Hi all, Here is the next update...Hope you all like it and please post and discuss...that's what keeps me going...
Part 17: Something for my secret stash...
<Geet's monologue>
I wake up the next day and tell Meer that I want to take the subway with her…I prayed that she didn't notice any change in me…I just wanted to appear normal and seem to be doing things per my whim…and not because he....
I smiled…
I looked around for him in the subway station…he was nowhere to be found…We reached the office and there was already one item to be checked off my list..
20 mts Meera…check.
It was noon already…I asked Yash if I could go out for lunch with him. We went to Caf Lulu's and sat there to finish our lunch…two done one to go…
30 mts Yash…check.
It was funny…I just wanted to blindly follow what he had asked me to do…afterall I had promises to keep…I felt like a teenager again…
I didn't meet Maan at all…we didn't have any meeting together that day.
Meera and Yash were staying behind to wrap up some work….and so I had to ride home alone..I once again eyed for him at the station..but I was out of luck. I could feel the disappointment in me and I still had 10 mts to spare for another soul.
I contemplated calling him…I wasn't sure how it would come across…I had never called him before…except on the night I wanted to meet him at the gym-sit out…The night I first held his hands…
I reached the apartment and was waiting for the elevator to come down…He stepped out of the elevator….my prayers were secrectly being heard…babaji…thank you.
Maan:"Geet…how are you today?"
Geet:" Good and you…"
Maan:" Good….hmmm..so what are you doing this evening?"
It was a thurday…I didn't have much to do….laundry perhaps…
Geet:" Nothing actually…" baad me gaye laundry
Maan:" Good…I was going to get something…why don't you come with me…"
Geet:" Hmmm ok…let me freshen up and come down…"
Maan:" I will wait in the garage…"
I didn't know how to dress up…I didn't want to overdo it…but I wanted to show him that I was not engrossed in my past…
<Maan's monologue>
She had just come back from office…I did not expect to bump into her today…Guess…nature is not against me after all…She probably didn't want to come with me in her formals…Her usual style was formal tops and trousers…her heel size was the perfect height …just right for our eyes to meet….
She always had her hair tied up with some layers in the front chopped to end right by her ears..that bounced back and forth when she giggled…Her big dial watch was a regular and she had her laptop bag and her satchel with her…She never wore make up…and always lined her eyes with kohl…
She seemed tired but still good enough for my eyes as a treat…
The garage elevator opened and she stepped out…she looked completely different…She was wearing a pink salwar suit..that curved so closely by her waist and it was the first time I noticed how beautifully proptionate she was…her hair was left loose…Her skin was silky from the simple make up that she had worn…Her eyes were dressed up with a light shade of pink and her lashes were dressed for drama…Last but not the least she wore a peach colored glossy lip stick that made her lips look so supple and soft…My eyes were in for a feast and my heart was racing at million miles an hour…There was only one problem…
I didn't know how to behave normal as if she didn't affect me…I didn't know if I could be a gentleman around her anymore…
She came to the passenger side window and knocked…she was signaling me to open the door...I couldn't make head or tails of it as it appeared as if her dainty fingers where gently dancing in the air….I shook my head hoping that the action would clear my foggy mind…she got in and we started driving…
Geet:" So what did you want to buy…?"
Maan:"Its daadima's birthday next week…I wanted to get her something…"
She seemed excited…
Maan:" We are going to Mikimoto's …I heard from Shasha that they had some new pearls…"
Geet's eyes suddenly lost its charm….
We went around the store…she was checking out some pieces…I was glad she was there to give me an opinion before I made a final sale…
I walked to a shelf and started eyeing the pieces in it…And then my eyes fell on this particular piece…the tag read water lily earrings…If only I could have her try it on…I didn't have the guts to ask her and didn't have a good reason either…Its not the type Daadima would wear…
An elderly looking man came around and greeted me and asked me for my name…
Maan:" Mr. Khurana…"
He informed me that he would be my assistance…He saw me eye the water lily piece and took it out for me to see it closely…just then she arrived at the same shelf…
Store assistant: You know what…you should ask Mrs.Khurana to try it out…only then you would know its true beauty…
We looked at each other for a second and broke our gaze away…she blushed…her cheeks turned a deep pink…
Maan:" No…we are not together…." I jumped at his statement…
Store Assistant:" Oh! I'm sorry about that…would you still like to try it on Maam…"
He asked looking at Geet…
I prayed that she would say yes…I only wanted to look at her with the earrings on…I was overjoyed that the request didn't come from me…
Geet:" hmmm…" She hesitated…."ok…I will try it on…"
She quickly took off her earrings and tried on the water lily piece…She looked like a goddess…
She wore it on…just for a few minutes…as if she knew that it was my secrect desire to see her in those earrings…she kept her head low the entire time…she didn't dare to meet my gaze…
She changed back to her old pair…and went to check out another piece…I was standing there dumbstuck the whole time…
I finally selected a pearl strand for Daadima and asked Geet for her opinion…She didn't seem excited…
Maan:" Geet what do you think? Will Daadima like it? "
Geet:" Are you sure she doesn't have anything like this?"
All she wore were pearls…how am I to be sure if she didn't have this one…
Maan:" She only has pearls Geet…how does it make a difference…"
She walked forward…and called out my name…
Geet:" Maan…Can you come here.."
I walked away from the sales counter…
Geet:" Maan…if you don't mind…I want to make a suggestion…From the very little time I spent with your daadi in central park…I think she misses you a lot…I think you should do something personal for her…than buy something for her…"
Maan:" Personal…like what?"
She gave me a suggestion on what I could do for Daadi...I was surprised at her suggestion…not because it sounded weird..but because it was the right thing to do…and I felt so stupid for not having understood what Daadi would want from me…I was also taken back that she could read so much from so little time that she spent with Daadima…
She suggested me to do a personal album of me and have that sent to Daadima as her gift….her point was that the pictures would keep her company whenever she was to miss me…
It was the easiest but the most thoughtful thing to do…and I for one could have never thought of something like that…
We left the store…went staright to Macy's picked up a photo album and then went back to the apartment…
I got my camera and came downstairs…we drove around and took pictures of me with different backdrops..
She made me take some silly ones too…some at a restaurant..some at a fair…some at a park…some at the apartment entrance…
My favoriate was the one where I got her to sneak into the scene and had a picture of both of us taken together…she stayed far away from me…but I will take what I can get for now…
We went to a nearby store and got the pictures printed out in different sizes and sat at a nearby caf and got all of them in place in the album…
We went through the album for a final review…and got it posted out to Daadi's india address…It was a job well done… but above all it was the time that I got to spend with her that seemed precious…it seemed magical…
She was nave…deep…charming and all at once…I had learnt so much about her that day and there was just one thing I learnt about me…I was addicted to her…
<Geet's monologue>
Today's outing was the least expected…and was clearly the best part of my entire day...We were together for almost 3 hrs...and I wished time had stopped when I was out there with him…
I came home, showered and got ready for bed…I was tempted to grab something from my satchel…I had sneaked in something without his permission…
It was a picture with both of us in it…I had printed an extra copy from the SD card when he had gone to pick up some miscellaneous items…
I didn't know why I had done it…but I was not ready to let go of something that would remind me of the memorable time I had with him…
I put it back in my secrect stash and smiled…
I was ready to go to bed…with hopes of a whole new day with him…
Anupamaa
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