Back to Chapter 1:-The Endearing Dilemma
Sleep and sadness took over Piya’s eyes. She didn’t want to
say goodbye to Geeta. She held back her tears in her big almond shaped eyes and
bid adieu to Geeta. It was late and time for Piya to sleep. Though Piya had a
penchant for movies, she was not allowed to stay up late since Amma wanted her
early to bed and early to rise. There was a Hindi movie going on television
that night, a rare sight in the typical South Indian household. Piya made her
puppy face and asked “Amma, Salman picture”. "Illya" (No) said Amma sternly. That was curtains down for Piya. Piya was a
very different child who never sought answers, argued or even asked anything for the second time, no matter how badly she wanted it. A rare combination of understanding and ego stood out
in her personality. She was a surprisingly matured person for her age. So, little Piya dressed in her favourite white PJs with hair plaited neatly crawled
on the bed next to Amma and held her hand. Piya couldn’t fall asleep without holding
Amma’s hand. After a long hard day at work Amma’s arms again, had no rest. The
television was switched off after the daily dose of news and lights went off
after the daily dose of funny anecdotes from Milind. Piya hasn’t fallen asleep.
The room was silent. Piya slowly freed herself from Amma’s protective hand
around her and looked out of the window over to the dimly lit road. It was
silent and serene. She could hear the leaves swaying with regular gushes of
wind. It was a slightly cold and breezy weather. Something caught Piya’s
attention. The building right in front of her had a home where people are awake
and watching, oh yes! Salman Picture.
Piya was overjoyed and though she could barely decipher what was going on in
the movie, she made sure she still looked attentively over without squeaking. After
about 10-15 minutes, the obvious happened, Piya got bored. She then came back
to bed and started thinking, her favourite past time. She was wondering what
Geeta could be doing at this time. Would Geeta had let me watch Salman picture?
Maybe yes.
Geeta was in her late 20s, ambitious, charming, funny, head
strong and deeply devoted to her parents. Geeta was Piya’s mother. So who was Amma then? Amma was Geeta’s
mother, Piya’s Grandmother, Saraswati. The only person in the world Geeta could
trust who could take care of her little bundle of joy, Piya. Piya was oblivious
of the situation her parents were going through. They wanted to make sure their
careers didn’t hamper Piya’s childhood in any way. So Piya became Amma and Acha,
Geeta’s Father Ravi’s 4th child. The most pampered and most loved of
all. With Geeta being an ultimate prankster and a tomboy all through her life,
having little angelic Piya was a welcome gift from life for Amma. She always
wanted Piya to be very different from Geeta. And how she succeeded in the feat
is a different story altogether.
Back in her apartment, Geeta was flipping channels and
looking for something interesting to watch. She comes across a Salman Khan
movie and clapped with excitement. He was Geeta’s favourite. She misses Piya. No I am not going to watch any movie without
my Piya. Geeta switches off the television with a heavy heart and picks up the
newspaper. Not one, not two but four different newspapers. Not that they
carried different stories or events across the city, but Geeta’s love for
reading knew no bounds. Once she finished reading her newspaper, she picked up
her bible, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and
curled up in her bed. She reads, reads
and reads. She read till her eyes were heavy with sleep. She can’t help but
miss little Piya by her side. She wished Piya was there to chirp endlessly,
which Piya did every waking minute of her life. Avoiding thinking about Piya,
Geeta went to sleep.
Geeta was a disciplined early riser. It didn’t really matter
what time she went to bed, she would religiously be up by 6 in the morning. And
the couple of early morning hours were very precious to Geeta. She called it
her thinking time. With a sweet and strong cup of piping hot tea, Geeta was
standing in her veranda, gazing at birds chirping, clouds moving, trees swaying
and oh, I am late for work. Geeta was perennially late, fashionably though. She
took a quick shower, skipped breakfast like every day and packed her handbag
with the newspapers and books. Kohl lined eyes and a big long red bindi were indispensible
part of Geeta’s personality, she looked every inch an Indian dusky beauty. Geeta
rushed out of the building and called out for an auto to reach the station
making sure she didn’t share the ride with anyone. On the way she gets about
5-6 calls which enquired what time she would be reaching office. Geeta cleverly
dodged her excuses for being late and kept saying that she will be there soon. Geeta
finally reached station and stood waiting for her train to arrive. She had a
definite spot where she stood every day since she knew that is one way to
ensure she rushes in the First class compartment first and grabs her window
seat. She accomplished this feat every day! In Mumbai! She stood near a snacks stall
and an elderly feeble woman approached her. Geeta was appalled at the sight of
an elderly lady begging for a living. Instead of giving money, Geeta took the
old woman to the stall and asked her to eat something. She paid the stall guy
and made sure the old lady got a cup of tea and pack of biscuits. Geeta held
back her tears and went back to her spot when the train was just about to
arrive. The train arrived and whoosh, with one swift movement, Geeta was in the
train. She sat comfortably in her favourite window seat with a smile of
accomplishment and embarked the journey to work. Looking out of the window was
a familial hobby. Geeta saw trees, huge buildings; slums, offices and people
pass by when the trained speedily moved through Central Suburban Lines of
Mumbai.
Geeta reached office and gave a warm smile to everyone. Her
pearly sparkling smile with an unbeatable charm made people forget that she was
almost an hour late for work. Everyone at work loved Geeta’s sense of humour
and her dynamic personality. Always the leader of the pack, Geeta had a history
of quarrelling crazy with her seniors and yet getting away by making her point
clear and heard. Geeta worked dedicatedly without really caring about the
number of hours she was actually supposed to put in. She over committed and
over delivered. Adored by her colleagues and revered by the juniors, Geeta was
a born star.
As the evening approached, Geeta was wondering if she could
get home early and spend some time with Piya. She wanted to surprise Piya by
playing her favourite game, The Fort game. This game was nothing but building a
fort of curtains and putting all of Piya’s toys in one place and letting her
play on her own. Maybe I can get home early today. Wonder what Piya must be doing. Geeta was sitting in her cabin looking at Piya's picture in her purse.
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