The Hint from OS: Sibling Chat was -
"I was telling her stories about when I was a kid. I told, her about bringing Gola for Riya. How I ran, to make sure, it didn't melt."
"And, she always complained, it had melted a little."
Dev and Neha laughed together.
"Bhai, woh, wahi Gola bechnewala hain na?" Neha, suddenly pointed to an old man, standing at a distance, who was packing his wares.
"Shayad, wahi hai. Do you want to have?"
Credits to ishra368, randommusings, .FlyingClouds., AdyaXoxo, asifiqbalsh, MeDhellsAngel for making an effort to guess the hint. The hint was difficult, but you guys tried. 👏❤️
OS - The Gola Date
Sonakshi, sat in the cab, looking out of the window, a myriad thoughts running across her mind. She was going to the Dixit house, having commenced her work some time ago post her accident.
On the way, she saw a Gola seller, just setting up his shop in the busy market area, around twenty minutes from her destination. It was summer, and ice-creams, golas, juices, and cold drinks, were being sold in stalls too, in the busy, and burning hot streets of Delhi.
Suddenly, she remembered, Dev's story about how, as a child, he used to work for a man selling Golas, in return for a piece, for his sister.
Sonakshi smiled.
She also remembered other things, mainly, Dev's admission about losing his childhood to the harsh circumstances his family faced. And, her smile faded. As a child, she didn't have the comforts many rich children did, but she did have her share of fun. At the least, she didn't lose her childhood, to such poverty and drudgery.
Something struck her, and she immediately asked the driver to stop, and paid the charges till the current place, though the driver on Teena's instructions, requested, and insisted she stay on, till where she usually went, but Sonakshi had made up her mind.
She literally ran back to the gola vendor, who was quite an old man, and said, "Bhaiyya, do, gola dena. Jaldi, kaala khatta."
She waited impatiently, for the golas to be ready, and finally, once the man gave them to her, she thanked him hurriedly and took off.
She began jogging, but soon, it turned to running and sprinting, Dev's house was a twenty-minute walk, but in twenty minutes, the golas would definitely melt, and she had to make it in under five minutes.
She, ran, heaving and panting, not knowing, tired but determined with a purpose.
Finally, Sonakshi reached Ishwari Nivas, in twelve minutes, and tiny drops of ice, were falling on the floor.
"Keechu Bhaiyya!" She shouted, in between deep breaths.
"Actually, chodo, let me find him myself."
She turned, to go up to Dev's room, when the good, old Keechu rushed into the room.
"Didi, baat kya hai?"
"Mr. Dixit... Kahaaan hai?" She brought out.
"Bhaiyyaji, toh chat par hain... Woh.."
Before he could finish, Sonakshi had already left.
She ran up the stairs like a mad woman, having thrown her bag, on one of the couches in the drawing room.
She stepped inside, the huge terrace, and rested against the wall beside the door.
Having seen Dev, at the edge of the terrace, examining something, she decided to take a moment to regain her energy.
Panting and heaving, with sweat, and the run, she called, "Mr. Dixit."
One hand, holding the golas, she clutched her stomach with the other, trying to come to grips with her impromptu exercise.
Dev, turned, "Ms. Bose!"
He rushed instantly to her, fearing something had gone wrong with her again.
"Are you okay? Why are you so tired, and worn out? Aur, itne paseene kyun choot rahe hain, aapke? What on earth have you done to yourself, Ms. Bose?"
"Calm down, Mr. Dixit. Here, gola khaiye." Sonakshi replied, extending the gola to him.
Dev's face was a picture of confusion as he took it from her, he was about to say something, when Sonakshi interrupted, "I covered a distance worth twenty-minute walk in twelve. I know it isn't as good as covering a thirty-minute distance in seven, but I did my best. Aise kya dekh rahe hain, Mr. Dixit? Gola, khaiye. Itni mushkil se, itni mehnat se main bhaag kar aayi hoon, so it doesn't melt, please. Don't, let my efforts go down the drain."
Dev was furious with Sonakshi's childishness, more so, with her callous and irrational behaviour. What on bloody earth, was wrong with this woman!
He refused to reign on his temper, and yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you, Ms. Bose!! Do you even realise the stupidity of your actions. Kaisi bachkani harkat hai, yeh? Do you even remember, you just suffered a major accident! Marne waali thi, aap! Apna khayal toh rakhna nahi jaanti, chali hai, doctor ban ne! Kitna khayal rakhun mein aapka, aur bhi kaam hai mujhe Ms. Bose! This is ridiculous! Itni door bhaag kar aana, iss haalat mein! Aapka dimaag toh theek hain! Yeh, gola khareed ne ki kya zaroorat thi? Did I ask you to do that? I don't want this!" Dev, lifted his hand to throw it on the ground, when Sonakshi held his hand, stopping him, fiercely.
"Mr. Dixit! Firstly, it's been quite some time, since the accident, and, I know how to take care of myself. Secondly, I told you, maine bahut mehnat ki, ise laane mein. You cannot throw this away and insult me. Moreover, yeh sab, sirf aapke liye kiya tha. I know, you lost out on your childhood memories, and joys and fun, and I wanted you to have it back. That's it. Aapne meri zindagi lautayi hai, Mr. Dixit, main, aapka bachpan lautana chahti hoon. That's it. I feel, every child, is entitled to enjoy his or her freedom. And, each of us, have a child alive inside us, and we need to keep that child alive, as long as we live. I did no wrong. I'll take your leave now. You can do whatever you want. Mujhe thodi na pata tha, itni choti si baat ke liye, aap itna bhadak jaayenge."
She left his hand, and turned to leave, when Dev began, "Ladai baad mein kar lein. Can we finish eating the golas first?"
Sonakshi turned and said, "Aap hi khaiye. Mera mood kharab ho gaya."
She turned again, but this time, Dev held her hand and said, "I will not accept that. I promise, we can continue this war of words after, agar aap chali jayengi, toh aap ki mehnat ki insult hogi. Come on."
Sonakshi, had calmed down a little, and walked inside the terrace, as they both began gorging on the melting golas.
"Garmi mein kaala khatta ka maza hi kuch aur hai, nahi?" Dev remarked, and Sonakshi agreed.
"I am sorry, Ms. Bose. I couldn't see anything beyond the fact, that you were over exerting yourself. You were wrong. But, I could have stopped myself from shouting at you."
"Ya, I know. I was wrong. But, I figured, if there was one way, I could return some memories and some joys of childhood to that brother who sprinted home, to give an earned gola to his sister, it had to be this way. I am not doing you a favour. I feel, I must do it. Seems, irrational, but that's how I am."
Sonakshi finished, shrugging her shoulders.
Dev, just shook his head, helplessly.
"Thank you, Ms. Bose. But, you didn't have to."
"I know that. I just wanted to. So, I have decided, I will move heaven and earth to ensure, you earn your childhood back. Well, maybe, not everything is possible. But, some things are. Okay, this one done. Have you ever, bunked school or college to go for a movie with your friends? Have you?"
Sonakshi asked eagerly.
And, Dev, seemed pretty confused, and denied, "No. Not really. I took tuitions for younger children, from Class 7 onwards. And, we lived such a hand to mouth existence, that I couldn't really bunk and go for movies."
"Okay then. I cannot change what happened then. But, we can do it now. I am going to bunk work today, and so are you. And, we are going for a movie." Sonakshi decidedly announced.
"What? No ways, Ms. Bose. This is rubbish. I have work."
"That's why, you are going to bunk, Mr. Aubhodro Dixit." She said, facepalming.
"Ms. Bose, you are really crazy, I appreciate your gesture, but I cannot let it grow."
"Main, bahut ziddi hoon, Mr. Dixit. You are the boss. And, what's the point of being a boss, if you cannot, like, not go for a day?" She asked, and continued before he could give her a lecture on being a role model, so on and so forth, "Mr. Dixit, ek din nahi gaye, toh tomorrow, your staff won't bunk work. Trust me."
Dev, agreed. He had no idea, why he was indulging Sonakshi's juvenile fancies, but he was.
"Done, then. We will go watch this movie, I have been waiting to watch."
"I tell you what, you wanted to go for a movie, and because you haven't found company, you did your theatrical antics as usual, to make me go with you." Dev, correctly, surmised.
"You have agreed, Mr. Dixit. You cannot go back on your word." Sonakshi, said giving him a cocky glance, her hands folded against her chest.
The golas were over.
"By the way, what are you doing in the terrace at this time? THE Dev Dixit ke paas, chath par thandi hawa khaane ki fursat kahan?" Sonakshi taunted.
"Excuse me, garmi mein, Dilli mein, sirf heat waves aate hain. Not, thandi hawa. This isn't Kashmir." Dev said laughing, and continued.
"This required precedence today. This terrace is open, and the pigeon menace is increasing crazily. Do you see the droppings all around there, well, there isn't much, because it is cleaned every day, but they come over, and build a nest, and each time, there cannot be someone like a security guard, to shoo the irritating pigeons away. I was just talking to someone, to spray something, to keep them from flying here. That spray, has to come from Nepal, and I have to place an order. I have asked, Teena to look it up."
"Mr. Dixit, do you have old CDs? You know, CDs that don't work anymore, and are lying around useless."
"Probably, Nikki has a junkyard, in her room, I am sure, she packed that entire junk from our old place, when we moved here. She is bound to have them. Why though?"
"Well, you have a beautiful terrace. Just, have some hooks placed at places, near the roofs, and hang the CDs from them. You will have no pigeons coming in whatsoever." Sonakshi declared, confidently.
"What? How?"
"I am not sure how. But, I guess, in the sun, the CDs, shine, and scare the pigeons away. We did have those, in our house, it works. Trust me."
"Are you serious?"
"Well, try it out. You don't need to import sprays and stuff, paison se thoda dimaag khareed lijiye, toh behtar hoga." Sonakshi, mocked.
"Excuse me?" Dev started.
The End
Note - Assume, sufficient time has passed since Sonakshi's accident and she is able to run and jump freely. Unless, mentioned, Dev and Sonakshi haven't accepted or realized their love for each other. Do they love each other? That's for you to decide. I am not sure, if such a spray for pigeons exists, but the CD idea works! I have tried it.
AS USUAL, THERE IS A HINT FOR MY NEXT STORY. GUESS IT. Pretty simple this time, unlike the last.
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