A Pocketful Of Peace

23. Wish Upon A Star

She had always dreamt of reaching for the stars. Just one more step and she would be able to touch the brightest of them all. Soon, her dream would turn into a reality. She extended her arm and took the final leap of faith towards her goal. She soared through the space, suspended in the moment for an eternity. The ground below her feet dropped down even further and she could feel the gap between herself and her object of desire, closing in. Any moment now... almost there... KNOCK!!

A single knock made her waver from her concentration. Confused, she looked around herself and as her eyes focused into the darkness around her, she could visualise faint outlines of familiar objects around herself. After a few moments of confusion, clarity dawned on her. She was in Appa's house. Her Appa's house as Aman had put it. Aman. She remembered walking out on him earlier that evening. She fumbled near her bed side and retrieved her mobile from its place on the makeshift night stand, that was her suitcase. She remembered she had retired to this room at about 7:00 pm. It was now nearing 9:00 pm. She had slept for almost two hours at a stretch. There was another knock, this time coupled with the sound of her name. Appa was calling to check on her. Immediately feeling guilty of making him wait so long, she hastily got up from the bed and rushed to open the door.

"Appa" Sandy greeted him. "Sorry... I slept off like that."

"That's perfectly all right. In fact, it is good... very good that you decided to sleep off. Sleep takes your mind off things. I hope you are feeling rested now."

"yeah... relaxed, now that I don't have to worry about anything anymore."

"You won't ever have to worry about anything in life now. I promise you that. For now though, you might have to worry about having your dinner on time. The food will get cold otherwise."

She was about to decline his offer for dinner but the warmth and care in his smile weakened her resolve. She couldn't bring herself to say no and ended up trailing him to the dining space, which was just outside her room. It was then, that she saw him.

Aman was coming down the stairs, at his own leisurely pace. Their eyes met for a brief instance. The corners of his lips twitched in what could have been a smile, had she not looked away at that very moment. He merely sighed at the cold treatment and took his usual seat at the dining table.

Prasanna wanted to fuss over his kids, serve them plenty of food, but they both politely declined his efforts and instead, made him sit and have dinner with them. An uncomfortable silence settled in, as the dinner progressed. Sandy, on her part was pelting him with icy stares from across the table. She was not leaving any stone unturned in making him realised exactly how unhappy she was because of his 'betrayal'. Aman in turn did his best to keep his eyes glued to his plate. Aman was so withdrawn into his shell, so silent and timid, that Prasanna even joked at one point that Aman could blend in with the chair he was sitting on! Prasanna was too engrossed in his own bubble of parenting, to notice the frosty environment that had engulfed the dinner table.

Sandy was the first one to finish her food and she immediately retired to her room. Aman offered to help Prasanna with the dishes but the latter declined urging Aman to go and spend some quality time with Soundarya instead.

Aman mumbled under his breath, "Over my dead body! I don't want to die... Not today, at the least."

........................................

After two hours, Prasanna found him on the terrace, intently gazing at the stars. He seemed lost in his own world, riding his own train of thoughts, far away removed from the mortal world. Prasanna cleared his throat once and Aman's chain of thoughts was abruptly broken. He became aware of his surroundings and the presence of Prasanna.