WRAPPED WITH LOVE

chapter 22

Abhi's birthday:

Abhi woke up early in the morning and shampooed her hair. She wore a pink coloured saree , put on silk threaded jewellery and a few antique accessories , her all time favourite!!She heard her mobile ringing. It was her parents. They wished her and gave their blessings. Her mom insisted that she should go to temple.
She woke nithu and asked her to get ready so that they can be back from temple on time.

Nithu: abhi temple jaana zaruri hei kya?

Abhi: arey nithu! Today is saturday and the prasad in durga temple will be soo delicious. I don't wanna miss it!

Nithu: conjuce! Tu bhi na! Birthday hei yar teri.... atleast not today!

Abhi: ha ha Teekein... I will take you to barbeque nation on our way back. Deal okay?

Nithu: Sounds good! Our batch?

Saying this nithu looked down with a gloomy face as there are only two others left... Abhi understood her feelings.
Abhi went close to her and hugged her. She said" Nithu , chaahe varun aur priya kaha bhi ho, they should be happy right?"

Nithu: haan

Abhi: Tho !? If they can live happily in Bangalore, let them be.. even if they are away from us.. a far away from us.. they always stay with us... in our hearts.... Distances doesn't matter as long as we remember to love them!!so our batch is never divided.. Wherever we are we are still connected through our hearts...

Nithu: Abhi that was great. A good relief I can say. Thanks yar!

Abhi: Anytime!

Nithu: chalo call rahul and appu. Ask them to come to the temple. Am I the only one to suffer??

Abhi: teekhein. I will ask them to come.

Appu and Rahul too are atheists. They reluctantly agreed to go as it's Abhi's birthday.

All the four of them set out to temple in a cab.
In the cab:
Rahul: so.. seems like ,to make true your wishes, you are throwing the entire burden on god...Is it Abhi?

Nithu: no yar. Woh kya hei ki, abhis parents insisted that she should go. That's it! I wish ki atleast one in our group believes in God!

Rahul: woh subah subah Pooja karne waale types?

Appu: haha woh hi hei.
She looked at Abhi and asked " Abhi,whats wrong? You are so silent"

Abhi concealed her sorrowful thoughts and said with a mild smile that she is fine.

Rahul(to the driver): Bhayya.. aap dho gantein wait keejiye. Hum vapas lautenge...

Driver: teekhein Saab.

They reached the temple and left their footwear in the car.
Rahul found a good place for him so that he could enjoy seeing beautiful girls entering the temple.

Abhi, Appu and Nithu set out to start Pooja. After completing the Pooja, Nithu and Appu went to buy Prasad ladoos. Abhi was roaming to see the beautiful carvings on the walls of temple. A little girl , probably of 10 years old, approached her and pulled her dupatta . Abhi looked to see who it was.

Abhi: hey sweetheart! Who are you?

Girl: People say that we can see god in children right?

Abhi: hmmm yes!

Girl: Then , if you want god to send a perfect person to gift you on the occasion of your birthday,close your eyes.

Abhi was amused.

Abhi: but, how do you know that it's my birthday??

Girl: Please close your eyes and forward your hands. You will come to know.

Abhi was taken aback. She believed the girl. She closed her eyes and forwarded her hands.

She could feel something,may be a box ,placed in her hands.

Girl: please don't open your eyes for a minute.

Abhi: okay....

After a minute,she asked the girl if she could open her eyes. But there wasn't any reply. She opened her eyes and the girl is nowhere to be seen.

In her hand was a small box,wrapped in a silver sheet. The name tag read:*The secret admirer*.

Abhi was speechless. She searched for the girl everywhere in the temple. She told her friends what had happened. They too searched for the girl but couldn't trace her.

They came out of the temple with a mystery in their minds!

Rahul: Abhi get in the car. We shall find your secret admirer someday.
And now barbecue nation bhi chalna hein. I am hungry.

Cab:
Nithu: Abhi , open it.. that gift or something...

Abhi: you really think I should open it?

Appu: haa Abhi. Go on ..open it.

Abhi carefully unwrapped the sheet. Inside it there was a ring box . When she opened it, all her friends and Abhi too kept starring at the ring with mouths wide opened.

Yes, it was the ring Abhi wanted the most. It was the ring her friends strived to gift her.

( Abhi lost the same kind of ring a few years back. She believed that its her lucky ring. It was a precious gift from her parents in her 10th standard. She lost it during a family trip to Maharashtra. From then, she searched everywhere for the similar ring. But, she couldn't find any. )

Nithu: but, this is....

Rahul: How come ???

Appu: who might be the person???

Abhi was still in a shock and she looked at her friends with a blank face.

Rahul observed a paper beneath the box and asked Abhi to read it out.
It read: "I keep remembering the day I saw you. I just hope you will be mine soon!"

Nithu:Who is that?

Abhi: I have no idea!

Appu: zyada romantic lag raha hei yar.

Rahul: what's so romantic in this appu?

Appu: You don't understand..Abhi I think this is your first surprise and you are going to have more!

We shall trace him out when he gifts you next time.

Abhi: but.. who might be...???

Before she could complete, driver interrupted her.
Driver: saab, ye raha barbeque nation. . Aapka destination.

Rahul thanked him and paid the money. They went in and found a table of four. While eating, they discussed a lot on who the secret admirer might be.

Precap: Karthik shops for Abhi's birthday!..........