Cordially, Yours!

-45-

"Guys. Did you see what I did?" Dhruv muttered with hesitation.

"May be!" Aliya agreed lowly.

Without further adieu, Manik jumped off the stage and walked outside.

"Manik!" Fab5 called him from back in unison. They saw him go put helplessly and Stardust come near the stage with questioning eyes.

"Guys, is everything alright?" Joe asked with his hands in his pocket.

"Umm. Guys we are sorry for the unprofessional-ism but, I think we all have to go right now. We have some sudden catching up and chasing it seems!" Cabir answered without beating around the bush and without leading out a peak of their near past immaturity.

"Oh okay.. but!" Samar gave them their time. Fab 5 grabbed the green signal and followed Manik's direction.

------

"Nandu miss, that was so amazing. We should do this again. In fact, we have should back right now! Pretty please!" One of the girls pleaded in her sweet voice.

"No, Priya. We have to go back to school lunch break is over and so was our class. I would love to read more to you all. But bacha log, we can't miss all classes for the day. Principal sir bohot hissa karenge. We will do this again tomorrow. I know you all enjoy this that's why I have kept the class a period before the break." Nandini explained and cupped the child's face.

The children's face saddened and they all made puppy faces. Nandini laughed at their cuteness and shuffled them into the school gate.

------

Manik followed the winding roads he saw Nandini"s car rushed on until he stood on crossroads and lost his way. He sighed deeply in regret to not follow up and closed his eyes in dismayed.

He got off from his bike and fell on the road on his knees. He hid his face in his hands and tears escape his eyes. He had lost again.

Fab 5, who were following his lead, stopped noting his parked bike.

Cabir jumped off the jeep and rushed to Manik. He was worried for him.

"Manik!" Cabir asked in a concern voice and kept his hand on his shoulder. Manik looked up at him and blandly asked,

"Why!"

"Manik! Pull on buddy! You have to be strong to. We have to go through this together. We did it and it's going to be fought. But look at the bright side, we got a lead."

"We stumbled upon it. Cabir!"

"Does it matter. If destiny wanted this, it wouldn't have led us here. We would have never figured it ourselves. From Mangalore to Dehradun, in no he'll way! It's gonna mean something. If situations took you apart, see to it they also brought you together, a significant step here. It brought the ball in your court. play it." Cabir turned to the positive aspect page. His tricks worked and Manik's face visually looked relive. He saw that he was a step closer and got up with confidence.

"Vapas chal!"

"What?" Cabir looked at him with wide eyes. They had come back so far folowwoing Nandini and now he wanted to travel back?

"She came in with a school right? Toh the cafe the manager should know everything." Manik rationalized and hopped on is bike and broomed away. Following his gut, Fab 5 tagged behind and they all soon reached the cafe.

------

"The teacher who came in right now where was she from? We need details." Manik pressed. He was best friends with intimidity and together with Fab 5 they worked well to drain the color off the Manager's face. He tried his level best to stick to the policy of consumer privacy but, Fab 5 well knew how to break and bent the rules. And so they did. After all their threats and harsh looks, they achieved a far off schools address and as the GPS would have it, it would be evening by the time they reached. In the rush and excitement to be on the lead to find Murthy, they hopped in onto the road first dropping by the hotel to collect their belongings and then stearing their way to Bluebells School of Dehradun.

-------

The school bell echoed in the hallways and followed by the enamoring shout of freedom by the children. It was classic and memorable, a rush of students pushed the gates open and filled the parking to head home. The day had ended and for Nandini, it was a day to be noted. She was applauded by the Principal in front of the assembly for her new teaching style, she was given a new higher class that gelled well with her, the fighting friends came back and thanked her and moreover, 2A had spent an endearing 1 hour of class time and lunch with her at a cafe reading books. It was lovely and her life felt to be back to normalcy in some ways. The estranged city was becoming familiar and the is familiarity was molding her into a new person. She gathered her stuff from the cupboard assigned to her and headed home. Aryaman was suppose to pick her up but later in the day he texted her to come by herself as he had a surprise. Her expectations were high thanks to the wonderful day that she had.

She hopped and skipped her way out, happily binding a bye to the known faces she met outside. It felt good and pleasant. The sense of satisfaction she had lost in the past few days was back to her and somewhere unknowingly, she found out that a boy wasn't the one to be her world. He was suppose to be a part of it, a part that would be essential if he stayed and a part unessential if he chose to leave. It was her life and she didn't need dependence.

The newfound Nandini was high spirited and self loving. Her deep down, hidden bag of insecurities wasn't gone or vanished. The knot remained untouched and tangled. The perspective had changed slightly and rather than looking for love in someone, she fell in love with herself. Her perspective was not to search for the take away of life but to thank the givens. Not that she didn't do that before, she had prayed for everyone's betterment and still did. It was a minute perspective change where she unlearn what she learnt at Space. She didn't look for bad now, she chose to ignore it. She acknowledged it in a way to say that the person would ultimately be good at the soul. Aryaman talk of the other say was her reality now and now, she don't hunt of reality but defined hers herself.

The evening set in and Nandini reached home to be locked out. This wasn't suppose to his surprise, she thought to herself, it better not be. She was about to start complaining about Aryaman to herself when a familiar touch covered her eyes.

"Abhi!" She squealed in bewilderment and excitement.

"Kid!" He let go of his hold and Nandini turned on her feet swiftly to grab him in a tight endearing hug.

Aryaman hopped from behind Abhi's back and gave an ear-to-ear smile. The trio had there own little moment of reunion. After a long time, everything felt normal and happy. The people were different, relations were different but, the relations were the same. The one thing that lacked before was there this time. Comparisons could be endlessly made, but, Nandini had the feeling this day was endlessly special and to be remembered too. It was her flight, a confident one.

---------------

Moving ahead or looking back?

Looking back made me realize that may be I got carried away and lost that crisp story line. I was trying to hard and may be lost the natural flow.

I'm planning a part 2 of this book, kind of make it a series. What say?

Happy Reading!

Love,

HF