"Beee, meri bachii!" squealed Anu as she grabbed her in a huge hug with tears rolling down her cheeks as she pressed her cheek into Bee's fur. This week had been a turmoil of emotions for Anu - she had been missing her Beebli and Anuj quite a bit plus leaving Bee had added another layer of emotional turmoil. Bee sensed her Anu was sad and she proceeded to nuzzle her head into Anu's neck and lick her tears away, & finally came to rest her forehead against Anu's head. They both just sat like that for a while - ignoring the chaos around them as the children clambered down from the bus. Just Anu and her Bee; two kindred souls finally reunited and they both sighed in contentment. Anu rubbed Bee's ears and massaged her head while Bee wagged her tail in extreme happiness. Her best friend was back!
~
As the children were guided to their accommodations and made to settle down for their evening nap by the other teachers, Anu picked up Bee and proceeded to go to their room where Anu pampered Bee with a new scarf she had made for her, a lovely lavender colored silk piece embroidered with little sunflowers. Anu laid down on the bed as Bee curled up next to her and Anu covered them both with a blanket as she stared up at the ceiling, finally feeling a little less melancholic. Anuj and Choti had been on her thoughts quite a bit this week and with Bee around, the ache lessened a little bit. This time Anu was adamant that she'd take Bee back with her and her mind was running around in circles as she ran through the logistics of everything. Anu smiled as Bee started snoring slightly and Anu smoothened her fur as she gazed at her adoringly. It would soon be time to go outside to spend the rest of the evening with the children and Anu closed her eyes for a while to get some rest before heading out.
~
Anu wore a bright lavender saree that matched with Bee's scarf and she covered herself with a soft silver shawl before heading out. She stepped into the garden area outlooking the hills and she was immediately surrounded by her sweet children as they exclaimed loudly at the wonders of this magical place. They gushed about the little garden that was filled with vegetables and flowers of all sorts. They had discovered the swing by one of the large trees that had a small pond near it with some big Koi fish in it. They were mesmerized by the chocolate making session that Ram had conducted. Anu looked up in surprise as they mentioned Ramanuj and Lucie, she hadn't expected them to be here this weekend. And as if by magic, Lucie bounded down the lane and made a beeline for Anu once again and was about to topple her over, but this time a strong pair of arms caught Lucie midair before she could complete her jump. Ram chuckled as he picked up Lucie and twirled her in a circle as he cooed at her and admonished her for her naughtiness. "Not this time Lucie, I know you like the lady but remember our manners. We must not accost elegant ladies, but must be patient and kind in order to woo them- remember what I taught you!"
With a final chuckle Ram looked at Anu, who had been bracing herself for impact, and smiled warmly at her. "Welcome back Anu, I'm glad you made it back and this time with all your wonderful children. And also reunited with your Bee I see. She had been quite the grumpy face this entire week I hear. Looks like this one will not let you leave this time!"
Anu smiled back warmly and put her palms together as she said "Thenk you Ram ji - bohot achaa lag raha hain meri Bee ke paas wapas aana. Aur bachee toh itni excited hain ki main kya bolu. Aur aapne unko chocolate classes bhi dedi - bohot bohot danyawaad! Yeeh trip tho unke liye sabzee best hongi! Woh toh bohot kush hain!" grinned Anu. And as they smiled at each other warmly, it was brought to their awareness that there was a sudden silence around them. And with this many children, silence was usually not a good thing.
Anu rushed around trying to see what naughtiness the children were up to and was able to find them by the sound of their silent giggles. She made her was into a little clearing where there were tents and a bonfire set up for the night. But what was more magical was that there were jasmines weaved around the campsite with fairylights strung up making it a magical experience as it looked out onto the hills. There were cozy chairs set up with blankets and a little stove to make hot chocolate, chai and other small snacks for the children. There were blankets laid down for the doggies and the children to lay down and watch the projector that hade been set up for the Disney movie Tangled that would be screened for them later on in the night. Anu sighed in pleasure looking at all this and tears pricked her eyes as she twirled around nearly bumping into Ram. She looked at him with tears in her eyes as she whispered, "Thenk you thenk you thenk you bohot bohot saara. Aap nahi jaante ki ye kitni badi baath hain inn bacho ke liye. Ye bacchee toh bohot pyare hain par zindagi ne inke saath bohot galat kiya hain - par phir bhi yeh bache kabhi bhi yeh ehsaas nahi dete ki unke zindagi ki ye haal hain. Aur aapne inn bacho ke liye itna sab kuch soch liya. Thank you. Mujhe pata hain ki yeh aapne hi kiya hain - pata nahi kaise but mujhe pata hain ki in sab main aapki haath hain!"
