The girl next door - Ch 103 - pg 108; note pg 109

Life is like a vast ocean. Sometimes you have smooth sailings while some other times tsunami stirs up some strong emotions causing havoc. But sooner or later, it does quiet down itself and settle for a smooth phase. Her life is no different. She is a strong level-headed girl who does not give into something she does not believe in. And that's what makes her somewhat rebellious. Soft inside and shy outside, she is often taken advantage of, but this does not destroy her belief that good attracts good. She continues to live the way she wants, albeit learning the lessons at every step life throws at her. A person who loves challenges, she makes it to a new city in hope of making a place for herself. Here's meeting Keerti Khanna - the girl next door.

Note: This is a non-FF story. The characters and their traits have no correlation to the characters we see on TV.

I have posted Pictures of my characters on page 91.

"Is this your first time away from home?"

Keerti was still pondering on something looking out the window when the person sitting next to her finally spoke. They were 5 hours into their flight to Paris and both had been tossing and turning in an attempt to sleep. Finally Keerti gave in and pulled out a pen and paper to make a list of all things she will need to take care of first. The other person couldn't help read the list and finally decided to offer a small talk.

"Yes. I mean no actually. I've been away from home a few times but this is different. I'm going to be away for long."

"Let me guess, higher studies?"

"Yeah. How did you know?" She couldn't hold back the surprise in her voice.

"Well I noticed you with 3 huge bags at the ticket counter check-in."

Keerti was clearly embarrassed and didn't know what to say. She stammered as she thought of an answer when she heard again "It is OK. I know how it is. Everyone goes through the same experience...I guess. By the way I'm Mira. If I may ask you your name..."

"Hi I'm Keerti. Nice to meet you...aunty?!" She added the last bit after a long pause as if asking for permission to call her aunty. Her skin looked radiant and smooth as opposed to her greying hair which were also silky. She wondered what she must do to maintain her beautiful self. Maybe she is not that old and has rapidly greying hair.

"You can call me aunty. It's OK...I'm not that young you see" she said with laughter. Keerti broke into a smile as well. "So where are you off to?"

"Boston. I'm going there to do my Masters in Education at Boston University." She said with a smile and some pride.

"Interesting! I'm going to Boston too. Are you taking the 1:35 pm flight to Boston? Well obviously, there's only 1 flight that goes to Boson...unless...you are making a halt here in Paris. are you?"

"No. I'll be heading straight to Boston. Looks like we will be on the same flight." She said with the sweetest smile. Keerti was clearly pleased to be in the company of Mira. They chatted away for some more time before both fell asleep for a few minutes. And then it was time for another snack to be served. They were served a sandwich with a beverage. Both ordered a Veggie Sandwich and tea. Both broke into a smile at the same time. "Are you vegetarian too?" Keerti asked.

"Yes. But by choice. I became a vegetarian after my marriage. My husband is one and after falling in love with him, I just wanted to follow his lifestyle." Keerti couldn't help notice the love that reflected in her eyes for her husband even after all these years. It seemed she had made the choice herself...to follow the footsteps for her husband. She wondered if she would ever be able to do the same. "How about you?"

"Well my parents raised me as a vegetarian and then left the choice to me. And I just chose to continue to follow it. I don't think there is any harm in being a vegetarian. Although I'm not sure how long I will be able to keep at it, what with the very few places that serve vegetarian foods in the US."

"That should not be a problem if you want to follow it strictly. Look at me, I don't think I look malnourished from any angle." Mira said with laughter. "It is all in your mind. I believe in 'When there is a will, there is a way."

" You just stole my thoughts. I believe big in it too."

They were suddenly distracted by the landing of the plane. They landed already? Wow...time just flew the last couple hours. She clearly enjoyed meeting Mira and secretly hoped she gets a seat next to Mira aunty in the next flight as well.

The flight from Paris to Boston was different only in the sense that both slept through most of it. They were lucky to be seated next to each other. By the end of it, Keerti really admired the woman sitting next to her. Although she came out to be very complacent and easy going, she was sure there was more to her than met the eye. They exchanged their emails addresses and Mira even gave Keerti her cell phone and home address. Really? Do people like these really exist in real life? She wondered what made her give her details to her and decided she would bring it up later if they still kept in touch. Only time would tell how their relationship would turn out.

Once in Boston, they parted ways at the immigration check point where both went in different directions. Keerti cleared the immigration and picked up her bags and cleared customs without any trouble. She breathed a sigh of relief once she was out. People had scared her with all possible stories of how people get stuck at immigration or at customs. She thanked her Babaji for making her journey smooth thus far.

As she stepped out into the arrivals hall, she saw Rohan waiting for her. Rohan was her senior at BU and she had met him in Mumbai during the freshers introduction for local Mumbaites who would be traveling to BU that fall. They had arranged for all newbies to meet at Bandra Barista to help them clear any doubts they may have. A couple of other seniors were there too. The arrangements for the newcomers were so well organized. Everything was well thought of: Introductory meetings with the new comers, airport pick-ups, temporary accommodation, tips for on-campus job, help with deciding classes and things alike.

Rohan was a very nice guy. Neat in his outlook, he looked smart and hid mischievous eyes behind his glasses. But when it came to helping others, he would be the first to stretch out his hand. Rohan and Keerti hit it off really well at the freshers introduction in Mumbai and instantly decided he would be the one to pick her up at the airport. She was a bit taken aback when he greeted her with a smile and... a hug? Is it customary to greet people in a hug or was it just me? She wondered what brought that on but thought to revisit it at a later time. "Good to see you Keerti." he said and she replied the same.

They got into the shuttle which dropped them off right in front of her apartment where she saw Simran waiting for her at the door. She had met her in Bandra as well. They were the first ones to get there and so they got to talking to each other and decided they would like to be roommates. Simran came to BU a month earlier than Keerti for TA/RA training and so she had enough time to hunt for apartments. Keerti was lucky in the sense that she landed right into her own apartment without having to live as a temp acco elsewhere.

Simran and Keerti greeted each other with a smile and a hug. Once inside, Simran offered some snacks and juice to Rohan and Keerti. After chatting for a couple hours, Rohan left for the library. Keerti looked at the watch in disbelief. He is going to the library at 10 pm in the night? Simran smiled and said "That's Rohan for us!" She wondered how many more surprises he is going to give her. After making a quick call to her parents using Simran's phone and calling card, she bid good night to Babaji for an uneventful day and fell asleep on Simran's huge bed.

The fair was so lively, attractive and full of people. There were small little gazebos set up and scattered all through the ground selling all kinds of stuff - clothes, scarves, accessories, hand bags and things alike. There were different kinds of people, from a 2 year old to a 60 year old. Suddenly music started and the curtain on the stage was raised slowly. She walked to the center of the stage and as soon as she reached there, the music picked up soft beats and she started moving her body in sync with the music. As the music picked up speed, so did she. Her moves were graceful and elegant. And then, there was a step she had to move backwards but there was no room and she fell. She looked down and saw there was no ground to meet her eyes. She looked back up to see her family screaming her name and calling out to her in terror but there was nothing she could do. She kept falling freely, feeling light in the head. It was as if letting go of everything she was holding on to. And then she finally saw water right under her. She closed her eyes for fear rose in her heart, thinking of the ugly contact she would make with the water but even before she hit the water...boom!

She opened her eyes and jerked up to sit in bed. She took a few moments to realize it was a dream and that she was still in Simran's bed. She felt her cheeks damp and thought she must be crying in her sleep. She saw Simran sleeping next to her. She moved carefully about the room and went out to the living room. She looked at the clock which read 4:49 am. She still had a couple hours before Simran would wake up. She wanted to use Simran's phone to call home but if she called at this hour, she would get everyone worried. She fought the urge to speak to them right that minute and started reading the book she found on the couch. It must be Simran's book, she thought. Doctor's by Erich Sehgal.

She didn't feel like reading either so she walked out into her room. She had to sleep in Simran's room because hers wasn't furnished yet. She had to buy all what she needed and so Simran had let her sleep on her queen bed until she bought hers. Her room was not very spacious but was enough for her to fit in a small bed, a dresser, a table and chair. She walked to the window and her jaw dropped. She noticed a few small houses that separated hers from the vast sea that stretched until her eye could reach. She would remember to thank Simran for choosing this room for her. All of a sudden, she was sure this would be her favorite corner in the house.

Sitting by the window on the ground awing at the vastness of the sea, she didn't realize when her eyes shut and she fell asleep. And this time there were no ugly dreams waking her up, it was Simran.

"Keerti?"She came into the room with some toast and tea. As she opened her eyes Simran smiled and said "Good morning! When did you come here? Hope you haven't been sleeping here like this all night."

"What time is it?" Keerti said rubbing her eyes.

"8:45 am."

"Let me freshen up real quick." she said as she got up to get to her suitcase to remove her toiletries. She came back brushed and fresh in a jiffy. Simran was still waiting for her.

"I hope you don't mind I took the other room. I like to watch the sunrise."

"And I like to watch the sun set" she said placing her hand on Simran's with a smile. They knew they had different choices and probably that was what would make them compatible.

They both took a shower and got ready to go out for some shopping. Keerti was all ready with her list and Simran had hers. Simran rented a car with her International driver's license and drove them to Ikea to get all they would need. Keerti's first day out in Boston - and she was about to spend hundreds of dollars, she thought with a grin.

nice start!

luved it a lot - it seems really interesting!

continue soon!

They spent a few hours shopping for the things Keerti had in mind...not because there were many things to but, but because Keerti just couldn't make a choice and kept going round and round with her dilemma and kept confusing Simran too. This particular Ikea was huge and there was much more variety compared to the other ones and Keerti being the confused soul that she was, could not make up her mind on anything. She wondered what she would have done were she to shop alone. She would have probably spent all day had Simran not given her a push to decide faster. She hated to keep people wait and that was one reason she was able to get just what she needed.

Once back to the apartment, Simran helped Keerti set up her room. By the end of it, they were too tired to cook so they walked to the nearby diner to grab some pizza. Just when they entered their apartment building, they saw Rohan approach them.

"Hey ladies. Mere ghar mein sugar khatam ho gayi hai. Kya mujhe thodi chai mil sakti hai?" he said with a wide grin making it obvious he was just being silly.

"Chai ki kya zaroorat hai. I'll get you some sugar. Ghar jaake khud bana lena chai." Simran threw back at him. Keerti thought it a bit rude of her to say that but after a few, she picked up on their apparently usual banter. They had picked up on this style when Simran got her a month ago and they apparently spent a lot of time together. They would make a cute couple I think, she thought to herself.

All three sat chit chatting for an hour or so before Simran pushed him out the door. Once he was gone, she turned to Keerti to bid her good night. "Good night Sims" after a moment's pause she asked "Is it okay if I call you Sims?" She simply nodded with a smile and went back into her room. Keerti continued unpacking and setting things in her room. It was almost 2 by the time she got to bed. She again prayed to her Babaji for another great day away from home.

The next few days were spent attending to orientation and on-campus job interviews. Rohan had helped her with getting an interview at a few places and got offers from 2 places - a cafe on campus and library. To everyone's surprise, she chose the cafe. When questioned on her choice she said " I'm going into Education but my patience level is really low. I think I will get to learn from this experience. If nothing else, I'll surely get to see you guys more often when you come to grab a coffee" she said with a wink.

Classes were not going to begin for another week so she wanted to take this time to see around the city. She went to the library to access one of the public computers to check out places she could visit nearby. In doing so, she happened to check her email and was pleasantly surprised to receive one from Mira Malhotra which read

Dear Keerti,

I hope you have settled in well into your new apartment and that you have made some friends too. If you need any help, please let me know. I also wanted to give you a piece of advice - no matter how good a person looks from outside, please take your time to share your intimate details with them. You are in a school and you need to be outgoing, but it is best to be careful when interacting with people. You never know when things happen. I hope I am not sounding too interfering. Take it as a moms advice.

And once again, if you need any...any help, please feel free to contact me. You have my email and my cellphone too.

Take care beta,
Mira.

By the time she finished reading the email, tears had welled up in her eyes. Where does she get so much love to share with others? And what did she mean by intimate details? She was tempted to write back to her but resisted it. She wanted to think through her reply before she sent it out. And then all of a sudden it started raining and she didn't feel like going out. She went through a few books in the library and loaned 'The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho' for a good read. With a cup of tea and The Alchemist in her hands, she sat on her newly purchased recliner to enjoy her first rain in Boston.