Forget-Me-Not: Taste of Freedom

Chapter Thirty Two

Chapter Thirty Two

The bed wasn't made. Her bag lay open in one corner, some clothes coming out. The room was cast in a dim glow as the curtains were drawn. If they hadn't been, perhaps the sunlight streaming in would have been excruciating for her. With some effort, she got out of bed and clutched her throbbing head. The room was messy. There were dirty footmarks in the bathroom, and everything inside was wet. Her clothes smelled of alcohol and sweat; her hair was like a bird's nest. Geet noticed all this as she went to the huge mirror in the bathroom, and looked at herself.

Her eyes were bloodshot. There were print marks on her cheek from the wrinkled pillow. She looked like a paler, more ghostly version of herself. She didn't remember how she'd ended up back in the room last night, and didn't know where Vidhi and Dia were. All she knew was that this was the first and the worst hangover of her life, and that she had no intentions of getting drunk ever again. Letting out a deep breath, she opened the tap and splashed cold water on her face. Every little movement hurt, but that didn't stop her from freshening up and going back out to clean the room.

She couldn't believe she'd spent the night in this dump.

However, as she was folding the clothes, she thought of last night and smiled. So they hadn't really been bothered about how things would be today. What did it matter? The world hadn't come to an end because she hadn't cleaned the room or made the bed. Nothing had changed. No apocalypse had come over because she let herself go and got crazy drunk. Sometimes, it was necessary to take a break. Sometimes, you had to let go of the responsibilities and be free... do the things that made you feel alive, instead of worrying about everyone else's comfort. Just for a little while.

After straightening up the room, Geet caught sight of her phone on the study table, and immediately thought of Rohan and Naina. It was ten in the morning... they would be up by now. She grabbed her phone, calling on the number Dia's mother-in-law had given her in case she needed it, and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" it was Mrs. Mehta. She sounded cheerful and warm, easing the knot of tension in Geet's gut.

"Hello, aunty. It's me, Geet."

"Oh, good morning! How was your journey? Are you girls having fun there?"

They exchanged pleasantries for a while, talking about their first day in Goa; although Geet didn't tell her about last night. Then Mrs. Mehta passed the phone to Rohan, who sounded extremely happy to be living in a bungalow with a pool and two children his age, whom he'd become friends with. Geet smiled as she heard his excited tale about hide and seek last night, and how Daksh (Vivek's son) had pushed him into the pool. When she asked if he'd been taking care of his sister, Rohan complained that Naina was only interested in throwing their cars down and ruining their games. But she had become a favourite in the house, and the women kept crooning over her. When Geet talked to her on the phone, Naina said, "I miss you, mama!"

It was the best thing she would hear all morning.

"I miss you too, love. I'll come back soon, I promise."

Then Mrs. Mehta came on again to tell her to take care and have fun. When Geet hung up, she was smiling.

Talking to her children had brightened up an otherwise dull morning; after getting off the phone, Geet decided to look for Vidhi and Dia. Where were they? Hadn't they come in last night? And how the hell did she get in here? It was unfortunate that she didn't remember anything. She just hoped she hadn't done anything stupid.

Before she could go out, though, her eyes fell on a few things by the bedside table she hadn't noticed before. Her brows drew together in confusion. An extra phone charger in the room? A linen handkerchief? She'd barely tried to puzzle it out when the door unlocked, and Gautam came in.