Chapter 6
As a cool breeze blew over their faces, Yash's arm brushed against the girl's soft and warm waist..a sweet fragrance surrounded him. He suddenly realized, felt embarrassed because his arms were on her... and tried to get up slightly pushing the girl forward... She got up as quickly as he did and as she turned to him...
"Chaachu, where are you?" Yash heard the girls, slightly anxious he left them by themselves in the car...turned around and started leaving without getting a chance to see her!..."oh...wh..what.., excuse me...hello sir..." called out the girl. By then Yash had already sat in his car. "Sorry girls, someone needed my help. Lets go home now"..he told Palak and Payal..and they drove away.
As they came home, Palak and Payal ran to their mom and got busy in their after school schedule. Yash was in his bathroom, lost in thought staring into the mirror, who was the girl, how could he miss seeing her and she had such beautiful long hair, and she smelt so divine...wanting to control his wandering thoughts, he started to take his shirt off to take a cool shower...when he saw something stuck inside his shirt pocket...he reached for it and took it out to find it was a small golden jhumki (hanging ear-ring) with small traditional pearls embedded and dangling from it. A smile came upon his face when he realized it was probably the girl's and it must have come off when she fell onto him. He closed his palm trying to feel her hair on his face again. She would probably want it back and he could meet her near the ice cream parlor, she might come there too looking for it...suddenly his expression turned to a confused one as he just remembered he needs to leave with Prateek to Hyderabad early in the morning...and he is back only after a week. He sighed, took the jhumki to his closet, and saved it in a small pouch.
Aarti was sitting on her bed tears streaming down her face...for the first time in many years, she was longing for her mom. She slowly opened her palm to find a single jhumki...she had lost the other one. She recollected the evening's incident..an uneasy feeling in her stomach as thought she had butterflies in them...she first felt bad she could not even thank her savior but when she came home and realized she had lost the only memorabilia she had of her mom...she had gone back to the ice cream parlor immediately after she realized she lost it. She called Aakash and went with him on the bike, but in no vain. Disheartened she came back to her room. Aakash tried to cheer her up as he dropped her off.."Aarti, its ok yaar. We will go again tomorrow. Maybe whoever found it will drop it off at the ice cream parlor in the morning or so? ok? I promise I will take you there. Cheer up now, please?" Aarti gave him a faint smile and walked to her room lost in thought.
Her grandfather had gifted her the jhumkis on her 10th birthday saying her mother wanted her to have those. "These were your mother's. She would have wanted you to have them. Cherish them always. These are your mother's memories, love and her blessings for you beta"...she remembered her grandfather telling her as he handed them to her. She held onto the remaining jhumki..."I am sorry mom, I lost it...I should have been more careful...I am so sorry. I miss you mom...please come back to me..." Aarti sobbed herself to sleep.
Yash and Prateek left for Hyderabad the next morning. Yash got Prateek settled into a single bedroom apartment near the culinary academy so he can easily commute to every day. It was going to be a one year program. Yash and Prateek unpacked and shopped for a few things, grabbed dinner and went to bed. Next day morning, Yash left in a taxi to meet Dr. Shankar at a 5 star hotel so they can go over some of his designs and then visit the site.
Yash and Prateek were busy with their own schedules for the whole week. When it was time for Yash to leave back for Bhopal, reality hit him. He was leaving his baby brother in a unknown city and wont see him for another year. Yash and Prateek hugged each other for a long time..."Promise, you will call me everyday Bhaiyya"..."..and you will visit us over weekends when you can?" asked Yash...They bid each other an emotional good bye. Yash never had to stay away from family and he got a bit emotional. "I am proud of you Prateek" he told him many times.
In the flight back home, Yash was reflecting back the whole week. How Dr. Shankar was pleased with one of his designs and called his father that they are signing a 2 year contract with them to finish design and construction of the luxurious outhouse in Hyderabad., Prateek's daily excitement of his classes...and then he remembered the girl...her hair, her jhumki. Yash closed his eyes and drifted into a nap...wondering if he will ever see her again...
Aman, Aakash, Mansi and Aarti were at the movies.."Come on yaar, its been a month. We went there daily to find out if anyone found your ear-ring..no one did. We even gave our contact information to them. If someone finds it, hopefully they will call us. Please Aarti, cheer up"...asked Aman. Mansi held onto Aarti, hugged her and said "honey, you will find it for sure. dont lose hope ok? ...and you have one with you right? Your mom's love will always be in your heart..."
With a heavy heart, Aarti decided not to spoil the evening for her friends. She smiled at all of them and wiped away her tears. It was time to move on and make the most of what she has...like she always did. "yeah you are right. Thanks for helping me anyway. Sorry I was a pain all these days." They all had a good time at the movies.
It turned out, Yash and Aarti missed each other a few more times at the ice cream parlor. Aarti never went back for her jhumki again after trying for a month. Yash went there a couple of weeks later in hopes to find Aarti and return her jhumki. They never met...
Two years later...
Chapter 7 - coming up soon
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