.

Excited, they run towards the gift they are each eyeing only to run straight for the same gramophone. They both have their hands on it and turn to look at the person who is also holding the gift. Zoya looks at him than at their hands, then back at him, figuring he must be one of the shops saleman.

Aditya looks at Zoya and for a moment the world around him trails away, coming to a complete stop. An uninhibited yet slight smile comes to his face. A smile that is not broad in display, because it is not for the world, but comes from a place that is only for him and the woman before him. The little sound that was coming from the shop is lost, his breathing slows and his unaware of anything else, not even the fact that he is staring at her. Lost in her eyes the world around him comes to a stop, just as the world had stopped for him when...

Aditya at age 10

I still remember now I had sat on the bus heading to camp and listened to the other kids sing behind me. I would have joined them, but I couldn't bring myself to stop worrying about Ma. I had left her, alone, in that big house and couldn't enjoy the singing knowing this. I'd gone on a bus instead of letting the house driver, drive me here because I didn't want to sit with an adult for too long, the silence in the car would have made my head too loud.

The bus had arrived at the campsite and we all got out, a group of kids running out of the bus, excited about being away from home for possibly the first time in their lives, some were not as excited, including myself. It took a couple of adults to get a little bit of order.

I was one of the last kids to get out because I was sitting on the very back. I walked out to see a sea of kids of different age groups coming out of buses and cars.

I had taken my bag, put it on my shoulder and turned to walk to where my group was drifting towards to wait for their next instruction.

"umpfh" I'd bumped into a bundle of hair, I tried to untangle myself from the hair and politely apologize, while the hair also attempted to untangle itself and apologize.

"Sorry."

"Sorry, I didn't see you there are you okay." I asked trying to see the hairs face.

"It's okay, I also wasn't watching where I was..." Whatever else she had said was lost the moment I saw her, she was the prettiest girl I had ever seen in all of Mumbai, no I don't think there was any other girl as pretty as she in the whole world. She was a head shorter than me and-

"I don't even think I'll like camping, whose going to look after my younger brother or sister, I don’t know how I’m going to learn how to be an elder sister if I’m not there!" In that moment I decided I would marry her someday, together we'd never leave our family or make them leave the house if they didn't want to. Although coming here seemed to not be such a bad thing after all...

Present... Aditya

When he finally notices her looking down at their hands, breaking eye contact again, the spell is broken. Reality coming back bit by bit as he also looks down, but of their own accord his eyes drift back to her unable to take his eyes off of her face until. "Please pack it." The words bring him solidly back to the world.

"Do you think I'm a salesman?"

The lady in front of Aditya looks at their hands for a moment embarrassed for offending him because of her assumptions. "I am sorry, I felt that you.... It is not that it is a bad job-" I cut her off before she starts babbling.

"Spare me the lectures." I say impatient to get going. "I am here to take the gift. Thank you." I say trying to take the gift from her, but she holds on like a leech, we both grip the gift tightly and snatch it back and forth with neither one of us letting go. And neither one of us is too happy about this fact.

" Argh I am so sorry." I say still gripping the gramophone. "We started on the wrong foot." I say because the more I try to pull it, the tighter her small hands seem to lock onto it and I have no intention of letting go either.

As tight as her grip is, I also know if I pull hard enough I can take the gift, but that scenario, ends with me arrested and her in the hospital and I want neither of those things to happen.

"But, I really need this gift," I say trying to soften the look of determination on her face, hoping it will loosen her grip as well. "Actually, I need this gift for a special person and for a special occasion please." Normally I'd let her have it, but tomorrow is Puja's birthday, there is no other gramophone around and I'm already in trouble for forgetting her birthday, so I need the gift.

"Even I was going to say the same thing to you," she says snatching the gift back instead of letting go. "I need this gift for a special person and for a special occasion. Believe me." she says with a big smile on her face and a tight grip on the gramophone. I go for a different strategy sentimental talk is clearly not working on her.

" We both..." No bad statement."... I saw it first."

"I touched it first, so it belongs to me."

‘What?’ "This is not a seat on the bus. You can't claim it by touching."

"Look, I don't travel in the bus. How will I know that?" She says pleasantly, still keeping a tight grip and manages to snatch the gift from my hands. She looks at it triumphantly. " The gramophone now belongs to me." I look around giving up on fighting the tiny lady with a tight grip and instead race to the cashier to pay for it first. "Excuse me." she says realizing what I'm about to do and runs after me.

I make it before her and give my card to the cashier. "Prepare the bill for the gramophone."

"Fine." The cashier says. She comes running around the corner like a fairy apparition in her white dress, temple shaped earrings, jingling bangles and wavy hair.

"Excuse me! Uncle, how are you?" I look at her because it sounds like she knows him.

"Oh, Zoya. I am absolutely fine. How are you?" He answers, Zo-? You know what I don't have time for this the gift thief is here and time is running out.

"I am fine. How is Jenny?" She asks giving me a pointed look.

"She is fine. She is fine." He answers her. Me the paying customer is completely forgotten. I look back at her, listening to see how she thinks she is going to talk herself into having the gramophone seeing as I already paid for it.

"Tomorrow is Yash and my anniversary." I ignore her, because the gift is mine. "I didn't find anything to suit his choice." I look at her again because she may be trying to soften the elderlies heart, but the gramophone is still mine. "Later I found this gramophone," she says with that innocent smile on her face. "And you are very well aware that Yash is fond of old songs." The fairies sob story continues. I touch my chest-

"You are absolutely right. You have chosen a beautiful gift." I put my hand down and look at the cashier, he knows very well this is my gift that I paid for.

"Uncle..." I say reminding him to finish with my sale.

"Look, there are wonderful things in my shop." He gestures with his hand to the shop.

‘Oh no! it’s worse his not just the cashier but the owner as well.’

"You can choose another gift." He ends his suggestion/command and folds his hands. I look at the fairy thief and she smiles at me in agreement with him. I look back at uncle.

"Uncle Charlie, this is not fair. I came to the counter, first. I gave the card, first. You even swiped it. Now, you tell me to buy some other stuff?" I say, ignoring the fairies look of bewilderment next to me.

"I have canceled the transaction," uncle says. I look at the evil fairy, she's got the victorious smile back on her face. "Money doesn't mean everything. One has emotions too," he continues now lecturing. "It's her anniversary." Her grin broadens.

"Really, uncle? Her emotions are valuable and my emotions don't have any value?" I say looking at her and get irritated even more when she waves goodbye with a mock innocent smile, like she didn't just steal Puja's gift. I wave back, a pained smile on my face. She tilts her head to the side in happiness and I walk away defeated by a fairy in white, not believing I just survived landing a plane in bad conditions and saved a passengers life, only to be defeated by a thief.

"Please pack it." I hear her say. I wait for her by the door and when she's done, I approach her. When she hears me speak, she keeps the gift facing away from me, afraid I'm here to take it away.

"Don't be so happy since you have snatched my stuff." I say with my hands on my waist still irritated by her stealing the gramophone from me.

"No one could have snatched it, had it belonged to you." she smugly looks at me pulling the gift further away from me.

"Are you sure?" I ask getting an idea.

"Yes."

"Okay." I say taking out my wallet. "I'm really sorry." I take out money.

"Why?" she asks confused.

"Got you!" I throw the money at her, snatching the gift and making a run for it.

The thief is left stunned and shouting. "Hey! Thief!" She gestures towards me. I run backwards, keeping an eye on her next move. "Thief!" I stop, thinking she gave up on coming after me, but soon enough the thief in a white dress and brown boots in this hot weather runs out of the shop to take back what belongs to Puja. I make a run for it.

I run, zig zagging into streets, but I never lose the thief, instead I find her in front of me. "Look. That belongs to me. Give it to me." She says pointing at Puja's gramophone and breathing heavily.

"Sorry, no one would have snatched it, had it belonged to you?" I ask repeating her words to her. "Right?" I dodge her and run again.

"Look, listen! Listen!" She shouts behind me. Still chasing. I keep an eye on her as I'm running and see she's still running after me holding her white dress to keep herself from tripping on it.

I finally lose her after some time and decide to take a breather by a clothes stall. As I stand to get an idea about where I am. I feel a hand poke me from behind and I turn.

"Oh." I take a step back to protect the gift because it’s the gift thief again.

"Give it to me." She gestures now no longer looking like a fairy, but an angry angel.

"Don't you get tired?" I ask starting to think I will never lose her. I continue my run determined to keep the gift. We run around Mussoorie and once in a while I check on her, but she keeps close. I start to enjoy myself figuring she'll eventually get tired and give up, but she never does, so I decide to run faster and finally run far away enough from her that I can stop running to catch my breath again and become distracted by the festivities happening all around me. This place looks like the type of place where people randomly decide to have a festival in the middle of the week and that's not something I usually experience in Mumbai as it's a busy town and I myself am always working and traveling. I look at the gift exhaling. "huhh". I feel another poke behind me. I turn and it’s the woman in white again, she breathes out angrily.

"Hi." she waves, I wave back. "Are you looking out for me?" she asks putting her hands on her hips.

"mhh-." I answer nodding.

"I don't lose any of my stuff." she boasts. "And you are a shameless guy." She utters in urdu.

"Mhm?" I look at her stunned by her language change, not knowing how she thinks speaking a language I don't know will make me give her the gramophone, but impressed by it anyway. "You don't have any manners. You don't have any morals." She waves her index finger at me.

"Okay, I'm a shameless and manner less guy." I say unashamed and also waving my fingers around. "What do you mean by, I'm an immoral Guy?" I ask not quite an expert in urdu. Having grown up mostly interested in law than languages.

She continues her index finger attack. "You are ungenerous. I am talking about you."

"Huh?" I ask taken aback.

"I mean, you are stingy." She continues barely breathing. "Give me my stuff. Give it." She hand gestures for me to give it and puts her tight grip on it again. "It belongs to me, give it back to me. Give it" She says desperately holding on to it.

Seeing no choice but to play dirty again. I Throw sindoor of a passing festive fellow in the air to blind her long enough to make a run for it. She hides her face with her hands and I take advantage of her moment of distraction and make a run for it. This time far enough for her not to follow.

I sit on a park bench and enjoy my hard-earned gramophone. I open it to check if it survived the run around town and as I'm doing that my phone rings.

On the other side of Mussoorie Zoya angrily looks on as the gift thief runs away with Yash's gramophone, her phone too also rings at the same time.

Aditya answers thinking it’s his flight ready to fly."Yo, ready to fl-" Aditya here's something that shocks him to the point of standing up suddenly and dropping the gramophone.

Both start running towards their cars and Aditya uses his phone to find out where his hired car is because he left it by the shop and is not familiar with the streets of Mussoorie.

Their spouses have been in a car accident and were found dead on the scene.

Zoya/Aditya

Zoya anxiously sits on the car and hopes the person on the phone was mistaken, that Yash is still alive. She puts both hands on her chest finding comfort in the movement.

Aditya is driving the hired car using gprs for direction again, barely noticing cars driving by. He keeps wiping away tears and holding himself together long enough to get to his wife.

They arrive at the scene of the accident well after dusk, coming out of their cars seconds after each other. The place is full of officers, cars and people taking pictures of the scene, both hesitate for a moment holding onto their last moment of hope, they look at the car. Windows are smashed in. The side of the car is smashed and what looks like blood is smeared on the sides too, but Yash and Puja are not inside.

They see from a distance a group of officers gathered together, looking at something on the ground and both figure, that, that must be where the bodies are. They slowly walk towards them. Walking as if they are walking towards their own deaths.

Aditya picks up the do not enter boundary tape for both of them never noticing Zoya. They stop side by side looking at the small crowd of people gathered around what may be Puja and Yash.

One of them turns and looks at Zoya and Aditya and from their grimm faces and sleep walking like body language guesses them to be relatives, he moves back and seeing him move back the other officers make way for them too.

The bodies of two people wrapped in white sheets appear. The wind blows one of the sheets away and a bloody mouthed Yash appears, taking away Zoya's last hope. She reels back as if punched on the stomach, remembering the promise she had made him make this morning. That he would come back tonight. He was on his way back home when the accident occurred, making the accident her fault, she goes down on her knees unable to stand anymore.

Aditya walks closer to Puja having not seen whether it’s her or not yet as her sheet is still intact. He walks closer holding his breath, because if it turns out to be her it might as well be his last. He kneels down next to the body he hopes is not his wife, but somehow knows it is, the person who called described her perfectly.

He slowly takes the sheet, hesitating for a moment, knowing in his heart that it’s her, but not wanting to confirm it. He slowly lifts the sheet, there's a death silence all around, everyone holding their breath with him. They leave him to examine the body alone. He continues to lift the sheet, first black hair is revealed than a womans forehead with a black bindi that Puja put this morning, then Puja's nose and... He reveals the rest of her face and what he already knew is confirmed, it is Puja. He looks at her for a second and the tears come blocking his view of her. "Pujaaaaaa!" He screams out his anguish and leans in to hold on to her knowing his moments even with her dead body are numbered.

His scream wakes Zoya from her stupor and seeing someone holding their dead loved one runs off to be by Yash's side too, not wanting to leave him alone with strangers. She too kneels by his side and as Aditya lifts Puja's head and holds her by his chest. Zoya lifts Yash's head and puts him on her lap.

Aditya strokes Puja's hair while Zoya touches Yash's cheeks and shakes him a little as if hoping he'd wake up. She goes back and forth between clutching his jacket shoulders and shaking his face as if contemplating between holding on to him and shaking him awake.

Aditya continuously strokes Puja's hair. Zoya gives up trying to wake him and strokes his face again, Aditya starts being unsure where to touch her, her feet her face, her hair. Both of them bring their faces close to their spouses and Zoya tugs at Yash again, causing his sheet to expose Yash and Puja's clinging hands.

After sometime Aditya is the first to look up and notice them. For a moment Aditya feels like his in a dream of a dream, he feels his face getting hot in spite of the breeze. His heart stops and his breathing slows for the second time today, it can't be. He looks at Puja, his Puja and looks at the man that the woman is desperately trying to resurrect, noticing her for the first time, but not really seeing her. He looks back up and remembers Puja telling him she was going to Chennai, which is nowhere near Mussoorie, and remembers how she told him everyone keeps secrets when he asked her if she's hiding something from him. Aditya slowly put's her head back down as the past comes crashing back. All those times Mr. Hooda lied to his Ma and said he would be somewhere else while he was going to another woman. Aditya's ears start to ring and a dark, lonely pit of anger starts to build in his heart and it dries away his tears as his heart hurts with a hurt of betrayal no longer just grief, which takes him back to the day Mr. Hooda left them for another woman...