FF - Togetherness Again - Epilogue & A letter from NK Updated Page - Page 5

Originally posted by: iamcurious

Originally posted by: iamcurious

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Ronit Kapoor was Ranbir's best buddy in school and a neighbor too. Ronit's mother Dimpy and Ragini were good friends and frequently took the kids out for fun. Dimpy's husband Karan had been a thorough gentleman and helped Ragini to get Ranbir an admission into the best school when they shifted a year back. Apart from the Kapoors and some of her colleagues at work, Ragini knew not many people as she preferred to keep to herself.

'Mom! You know every time you warn me or remind me to be a good boy and behave; I am tempted to do all you that you don't want me to do. You've reminded me this almost thrice by now.' Ranbir grumbled rolling his tiny eyes and crossing his arms across his chest.

'Very smart!' Ragini smiled and commented to tease her grumbling son and pulled him to kiss him on his cheek before she let him go. Ranbir wiped away the kiss his mom just planted and got out of the car right outside Ronit's house. Ragini giggled to see her son behave so shy every time she kissed him in public. She waved him off and called Dimpy to tell she'd dropped Ranbir at the gate and would return to pick later.

She saw Ranbir disappear behind the gate and drove towards The Sky Touch apartments, her apartment which was just two buildings away. She pulled into the parking of her building and cut the engine. Humming to herself lightly she stepped out and collected all the shopping bags out of the car and headed towards the elevator.

'Ragini! You are here finally', Mrs. Malhotra, Ragini's mother-in-law said as she got out of the elevator.

'Yes mummyji, I am sorry you are late again for your walk because of me.' Ragini apologized. Mrs. Malhotra passed her the keys to the flat and warmly caressed her cheek and said, 'Its fine beta. In fact, I'll have to take only four rounds of the park than five today. Your father-in-law must have already finished a couple of them by the time I join', she winked and giggled.

Ragini shook her head lightly and said, 'I don't think that's a good thing to do mummyji.'

'Oh please now you don't start your health is wealth lecture again, by the way where is Ranbir?' Mrs. Malhotra questioned.

'I've dropped him at Ronit's and will pick him up later in the evening'.

'Oh yes, so my boy is partying hard, huh', Mrs. Malhotra winked at Ragini.

'Yes', Ragini laughed and entered the elevator that she'd missed when it was on the ground floor a couple of minutes back and pressed the 20th floor button and before the door could shut she shouted, 'By the way no cheating mummyji'.

'Uff! I forget she is a father's girl and not mamma's!' Mrs. Malhotra murmured to herself. Unlike the typical mother-in-law, Mrs.Malhotra was a very warm and affectionate woman. She had a happy marriage with her husband, Mr.Vishwas Malhotra a retired Bank officer and doted on their daughter-in-law, Ragini. Ranbir was of course the apple of her eye.

Ragini walked into the house with heavy bags and shut the door behind her. She placed all the bags on the kitchen table and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator before she collapsed on one of the dining chairs. She drank some water and set the bottle aside and sat quietly. Everything was suddenly so quiet since no one especially Ranbir wasn't at home and today even Mrs. Shanti, the music teacher next door was not singing adding more to the silence. She usually did practice her singing every day at this hour she thought.

Amidst the silence Ragini realized, meeting Nachiket today brought back so many memories. Every moment that she spent with him flashed in front of her. Everything was still so fresh in her mind that she could see it all roll out like a movie in front of her eyes.

Flashback

5 Years Back
NMIMS College Campus, 2007

'Excuse me! is this the way to the canteen?', A very confident male voice asked, tapping gently on Ragini's shoulder. A fuming Ragini turned around and angrily stared into a pair of brown eyes and said, Do I have a May I help you' board in my hand for you to be asking me directions that too in a school of business?' She paused and looked at him carefully. He was dressed in formals and sported a clean shaven look. She almost forgot to breathe. Calling him handsome could have been an understatement and there she was, trying to recollect yet another word from the dictionary that she could use to describe him.

'What's wrong with you Ragini? He just asked you something very basic and didn't you notice he is so handsome!!'' Purvi exclaimed clutching Ragini's arm.

Ragini was upset for her division changed without her being informed and she did not want to move into another division in the final year of her Masters. She'd had an amazing set of friends, but her specialization in technology and engineering got her into another division. 'Disgusting! I hate this Purvi, I don't want to shift,' Ragini complained as she made her way to the canteen along with Purvi.

Purvi calmed her down and made her sit on one of the tables before she went off to get some snacks for both of them. Ragini sat quietly with her eyes shut and after taking a couple of deep breaths the handsome face reappeared in front of her eyes again. His brown eyes were so intense and mysterious. She recollected his perfect face yet again and confessed to herself that he was indeed very smart and handsome. She regretted that he appeared at the wrong time in front of her.

Ragini was short tempered, but it took equally less time for to calm down and be herself again. After a while, Ragini saw Purvi approaching their table with a tray full of snacks. Purvi struggled to balance the tray as her phone was ringing in her pocket and so Ragini got up and took a step or two to reach out and take the tray from Purvi's hand. In an attempt to not spill the tea from the overflowing cup, Ragini slowly lay the tray on the table and without turning around she sat on the chair that gone. She fell with a thud on the hard ground attracting everyone's attention.

'Ouch!'' Ragini yelped in pain as she hurt her lower back in the fall. Before she could gather herself to get up, she saw a strong masculine hand offering her help to get up. She was miffed with the fall and her eyes quickly followed the owner of the hands who offered her help. She was surprised to see the same brown eyes again. He gulped as he saw Ragini's fierce eyes. She was sure to kick him today he thought to himself. She kept staring at him and realized she was still on the floor only when she heard a couple of girls sniggering and some laughing at her. Her eyes glistened with tears and she looked away, when she heard him speak again, It's not funny at all. I doubt you all have heard of something called coincidence? I thought the chair was empty and pulled it to sit and unfortunately this lady just happened to come and sit at the same moment. He sighed as he silenced the others and looked back at Ragini and with a very genuine concern in his eyes, he apologized, 'I am sorry miss, and I truly didn't mean to do this. Here, please let me help you up.'

Ragini could see that he was truly apologizing and so she extended her hand to him, which he held very gently and pulled her up. The gentleman he was, he quickly brought back the same chair and helped her to sit on. He smiled gently and continued, 'I didn't mean to hurt you, I mean...I'

Ragini interrupted with a smile, 'It's ok, I am fine'' She paused for a second and continued,''actually am sorry too, I shouldn't have spoken so rudely back then.''

'I am sure something must have upset you else a graceful lady like wouldn't spit fire''he said. 'By the way I am Nachiket Khanna' and put his hand forward which Ragini shook gently and said, Ragini Patel'. That was their first meeting. Nachiket Khanna and Ragini Patel who met in a very awkward situation to be friends forever.

'Ragini aunty', a voice called out loudly and brought Ragini back from her reverie. She did not realize she sat still all alone recollecting her first meeting with Nachiket. Little did she know that morning that she'd meet Nachiket Khanna again in this lifetime?

She turned to the kitchen and put a vessel with some milk on the gas to boil. She added some sugar and some coffee. The aroma of the coffee brought back some more memories yet again. She was surprised how meeting Nachiket today had turned back the pages of her life and she could recollect every moment of their togetherness vividly.


Flashback:

'Ragini, listen you can't lose hope like this'', Nachiket said placing a gentle arm on her shoulder. 'I understand how difficult it is for you and for your family, but you have to understand you have your younger brother dependent on you now.''

I'll miss her so much Nachiket. I miss my mom.' Ragini cried inconsolably on Nachiket's shoulder. She clutched Nachiket's shirt and wept her heart out. She'd lost her mother a couple of weeks back due to some prolonged illness. Ragini was a very strong person emotionally, but this time she could not hold up her emotions as she had Nachiket's shoulder to cry on.

'See now this the third time I've got this coffee, then don't complain it does not smell like coffee and so you won't drink it,''Nachiket said comforting her in his embrace. He joked further to lighten the moment and cajoled her to sip her favorite coffee and relax.

Ragini wiped her tears and picked up the mug and brought I up to her nose and she could smell the freshly crushed coffee beans. The aroma made her forget her misery and she smiled, 'it's smelling coffee and I love it. Thanks Nachiket'.

Since their first meeting, both Nachiket and Ragini bonded very well. Nachiket spoke less and so he had only a couple of friends while Ragini was more of an extrovert. She aced all that she did, be it academics, extracurricular activities and others. She was a brilliant and a smart but at the same time a very shy and coy girl who did anything and everything for her family, friends and dear ones. She'd grown fond of Nachiket for he had this boyish charm and yet a very mature persona that charmed her. He was sophisticated and always struck a balance of humor, sensitivity and intellect. Very down to earth person who preferred to speak rarely but always speak his mind. He began to value family and understood its importance only after he met Ragini for his parents were high profile socialite couple who spent minimum time in any family affairs which annoyed him greatly but he could do nothing much about it.

They shared a very caring and a true friendship. Always appreciated each others' work and respected each other. There was something unique about their friendship. Not much was required to convey in words... If Nachiket craved for homemade food, Ragini would pack some extra lunch, If Nachiket would bury his head in books all the time, Ragini would drag him for movies and plays, If Nachiket hated rains, Ragini pulled his umbrella out of his hands and insisted to get wet in the rain and sip hot coffee...Ragini had taught him how to live life and by living she meant to enjoy each and every moment as if it was the last.

Everyone around could sense something more than friendship between the two but they laughed it off. Ragini was brought up in a family where it was known to her that she would never be able to choose a life partner for herself while Nachiket was too alien to the concept of love. Thus the two never bothered to analyze or understand if what they shared was limited to only friendship or was there something more to it?

Ragini's eyes suddenly fell on the boiling milk and she swiftly turned the gas off and poured the contents into the mug and sat on the couch beside the window overlooking the lush gardens across her building. A smile played on her lips as she recollected some fine moments one after another when a reminder set on her phone alarmed. She picked up her phone and checked for the reminder that flashed Temple on 28th June', i.e. two days from today she sighed. Suddenly the smile that existed on her lips till now disappeared. Tears welled up in her eyes and unknowingly a lone tear rolled down her cheek. Ragini was engulfed in turmoil of emotions. Both pleasant and unpleasant memories clouded her mind. She could neither fight them, nor could she share what she felt within with anyone.

She grabbed the cushion that lay beside her on the couch and clutched it closer to her. She hugged it tightly and finally wept. It soaked in all the tears she shed silently as if listening to her grief and promising to be right beside her all her life. Though lifeless, Ragini found comfort and solace in it who heard her silences.


To be contd..