FF:*~*Another Chance to Dream*~Maan/Geet (p112) - Page 2

Part 2:

"Do you see her any where?"

The little girl had insisted that the last time she was with her mom was on this floor, so Maan neglected to search any other floor of the airport. Yet, they had now been searching for 15 minutes, and still did not locate her. Maan was starting to get frustrated. This floor was only so big...where was this neglectful mother?

When no answer was forthcoming, Maan glanced down towards the girl.

Interestingly, the little girl's attention was focused on a nearby food stand.

Smiling, Maan knelt down next to her. "Do you want some ice-cream?"

Flashing a huge grin, the girl nodded in affirmation. But in the next moment, the smile vanished and she quickly shook her head. "I can't."

Maan frowned. "Why not?"

The little girl bit her lower lip before answering. "Mommy always said not to take anything from strangers. She would get angry, if she found out."

Maan hid his smile.

"Hmm...that is a very good point. What to do? What to do? How about we go get ice-cream but not tell mommy about it later? It'll be our little secret," replied Maan with a wink.

The little girl shook her head. "No, we mustn't. Don't you know?...Babbi Ji (God) will punish us."

"Really?" Maan asked with a frown. "Just for getting ice-cream?"

The little girl giggled. "Not just for getting ice-cream, silly. Also, for hiding it from mommy."

"Ohhh...that is a problem then," Maan said solemnly. "But you know what? Don't worry about Babbi Ji. My Daadi always says that Babbi Ji never gets angry with little children...especially, when those little children are really, really cute."

Maan reached out to tweak her little nose, which drew a little laugh out of her.

"Really?" she asked with a hopeful look.

"Definitely! I swear," Maan replied with a hand over his heart. "Ab chale?"

He reached down and took her hand.

They walked towards the food stand...the little girl skipping happily along with Maan at her side. He couldn't help but marvel at her...this small little thing, who had no care in the world. The innocence of childhood swept over his heart evoking a longing within him...if only he had a daughter like this little one. Someone he could call his own...someone to cherish and to protect...a reason to wake up in the morning.

"Which one should I choose...there are so many...which one?" the little girl asked excitedly, bringing Maan out of his thoughts and back to reality.

Maan laughed. "You can have a little of everything if you like."

The little girl beamed up at Maan.

At that moment, Maan felt like the luckiest guy alive. To be the object of such affection was instantly gratifying. He couldn't remember the last time someone looked at him with such adoration?

Suddenly, Geet's face flashed before his eyes. The smile slipped off his face. Yes, she had adored him like this...made him feel significant...like he could do no wrong. As a result, he never hesitated to take on the world for her...because her faith in him gave him the strength to do so.

Sadly, where had that faith left him? Alone.

Maan felt a tug on his sleeve.

"I'm ready to order," the little girl announced.

Maan quickly returned his attention to her. "What will it be, princess?"

"A strawberry sundae, please," the little girl replied sweetly.

The server behind the counter got started on the order.

"Aren't you going to have any?" the little girl inquired.

Maan shook his head. "No, I don't really like ice-cream."

The little girl stared at him in shock...her little mouth forming an open O-shape as her eyes grew wide. "You don't like ice-cream! But...but, everyone likes ice-cream."

Maan laughed. "Well, I guess I am different."

The little girl shook her head. "No, I think your mommy didn't let you have much ice-cream when you were little. You probably forgot what it tastes like. Don't worry, I'll share mine with you."

Maan held back a laugh. "Yes, maybe you're right. I probably just forgot its delicious taste."

In the next moment, the server handed their order, while Maan took out his wallet to pay.

"Hey! You forgot to put on sprinkles," the little girl said.

The server smiled down at her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. We're out of sprinkles today."

Maan had just extended his hand to receive his change, when he heard the next words. "Dusht danav."

Maan froze.

Did he hear her right? Did she just say Dusht Danav?

The server cleared his throat. "What did your daughter say, sir?"

Maan looked at the server. "Um...thank you. She said...thank you," he quickly replied, before he took her hand and walked over to a nearby table and chairs.

The little girl sat down on one of the chairs...her legs swinging as she took large bites out of her sundae.

All the while, Maan sat across from her trying to calm his nerves...trying to control the storm brewing inside his chest.

He took in a deep breath before asking the vital question: "Where did you hear that word, hun? Dusht danav?"

The little girl shrugged. "My mommy says it all the time."

Maan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be?

Reigning control over himself, he asked the next question carefully: "What's your mommy's name?"

The little girl looked up at him, questioningly. "Her name is---"

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you."

Maan turned around to find a young woman rush towards the little girl.

Young woman: "Do you know how worried I was? I searched everywhere for you. Don't you ever wander off like that again. Do you understand?"

The little girl nodded slowly. "I'm sorry."

The woman turned her gaze onto Maan. "And you are?"

Maan cleared his throat. "Yeah...sorry...I...um...found her wandering around on this level. I offered to help her find her mom."

The young woman smiled. "Thank you so much for taking care of her. I'm sorry if she was any trouble."

Maan quickly shook his head. "No trouble at all. She's been really great, actually."

The young woman smiled before returning her gaze back on the little girl. "Come on, hun. We gotta go catch our flight. And we still need to get changed, right? Come along."

The little girl stood up with her ice-cream.

"Thank you once again," said the young woman, before turning away from Maan and leading the little girl away by the hand.

Maan stared after the pair.

Just before they rounded the corner, the little girl glanced over her shoulder and waved back to Maan, flashing him a broad smile.

Smiling, Maan raised his own hand to return her wave.

It was only after she disappeared, did Maan allow the frown he'd been holding back, to spread across his face.

It wasn't her. Damn.

When the little girl had said those words, Maan had felt hope spring to life within his heart. He had found her!

But that hope had been quickly squashed when the little girl's mommy turned out to be someone else.

Maan sighed.

This had to stop...he was on the brink of insanity. His mind and his heart were getting no rest...he was being consumed by one need...the desire to find her and bring her back in his life.

But it was not meant to be. Hadn't fate been trying to tell him this all along?

He had to forget her.

Maan came back to his surroundings as he heard the boarding call for his flight over the airport system.

Picking up his briefcase and his coat, he stood up to leave, when he noticed something on the floor.

It was the little girl's ball.

With a sad smile, Maan picked it up and slipped it into his coat's pocket.

It would serve as a memento of the beautiful time spent with the little girl. These brief moments he would treasure always...he didn't know why...but that little girl had touched something deep inside of him. In her presence, he had briefly forgotten about his heartache. He had felt alive again...alive for the first time in years.

Taking in a deep breath, Maan straightened his shoulders and headed towards the boarding gate.

It was time to go home.

wow.. DD here too.. liked it..

Originally posted by: pickle6586

hey,😊

i love your FF!!! i think it is amazing. so, maan and geet have been away for 5 years and some months..!! that's a lot of time. but it is very interesting. that girl is too adorable.😃

something tells me that she is geet's daughter, because maan felt some kind of connection with her. he instantly got along with her . well i could be wrong, but i think the woman who came searching for the girl could be her nanny or geet's friend...!!!! that's just a guess...!!!! 😛

it is lovely, so beautifully portrayed and very well written..👏.!!! cannot wait to read the next update... and omg maan comes face to face with geet, after such a long time...!!!

you have to continue soon. i'm not sure if you have a PM list or not, but if you do please PM me when you write the next update and please update soon...😲

Soumya