Dil Ka Jo Rishtaa (Book 2)

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"Hai re Bhagwan, where is that clueless Pammi now? This is college all over again. If she doesn't get here with our ride then I'm going to - I'm going to do something." Rekha stood up in frustration as she wondered where her friend had gone missing. All her life, Pamela Nihalani had never been on time - even as a baby, she was delivered after her due date!

Preeti and Jamila sat on the sofa pouring over Jamila's phone. They were deciding which pictures to post while waiting to leave the house. Upstairs Gauri was leading Meera back into their bedroom. She had almost forgotten something really important she wanted to do for her sister.

"Gauri, what's going on? Why are you -" Meera was cut short when her sister made her sit down on her bed. She watched while Gauri went to Gauri's wardrobe and brought back a gift wrapped box.

Gauri handed Meera the box, while she settled down beside her in anticipation. She was nervous but she was also happy.

"What's this?" Meera asked lifting up the box. She looked to Gauri in wonder. It wasn't her birthday or anything for her to receive such a beautifully wrapped gift.

"Di, obviously it is a surprise and the only way you will know what the surprise is, is by actually opening it up." Gauri pointed out making Meera shake her head with a grin. She proceeded to neatly open up the package and uncover the boxed mobile phone. Momentarily Meera looked at the gift in silence.

"Gauri, how did you know? Did Dad say anything to you about -"Meera asked making Gauri frown a little.

"Why would Dad say anything?" Gauri asked, genuinely not understanding what Meera was referring too.

"Because yesterday morning Gunjan Dada ran over my phone and it broke. Somehow it had managed to end up outside on the ground and you know what, I don't even remember leaving it out there. I thought I left it near the bed like I usually do every night. When I spoke to Dad about it, he said he would do something to at least get the memory card fixed so I can keep a few special photos. I really don't want to lose those photos since they mean a lot to me," Meera explained as she continued with unpacking the phone from its box.

Gauri shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the photos she had inadvertently deleted. Hearing her sister mention how special the pictures were and how she didn't want to lose them made her feel queasy with guilt. It didn't matter if their dad fixed the memory card, if everything there had already been wiped clean! Then there was this new complication: it seemed everyone was under the impression that Meera's phone had been run over accidentally by Gunjan instead of being dropped from the balcony by Gauri. Since Gauri had fled early that morning, she hadn't been around to witness any of that. Perhaps that was what Preeti was talking about.

Gauri felt really bad now. It was her fault that her sister didn't have a phone which would have been so helpful in last night's incident. Gauri couldn't believe what she had heard in regards to the condition in which Meera had come home, though her thoughts had been preoccupied with the situation between her and Jamila.

Pained, Gauri reached forwards for her sister's hand.

"I'm really sorry Di, I'm really sorry for what happened to your phone but I -"Gauri began her apology, sincerely hoping to not only own up her for mistake but also to amend it the best she could. It was the right thing to do before she went any further.

"Hey," Meera took away her hand from her sister and held her sister's face in her own hands. "Gauri, it's not your fault that you need to apologise for it. Sometimes bad things happen and there isn't any reason for them. I don't even blame Gunjan Dada either. The situation is such that we don't even know what happened in order to blame someone for it. It was only a phone that accidentally broke that's all..." Meera looked into her sister's sad eyes feeling hurt to see that expression on Gauri. "..And you've already done so much to make it better. Look you went out and got me the exact same phone again to replace it. How did you even manage to find this old model? I thought they stopped making these," Meera said taking the phone out of the package to show Gauri.