SECRETs (Not edited)

Past 43

Please read author's note below...

**NAINA**

"Good Morning, Avni dear!" Mrs Sarkar cooed, as she came in, saw Avni sitting up, and stretching herself on the bed.
"Had a good night sleep, dear?"
She kept the tray of tea cups, that she had bought on the bed side table.

She brushed Avni's hair slowly, like a mother does; so lovingly.
"You look a bit fresh, now. When you came in, you seemed drained, so exhausted. Was something the matter, dear?"

Avni looked up at her faces and shook her head.  Then, she slowly mumbled, "No, aunty. Just study pressures."

Mrs. Sarkar smiled knowingly. "I have bought tea for you both. You drink tea na, Naina?"
She asked, turning her face towards my side.

"Umm.." I started. I didn't actually drink tea.

"Trust me, Naina, You don't wanna miss this. It's the bestest tea in the world." Avni grinned at me.

"Oh no, dear. Naina, should I bring coffee for you?" Aunty blushed.

"Umm.. No, aunty. I would love to try the bestest tea in the world." I teased.

Aunty nodded her head shyly. When she noticed us, grinning at each other. She straightened herself.
"Stop teasing me." she scolded lightly. "Now quickly, get freshened up and come down for breakfast. The boys will be back soon."
Saying so, she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Where are those idiots?" Avni asked, getting down from the bed and getting in the washroom.

"Out." I answered in mono syllable, getting up from the sofa and reaching for the steaming cup of tea. It smelled really good.
I sipped it,  heavenly! I must say, I would have seriously missed something awesome.

"What for?" she asked again, in a muffled voice, walking out of the washroom.

"Aunty sent them, to get some stuffs for the puja." I chuckled at Avni's condition. Her hair was in a dishevelled state, mouth filled with tooth paste foam. She was dressed in long loose cotton Mickey mouse pyjama and a matching long loose cotton shirt.
She shrugged her shoulder and stranded back in.

That was one most needed holiday. We were in Abhi's home, then. After that night, we thought the best thing to be done was to take a break and get a different sniff of air. So, Abhi suggested that we came to his home town. It was Durga Puja time and the festival was celebrated grandly there. We could let ourselves loose and enjoy for the time being.
But the challenge, was to persuade the officials to let us take a leave. We had to literally beg them, and cook up stories like 'Our parents are worried. We haven't visited home in a long time' and 'It's festival time, our parents are asking us to come'. But nothing could make them agree. At last, Mr. Singh accepted our leave, when we said that Avni was falling sick, and that she seriously needed a change of environment.
Then, there we were, packed our bags up and left that place for a whole long week.

I was snapped out of my reverie, by the sudden loud sound of drums, sounding from downstairs probably. We occupied a room in the second floor of the house.

Hearing the sound, Avni rushed out of the washroom, wrapped in a long white towel.
"Yeh! The dhakis are here. Come on, Naina, get ready fast. Oh! I love the sound." Avni squealed like a kid, as she laid out her dress for the morning aarthi. Dhak is the name of the drums played during the festival, and the persons who played them were called dhakis. I could recall the lessons that Abhi had given me, about their traditions, before we landed there.