**Replies to your comment begin page 59.**I have taken a little creative liberty in this chapter. Pardon me for that.15. Stringed Hearts
I couldn't stop myself from constantly tapping my feet against the car floor. Anaya turned her head to me every few minutes and smiled comfortingly while Raya stretched her hand and patted my shoulder from the backseat. We were driving to the restaurant where Anaya had called Mrs. Khurana as well.
The nervous knots I could feel forming in my stomach refused to go away and as my meeting with Mrs. Khurana inched closer, I could feel my hands starting to shake. How was I going to behave? If she had wanted to meet me then surely she wouldn't have any bitter feelings for me, would she?
I closed my eyes and recalled the times I had spent with Mrs. Khurana seven years back. From the first meeting to the time when I left this place, so many memories played in my mind; her hugging me, her kissing my forehead, making me laugh as I helped her walk. When Anaya parked the car in front of a posh restaurant, I was sure of one thing: Mrs. Khurana was a mother figure to me and even if she was upset with me, it was my duty to pacify her.
With my unsure nerves put to rest, I was confident when I walked in. Raya held my hand in a supportive gesture when Anaya talked with the hostess who began to lead the way around to the back of the building where private booths were made.
Just as we stepped around a bend, I saw her and another very familiar face. Zara. Somehow being alerted of our arrival, they both turned to look our way as they slowly stood up. As I walked towards them, I took a moment to just see them. Mrs. Khurana seemed more aged. The wrinkles on her face had become more pronounced but the twinkle in her eyes and the lively smile were intact. Zara, on the other hand, had only changed slightly. Her face was a little chubbier but she was still almost as slim as she had been then so she still looked young and as beautiful as I remembered her to be back then.
"Geet, my dear!" Mrs. Khurana reached for me as soon as we stopped at the booth. With her arms enfolding me in a warm and firm embrace, I felt any lingering nervousness fade away as I hugged her back. The feeling of her hug reminded me of Mamma and this made me hold on to her longer than I would have. The way she rubbed my back, I sensed that she knew what was on my mind and she knew about my parents. She kissed my forehead when we broke apart. I could see her eyes glistening even though she was smiling widely.
She hugged Raya next, showering the same warmth she had showered on me. When she turned back to me, she caressed my cheek and I instinctively held her hand to my face, leaning my head into it. She had a motherly aura to herself which I had desperately missed for the past year and I was trying to get the most of it in a forlorn manner.
Zara broke the moment which had become emotional for us. She stepped forward and hugged me and then Raya, made us sit and then started the casual how-have-you-been questions. Mrs. Khurana had made me sit beside her and she held my hand as I talked to Zara.
"What?" Zara screamed when Raya told her about being married for a long time now. "Why? I mean, how? I mean, you're so young! Love marriage?"
It was apparent with the way Mrs. Khurana was so calm that she was aware of Raya's marriage but she spoke up this time.
"Well, that is one thing I want to know about too. I've gotten much of the story about your marriage from Anaya and G but I want to listen it from you." She prompted Raya with an excited smile. Raya looked at me and I nodded encouragingly.
"Umm..." She thought for a moment. "Almost three months after Di came here for her studies, Raunaq and his family moved into the neighborhood. Our mothers soon became good friends since we were right next door. She often came to our house in her free time and Mamma would sometimes visit them but I never really joined them."
"Once Mamma had made some special sweet dish so she told me to go and give it to Aunty. Raunaq had answered the door then. Up until then, I had only seen him from a distance - and admired him too, I should add!"
Anaya and Zara Ooh'd and Ah'd at this but Raya, being the shameless person that she was, grinned and winked.
"He was, well... nice. He acted nicely with me and I liked that. After that, I often saw him studying in the front yard of his house. He was a bookworm. In fact, he still is. You can't take him away from his books so easily! Anyway, he was fun too, because whenever we met, he joked around and talked much more with me than in the past few months since they'd been there. He was only a year senior to me so we clicked well and became friends and then, well, love happened!"
"Aww! So it was... slow poison for you!" Zara joked, making us all laugh. "So who proposed first?" Zara was still interested in Raya's love life.
"He did. Actually, he had his parents ask my hand for marriage directly from my parents. Wasn't that gentlemanly?"
I rolled my eyes at my love struck Chhoti while she sighed dreamily.
"What does he do?" It was Mrs. Khurana, who had silently heard the story and now had a question of her own.
"He's the Deputy General Manager of the topmost bank of the country." There was evident pride in Raya's voice whenever she spoke of Raunaq and anything related to him.
Some more discussion about Raunaq's profession revealed to Aunty how he was transferred every six months or so and that he and Raya were here for half a year only.
"You won't be settling down here?" Aunty was slightly disappointed.
"Actually, we will, but not now. In another few months, he'll be promoted so he'll be able to choose a place for his posting. We plan to come here when we settle down. Right now, I'm just enjoying this way!" Raya smiled in satisfaction and the conversation drifted from her to Zara and how she had been.
"I have a daughter." She smiled proudly. "She's four and a half now."
I was pleasantly surprised. "Wow! What's her name?"
"Ameerah."
"Nice name. I want to see her." I was eager to see the girl.
"Of course!" Zara promptly replied. "Actually, we have a kitty party scheduled for the next weekend. You all have to come, right Mom?" She turned to Aunty.
"Definitely. Geet, I want you and Raya to be there, do you understand?" I smiled and nodded at her authoritative tone. "In fact, give me all your numbers and your complete address too, so I can catch you if you try to cut off from me this time!"
She was scolding in a loving manner but I was smiling. I was happy to be scolded like that. I was happy that my bond with her was intact and maybe even stronger, for I was tied to her in a bond which was just as strong as a blood tie, if not more.
Edited by mayyo - 10 years ago
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