Reunion

It was there college silver jubilee. The place where everyone dreamt of having a future, where everyone promised to keep in touch but only few kept their promise.

He expected to see Chavvi. Both of them would be seeing each other again after 9 years. It was 7 O’clock in the evening when he reached hotel Parnial Palace where all of them were supposed to see each other that evening. After meeting few friends he took his third glass of coke. Though it was the month of September, heat did not leave its effect yet. He was about to take his first sip of third glass when he saw her entering the hall. She was in her black designer dress with golden embroidered on it. She still had her dressing sense he thought. A hair strand fell on her face. He felt like moving it from her face and put it back of her ears, as he did when he was with her. But she did it on her own. She still wore the same watch.

Her eyes were searching for something. May be for someone.

He was not sure whether it was the effect of the fan or actually her hair was moving in air to add some extra effects to her beauty. She smiled at few of the friends she met as she was approaching towards him. She walked slowly not sure whether he recognized her or not.

Their eyes met for the first time after 9 years.  A small curved smile appeared on her lips. Pink shaded lip gloss or it was her favorite 9 to 5 Lakme lipstick, he was not sure. Actually he was confused between lip gloss and lipstick even when they were dating.

“Hi!!” Said Chavvi and looked at his glass.

He was so mesmerized by her presence that he was unaware about his drink which he was about to take the sip but hold it near his lips when he saw Chavvi. He got confused again weather to take the sip or reply back to her Hi.

He took the sip.

DUMB!!!  He thought of himself.

“Hi” he replied without breaking the eye contact. Even he was wearing his black formal shirt. Black was her favorite.

Black suits you. He remembered when she said it for the first time during their semester exam.

“How are you?” She asked without moving her eyes form his.

“Great. And you?” he asked.

“Fine” and she smiled.

Everything flashed in their mind in short time. Their first date, first kiss, holding hands, their movie dates, late night talks, silly fights, giving special nick name to each other, the special bond and connection they shred,  everything ran in their mind. Both felt the emotional silence. They kept staring at each others eyes for few seconds. It was a silence like a full-moon-mid-night silence in the middle of a desert.

“Say something” He said.

There were lot in her mind to speak. But she kept quit. Chavvi helped herself and took a glass of coke.

“Hope you don’t catch cold after the drink.” He took another sip from his glass.

She looked at him with questions in her eyes. But decided to keep quit.

Holding her glass she looked at the floor and took a deep breath and said, “No I won’t”

She thought about the days when she would easily catch cold after having ice cream or cold drinks and he would take care of her. Some time he would get angry on her but never stopped to take care.

“Daddy..” a 4 year little girl came running towards him. He knelt down to hug her. She came running so fast that few drops of his drink fell on his shirt.

“Sorry daddy” the little girl said and made an upset face.

“Its OK beta” and he rolled up his sleeves.

Chavvi was happy that he had moved on. As he rolled up his sleeves she could see her name was still craved in his fore arms in the form of tattoo.

“Hi beta” Chavvi who had deep love for kids moved forward to kiss the little girl.

“Is she your daughter?” Chavvi asked him.

“Yes...” he was about to say something but was interrupted by his daughter.

“Daddy is this aunty your friend” she asked in a tone as if she was singing some rhyme.

Chavvi lift little one in her arms. He went to wash room to clean up his shirt.

“What’s your name aunty?”

“My name is Chavvi and your?”

“Same pinch. My name is Chavvi too.”

Chavvi felt a thumb in her heart. She did not say a word for few minutes and kept looking into Chavvi’s eyes.

When he returned back he could sense some heaviness in her eyes.

“Daddy aunt’s name is Chavvi too.” He smiled at her and took her in his arm from Chavvi.

He looked into Chavvi’s eyes. He could read questions in her eyes.

But it was interrupted by their old college mates. Time went quickly. Though they were surrounded by others who kept on talking about life and nostalgic moments, two hearts were beating again after nine years. Their eyes met constantly in between talks with each other. Their bodies were present in the hall but their hearts were somewhere else. Their eyes had lots of question each time they met.

Little Chavvi was busy playing with her doll. Being surrounded by adults little Chavvi got bored and went to Chavvi.

“Aunty, who kept your name as Chavvi?”, She asked innocently.

“My mom and dad.”, She made little Chavvi sit on a chair next to her.

“You know my dad loves me so much that he made a tattoo of my name on his hand even before I was born”, little one said without looking at Chavvi and played with her doll.

Chavvi remembered when he made a tattoo on his hand on their 2^nd valentine’s day. Even after her objections he did not give a second thought on making that tattoo.

“Beta, where is you mom?” Chavvi asked.

“My mom? She left me when I was born.” Chavvi was traumatized by that sentence of little one.

Since last nine year they never contacted each other as they promised. In between neither Chavvi tried to contact him neither did he. None of them knows what happened after they were apart.

“Beta lets go food is ready.” she was broken from her past thoughts by his voice.

“Food is ready” this time said to Chavvi in a very low tone.

Even while having dinner she was thinking what little Chavvi told her. He was feeding little Chavvi with spoon saying something to her which was not audible from where she was standing.

“Hey” she went near him. “Sorry to know that her mother left. What happened actually?” She asked with concern.

He turned towards little Chavvi and said, “Beta go and wash your mouth.”

Little Chavvi ran towards the basin.

He sighed and faced towards Chavvi, “Remember Ayush Orphanage?”

She remembered everything. Ayush orphanage where they went to spent time with the little kids whose parents abandoned at the small age. They even celebrated their birthday with those little kids.

“When you left…” an awkward silence was created again. But this time it was for a short time. “I spent most of my time at Ayush orphanage. One day someone left a little girl on the stairs of Ayush. It was 5^th of September. I decided to adopt her. Since then she is with me.”

Chavvi understood everything. 5^th February was her birthday.

“You never married?”  Chavvi asked.

“No. Chavvi is everything for me. My happiness. My life.” He replied looking towards his little angel who was wiping her face.

 She remembered the time when he called her his happiness. Everything flashbacked in her mind once again, all those time that they spent together.

“Aunty bye. Come to our home someday” Little Chavvi bid good bye.

“Bye” He said in a heavy voice.

By the time she could gain back her conscious from past memories, she could see little Chavvi and him walking towards the exit. Her cute little finger was holding his index finger. She saw little Chavvi managing to cope up her father’s giant steps with little hoping steps.

As her eye followed them till the last view of him, it was bought again by her husband Ansdhar.

“Sorry biwi for being late. Hope you enjoyed the party without me.” Ansdhar winked at her and smiled.

Chavvi smiled back at him and bid good bye to all her friends. She left the hall keeping little Chavvi’s step in her mind.

Fortune played an interesting game in people’s life. What seems important to us at a time becomes just a memory at other time. You can never hold the time, but can always keep the memories with you. People changes, priorities changes, but memory…. They still play an important role in someone’s happiness. At some point you have to realise that some people can stay in your heart but not in your life...