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Devakshi FF : Fated To Love
"Sometimes, the ones we
have lost are restored to us in the strangest ways. They are replicated.
restored and returned to us - and the fun part is that we never realize it.
They go up, burst into a million stars and the stardust falls back on us. They
never leave us and they keep manifesting themselves again and again - in the
wind, in person, in prayers. But we stay unaware and ignorant , simply because
we are too stupid to fathom the magic of the universe. "
Notes : ‘Sa’ is a suffix added to names or titles in Rajasthani culture which denotes respect for someone older / higher position than you. Jeeja is a way of calling your older sister, another name for ‘didi’, mostly used in Marwari culture. Titli is the hindi word for butterfly.
Part 1
December 1999
Asiad Village, New Delhi
Dev stood outside in the freezing cold of December, all he had was a leather jacket to protect him from the biting cold winds, especially as it had rained all day and it was nearly midnight. There was not a soul in sight, only the occasional howling of a stray dog could be heard, else the green, leafy lane of Chota Singh Marg at Asiad Village was as good as dead. Looking utterly unaffected by the cold and the darkness around him, he looked here and there for a small pebble or stone, that he could throw at her window and hopefully wake her up, without waking up the entire family. Because that would have not just meant embarrassment and questions for Elena and him, but also a few weeks without pocket money since he had once again taken out his Father's Car and driven it, despite not possessing a license to drive and being an underage to top.
He finally found a rounded pebble lying in a neighbor’s potted plant and picking up a couple of them, he gave one long look at the intended window and taking a deep breathe, threw it with such a precise aim, that it hit exactly on the middle of the glass window and nowhere. He smiled with smug satisfaction...after all, it was for nothing, that he was a legend amongst his friends and family for his remarkable shooting skills, that he practiced with such ease and joy regularly at Karni Singh Shooting range along with his father.
Dev waited with baited breath, willing Elena to open the window and see him. It was nearly a week since they had met and almost two days since they had spoken to each other. It was her stupid semester exam or something and she had explicitly told him not to bother her till they were over. He had obeyed her command for precisely one week and now he just couldn't hold himself back. Going to her house would have been out of question, because she would have turned him out through the maid before he could even make an entry. But now she would have no option, but to come down and meet him, if she wanted to avoid a scene at 12 in the night.
He threw another pebble, that too hit the window with precision, making a sharp noise shattering the noiseless atmosphere. The window finally opened, after a couple of minutes, when Dev was about to throw a handful of pebbles, on the verge of losing his cool now. It was really dark and Dev, despite hitting the pebbles right on mark, was unable to see clearly, who it was. He walked closer towards the wall and craned his neck to look up. Damn. It was not Elena.
The little girl pushed herself over the window ledge and peered down at him, he could see her clearly now. His eyes were accustomed to the darkness and the Moon was now out in full glory as he saw Sona rubbing her eyes and giving out a big yawn. Dev grunted and swore under his breath and whispered to her, 'Sona...where is your Jeeja?' Before he could hear an answer, he saw that she was now dangerously over the window sill, half her body hanging out.
'Damn...this kid will fall right on my head.' he muttered and called her out hastily, 'Sona...don't. You are leaning over too much...you'll fall down. Go back...go back.'
Obeying his words, she moved back and perched herself more safely on the ledge, cupping her chin in the hands.
'Good girl. Now wake up Jeeja and tell her to come and meet me down. And don't wake anyone else, okay?'
'Jeeja is in another room...she is studying.' replied Sona.
'Oh! Okay...then go and tell her that I have come and tell her to come down for just 10 minutes. Please' pleaded Dev.
She answered back solemnly, 'Can't.'
Dev swore under his breath, trying not to lose patience, dealing with kids was certainly not his strong point and definitely not in this situation.
'What do you mean can't? Won't you listen to what your Dev sa tells you?' he tried in a sweeter tone.
'Can't, because Jeeja has locked the door from outside. I can't go out and tell her that Dev sa is calling her.'
'Damn' he exclaimed for the nth time.
'Uh...Okay...then I'll just go I guess. Listen, don't tell her that I came here.' Dev turned to go back, but was stopped by Sona.
'No. Wait. Talk to me.' It was a not a tantrum or demand, Sona was admittedly too sweet for anything like that, but at the same time, Dev knew that did he ignore and just walk out on her, she would certainly start howling in no time.
Turning back and giving her a tight smile, he said, 'What do you want to talk to me about? And shouldn't you be sleeping? You won't be able to get up tomorrow to go for school.'
'I don't like school.' announced Sona and made herself more comfortable on the window, telling Dev that he was not getting an easy escape till he stayed back and talked her, whatever that meant. Dev was utterly uncomfortable around kids and Sona sort of freaked him out all the more, because although she was just 7 years old, she behaved and spoke like an adult.
'Okay...well...erm...so what did your Jeeja have for dinner today?' asked Dev, always coming back to Elena.
Sona pondered for a couple of seconds and answered back gravely, 'we had yellow dal and gavarfali ki sabzi and bajra roti.'
'Eeew' exclaimed Dev, wondering if it wasn't bad enough to have vegetarian food everyday, to have the worst of it was simply inexplicable to him.
'What did you have, Dev sa?' asked Sona, giving him a dimpled smile.
'Chicken curry, Fried fish and Pav.'
Sona looked blank on his reply, they were a strictly vegetarian household, they didn't even consume Eggs, leave aside poultry and meat. She had never seen Chicken and Fish other than in her colorful school books.
'But didn't you have roti or rice?' she asked.
Now feeling the cold and looking trapped in the boring conversation, Dev answered back tartly, 'No. We did not. Mom was working late, so we made did with whatever we had. Ho gaya? Can I leave? Please? Its really cold!'
Ignoring his plea, Sona called out to him, 'wait a minute' and disappeared from the window. Before Dev could react and make an escape, she was back, holding something in her hand and then in another instant, dropped it right on his head.
'HEY! Sona!' he exclaimed, forgetting to keep his voice low and then saw that she had dropped him a softy and snuggly blanket. Actually it was her favorite comforter, in baby pink with little grey elephants printed all over it. Dev never ceased to make fun of what a coddled child Sona was, carrying a comforter around with her, even though she was in primary school, but Elena found it adorable that her sister was still such a baby!
'Now you won't feel cold. Talk to me.' she commanded, once again perching herself on the window.
'Oh! God!' muttered Dev, exasperated and trapped.
'How did you come here?' she asked him, sleep having clearly escaped her by now.
'I drove.' he answered back in a flat voice.
'Kaka sa's Car?'
'Yes.'
'But Jeeja told me that you are not allowed to drive car before you turn 18. Are you 18 already?'
'No.'
'No what?'
Dev closed his eyes in desperation and pleaded, 'Sona, I really, really want to go back home...if Baba sa comes to know that I have taken out his Car and driven all the way here, he will kill me. Please. Please.'
Seeing no response from Sona, he bribed her by offering his company some other time. ‘Listen, if you let me go away peacefully now, I promise to take you to the Club this Sunday.’
Her face lit up at the unexpected offer and she exclaimed joyfully, ‘Really? You will take me to the Club?’
‘Yes...Yes. Promise. And we will even get you Candy floss, the one that you like so much!’
'Okay...go then.' she said, just as calmly as she had ordered him to stay back and converse with her in the middle of night, in the freezing cold.
'Thank God!' muttered Dev and was about to make his escape, when he realized that Sona's comforter was with him.
'Sona, move back...I'll throw your blankie back to you.'
'No. Then you will feel cold. You keep it till you reach home. Give it to me when you take me to the Club.'
Dev felt a frisson of respect and affection for the little brat. She was not just smart to get what she wanted, but also had her heart in the right place, just like her sister. Besides, he did not want to argue with her and risk another session of midnight chatting. So he waved her goodbye after telling her to close the window and go to sleep.
Arjun Vihar, Delhi Cantonment
It was close to 2 in the morning when Dev finally drove the Maruti Esteem and pleading at the constable standing guard outside, told him to open the creaking iron gates as softly as possible. Parking the Car in the driveway of his father’s army bunglow, he swiftly took off his shoes and wrapping them carelessly in Sona’s pink comforter, carried them inside the house. The doors were open just as he had left them before taking off 3 hours back.
He was about to walk up the stairs to his room, when the lights came on.
'Oh! Shit!' he whistled, closing his eyes in trepidation and turning to face music. But thankfully it was not his father.
'Oh! Mom! Thank God! I thought...'
'What? So what if its your 'Mom'. Am I not capable to giving you one just like your Baba sa would?' asked Ishwery (No Not a spelling Mistake ), glowering at her eldest born and looking pretty comical to Dev, as she stood at barely 5 feet something in comparison to Dev's towering 6 feet 1 inches.
'Okay now...don't make an issue...I was out, I am back now. Lets all go to sleep. Its really late and cold and I have school...'
'Dev!' hissed Ishwery, giving a cold stare at him, but then immediately fizzling out, as she saw his impish smile.
'You are just hopeless...what will I do with you!' she exclaimed, flopping on the couch, as Dev came and gave her a hug, sitting on the floor below, his arms on her lap.
'Oh! Mom! I love you so much!' declared Dev and cuddled to her.
'Chal chal! Bada aaya. Badmaash! Where had you gone? Wait...I know that already. To meet Elena, isn't it?' said his mother, getting up and making a cup of hot chocolate for him. He followed her to the kitchen and said, 'I haven't seen her for the last one week...she has some exam or project or something like that...'
'So you decided to go and harass a decent girl at this hour? Dev! What if someone had seen you?'
'Well, firstly...I don't harass her. Secondly, that was the reason why I went at this hour, so that no one could see me. And anyway, I couldn't meet Elu(Short for Elena)!' Dev had perched himself on the kitchen counter and was happily sipping his Hot Cocoa, as his mother shook her head and muttered something.
'What is the pink blanket you have with you?'
'Oh this? Its Sona’s comforter.'
Before Ishwery could ask him anything, he added on his own, 'I threw stones at Elu's window to wake her up, but she was in another room studying and had locked up that sister of her's in the room. She woke up.'
'Jesus...' exclaimed Ishwery, not knowing how to handle her errant son.
'You woke up that kid and got her comforter?' she asked him furiously.
'I didn't want to...she woke up on her own and gave it to me, cause I was cold. And not to say, bored me to death before I could escape.'
'What a mean boy you are!' said Ishwery, but not without a smile.
'I am worried...Ma.'
'About what?' retorted Ishwery absently, as she switched off the kitchen lights and ushered her son back to his room.
'You know...Elena is so attached to her sister...what if she gets her to live with us after marriage. I can't stand that kid! She is ghoulish! And acts like a 30 year old rather than a 7 year old that she is!'
Ishwery could only give an amused look back at her son and said, 'Firstly, Sona is a perfectly lovely child, stop being so rude about her all the time. And secondly, who told you that Elena is getting married to you?'
'She will, of course. In a few years.' came back Dev, supremely confident as always.
Ishwery tossed her head and laughed, telling Dev to go and sleep now.
St. Columbas School
The throng of students dressed in white shirts and grey trousers with bottle green half cardigans and blazers came out of the massive iron gates of the school. There was much chattering and a display of unnecessary machismo, as they kicked each other and laughed on bawdy jokes. So much for the iron clad discipline that was enforced upon them by the Brothers of the prestigious boys only school, St. Columbas, the moment they stepped out of the school boundaries, everyone was back to being what they were, teenage boys.
Dev and his best friend, Feroz were laughing out loud on a joke cracked by one of their classmates and as he searched for his younger brothers in the crowd of students, Feroz suddenly nudged him and whispered fervently, 'Diiiiiiiiiks...Elena is here!'
Taken aback, Dev forgot all about his brothers and turned his head towards the direction Feroz had pointed. Not just him, but all the boys who were waiting for their pick-up seemed to hush up and look at the direction of the girl who was walking or rather storming in Dev's direction.
'God...she is HOT!' gasped the bespectacled Nilesh, the classmate who had been making Dev and Feroz laugh on one of his jokes.
'Sshhh...' Feroz hissed and darted his eyes from Elena, unlike Dev, he was paranoid around girls, especially if they looked anything like Elena Sharma did.
Elena Sharma was a diva. That was the only way to describe her. Standing at five feet eight inches, with a perfectly proportioned figure and dark brown tresses which were always left open and immaculately groomed. She was dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and a bright red halter top, despite the odd time of the year, which showed off her shapely arms and the flawless skin than lay beneath. All she had to protect her from the cold weather was a woolen scarf that was wrapped stylishly around her slender neck. Her black eyes were burning with fury and her full lips which tantalized Dev and countless other young men were quivering with yet unspoken abuses of all kind.
'Hey Elu...so nice to see you!' grinned Dev, appearing to be as cool as a cucumber, even though he could see that she was fuming over something and that something was him.
'Don't you dare!' she growled back, her throaty voice making her sound more sexy than she normally did.
'Something happened?' he said calmly, trying to work his charm but failing.
'Dev Kumar Dixit...you are getting murdered today and guess who is doing the honors!'
There was a ripple of laughter in the crowd, till Dev turned pink and whispered back, 'Can we talk somewhere else? There's a Costa Coffee nearby...'
'Shut up!' she yelled back, getting hold of Dev's arms and dragging him from there. Feroz stood confusedly and shrugging his head, moved towards his school bus. But not before Nilesh asked him in an excited voice, 'Wow...is that Dev's girl? She is HOT!'
Feroz rolled his eyes and answered back decorously, 'No, she is not Dev's girl. And by the way, that's a very offensive manner of speaking about a lady!'
'So who is she? Curse Dev...trust him to land with the hottest chicks on the planet!'
Feroz heaved an exasperated sigh and replied back, 'Family friend's daughter. Now don't ask me anything more, I'm getting late for my bus! Bye, see you tomorrow.'
Costa Coffee Shop
'Lets at least go inside.' pleaded Dev, even as Elena stood fuming, tapping her high heels on the dusty ground.
'Dev...I have had it with you now! I am going to come today evening at your place and telling Kaka sa what his darling son has done this time!'
'What did I do?' said Dev, trying to act as innocent as possible.
Elena glared at him, ignoring the people who were caught between staring at the lovely girl and the scene she was having with the inordinately tall boy dressed in a school uniform.
'You came to my house, despite my telling you a thousand times that I don't want to be disturbed!'
'Well...I confess that I did come to your house but technically I did not disturb you because I did not meet you!' grinned Dev, ushering Elena inside the heated comfort of the Coffee place.
Throwing her bag on the table, she sat down and fumed, 'Titli missed her school today. Guess why?'
'That kid is lazy...'
'Don't you dare!' exclaimed Elena in a dangerous voice, as Dev gestured her to calm down.
'My sister is anything but lazy...but she is also just a 7 year old. If you come at 12 in the night and disturb her sleep, how the hell is she going to get up on time for school?'
'In my defense, I had no wish to disturb your darling Titli's sleep...I thought you were in the room...and then she woke up and did not let me go till I had a heart to heart chat with her! Not my fault!' smiled Dev, placing an Ice Latte and her favorite, Blueberry Cheesecake in front of Elena and taking a sip of his black coffee.
'Yuck! How do you drink that thing? No milk, no sugar???'
'Its masculine, that is why!' retorted Dev with an impish grin, always ready with an answer.
Elena could not help but smile, despite still angry over what he had done.
'You are in a tearing hurry to grow up, aren't you Mr. Dixit?'
'You know why?' he flirted back, making her blush and on the defensive as always.
'Shut-up, Dev! You are a kid!'
'No, I am not! Your crazy butterfly sister is a kid...I am 17 years old. Do you know the men in some Mexican tribes get married and have kids by the time they reach 17?'
'First, don’t call my little sister names! And secondly, are you a Mexican tribal?' asked Elena in a droll voice.
'No...but I am certainly not the child that you want to make me seem all the time!'
'Well whatever, I am older than you!' said Elena, sunning her nails and giving him a covert look to see his reaction. This is why she drove him crazy, the way she played him like a yo-yo ball. He knew it, yet could not do anything about it!
'2 years. That doesn't even count!'
Elena laughed and finished her coffee replied back in a humorous tone, 'In any case, you have been reserved for my little sister...so even if I want, I can't have you!'
'What?'
Elena smiled fondly at the mention of her sister and said, 'she had play date with Sayesha...her best friend...you know, yesterday...and when it was Titli’s turn to be the wife, she named you as her husband...her Dev sa. How adorable!’
'Eeew...Titli and me! That's the most gross thing I have ever heard! She makes me sound like a freaking Pedophile!' remarked Dev, holding his neck and pretending to gag.
'They were just play acting, you goof! It was so cute that she took your name as her husband, because she thinks the world of you! And stop treating my sister like that. She adores you so much.'
'Well, I don't. And its nothing personal. I dislike all kids. I think they are a burden to the world.'
'Dev...you skunk!' Elena got up in a huff and walked out of the door, followed adroitly by him.
'Drop me home, Elu. I missed my school bus and I spent all the money I had to pacify you with Coffee and Cake...so I can't get home now!'
'Go to hell, I'm not dropping you anywhere!' fumed Elena, looking even prettier when she was angry.
'Come on, Elu...sorry yaar! Okay, fine...Titli is very sweet...she is a cute kid and all. And if she wants to marry me, she is more than welcome! Happy?'
'Stop patronizing!' snapped Elena.
Giving an exasperated grunt, Dev held his hands in a compromise and said, 'Fine, fine...I am sorry for my general behaviour. Now please drop me home and also pick up her comforter.'
'That's with you?' exclaimed Elena, adding, 'And we have been going nuts looking for it. Titli can't go to sleep without it!'
'That kid needs to grow up...no child of 7 should have a comforter! Baba sa and Mom dumped me in the spare room as soon as I was weaned away! No comforter nonsense for me. And look at me, I have managed pretty well for myself!’
'That comforter is Ma’s last gift for her.' Elena said slowly, making Dev finally fall quiet.
They stood in an awkward silence, till she broke it and said, 'Chalo now! I've an assignment to finish...and btw, how did you land up with my sister's comforter.'
Despite Elena's protest, Dev had already snatched the Car keys from her and was seated in the Driver's seat, starting the engine.
'I was cold...she went and got it for me!'
'Awww...my sweet, kind-hearted Titli. And you never stop criticizing her.'
Dev mumbled something sarcastic in reply and they drove all the way to Arjun Vihar, bickering and laughing simultaneously.
The Dixit's and Sharma had been family friends for years now, with Dev's father, Colonel Zorawar Singh Dixit and Elena's father, Bijoy Sharma leaving their native village, Kuldhara in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, together for the city to continue their education. While the Rajput Dixit had chosen Army as his profession like many others in his family and had risen to the rank of Colonel, the quiet and studious Ashok Sharma had taken to law and was now a judge at the Delhi High Court.
The differences did not end there, the rakishly handsome and rather free-spirited Zorawar had shocked not just his family and friends, but also the entire Rajput Community when he fell in love and married an equally free-spirited Goan Catholic girl, Ishwery Fernadez, a medical student at the time they had met. She was now a well-respected gynecologist and also the mother of Zor's three sons.
17 year old Dev aka Dev, 13 year old Samar and 11 year old Arjun. Zor had convinced his wife, who was affectionately addressed as Maggie by her husband, friends & family, to give Hindu names to their three sons, in a feeble attempt to please his Draconian mother, who was still furious with him for having married not just out of caste, but also out of their religion. In return, Maggie had sworn Zor that as long as she lived, he would have to attend the Sunday Mass at their local church along with their brood.
Dev, Samar and Arjun never forgave their father for having dragged them to the Church one Sunday after another, only because he wanted to keep his wife happy. Dev of course, ingenious and devilish as always, found a way to enliven the dull Church proceedings by torturing his younger siblings and making them squeal and shriek throughout the mass, embarrassing the life out of poor Maggie. No amount of reading the bible and praying to Jesus seemed to straighten her crooked son.
They were a slightly dysfunctional but undeniably happy family. The only regret that Maggie ever had was not having a daughter, which according to her, might have tempered down the madness of their house a bit. There were just too many men in the house and she was badly outnumbered by them!
The Sharma on the other hand were as traditional and typical a family as the Dixit's were not. Ashok Sharma, unlike his friend, had quietly given into a marriage arranged by his parents to a girl from a family just as traditional as theirs. Asha Sharma was nothing like the fiery and outspoken Ishwery, yet they were just as good as friends as their husbands and then their eldest children were.
Ashok and Asha were the first ones to start a family, when their daughter Elena was born, two years before Zor and Maggie had Dev. Both the children had literally grown up together, forming a deep bond of friendship, which grew through playgroup, kindergarten, primary school and middle school. Dev was now in the last year of his schooling and Elena was already in the 2nd year of college.
Everyone had been surprised to say the least, when Asha and Ashok and told Zor and Maggie during their weekly get-together at Zor’s Army Club, that they were expecting their second child...almost 12 years after Elena was born. Zor had not had enough of ribbing the shy and reticent Ashok, while Maggie had been delighted at the news, now that she was also Asha's attending Gynac.
But tragedy stuck, and Asha passed away a few weeks after delivering her second child, a daughter, following some pre-natal complications she had. Ishwery had urged Asha to abort the baby long back, sensing that it was a high risk pregnancy, but Asha had not agreed to it. So Sona Sharma had been left motherless at just 3 weeks old, making Elena her de facto mother. Despite immense pressure by his family, Ashok never married again, not having the courage to risk an unknown woman raising his two daughters, one of them who was just an infant.
Dev disliked children as a rule...they were clingy, they cried and they were annoying. He disliked Sona all the more, because she took away the one person whom he obsessively loved and cherished away from him, Elena. Dev and Elena had been best friends since ever and the birth of Sona followed by the death of Asha changed their friendship drastically, something that Elena could come to terms with comfortably, but Dev couldn’t.
The time that they spent together playing, chatting or just watching the Sun set over the Delhi ridge every evening was now spent with Elena changing diapers and cleaning feeding bottles and later helping with homework or driving her baby sister to play dates and birthday parties. Every time Dev came down to ask Elena out to the club for a game of Tennis or go for a drive till India Gate where they could both have Ice-cream, she would either shoo him away or worse still, drag her pesky little sister alongside everywhere.
Sona or Titli as Elena lovingly called her, much to Dev's ensuing hilarity, was the most annoying kid he had ever come across. He wished Elena had a brother instead of a sister...Dev could handle boys, easily. He had two younger brothers and he kept them in place with his threats and intimidating tactics.
But girls were different...they were just so complex. Dev had to just raise his voice a little bit and Sona would start howling, making Elena accuse him of scaring her. If he ever joked around with her and hid her toy or her darned comforter, then there it was. Hell would break lose. And ignoring her did not help at all, because Sona absolutely dotted on her sister's best friend and demanded his attention wherever he was around.
Dev didn't care two hoots about Sona or for that matter any other girl, even though he flirted with an alarming number of them...he cared only about Elena. His beautiful, charming, lovely Elena...how he had nurtured a crush on her since he was a little boy. A crush, that had been laughingly dismissed by Elena as they grew up, but Dev was sure that it was love. He knew it was love.
Though both Dev and Elena had their share of girlfriends, boyfriends and crushes, Dev was absolutely confident, that in the end, she would come to him...and she would realize that no one in this world could love her as much as he did. And Dev being what he was, never hid his affections for Elena, openly displaying it in front of their common friends and family, much to Elena's embarrassment and amusement.
The only thing that rankled Dev was that no one took his declarations of being in love with Elena and wishing to get married to her seriously. Zor just gave a chuckle and pat on his son's robust back, saying that all boys went though this phrase, while Maggie just muttered Jesus's name and prayed to him to give some sense to her eldest born. Samar and Arjun were assured that their elder brother was a confirmed lunatic whose real place was in the asylum and not in civilized society. Feroz feared that his best friend was sure to flunk his final board exam over his obsession with Elena, while the lady in question never gave an inkling to what she felt about the whole thing.
Notes : ‘Sa’ is a suffix added to names or titles in Rajasthani culture which denotes respect for someone older / higher position than you. Jeeja is a way of calling your older sister, another name for ‘didi’, mostly used in Marwari culture. Titli is the hindi word for butterfly.
Part 1
December 1999
Asiad Village, New Delhi
Dev stood outside in the freezing cold of December, all he had was a leather jacket to protect him from the biting cold winds, especially as it had rained all day and it was nearly midnight. There was not a soul in sight, only the occasional howling of a stray dog could be heard, else the green, leafy lane of Chota Singh Marg at Asiad Village was as good as dead. Looking utterly unaffected by the cold and the darkness around him, he looked here and there for a small pebble or stone, that he could throw at her window and hopefully wake her up, without waking up the entire family. Because that would have not just meant embarrassment and questions for Elena and him, but also a few weeks without pocket money since he had once again taken out his Father's Car and driven it, despite not possessing a license to drive and being an underage to top.
He finally found a rounded pebble lying in a neighbor’s potted plant and picking up a couple of them, he gave one long look at the intended window and taking a deep breathe, threw it with such a precise aim, that it hit exactly on the middle of the glass window and nowhere. He smiled with smug satisfaction...after all, it was for nothing, that he was a legend amongst his friends and family for his remarkable shooting skills, that he practiced with such ease and joy regularly at Karni Singh Shooting range along with his father.
Dev waited with baited breath, willing Elena to open the window and see him. It was nearly a week since they had met and almost two days since they had spoken to each other. It was her stupid semester exam or something and she had explicitly told him not to bother her till they were over. He had obeyed her command for precisely one week and now he just couldn't hold himself back. Going to her house would have been out of question, because she would have turned him out through the maid before he could even make an entry. But now she would have no option, but to come down and meet him, if she wanted to avoid a scene at 12 in the night.
He threw another pebble, that too hit the window with precision, making a sharp noise shattering the noiseless atmosphere. The window finally opened, after a couple of minutes, when Dev was about to throw a handful of pebbles, on the verge of losing his cool now. It was really dark and Dev, despite hitting the pebbles right on mark, was unable to see clearly, who it was. He walked closer towards the wall and craned his neck to look up. Damn. It was not Elena.
The little girl pushed herself over the window ledge and peered down at him, he could see her clearly now. His eyes were accustomed to the darkness and the Moon was now out in full glory as he saw Sona rubbing her eyes and giving out a big yawn. Dev grunted and swore under his breath and whispered to her, 'Sona...where is your Jeeja?' Before he could hear an answer, he saw that she was now dangerously over the window sill, half her body hanging out.
'Damn...this kid will fall right on my head.' he muttered and called her out hastily, 'Sona...don't. You are leaning over too much...you'll fall down. Go back...go back.'
Obeying his words, she moved back and perched herself more safely on the ledge, cupping her chin in the hands.
'Good girl. Now wake up Jeeja and tell her to come and meet me down. And don't wake anyone else, okay?'
'Jeeja is in another room...she is studying.' replied Sona.
'Oh! Okay...then go and tell her that I have come and tell her to come down for just 10 minutes. Please' pleaded Dev.
She answered back solemnly, 'Can't.'
Dev swore under his breath, trying not to lose patience, dealing with kids was certainly not his strong point and definitely not in this situation.
'What do you mean can't? Won't you listen to what your Dev sa tells you?' he tried in a sweeter tone.
'Can't, because Jeeja has locked the door from outside. I can't go out and tell her that Dev sa is calling her.'
'Damn' he exclaimed for the nth time.
'Uh...Okay...then I'll just go I guess. Listen, don't tell her that I came here.' Dev turned to go back, but was stopped by Sona.
'No. Wait. Talk to me.' It was a not a tantrum or demand, Sona was admittedly too sweet for anything like that, but at the same time, Dev knew that did he ignore and just walk out on her, she would certainly start howling in no time.
Turning back and giving her a tight smile, he said, 'What do you want to talk to me about? And shouldn't you be sleeping? You won't be able to get up tomorrow to go for school.'
'I don't like school.' announced Sona and made herself more comfortable on the window, telling Dev that he was not getting an easy escape till he stayed back and talked her, whatever that meant. Dev was utterly uncomfortable around kids and Sona sort of freaked him out all the more, because although she was just 7 years old, she behaved and spoke like an adult.
'Okay...well...erm...so what did your Jeeja have for dinner today?' asked Dev, always coming back to Elena.
Sona pondered for a couple of seconds and answered back gravely, 'we had yellow dal and gavarfali ki sabzi and bajra roti.'
'Eeew' exclaimed Dev, wondering if it wasn't bad enough to have vegetarian food everyday, to have the worst of it was simply inexplicable to him.
'What did you have, Dev sa?' asked Sona, giving him a dimpled smile.
'Chicken curry, Fried fish and Pav.'
Sona looked blank on his reply, they were a strictly vegetarian household, they didn't even consume Eggs, leave aside poultry and meat. She had never seen Chicken and Fish other than in her colorful school books.
'But didn't you have roti or rice?' she asked.
Now feeling the cold and looking trapped in the boring conversation, Dev answered back tartly, 'No. We did not. Mom was working late, so we made did with whatever we had. Ho gaya? Can I leave? Please? Its really cold!'
Ignoring his plea, Sona called out to him, 'wait a minute' and disappeared from the window. Before Dev could react and make an escape, she was back, holding something in her hand and then in another instant, dropped it right on his head.
'HEY! Sona!' he exclaimed, forgetting to keep his voice low and then saw that she had dropped him a softy and snuggly blanket. Actually it was her favorite comforter, in baby pink with little grey elephants printed all over it. Dev never ceased to make fun of what a coddled child Sona was, carrying a comforter around with her, even though she was in primary school, but Elena found it adorable that her sister was still such a baby!
'Now you won't feel cold. Talk to me.' she commanded, once again perching herself on the window.
'Oh! God!' muttered Dev, exasperated and trapped.
'How did you come here?' she asked him, sleep having clearly escaped her by now.
'I drove.' he answered back in a flat voice.
'Kaka sa's Car?'
'Yes.'
'But Jeeja told me that you are not allowed to drive car before you turn 18. Are you 18 already?'
'No.'
'No what?'
Dev closed his eyes in desperation and pleaded, 'Sona, I really, really want to go back home...if Baba sa comes to know that I have taken out his Car and driven all the way here, he will kill me. Please. Please.'
Seeing no response from Sona, he bribed her by offering his company some other time. ‘Listen, if you let me go away peacefully now, I promise to take you to the Club this Sunday.’
Her face lit up at the unexpected offer and she exclaimed joyfully, ‘Really? You will take me to the Club?’
‘Yes...Yes. Promise. And we will even get you Candy floss, the one that you like so much!’
'Okay...go then.' she said, just as calmly as she had ordered him to stay back and converse with her in the middle of night, in the freezing cold.
'Thank God!' muttered Dev and was about to make his escape, when he realized that Sona's comforter was with him.
'Sona, move back...I'll throw your blankie back to you.'
'No. Then you will feel cold. You keep it till you reach home. Give it to me when you take me to the Club.'
Dev felt a frisson of respect and affection for the little brat. She was not just smart to get what she wanted, but also had her heart in the right place, just like her sister. Besides, he did not want to argue with her and risk another session of midnight chatting. So he waved her goodbye after telling her to close the window and go to sleep.
Arjun Vihar, Delhi Cantonment
It was close to 2 in the morning when Dev finally drove the Maruti Esteem and pleading at the constable standing guard outside, told him to open the creaking iron gates as softly as possible. Parking the Car in the driveway of his father’s army bunglow, he swiftly took off his shoes and wrapping them carelessly in Sona’s pink comforter, carried them inside the house. The doors were open just as he had left them before taking off 3 hours back.
He was about to walk up the stairs to his room, when the lights came on.
'Oh! Shit!' he whistled, closing his eyes in trepidation and turning to face music. But thankfully it was not his father.
'Oh! Mom! Thank God! I thought...'
'What? So what if its your 'Mom'. Am I not capable to giving you one just like your Baba sa would?' asked Ishwery (No Not a spelling Mistake ), glowering at her eldest born and looking pretty comical to Dev, as she stood at barely 5 feet something in comparison to Dev's towering 6 feet 1 inches.
'Okay now...don't make an issue...I was out, I am back now. Lets all go to sleep. Its really late and cold and I have school...'
'Dev!' hissed Ishwery, giving a cold stare at him, but then immediately fizzling out, as she saw his impish smile.
'You are just hopeless...what will I do with you!' she exclaimed, flopping on the couch, as Dev came and gave her a hug, sitting on the floor below, his arms on her lap.
'Oh! Mom! I love you so much!' declared Dev and cuddled to her.
'Chal chal! Bada aaya. Badmaash! Where had you gone? Wait...I know that already. To meet Elena, isn't it?' said his mother, getting up and making a cup of hot chocolate for him. He followed her to the kitchen and said, 'I haven't seen her for the last one week...she has some exam or project or something like that...'
'So you decided to go and harass a decent girl at this hour? Dev! What if someone had seen you?'
'Well, firstly...I don't harass her. Secondly, that was the reason why I went at this hour, so that no one could see me. And anyway, I couldn't meet Elu(Short for Elena)!' Dev had perched himself on the kitchen counter and was happily sipping his Hot Cocoa, as his mother shook her head and muttered something.
'What is the pink blanket you have with you?'
'Oh this? Its Sona’s comforter.'
Before Ishwery could ask him anything, he added on his own, 'I threw stones at Elu's window to wake her up, but she was in another room studying and had locked up that sister of her's in the room. She woke up.'
'Jesus...' exclaimed Ishwery, not knowing how to handle her errant son.
'You woke up that kid and got her comforter?' she asked him furiously.
'I didn't want to...she woke up on her own and gave it to me, cause I was cold. And not to say, bored me to death before I could escape.'
'What a mean boy you are!' said Ishwery, but not without a smile.
'I am worried...Ma.'
'About what?' retorted Ishwery absently, as she switched off the kitchen lights and ushered her son back to his room.
'You know...Elena is so attached to her sister...what if she gets her to live with us after marriage. I can't stand that kid! She is ghoulish! And acts like a 30 year old rather than a 7 year old that she is!'
Ishwery could only give an amused look back at her son and said, 'Firstly, Sona is a perfectly lovely child, stop being so rude about her all the time. And secondly, who told you that Elena is getting married to you?'
'She will, of course. In a few years.' came back Dev, supremely confident as always.
Ishwery tossed her head and laughed, telling Dev to go and sleep now.
St. Columbas School
The throng of students dressed in white shirts and grey trousers with bottle green half cardigans and blazers came out of the massive iron gates of the school. There was much chattering and a display of unnecessary machismo, as they kicked each other and laughed on bawdy jokes. So much for the iron clad discipline that was enforced upon them by the Brothers of the prestigious boys only school, St. Columbas, the moment they stepped out of the school boundaries, everyone was back to being what they were, teenage boys.
Dev and his best friend, Feroz were laughing out loud on a joke cracked by one of their classmates and as he searched for his younger brothers in the crowd of students, Feroz suddenly nudged him and whispered fervently, 'Diiiiiiiiiks...Elena is here!'
Taken aback, Dev forgot all about his brothers and turned his head towards the direction Feroz had pointed. Not just him, but all the boys who were waiting for their pick-up seemed to hush up and look at the direction of the girl who was walking or rather storming in Dev's direction.
'God...she is HOT!' gasped the bespectacled Nilesh, the classmate who had been making Dev and Feroz laugh on one of his jokes.
'Sshhh...' Feroz hissed and darted his eyes from Elena, unlike Dev, he was paranoid around girls, especially if they looked anything like Elena Sharma did.
Elena Sharma was a diva. That was the only way to describe her. Standing at five feet eight inches, with a perfectly proportioned figure and dark brown tresses which were always left open and immaculately groomed. She was dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and a bright red halter top, despite the odd time of the year, which showed off her shapely arms and the flawless skin than lay beneath. All she had to protect her from the cold weather was a woolen scarf that was wrapped stylishly around her slender neck. Her black eyes were burning with fury and her full lips which tantalized Dev and countless other young men were quivering with yet unspoken abuses of all kind.
'Hey Elu...so nice to see you!' grinned Dev, appearing to be as cool as a cucumber, even though he could see that she was fuming over something and that something was him.
'Don't you dare!' she growled back, her throaty voice making her sound more sexy than she normally did.
'Something happened?' he said calmly, trying to work his charm but failing.
'Dev Kumar Dixit...you are getting murdered today and guess who is doing the honors!'
There was a ripple of laughter in the crowd, till Dev turned pink and whispered back, 'Can we talk somewhere else? There's a Costa Coffee nearby...'
'Shut up!' she yelled back, getting hold of Dev's arms and dragging him from there. Feroz stood confusedly and shrugging his head, moved towards his school bus. But not before Nilesh asked him in an excited voice, 'Wow...is that Dev's girl? She is HOT!'
Feroz rolled his eyes and answered back decorously, 'No, she is not Dev's girl. And by the way, that's a very offensive manner of speaking about a lady!'
'So who is she? Curse Dev...trust him to land with the hottest chicks on the planet!'
Feroz heaved an exasperated sigh and replied back, 'Family friend's daughter. Now don't ask me anything more, I'm getting late for my bus! Bye, see you tomorrow.'
Costa Coffee Shop
'Lets at least go inside.' pleaded Dev, even as Elena stood fuming, tapping her high heels on the dusty ground.
'Dev...I have had it with you now! I am going to come today evening at your place and telling Kaka sa what his darling son has done this time!'
'What did I do?' said Dev, trying to act as innocent as possible.
Elena glared at him, ignoring the people who were caught between staring at the lovely girl and the scene she was having with the inordinately tall boy dressed in a school uniform.
'You came to my house, despite my telling you a thousand times that I don't want to be disturbed!'
'Well...I confess that I did come to your house but technically I did not disturb you because I did not meet you!' grinned Dev, ushering Elena inside the heated comfort of the Coffee place.
Throwing her bag on the table, she sat down and fumed, 'Titli missed her school today. Guess why?'
'That kid is lazy...'
'Don't you dare!' exclaimed Elena in a dangerous voice, as Dev gestured her to calm down.
'My sister is anything but lazy...but she is also just a 7 year old. If you come at 12 in the night and disturb her sleep, how the hell is she going to get up on time for school?'
'In my defense, I had no wish to disturb your darling Titli's sleep...I thought you were in the room...and then she woke up and did not let me go till I had a heart to heart chat with her! Not my fault!' smiled Dev, placing an Ice Latte and her favorite, Blueberry Cheesecake in front of Elena and taking a sip of his black coffee.
'Yuck! How do you drink that thing? No milk, no sugar???'
'Its masculine, that is why!' retorted Dev with an impish grin, always ready with an answer.
Elena could not help but smile, despite still angry over what he had done.
'You are in a tearing hurry to grow up, aren't you Mr. Dixit?'
'You know why?' he flirted back, making her blush and on the defensive as always.
'Shut-up, Dev! You are a kid!'
'No, I am not! Your crazy butterfly sister is a kid...I am 17 years old. Do you know the men in some Mexican tribes get married and have kids by the time they reach 17?'
'First, don’t call my little sister names! And secondly, are you a Mexican tribal?' asked Elena in a droll voice.
'No...but I am certainly not the child that you want to make me seem all the time!'
'Well whatever, I am older than you!' said Elena, sunning her nails and giving him a covert look to see his reaction. This is why she drove him crazy, the way she played him like a yo-yo ball. He knew it, yet could not do anything about it!
'2 years. That doesn't even count!'
Elena laughed and finished her coffee replied back in a humorous tone, 'In any case, you have been reserved for my little sister...so even if I want, I can't have you!'
'What?'
Elena smiled fondly at the mention of her sister and said, 'she had play date with Sayesha...her best friend...you know, yesterday...and when it was Titli’s turn to be the wife, she named you as her husband...her Dev sa. How adorable!’
'Eeew...Titli and me! That's the most gross thing I have ever heard! She makes me sound like a freaking Pedophile!' remarked Dev, holding his neck and pretending to gag.
'They were just play acting, you goof! It was so cute that she took your name as her husband, because she thinks the world of you! And stop treating my sister like that. She adores you so much.'
'Well, I don't. And its nothing personal. I dislike all kids. I think they are a burden to the world.'
'Dev...you skunk!' Elena got up in a huff and walked out of the door, followed adroitly by him.
'Drop me home, Elu. I missed my school bus and I spent all the money I had to pacify you with Coffee and Cake...so I can't get home now!'
'Go to hell, I'm not dropping you anywhere!' fumed Elena, looking even prettier when she was angry.
'Come on, Elu...sorry yaar! Okay, fine...Titli is very sweet...she is a cute kid and all. And if she wants to marry me, she is more than welcome! Happy?'
'Stop patronizing!' snapped Elena.
Giving an exasperated grunt, Dev held his hands in a compromise and said, 'Fine, fine...I am sorry for my general behaviour. Now please drop me home and also pick up her comforter.'
'That's with you?' exclaimed Elena, adding, 'And we have been going nuts looking for it. Titli can't go to sleep without it!'
'That kid needs to grow up...no child of 7 should have a comforter! Baba sa and Mom dumped me in the spare room as soon as I was weaned away! No comforter nonsense for me. And look at me, I have managed pretty well for myself!’
'That comforter is Ma’s last gift for her.' Elena said slowly, making Dev finally fall quiet.
They stood in an awkward silence, till she broke it and said, 'Chalo now! I've an assignment to finish...and btw, how did you land up with my sister's comforter.'
Despite Elena's protest, Dev had already snatched the Car keys from her and was seated in the Driver's seat, starting the engine.
'I was cold...she went and got it for me!'
'Awww...my sweet, kind-hearted Titli. And you never stop criticizing her.'
Dev mumbled something sarcastic in reply and they drove all the way to Arjun Vihar, bickering and laughing simultaneously.
The Dixit's and Sharma had been family friends for years now, with Dev's father, Colonel Zorawar Singh Dixit and Elena's father, Bijoy Sharma leaving their native village, Kuldhara in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, together for the city to continue their education. While the Rajput Dixit had chosen Army as his profession like many others in his family and had risen to the rank of Colonel, the quiet and studious Ashok Sharma had taken to law and was now a judge at the Delhi High Court.
The differences did not end there, the rakishly handsome and rather free-spirited Zorawar had shocked not just his family and friends, but also the entire Rajput Community when he fell in love and married an equally free-spirited Goan Catholic girl, Ishwery Fernadez, a medical student at the time they had met. She was now a well-respected gynecologist and also the mother of Zor's three sons.
17 year old Dev aka Dev, 13 year old Samar and 11 year old Arjun. Zor had convinced his wife, who was affectionately addressed as Maggie by her husband, friends & family, to give Hindu names to their three sons, in a feeble attempt to please his Draconian mother, who was still furious with him for having married not just out of caste, but also out of their religion. In return, Maggie had sworn Zor that as long as she lived, he would have to attend the Sunday Mass at their local church along with their brood.
Dev, Samar and Arjun never forgave their father for having dragged them to the Church one Sunday after another, only because he wanted to keep his wife happy. Dev of course, ingenious and devilish as always, found a way to enliven the dull Church proceedings by torturing his younger siblings and making them squeal and shriek throughout the mass, embarrassing the life out of poor Maggie. No amount of reading the bible and praying to Jesus seemed to straighten her crooked son.
They were a slightly dysfunctional but undeniably happy family. The only regret that Maggie ever had was not having a daughter, which according to her, might have tempered down the madness of their house a bit. There were just too many men in the house and she was badly outnumbered by them!
The Sharma on the other hand were as traditional and typical a family as the Dixit's were not. Ashok Sharma, unlike his friend, had quietly given into a marriage arranged by his parents to a girl from a family just as traditional as theirs. Asha Sharma was nothing like the fiery and outspoken Ishwery, yet they were just as good as friends as their husbands and then their eldest children were.
Ashok and Asha were the first ones to start a family, when their daughter Elena was born, two years before Zor and Maggie had Dev. Both the children had literally grown up together, forming a deep bond of friendship, which grew through playgroup, kindergarten, primary school and middle school. Dev was now in the last year of his schooling and Elena was already in the 2nd year of college.
Everyone had been surprised to say the least, when Asha and Ashok and told Zor and Maggie during their weekly get-together at Zor’s Army Club, that they were expecting their second child...almost 12 years after Elena was born. Zor had not had enough of ribbing the shy and reticent Ashok, while Maggie had been delighted at the news, now that she was also Asha's attending Gynac.
But tragedy stuck, and Asha passed away a few weeks after delivering her second child, a daughter, following some pre-natal complications she had. Ishwery had urged Asha to abort the baby long back, sensing that it was a high risk pregnancy, but Asha had not agreed to it. So Sona Sharma had been left motherless at just 3 weeks old, making Elena her de facto mother. Despite immense pressure by his family, Ashok never married again, not having the courage to risk an unknown woman raising his two daughters, one of them who was just an infant.
Dev disliked children as a rule...they were clingy, they cried and they were annoying. He disliked Sona all the more, because she took away the one person whom he obsessively loved and cherished away from him, Elena. Dev and Elena had been best friends since ever and the birth of Sona followed by the death of Asha changed their friendship drastically, something that Elena could come to terms with comfortably, but Dev couldn’t.
The time that they spent together playing, chatting or just watching the Sun set over the Delhi ridge every evening was now spent with Elena changing diapers and cleaning feeding bottles and later helping with homework or driving her baby sister to play dates and birthday parties. Every time Dev came down to ask Elena out to the club for a game of Tennis or go for a drive till India Gate where they could both have Ice-cream, she would either shoo him away or worse still, drag her pesky little sister alongside everywhere.
Sona or Titli as Elena lovingly called her, much to Dev's ensuing hilarity, was the most annoying kid he had ever come across. He wished Elena had a brother instead of a sister...Dev could handle boys, easily. He had two younger brothers and he kept them in place with his threats and intimidating tactics.
But girls were different...they were just so complex. Dev had to just raise his voice a little bit and Sona would start howling, making Elena accuse him of scaring her. If he ever joked around with her and hid her toy or her darned comforter, then there it was. Hell would break lose. And ignoring her did not help at all, because Sona absolutely dotted on her sister's best friend and demanded his attention wherever he was around.
Dev didn't care two hoots about Sona or for that matter any other girl, even though he flirted with an alarming number of them...he cared only about Elena. His beautiful, charming, lovely Elena...how he had nurtured a crush on her since he was a little boy. A crush, that had been laughingly dismissed by Elena as they grew up, but Dev was sure that it was love. He knew it was love.
Though both Dev and Elena had their share of girlfriends, boyfriends and crushes, Dev was absolutely confident, that in the end, she would come to him...and she would realize that no one in this world could love her as much as he did. And Dev being what he was, never hid his affections for Elena, openly displaying it in front of their common friends and family, much to Elena's embarrassment and amusement.
The only thing that rankled Dev was that no one took his declarations of being in love with Elena and wishing to get married to her seriously. Zor just gave a chuckle and pat on his son's robust back, saying that all boys went though this phrase, while Maggie just muttered Jesus's name and prayed to him to give some sense to her eldest born. Samar and Arjun were assured that their elder brother was a confirmed lunatic whose real place was in the asylum and not in civilized society. Feroz feared that his best friend was sure to flunk his final board exam over his obsession with Elena, while the lady in question never gave an inkling to what she felt about the whole thing.
Author
yaaar you're an awesome writer!
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