The Last Goodbye

Chapter 10

Nothing has worked best for Divya than the yummy food that her mother had always prepared for them on occasions like these. With her stomach filled till the brim, Divya took hold of her earphones, cell phone and diary and made her ways up towards the terrace. She knew at this moment no one would be there. Not many ventured around on the terrace during the night, it had always been she, Parth and Dhruv who would time and again hang out there since their childhood.

Divya opened the rustic door to the Terrace and walked towards the corner where the embankments for water tanks were made. One could easily sit or lie down and gaze at the stars during the night...it had always been a blissful feeling. How on many odds days when Divya would just not be ready to be with people she would come here and be by herself.

Just like today. Divya racked her eyes around to make sure that no one was around...at least someone whom she would offend with her presence, once sure about it, she sat down and plugged in her ear phones and played the playlist that she specially prepared for times like these the melody of the old hindi songs filled around her as her eyes went upwards towards the sky. It felt as if the sky was singing those lyrics for her. And as each word began to sooth her tensed muscles she let her head rest by the wall of the embankments and sat there... just breathing the air in and then letting go off it.

The act seemed so easy, something so normal, but it felt as if after a long time she was finally breathing, as if after a long time she had achieved something for which she had been looking for since a long while. The moment when she received that award lingered around her brain again and again, and then just like a gust of wind something else flooded her thoughts.

She was dressed in that white shirt and grey skirt, her uniform perfect, but her bags on her shoulder along with Priya's hand in her as the poor girl kept on looking at her with the most unsure look in her eyes... the memory made her breathless... Divya sat up straight and took a deep breath, shook her head and decided it was best to keep herself occupied than giving into her thoughts.

Divya had just picked up her book the story of Draupadi Yajnesani and was about to open it when she felt her ear phones being pulled out as a tall figure shadowed her small one.

"I thought you would be dancing around by now...Ms. Best student organizer." Parth's sarcastic tone for the first time held a different jab in it, which Divya couldn't properly point out but it was there, and since she already needed a distraction she squatted a bit and tapped the place beside her, choosing to ignore his statement rather than retaliating back.

"Ohh Ignorance it is now?'

"No Parth, I am waiting for you to settle down...sit but don't push on things, I am tired." Divya said, as she once again went back to her book, pulling up that book mark she then pushed it into some of the later chapters and began reading. She might have been just a few Paras down when Parth called her.

"Divya you remember when we were kids we used to be so excited about each and every festival that used to come around, your dadu used to make us sit and narrate each and every story related to that festival..."

"I remember that, but why are you bringing that up right now?' Divya asked, getting quite confused as to where he was leading with this.

"Tomorrow is Makar sankranti, it's 14th Jan...and what I want to ask is are you okay?' Divya looked at Parth and smiled at him. Every year sometime through the two weeks of January Parth always asked her this, irrespective if they are fighting or she is busy or cranky or whatever it is...but he will always hear that.

"It's already been 9 years to dadu's death Parth, I have come in terms with the fact that now my letters wont reach him, that festivals wont be more than enjoying them and doing poojas any more, but it's always difficult, I still feel at times that he would walk out of that room, yell at me being lazy ask, Dadi for tea and then sit on that sofa and tap the empty space beside him and say ' come I will tell you a story.'"