I entered into the supermarket in an irritating mood. It was crowded; I scrunched up my nose looking at the people, I always hated being in a crowd. Don't these people have any job at home, which people come this early to a supermarket?
"Yes, you" I cursed my fate under my breath.
The middle-aged man at the counter smiled at me as a sign of welcome. I doubted that whether he smiled at me as a welcome sign or because he heard me cursing. Without caring much, I returned his smile and gave my bag to him, after that I moved to take my cart. Pulling it behind me, I walked into the area where I can get those things in the list mom had given me. I have a very bad relationship with this searching the groceries in the supermarket with a cart running behind me. I hate doing this, to search the things, put them into the cart, and pull it behind me, like those advertisement lines, wherever you go I will be there, seriously... and I hated it, even more, when I have a list in my hand.
I rolled my eyes at the over-enthusiastic kids who were running around the corners, they were enjoying the shopping with their parents. I also had enjoyed while I was a kid, it was fun to take whatever we want and put them in the cart, and give a pout and an innocent look when your parents ask about those. It was more fun to put things in others cart. I smiled at the memories.
"Excuse me, ma'am, how can I help you?"
I smiled at the woman, who was ready to help.My smile weakened when I noticed the wrinkles on her face, she was aged, and the tiredness was clearly visible on her face. Eyes were small as possible; those even disappeared into its sockets when she smiled. I wondered who send her here for the job at this age.
"It is ok aunty, I will help myself,"
I smiled at her warmly. She looked at me amazed, maybe that was the first time one customer behaved like that with her.
"I can't, I have to help you Maam. It is my job." She looked worried that maybe this can cause her problems.
"I'm Sharon, not Maam." I chuckled when she smiled.
"I'm Maria" Her name was beautiful as her, like an angel.
"And you please don't worry; I will take care of it," I smiled and placed my palm on her shoulder.
I do not know why I did that, before moving away from her I searched for some money in my purse and give it to her, at first, she didn't agree to accept it, but when I forced her to accept it as a tip for helping me she said that she didn't help me.
"It is fine. Take it a tip for this small company, as a token of love." then I placed that money in her palm. I walked away from her, a tight knot formed inside my chest, I remembered my mother, Maria was at my mother's age and I will never allow my mother to work at that age.
"Who can just send her for this job?" I murmured. I stopped at my track and looked back to see that she already went back to her job.
"What the hell?"I snapped out of my world when someone yelled behind me.
"Oh my god" I shirked when I realized that I created a problem for someone. My cart may be hit with someone else, I told you I hate this. I turned to face the trouble but I met with one pair of eyes looking at me as shocked as I am.
"OH GOD, Sharon is that you?"
"You thought I would change in four years."
"Definitely not, As much as I know Sharon Sheka... I mean Sharon Rai Prakash, she is immune to changes."
I shifted uncomfortably when he said that.
"But I can say that you have changed."
"Hmm in a good way or a bad way? He shifted his head to the left and smirked.
"I must say, in a hot way." And I winked at him.
"You definitely have not changed" with this he pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my hands around his neck and squeezed him, as in a sign that I missed him. He slowly raised me from the ground to return my gesture. I know he missed me.
"So how have you been? You and shopping?" He raised his eyebrows in meaning that you better correct him.
"Yeah, shopping. Mom wanted few things."
"How's aunty?"
"She is better than before, she misses you a lot."
"Yeah, I miss her too and her daughter too."
He smiled painfully. I did not reply to his that comment. I know he missed me and I did too, and by the time, he already knew I missed him so I thought it would be better to keep it like that.
"But how are you here, in Delhi? I successfully changed the topic.
"I shifted." He smiled at me, and I know he understood that I changed the topic.
"What, to Delhi?" I was shocked to hear that, he hates Delhi.
"Yeah. Why are you so surprised?" We started to walk with our cart and took out things to fill it.
"You hated Delhi, right?" I asked him while putting vegetables in my cart.
"Hmm, but there is something much valuable here than my hate for Delhi." I stared at him, I knew what he meant by that, or at least I wanted he meant what I thought.
"Something or someone?" I teased.
"Someone." He replied as if he did not have to think.
We continued our chat for few minutes; we had a lot to catch up. After finishing the shopping, we moved out of the supermarket.
"You have a drive?"
"No."
"Then come I will drop you." He offered me a drive.
"I want to meet aunty also." He reasoned when I told I could go my own.
After helping me to put my things inside his car and we both hoped into it. He has changed his car.
"Many things changed after you moved out." He answered my unasked question.
"What are you doing now for a living?" he asked me while driving, his eyes were glued to the road.
"Hmm, joined dad's business," I replied reluctantly because I know where this is going to stop.
"And dance?"
"Left" I did not need to look at him to know that he was already looking at me.
"Why?" he asked, though he knows the answer. He had turned towards the road again.
"There was no reason to dance."
"You need a reason to dance?"
"Hmm sometimes, when we fall down in our life, when we fail in our life, we would need some reasons to start over again." He nodded his head.
After that, we both did not talk. Apparently, fifteen minutes passed when he pulled into the driveway of my house. We moved out and walked towards the door with the groceries.
"I think mom is not at the home!" I said when I saw the door was locked. He looked disappointed.
"Then I think I should go." His nature suddenly changed he looked sad, he looked disturbed, I knew he was upset but not because he could not meet my mother, there is something else.
"If you are not in a hurry then, how about a coffee with me?" I lightened the atmosphere.
"Are you asking me for a date?" he playfully smirked.
"Hmm not so soon. Mistakes teach us many things."
Without waiting for his reply i walked in and he followed me. After making him settle on the couch, I went to the kitchen to make coffee for us.
You all are might be confused about who he is? Right? He is Swayam, More precisely Swayam Shekhawat. He is my ... I don't know what should I say about him, he is not my friend, not a best friend, not a classmate, he is more than that, but he is not my boyfriend, nor was he. He is an EX, an Ex-husband.
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