Last Day
Part (a)
New day, New hope. Today is the Last Day of Mrityunjay and Tara here. Last day to nurse their bruised hearts.
"One more day went. Don't know how many more days I have to live this life." Mrityunjay was standing in his balcony watching the beauty of Naini Lake, but his heart was not feeling that beauty as it was discontent. To lessen this discontentment, he lighted a cigarette.
"One more day went without mom. Each passing day is taking her nearer to death. I wish I could stop this. But I can't. Only thing I can do is to fill her remaining days with happiness." A tear trickled from Tara's eyes. She was standing in front of the mirror caressing her hair. She pinned up her bun.
Cleaned her face, checked it whether she was able to hide her grief and left her room for the last day's trip. She tried to hide her sorrow by keeping a sweet smile on her face.
Mrityunjay was already at the reception waiting for Tara and the students.
Mrityunjay was smoking when Tara arrived. On seeing Tara, he quenched his cigarette.
Tara saw him smoking. She stopped at the start of the corridor for the students.
Mrityunjay thought to greet her. He was surprised to see Tara smiling.
"Last night she was sobbing and today she is smiling. How? Should I ask her about last night?" After thinking for few seconds, Mrityunjay was about to ask Tara when all the students came.
"I should not ask now." Thinking this, Mrityunjay moved out of Shekhawat Mansion.
"All ready for today's trip?" asked Tara with a sweet smile on her face.
"Yes!!!" All the students shouted.
All sat in the car and started their trip for last day in Nainital.
With each turn and twist in the roads, the students hollered with joy. Tara was quiet on the whole route to Everest Point. She smiled when nudged by Vasu and for the rest of the time she tried to maintain at least a smile on her face. Mrityunjay was watching all this through the rear-view mirror.
On reaching Everest Point, all got down from the car.
They were flabbergasted to see Mt. Everest. They were able to see the mountain chain of the Himalayas. Its high hills were covered with white snow. Sun rays falling on the snow was making it twinkle like stars at night. The sky touching mountains were looking like they have given their support to the clouds to hang up there. The clouds in the clear sky were like cotton balls forming different shapes like lion, bird and many others.
"Yug, don't you think today Ma'am is somewhat upset?" asked Bunty pulling Yug back to him.
"I too noticed this," said Yug trying to gain balance on his feet.
"She is smiling but there is something missing in her smile," said Yug.
"I think it might be about her mother. I wish she gets well soon." said Bunty.
Mrityunjay overheard Bunty and Yug's conversation.
"Oh...So her mother is ill. That must be the reason for her..." thought Mrityunjay while watching Tara, who was smiling watching the Mountains and sharing Maggi with Vasu.
"OK. Students let's move to our next point."
"It's Khurpa Taal," said Tara, coming to the car.
"She is still smiling. Her mother is ill, last night she was crying and today she is smiling." Mrityunjay was feeling restless thinking about Tara. He again lighted a cigarette.
Tara noticed Mrityunjay smoking once again.
All left for Khurpa Taal. Khurpa Taal was a trowel shaped lake surrounded by farms. Mrityunjay took all of them to a high altitude place to show the land view of Khurpa Taal. That place had a steep slope. A slip from that place results in death.
The students were thrilled to see the land view of Khurpa Taal and mesmerized by the beauty of the lake.
Nandini gave her camera to Tara to click her pictures.
Tara was clicking pictures when someone from behind knocked her over. She lost her balance and was about to fall from the steep slope when a hand grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
It was Mrityunjay's hand.
He was standing beside Tara. Both were panting.
Neither of them said anything for the moment.
All were shocked by this incident.
After a few seconds when Tara was breathing normally,
Mrityunjay asked, "Are you all right??"
"Yes. I am fine." replied Tara taking a deep breath.
"Thank you Mrityunjay for saving me."
All students gather around Tara to see whether she was fine. They bombarded their questions on Tara to know whether their Ma'am was all right or not.
"Let's leave this place," Mrityunjay ordered.
Tara was walking but still her legs were trembling because of that incident that happened few minutes ago. Mrityunjay was going to offer his help to Tara, but Bunty reached Tara before Mrityunjay and helped her to reach the car. All left quietly.
All were sitting quietly in the car. Tara saw their sad faces because of that accident.
To cheer them up she said, "I think we should go for boating."
Hearing this, the students smiled. Seeing her students smile once again, Tara felt good as it was their last day here and she didn't want a single reason to upset her students.
They all went for boating in Naini Lake.
They took two boats, each with a capacity of four persons.
Mrityunjay and Tara decided to go in different boats to keep watch on the students. Tara, Bunty, Adi and Meethi went in one boat and Mrityunjay, Vasu, Nandini and Yug in the other.
Mrityunjay was sitting in his boat facing Tara.
Students were enjoying boating and the cool breeze of Naini Lake was comforting.
After all day maintaining a smile on her face, once again thoughts about her mother drew Tara's attention as the breeze of Naini Lake was providing her with the same rest as she felt when she rests her head on her mother's lap. A tear trickled from her eye. She rubbed it off immediately and once again smiled.
Mrityunjay was seeing all this from his boat.
"How she can cry and smile at the same time??" Mrityunjay was thinking when he noticed her closing her eyes and maintaining her smile.
He too tried the same. He closed his eyes.
He felt the gentle breeze of Naini Lake on his tough body. Its peaceful breeze was healing the burns of Mrityunjay and giving Tara a new energy to fight for her mom.
Nainital's cool appeasing breeze did its magic on Mrityunjay. The creativity in Mrityunjay which was gone after last year's tragic accident was reviving.
Mrityunjay was imagining beautiful fields of tulip, where varied colour tulips covered the landscape. He saw a girl standing in the fields. The girl was smiling seeing the tulips, her hair was touching her face. Mrityunjay tried to see that girl's face. He focused on his thoughts. And then he saw her. That girl was Tara.
On seeing Tara in his imagination, he immediately opened his eyes.
"What happened Bhai?" queried Yug seeing a little surprised Mrityunjay, who just came back from his imagination.
Mrityunjay shook his head in a no.
Mrityunjay saw Tara in the other boat who was still smiling, keeping her eyes closed.
After getting down from the boat, they went to Tibetan Market. This market is famous for woolen clothes, artifacts made of wood and candles.
All the students were buying something or the other for their family and friends.
Tara accompanied the girls for shopping. They were going from one shop to the other, when Tara stopped in front of one shop.
"Girls, you all check out the next store. I will back in a few minutes." Saying this, Tara entered that shop.
"Bhaiya, please show that scarf...that one..." Tara pointed at a red scarf outside the shop.
The shopkeeper brought that scarf. Tara inspected that scarf.
"I think this is a perfect gift for him," thought Tara.
"Pack this."
Tara gathered her package and left that shop. Tara joined the girls in shopping.
While all were shopping, Mrityunjay brought paper and pencil, sat on the bank of Naini Lake and started sketching something.
After all were done with shopping, they gathered at a predetermined spot.
"Where is Bhai? He didn't return?" asked Yug trying to find Mrityunjay in the nearby surroundings.
"No. You know where he is?" asked Vasu.
"Yes, I know. He told me he is going to sit near the bank of Naini Lake and will return on time. I think he must be there. I should go and check there." said Yug, pointing towards the lake.
"May I?" Yug turned to Tara for her permission.
"Sorry I am late." Mrityunjay came from the other side of the road.
He had papers in his hand.
"What is this Bhai?? Did you sketch??"
"Bhai sketches very well," said Yug taking the papers from Mrityunjay's hand.
One by one all saw the sketches.
Tara was amazed to see the beautiful sketch. It was a field full of tulips, a girl standing near a tulip flower and smiling.
Next was a girl standing in a field of tulip, whose hair was flying, touching her face. That girl seemed to Tara to be like herself. She was surprised to see that, but then thought how it can be her, as she never looked like that.
She looked at Mrityunjay. He was smoking.
It was his tenth cigarette excluding those which he smoked in Tara's absence. Mrityunjay turned his face away when he noticed Tara watching him.
"He should not smoke so much." She thought, giving the sketches to Yug.
By the time they returned to the hotel, it was dusk.
When all got down from the car, Mrityunjay asked them to join in for campfire tonight in the lawn as it was their last day there and they should make it memorable.
All got excited for the campfire.
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Editor: ⭐️Shaina_b⭐️
(Thank You for making this readable)
Shiv Shakti
Cricket
