An Unfading Desire

The Dupatta Caper

"So, Suhana, what happened when you screamed like 'Pishachini' from the window? Did Ma'am come running?" Ehsaas asked with a mischievous grin.

"Oh wo ma'am wasn't present in class at that moment." Suhana replied chuckling.

"Achha, tabhi bach gayi warna teri toh aatma bhi nahi bachti" Ehsaas responded playfully teasing.

[Oh, lucky you! Otherwise, your soul would have been the next target of your ghostly act]

"Mar jaati to Karan ko kese dekhti?" Suhana replied dramatically putting her dupatta over her head.

[If I had died, how would I have seen Karan?]

"Haa tu uske peeche mar jaa pehele, sachme me ek dabba dimaag uske peeche padi he" Ehsaas said with a frustrating wink.

[Ok, you die after him, really an box minded (mindless) is behind him]

"Dabba kya??" Suhana questioned confused.

[Box what]

"W..wo wo dabba...dabba square behen" Ehsaas hesitantly explained.

[W... box... box square sister]

"Kya dabba kya square, kya bak rahi he?" Suhana questioned raising her eyebrow in confusion.

[What box, what square, what are you talking about?]

"Arre, square ka matlab nahi pata 'varg' jese 2 ka varg he 4"

["Hey, don't know what square means 'square' like 2 squared is 4"]

"Do you mean square of 2? Paagal seedha seedha nahi bol sakti thi kya, aur ye Karan ki baat chal rahi thi ye square achanak kahan se tapka beech me" Suhana replied, being surprised by an out of box topic in between.

[Do you Mean Square of 2? Crazy, couldn't she speak straight, and we were taking about Karan, where did this square suddenly come from in the middle?]

"Arre baba, this is not 'tapka hua topic'(out of the box topic) let me explain, In this case, let's say 'A' represents 'Ajeeb' (Strange) and another 'A' represents 'Aurat' (Woman). So, A x A = A^2 = Ajeeb x Aurat = Ajeeb Aurat (Strange Woman), look isn't it representing you? how can it be aasman se tapki hui baat then? (out of the box topic) " Ehsaas explained with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Haaahaahaa! what a joke, kaano me se khoon behene laga, Ehsaas meri ek baat kabhi mat bhulna, your jokes are as bad as your puns." Suhana replied with a fake laugh.

[Hahaha! What a joke, ears started bleeding, Ehsaas never forget one thing of mine, your jokes are as bad as your puns.]

"Lekin yaar maan'na to padega, mast tha na" Ehsaas stated joining in her laughter.

[But man, you have to agree, it was great, wasn't it?]

"Haa, tumhe hi aate he ese ajeeb ajeeb jokes ese ajeeb time par" Suhana replied rolling her eyes.

[Yes, only you come up with such strange jokes at such strange times.]

The sun beat down mercilessly on the college campus garden, shimmering waves distorting the air. Lost in a conversation that meandered from last week's pizza topping debate to the questionable fashion choices of a 'Moholle ke aunties,' Ehsaas and Suhana meandered towards the shade of a sprawling old oak tree.

The ancient oak stretched its branches outwards, creating a cool, dappled haven on the otherwise sun-baked ground. They plopped down gratefully onto a nearby bench, their random chatter continuing. A flash of brown caught Ehsaas's eye. A squirrel!