Tumse Hi Tumse... ( Unedited)

What's it like in Mumbai City?

Hey there, Delilah
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all .........

8:30 pm on the other side of Mumbai.

Riddhi was walking from store to store with an earplug in one ear, clad in a mustard-colored, cotton, ankle-length skirt and a white tank top, her open shoulder length hair bouncing with every step she took, feeling like this song was for her like she's the Delilah, whom Plain White T's is singing to.

As a general practitioner, it was rare for her to get a day off. On Saturday nights, she would visit her parents in Pune and then come back on Sunday evenings. But this time her parents were in Jaipur for a wedding. They asked her to join but she refused because , this Sunday day was special.

'It was her last day in Mumbai.'

She had decided to now work in the hospital that her parents owned in Pune. So, she wanted this day just for herself. Just her and Mumbai.

There was something in Mumbai's humid air. The kali peeli traveled head to head along with fancy cars on the road. The street vendors stood tall against the expensive stores. Makeshift houses on streets, buildings competing with each other to touch the sky. Eyes of many people holding dreams and shoulders of some weighed down with responsibilities. This city carried many contrasts. Life here was difficult, but keeping it all aside and saying, 'Yeh Mumbai hai meri jaan', helped.

On the streets of Mumbai, Riddhi was soaking in the moment. She first went to a cafe to get her favorite cold coffee, sipping it she walked towards the grocery store to buy things for tonight's meal.

The song still playing in her ear...

On reaching the familiar lane, she saw the Bhajiwale kaka (vegetable vendor) who was closing his shop, wrapping up the unsold bhaji. She tapped his shoulder, he turned, and they exchanged heartfelt smiles,

' Aaj bhaji Nako?'( you don't want vegetables today) he asked knowingly.
' Aaj nako', she said with a sad smile and teary eyes.

He handed her a cloth bag saying 'Take this, I know you will love it'. She looked inside the bag excitedly and found her favorite mangoes. Her happiness was visible from the big smile on her face. But her eyes still held a sad emotion of leaving such- 'pyare Mumbai ke log'.

She gave a big chocolate bar to Manu, Kaka's daughter, who in return gave her a tight hug.
' Bhetuya lavkar kaka' saying this with a smile, she walked past him

On reaching her place, she took a deep breath, closed the door, kept everything in the kitchen, and began cleaning the house. After swiftly tidying her house, she took a long shower.

With chores completed, she went towards the window and opened it, a cool breeze hit her face, her open hair swayed, and the lavender curtains billowed with the breeze. The money plant hugging the grills of the window, shined bright under the moonlight.
She settled onto her jhula with a cup of chai, savoring the tranquillity of the moment.
Her growling stomach broke her trance. She looked towards her grocery bag which was lying at the kitchen counter, went there, took out the things, and made white sauce pasta, with of course a lot of veggies in it ( because guys, our girl is a doctor!) Usually, she used to eat her dinner at 7 and slept at 10 because her father, who learned from his father, always said -
'Early to bed, early to rise, makes both men and women healthy, wealthy and wise'.
But tonight was different. It was her last day in the place, every corner of which held memories of laughter shared with friends, quiet moments of solitude, and the warmth of the neighborhood that enveloped her.
But alongside this nostalgia was an excitement tinged with uncertainty, going back to the place that evoked many emotions within her - PUNE, her home.
The exhaustion from these thoughts weighed heavily on Riddhi's mind and soon sleep embraced her while the hustling city remained wide awake.