Chapter 1 – Our first meeting
"Oh my God!!!, Finally I am back home."
A girl wearing jeans n cool summer top appears
sweating profoundly due to the unbearable hot temperature of May.
"Nandini Beta cum inside nani has opened the gate",
said her mother.
"Hi nani maa missed me. I missed you a lot" said Nandini
hugging her nani affectionately.
"I missed you too beta. How is Shreya?"
"She is wonderful. Hi shona missed me. Come and
hug me. I missed you a lot bachha." said Nandini as she looked at the deewan
where her shona was sitting waiting for her eagerly.
"Beta I am really sorry we left you here. Pakka
promise I would never leave you again. Please forgive your sister this time. I
love you betu." Said Nandini hugging her
brother, her shona.
"Aaa…" replied her brother in his own sweet
language.
"It was such a nice trip. Papa I just loved di's
college n city. Thanks for planning it papa. I was missing di badly nd also
wanted to see the Mumbai. It is an awesome place."
"I was also missing Shreya, Beta. N yes it was an
awesome trip. It was necessary for you becoz from tomorrow you will be doing
very hard work"
"Which hard work I have to do?"
"From tomorrow your coaching for engineering
starts, remember"
"Yes dad", says Nandini groaningly
"Come and have some snacks. It would take time to
prepare dinner.", says Padma
"How I will reach there, papa?
"By your scooty"
"But the coaching is very far from our house and
I have not traveled that much distance on my own via scooty." munching her
snacks says Nandini
"There is always first time dear, and you are our
brave child. Now come on eat your snacks quickly"
* * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
"Beta hurry up, get ready fast. Your classes are
from 4:30 pm and it is
3:15 now. You have to go on scooty remember." Called Padma
"Yes maa. I am ready."
"Promise me you would not drive fast."
"Promise, now can I go?"
"Yes"
"Bye maa." said Nandini after kissing her mom.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Beta Nandini
calm down. Streets would no eat you. Remember what papa said, I am brave naa" Nandini
spoke to herself as she was driving to reach her destination.
She was afraid. She had not traveled very far
away alone on her scooty.
"Please God, help me o reach there in single
piece." Prayed Nandini
"Finally I reached my coaching. But wait where I
have to park my scooty. Let me ask watchman dada." Muttered Nandini
"Oh no!!! Sh*t! Back tyre of my scooty is struck
in a rickshaw. How embarrassing it is." groaned Nandini
She accelerated her scooty to full limit but for
no use. Her scooty was struck. Her face was showing how embarrassed she was
feeling. There were many on the road staring her.
One of the boys came forward to help her. He held
her scooty from the back and it was out.
Without glancing back she muttered a word of
thanks as she was feeling very embarrassed. And she was going to move forward
she heard a voice of a boy.
"I didn't help you. Why are you saying thanks to
me?"
"I didn't say thanks to you but to the guy who
helped me, stupid" muttered Nandini highly frustrated.
She had spoken these words in a low voice, so no
one heard it and she zoomed toward watchman to ask for place for parking.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Wow yaar, we do the work and you take away the
praises" said the boy who had helped Nandini.
"You know the charms Prithvi Singhania
has on girls. Just joking yaar. I was coming from Bansal office and it was a
pure coincidence that I was just behind her when she muttered thanks." Said Prithvi.
"Why I am feeling suddenly a surge of happiness
inside me?" Prithvi questioned himself. "She was pretty and was looking cute
with a frown on her face. Am I hearing church bells? Hang on dude, what I am
thinking. God help me."
"Hey dude are you coming or not?" asked one of
his friends.
"Yes coming!!!"
Prithvi hurried towards
his friends.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It
was their first meeting or rather I should say Prithvi saw Nandini for the
first time. One month passed, they both were studying in same coaching
institute but never talked. Actually Nandini had never seen him till now. There
was no fault of her. There were almost 200 students studying in her batch. And
she was never interested in boys. As a result she never saw towards boy's row. Prithvi
noticed her once or twice but never talked to her.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Today
I would not be able to sleep at all. My results are going to be declared
tomorrow" said Nandini to her friend Muskaan and Nikita.
"All
the best" said Nikita.
"Wish
me too. I also study in I.C.S.E board" pouted Muskaan
"All
the best" said Nandini and Nikita pinching her cheeks.
Bidding
each other bye, they headed towards their home from their coaching.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"YESS!!!,
PARTY TIME", shouted Nandini.
"Maa,
I have scored 93.5% in boards. And I have scored first rank in my school."
"Congratulations
beta. I knew you would do it." Padma hugged her
"Bhaiya
I have done it. Mera shona hug me." Said Nandini hugging her brother
Everyone
was very happy with her performance. Everywhere phone calls were made. Siddharth
distributed ladoo amongst his staff members. That night they went for dinner as
directed by Padma.
"Bachha,
I am back!" said Nandini to her brother as they entered from their dinner.
"Bachha
now go to sleep. Its your sleeping time." Said Nandini
"haan
Rahul. Chalo go to your room. You need sleep." Said Padma
"I
love you betu. Good night and have sweet dreams." Said Nandini to her brother
as she laid him down next to her dadi
maa.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Beta
wake up fast" shouted a crying Padma to Nandini
"Rahul
is no more"
Astounded
was Nandini, as she heard the news. She came out of the room and saw her
brother's body lifeless. She thought she is dreaming, as she had barely slept
for 3 hours. She had gone for sleeping at 3
am and her mother woke her at 6
am. Yes she must be dreaming, she again went to her bed.
Again
her mother came to her room, crying hysterically said to her, "your brother,
our Rahul is dead. It is a truth."
This
time Nandini was smashed into pieces as reality struck her. Her bachha was
dead. No this can't happen. She again rushed to his room. Touched his body. It
was cold, very cold. His lips were blue. She saw her father for confirmation
who was checking his pulse. She saw her father has turned pale.
"our
Rahul is dead" said her father in almost crying voice.
Nandini
saw her dadi maa, her mother crying. She felt how low her father was feeling.
How he was controlling himself from crying. She was feeling so much pain in her
heart, but seeing the state of her family, she decided not to cry. She was
feeling miserable. She could not cry, could not share her grievances with any
one. Her sister was not here. She decided she would hold herself till her
sister arrived.
She
again saw the body of her brother and felt a sudden surge of tears appearing in
her eyes. She rushed out of that room and went to kitchen, where she sank into
the floor and tears started to flow freely. She had lost most precious person
in her life. She remembered all the moments she had spend with her brother. How
she used to pick him in her laps, how she used to make him dance, how she used
to tell him everything that happened in her school. How he used to pat her back
when she used to hug him. The way she used to sing songs to make him sleep. Now
she can't do anything.
It
was so terrible she thought…
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
3
days has passed and today is Nandini's birthday. Today she has turned sixteen,
the sweet sixteen, she thought as she woke. She felt a pang of sorrow in her
heart for not having her brother beside her today. With a sigh she got down her
bed.
"Happy
Birthday, Nandini. Beta entrance test for your new school is after three days. Start
preparing for them." said Siddharth as she approached towards him.
"Thanks
papa. Yup I will start preparing for them."
*
* ** * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Nandini
entered the gates of Gurukul for giving her entrance exam. She met her old
friends who had also come to give the exam.
"Hi
Nandini"
Nandini
turned to see the source of sound. It was one of her friends in tuition named
Nimesh.
"Hi
Nimesh. How are you? You want to take bio side na." asked Nandini
"I
am fine. Thank you. Yes would take bio side. You are on maths side, right."
"Yes"
"All
the best for the entrance exams. My friends are waiting for me . I have to go. Bye."
"Bye"
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Wow
yaar you had such a pretty friend and you never told us not fair" asked Prithvi
who was constantly watching from far away Nandini conversing with Nimesh.
Nimesh
is one of the buddies of Prithvi. They were in same school.
"She
was in my coaching in 10th"
"Oh
ho! Oh ho!" teased everyone.
"Whats
her name dude?" asked Prithvi
"May
I know why do you want to know her name?"
"Just
out of curiosity. I must know with whom my friend is talking. You know." said Prithvi
"She
is a very nice girl. Her name is Nandini."
"Nandini"
muttered Prithvi
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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