Second Chance (Vol.1) Squandered

50: Cleaning up the Icecream Mess

Zoya felt suffocated.

Luckily they had stopped to stretch their legs. She tried to remember something happy to distract herself.

For last 2 hours Noor had been hallucinating about ice-creams. Arjun had hardly parked the SUV that she had shot out. She came back with 2 vanilla and 2 chocolate ice-creams in cones; the only 2 flavours available besides strawberry. Zoya took one each.

Zoya remembered her ice-cream treat night with Aditya.

Outside Hooda House, Aditya had slid behind the wheel and waited.

Adi: Where is Noor?

Zoya: I came alone. We can pick her up if you want to meet her. Let me call her.

Adi: (stopped her confused) Who drove the car?

Zoya: I did.

The way Aditya looked at her; first disbelieving then in awe. Zoya had been offended.

Adi: You really learned to drive?

Zoya: (hurt) You thought I was incapable.

Adi: (defended himself) Nooooooo! ______Young Achiver of the year 2018 incapable of anything. Tauba! (Smiled) I thought you were not interested. We all learned in our teens. Those who did not - never did. (he added) I am proud of you (and they had driven off)

Aditya really did look proud. Zoya thought a little too proud. She was not that good.

Zoya: (quickly confessed) I do not drive very well. I barely managed to get the license. But I drive. I drive slowly (defensively) because I drive carefully.

Aditya narrowed his eyes at her. They drove quietly for few minutes.

Adi: Zoya! (then quiet) Zoya! (then he didn't stop) When I learnt or my friends learnt to drive we were in our teens. Hitting a pedestrian or another car, injury, death... it did not even cross our minds. We did not think of any such incident as real or something that could happen to any of us. It was something that happened to other unknown faceless nameless people. It is difficult... not impossible... difficult to learn to drive as we grow older and wiser. We know how real the risk is and for you and me...

Zoya knew he was thinking of the Mussoorie accident. When she was learning to drive the image of that battered car had often flashed across her eyes but she had been stubborn.

Adi: (continued a few minutes later) I can imagine what it must have been like. I am proud of you and so should you.

Adi: (trying to hide his irritation) And please... do not... ever... downplay your achievements.

And after that he had spoken little and she had talked and talked and he had only listened with a smile that started small and by the time they finished their ice-creams had spread from ear to ear.

Their conversations always came so easily even when Aditya had been unusually quiet and not himself immediately after Paris.

Noor: Appppppiiiiiii!

Zoya was startled. While Zoya was lost in her ice-cream memory Noor had finished her ice-creams and also checked all her SM notifications. This place had fairly decent network strength. Noor was now staring at Zoya's hands.

Zoya had not taken a lick of either ice-cream. Forgotten they had melted all around her hands and in sticky spots onto her clothes and feet. Zoya looked at the melting gooey mess and froze in horror.

Noor: Appi, do not worry. If nothing we will wash it off with mineral water. Wait. Let me see what is best...

Noor was pretty resourceful in such situations having been an adventuress of repute in her growing years getting into all kinds of scrapes but managing to come home decently presentable.

Noor looked around for any taps or restaurants with a handwash arrangement or shops selling water. Then she remembered the bottle in the car.

Just as she was about to turn she spotted it. A fancy clear-see-through red dumbbell shaped 1 litre water-bottle. It was on the cemented platform made around a tree. It looked over half full.

Noor stood rooted for a moment.

Noor looked at her dazed helpless Appi sadly, pulled her away from the car and led her to a garbage bin. There was a very black black cat on the wall next to the bin. Appi tossed the soggy squishy mess to the cat rather than the bin. Appi's aim was amiss and the cat had to jump down to investigate the offering. The ungrateful cat turned its back on them but happily got to lapping up the icecream.

Appi laughed. Noor looked at Appi laughing; a precious sight these days.

Noor: Hey Billu! Lick Appi's hands also please. And her clothes. And her feet.

That made Appi laugh some more. Noor joined her.

Then Noor led Appi to the tree. The bottle had lids on both ends. Noor unscrewed one of the lids and smelt the contents. Odourless; should be water only. She dripped a little on her fingers to doubly confirm it was indeed water. Noor washed away a good amount of the mess from Appi's hands and feet.

They next proceeded to the washrooms behind the chain of restaurants and shops. Luckily the crowds had dispersed. A kind cleaning lady pointed them to the garden hose and got them a tiny soap bar. They managed to get rid of all the remaining sticky stuff.

Noor disappeared and then hurried back with a tissue roll and dried the wet patches on Zoya's clothes and feet. Noor assured Appi no one will notice the wet patches in the dark and most of it would anyways dry before they reach SA. They tipped the cleaning lady and hurried back to the car.

They quickly settled in their seats before Arjun or Arshad noticed Zoya's clothes spotted wet in places. Anyways Arjun was engrossed in delivering a detailed verbal report to Anjana Aunty; as Arshad was to Abbu.

Zoya gave a pointed look to the refilled fancy bottle.

Noor: (playfully) Finders keepers. Losers weepers. (Seriously) For any other emergency washes only. It looked abandoned and it's a nice fancy bottle and (pausing enough to catch Appi's attention) I think it is Aditya's.

Zoya gave her a startled look. Then Noor pointed Appi to the gap between the front seats. There was a similar shaped neon-green-yellow bottle.