Note:
Sorry for the late update, normally i like to be 2 parts ahead of posting.. but i wasn't getting any inspirations. Hopefully i'll try and think of somethng again before wednesday. Thanks to everyone for the comments from the previous parts..
Part 11:
9 months Later
"Mayank! Mayank" she called from the top of the stairs, "Mayank!" this time grunting she walked down to see him watching the TV with a bowl of pop-corn. "It's 12pm and you're watching a movie and eating popcorn while you still in your PJ's" she hit him over the head with a cushion, "Ma..let me watch" he replied back.
"Mayank Sharma, I think you've forgotten that your brother is coming today.. And that you have to be at the airport in half an hour, and the fact that you still haven't had a shower" Shilpa replied back to him crossing her arms across her chest.
He placed the popcorn down on the couch and stood up in a rush, running his hand through his hair he gave a sheepish smile and ran up the stairs.
"You've been spending too much time lazing around Mayank" she yelled back at him.
--
"Let me drive.." she said taking the keys out of the other persons hand, "No! it's my car, I'm driving"
"Nupur, Dia.. It's just a car" spoke CJ walking up to both of them with bags in her hand, she was about to reply back when her phone started ringing, giving a look at Dia she rolled her eyes and dug into her pocket for the phone.
"Hello?" she said, "Hello, Nupur beta?" a smile came upon her face, "Hi Ma.." she replied back to the voice on the other end, "Kaise ho tum? Sab tayyar hain na?"Nupur sighed,
"Haan ma.. Sab tayyar hain, we're deciding whose going to drive the car.." through the corner of her eye she saw Dia poke her tongue out at her and slide into the drivers seat, "Well.. We were deciding.." she spoke, shooting daggers at Dia.
"Kyunki meri beti meri saath nahin rehti, kyunki woh dikhti hain bahut taqat wali par mujhe pata hain ke woh andar se inti strong nahin hain" her mother replied back, "Please Ma.. Aap phir se.." said Nupur before being interrupted by her mothers voice, "Nupur.. Par sach main.. Your very strong, at your age I wasn't able to handle such things, you've gone through a lot. Now all we're waiting for is for someone to look after you"
"Ma'" Nupur said, trying to stop her mother from becoming emotional all over again.
"Theek hain theek hain'man jaati hoon, dhyan rakhna" Nupur mentally nodded for herself and promised her mum not to forget anything.
"Nupur! Let's go.." Dia called out from the drivers seat, "Yeah, yeah.. I'm coming hold your horses" she replied reading her text message she had just received.
---
He stood at the small airport waiting at the domestic flight arrivals gate, shifting his weight from leg to leg he looked around at the tourists and the airport staff. The temperature outside wasn't cold but it wasn't warm either, winter in Shimla was beautiful. The pristine white snow covered the hills and the surroundings, the night life, the skating, the hot chocolates by the fire. It was a winter wonderland.
Looking back at his watch he sighed, the plane was 20 minutes late. Stupid Indian timing
"Mayank" called Gunjan coming out of the arrival gates, finally a smile came upon his face as he hugged his dear to-be sister-in law, "Finally.. Did the plane lose all it's clocks?" he said sarcastically, Samrat laughed and hugged his brother.
"You really don't have patience do you?" asked Samrat, "No I don't especially when I could be doing better things'" they started walking towards the exit pulling their bags behind them.
"Like.. Read a book, relax' don't run around like a maniac doing things for people"
"When does Mayank Sharma have time for such small things like relaxing, reading a book?" asked Samrat jokingly,
"Very funny Samrat, I do have time' when I want to" he replied back, "well' I'm trying to enjoy life, not become old so young"
"Really?? Your more like 27 going on 50 sounds like it" Gunjan sat quietly in the car as Samrat and Mayank exchanged sarcastic moments, at one point she was so fed up that she reached forward from the back seat and turned the radio on.
I'm going out tonight-I'm feelin' alright
Gonna let it all hang out
Wanna make some noise-really raise my voice
Yeah, I wanna scream and shout
No inhibitions-make no conditions
Get a little outta line
I ain't gonna act politically correct
I only wanna have a good time
--
The best thing about being a woman
Is the prerogative to have a little fun (fun, fun)
The radio played aloud as Nupur and Dia sang along, "are you guys like 13 year olds who sing along with pretend micro-phones and hair flicks?" said CJ rolling her eyes and pulling out a bag of kettle chips.
"Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady Men's shirts-short skirts, Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style, Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction, Color my hair-do what I dare, Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel, Man! I feel like a woman!" sang Nupur turning around to face CJ, bopping her head and swaying side to side she even sang.
The girls need a break-tonight we're gonna take
The chance to get out on the town
We don't need romance-we only wanna dance
We're gonna let our hair hang down
The best thing about being a woman
Is the prerogative to have a little fun (fun, fun)
Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady
Men's shirts-short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style
Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction
Color my hair-do what I dare
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel
Man! I feel like a woman!
CJ laughed, "You're very funny Nupur" she said as she jokingly hit Nupur on the shoulder, "Ohh I know.. I'm just hilarious" replied Nupur sticking her tongue out. She turned the volume up a bit louder and swang singing along once again...
The best thing about being a woman
Is the prerogative to have a little fun (fun, fun)
Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady
Men's shirts-short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style
Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction
Color my hair-do what I dare
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel
Man! I feel like a woman!
I get totally crazy
Can you feel it
Come, come, come on baby
I feel like a woman
Her phone once again vibrated as she stopped singing she looked down at the text message.
Yeh, I knw wat u mean. I dnt kno whether u knw this or not, but M's gonna be in Shimla these holidays. Wat if you run in2 him?
She looked at the road ahead and then out the side window leaning on the hand rest, what if she did run in to him. She'd spoken to everyone else apart from him,
"Nupur' what happened? Why aren't you singing anymore?" asked Dia looking at her then back at the road. "Nothing.. Do you have your iPod? We can play some old school songs'" she heard a groan from CJ in the back, "just to annoy CJ" she added.
Unknown to many, CJ and Nupur had become friends when Nupur had first joined her old job. To everyone they were mere colleagues but in reality for the first time since Nupur had moved to India, she found a true friend in CJ. She never hid anything from her, though the whole Mayank fiasco in goa was a tiny white lie kept not only because she felt ashamed for lying and taking advantage of the position Mayank had put her in. But for Mayank too, for him to be able to keep the relationship of colleagues at work, she decided to leave the actual truth from CJ.
"Girls.. We have a long drive ahead of us" spoke Dia sighing, "whose bright idea was it to drive anyways? We could've gone by plane" she asked, looking at CJ who pointed towards Nupur.
"Well.. I thought this would give you time to get to know CJ, and for CJ and I to catch up on everything.. Anyways'it's only a 6 hours drive" Nupur replied back shrugging her shoulders,
"well.. We'll stop half way.. And then you can finally drive Nupz" said Dia, "Fine..as long as I have my music.. I'm all good" Nupur replied sliding back comfortably in her seat.
"and I have my food.. I think we will have a great road trip ahead of us girls" joked CJ from the back as she opened a packet of kettle chips and crossed her legs. "Wait.. When you say old school do you mean Indian old school? Or English old school?"
"English!" both Nupur and Dia said at the same time, "if we play Indian old-school'I'll be asleep at the steering wheel' and we'll all die" said Dia dramatically. "You know Dia.. I think you've been spending too much time with Nupur' before you know it.. They'll be 2 of her" said CJ towards Dia who laughed while Nupur shrugged her shoulders.
---
"oh.. I just love the snow" said a overly-excited Gunjan as she stepped out of the car and onto the snow covered grass. The Sharma's five bedroom bungalow hidden on the hills of Shimla and amidst the trees had been home to Samrat and Mayank ever since they were 14 years old. As they came to adult hood the boys were sent of to Mumbai for university again returning with degree in 2 separate fields. Mayank decided once and for all he wanted to stay in Mumbai, he wanted to work in Mumbai. It was what he "wanted to do with his life". Samrat followed his fathers footsteps and started working at their company, day by day he grew stronger in the field and was put by his fathers side in the office. Decisions were made not only by Shekhar now but by Samrat, and as time went on again Samrat took over his fathers spot and his father slowly went into retirement.
"Gunjan beta" spoke Shilpa as the kids walked into the living room, "Hi ma.." a smile came upon Shilpa's face.
"it's music to me ears..someone calling me Ma.." she said hugging Gunjan, "What about us?" spoke Samrat, "you don't get happy when we call you ma?" he said raising his eyebrows,
"Of course is do'but hearing it from my bahu is even sweeter.. Now only a few months till I get to keep Gunjan forever" she said back pinching Samrat's cheeks.
"Ma, you do know that we will be staying in Delhi though" he replied slouching back on the couch, shilpa looked at him and sighed, "Yes, I do know that" she replied sitting down on the couch next to him. Gunjan went and put one arm around Shilpa and hugged her from the side, "Ma.. You can always come visit us when ever you want'" Shilpa nodded and caressed Gunjan's face, "I know beta' but it wont be the same.."
"Ma.. Why don't you move to Delhi then?" spoke Mayank looking at her from the other side of Samrat,
"Yeah' you and dad can both move and stay near us" spoke Gunjan, Samrat looked at his brother with big eyes.
It's not that he didn't want his family there, it's just that he didn't want to live in a joint family. Mayank shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes at his brother.
"No, we had made a decision we'd grow old here. I'd love it if everyone was here but we all have priorities..I understand" spoke Shilpa back looking at the three of them.
---
"How, more, long, till, we, get, there" spoke an annoyed Dia from the front seat. Nupur turned to her left from the drivers seat and looked at Dia, "I guess we'll be there soon.. At least we left early.. We should be there before 8"
"nup.. We'll be there in 10 mins" spoke CJ from the back, "what?" replied Nupur
"We just passed a Welcome to Shimla sign" she said sitting up, "and the hotel is apparently 10 minutes from the freeway'"
"Thank the heavens.. I'm ready to go have a hot coffee and a long warm shower" replied Dia, the sky had started getting dark and the lights of the town had started glittering making the snow glow under the velvety sky.
---
"Lets go out for Dinner Ma.. You don't have to cook a thing" said Gunjan walking into the kitchen to see Shilpa taking vegetables out of the fridge, "Haan ma' anyways im craving Smitha's gujurati khanna" said Mayank following Gunjan.
"You kids go'your dads going to be late tonight' tum sab jao.. Main Shekhar aur mere liye kuch biryaani banaogi" she said facing them,
"Theek hain.. Lets go" said Samrat picking up the car keys and waiting for Gunjan and Mayank to follow.
Edited by Bollywood_chic - 16 years ago
Bindi
Udne Ki Aasha
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
272