Chapter Nine
(The Letter)The next morning, Anjali woke up and rushed down the stairs where her presents were kept. She rummaged through the pile and finally found a letter labeled with an "10". She kissed the envelope and opened it to find her mother's letter. She smiled and opened it up and it read:
Happy 10th Birthday Geetanjali!
I can't believe you've grown up to be so big Anjali! Mom wishes that she could be here with you right now, but then again you have your papa! I bet you look just like papa! and you have a little bit of Maan in you... I just know it!
Anjali looked away from the letter frowning... " No mama.. I look like you.."
The letter continued on,
Anjali, you are a grown girl today and I am about to share something with you that you must keep in between you and daadimaa, make sure your Maan papa doesn't know about it! Well Anjali, where do I start? I'll start off by saying how we named you... actually.. how your Maan papa named you... He named you Geetanjali for a reason darling. Geet was his best friend's name in college. And your real papa's name was Arjun, so that is why we put an A at the beginning and my name, Pari with an I at the end of your name. It symbolized something so great for your papa... he loved us three so dearly and especially Geet. He thought of your name while I was still pregnant with you.
"Geet??" thought Anjali so puzzled.
I know you must be confused baby, but I'll explain it to you and please read this carefully. AndI have a task for you to finish for me.
So I'll start off by introducing Geet Handa... your Maan papa's best friend in university, I knew her so well... she was one of my friends as well... but more of your papa's. She was a sweet girl! Chirpy, smart, responsible and very sensible! And she was a complete tomboy, sports and studies were her thing! she was different from all other girls! Anyway, so she and your papa were best friends and they shared everything together, your papa was a complete fuzz in studies... and Geet use to help him in every assignment and every exam... She was his support... his pillar... his emotional support! Well, along the way came a girl named Tina Malhotra. She was the principles daughter and she came from London. She was smart and beautiful... every guy went crazy after her. And she got to know Maan and Geet. Slowly but steadily, she became closer to Maan and Maan started to pay more attention to her... they grew even closer.. and of course, your papa started to ignore Geet... forget the littlest things.. And Geet was outraged!
She wasn't the type to get upset over things... and at times she would get so upset, and start to worry about things like, " Is there something lacking in me? Am I not like Tina? I may not be as beautiful but I am a girl with feelings like her!". So in these events, she wouldn't even see your papa for weeks, probably once or twice at games if she waslucky. And she started feeling things.. extra things.. that she would totally shrugg off as " ewww no way" feelings. And on a certain Diwali night, your papa proposed to Tina and they were officially boy friend and girlfriend.. he loved her so much and well she.. of course! What Maan didn't know was that his love for Tina was a mere infatuation. Geet knew that. But she never said a word...
And I once called Geet over to my house and I told her that day that your Arjun papa proposed to me for marriage and she was excited... but for some reason, I could see something else written all over her face. I asked her and she suddenly started to cry... she wouldn't stop. I was completely worried! Geet was never the type to cry... she always use to call other people cry babies if they cried over petty matters like this. But it was completely serious and she told me everything that I told you right now.
And I concluded that she was in love...
" Lovee?!?! Geet? and Lovee?!? seriously mom.. you must be kidding me" said Anjali frowning.
I know you must be surprised, but its true... and she was in love... and the person she was in love with was your Maan papa.
" Geet was in love with papa?" said Anjali as she was so surprised.
I had to tell her that Maan was dating Tina... I couldn't hide it from her... and I told her.. I saw her grow cold.. I saw her face expression change beta.. and she was so upset.. so heartbroken... she never got the chance to say anything about her feelings... Maybe destiny chose it to be like this... but Geet accepted all of this. I had told her that I would hook Geet up with your papa... (yes.. I hope that term isn't too old for your mom). And she flatly refused and
promised me to never tell Maan... or anyone. So she decided that she would take up her job offer from Red Cross that would require her to stay in South Africa, managing a children's refugee camp. She wanted to get away from her heartbreak and I understood where she was coming from. Afterall! I am a female.. I understand what she went through. So she said her last goodbye's to me in my house that very day and to your daadimaa as well.
She was to leave to her home in Hoshiyarpur ( located in Punjab) and she said that her family needed her back and she was to live there for a bit and then go to Mumbai and then take the flight to South Africa... I promised her that I would never tell your papa this.
And finally, she left a few days after getting her transfer papers and she never told Maan that she was going forever... it was only until your Maan papa found out from his close friend that Geet was leaving forever. So your papa in typical hero style rushed with his girlfriend Tina to the trainstation. Geet was about to leave, until Tina spotted her and Maan saw her then suddenly. She was standing in the train waving goodbye to your papa and your papa ran with the moving train to try to stop Geet. Geet couldn't stay... she flatly refused... and then she left. Forever. Leaving us all behind
But I always knew, beneath that friendship, there was deep love Anjali... And before leaving, Geet threw her favorite red dupatta towards Tina to signfiy that she wasn't far... she was always going to be there.. and Tina stood there clutching it in her hands.
So a few months went by, and your papa finished his degree and he graduated with Tina. He was to take up the construction business, since he did his degree in Architecture. And he finally went to propose to Tina and he went in a total filmy style, but to his surprise, Tina wanted to go back to London... she got into Medical School. She waited too long, she waited even before coming to India to get into that school. Your papa didn't understand and Tina also felt as if she was coming in between Maan and Geet.. so she flatly refused to marry him. This shattered your papa so much... he "loved" Tina... Luckily, he didn't turn into a stone because you came along.I was giving labor and I knew that I was going to die. And there was something else that kept him going, Geet's prayers and unconditional love that he was un aware of. And as you knowArjun Papa had cancer and he died a few months before me and I gave him to you.Maan is your papa Anjali, but no matter what any paper says you are my daughter nonetheless.
So this is the story of Maan and Geet... and probably today Geet is somewhere out in India or in the world and she is away from your papa. I want you to promise me that you will bring your Papa and Geet together... I want you to promise me that you will make them realize that they are deeply in love with eachother. Please do this for me Anjali... I wish I could tell you these things face to face darling, but I can't. Promise me Anjali...Mom loves you so much and Papa does too! I'll be watching you and guiding you Geetanjali...
Love,
Mama
Anjali looked at the letter with tears in her eyes... she cried a little and said, " I promise you mama... I will do what you say... I'll bring papa and Geet together...
" Anjalii!!" called Maan. Anjali wiped her tears and put the letter into her pocket and ran upstairs into Maan's room.
I hope you liked it! Enjoy and Comment!!😊
Edited by Desigirl144 - 13 years ago
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