Mysterious Are the Ways of Destiny!

Chapter - 10

This chapter is not edited.

Park avenue housing society was situated in the southwest corner of Tarn Taran close to Gurdwara Sri Tarn Taran Sahib and that was where Idhant's family home was. It was a quite well-maintained society with clean and green environment.

His family home was a duplex apartment painted white with pale brown plywood work at some specific places on the outside. The main gate white in colour with lamp posts on each side led to the small driveway. Beside the right lamp post was a pale brown wooden nameplate on top of which Ahuja's was engraved in bold letters.

Idhant got out of the car and opened the main gate that stood four feet high so that Disha could park the car in the driveway.

He was bubbling with excitement. It was if he was once again that ten year old Idhant who could not wait for the school to end so that he could go back home to his mother and grandma. With his face lit up with a wide grin and a bounce in his steps, he climbed the stairs leading to the porch.

He briskly opened the door and hotfooted towards the kitchen. It was still early in the morning, nearly 7:10 am and he knew that his ma and grandma would be busy preparing breakfast.

Disha's face broke into a small smile seeing how impatient and eager her brother was to meet the ladies of their family, so much so that he even forgot to take his luggage out from the trunk of the car. Well, she could not blame him. She had behaved similarly when she had arrived here yesterday from Chandigarh. Living away from home does that to you.

Shaking her head with that small smile still playing on her lips, she went to the back of the car, took his suitcase out and wheeled it inside the house.

Just as she was crossing the kitchen, her feet stopped of their own accord seeing the heart-warming and gripping sight of her grandma and ma tightly wrapped in her brother's embrace. His right hand was around their grandmother who was sniffing lightly and his left hand was around their mother whose face Disha could not see as she had her back to her.

Tears brimmed in her own eyes. Before she could stop herself, her hand had found its way into the right pocket of her jeans and she had taken her phone out. Quickly opening the camera, she clicked their picture. The trio was exuding raw emotions of warmth, love and happiness in their purest form. Normally, she would have gone and joined the hug. However, this time she decided otherwise.

Her brother was meeting them after a really long time and this was their moment which she did not want to disturb. She quietly made her way to the first floor to place Idhant's suitcase in his room.

***********************

After some time, Idhant made his way to his room to freshen up. On the stairs, he came across his father who was apparently going down. His eyes hardened on seeing him and the situation was no different with his father. They both stiffly nodded at each other and then continued on their way.

Idhant was surprised to find his suitcase in the room. Thinking that Disha must have brought it, he made a beeline for it. Taking out a white V-neck t-shirt and black sweats, he made his way to the bathroom to take a shower.

Entering the bathroom, he stripped down and entered the shower stall. Adjusting the temperature of water to lukewarm, he braced his hands against the glass wall. The moderately warm water cascaded from his hair to his shoulders and trailed down his back forming a pool near his feet. His stiff muscles relaxed and his drowsiness wore off. All this while, he was wondering only one thing.

Our emotions are just like water. Just like water if kept stagnant for a long time turns smelly, our emotions too become taxing if they don't keep changing. Anger, sadness, glee and every other emotion becomes burdensome if sustained for a long time. Some might argue happiness never becomes wearisome. But if we think logically, would we be able to enjoy happiness if we don't know what pain is? Would we appreciate it if we don't have to struggle to achieve it? No, happiness will not matter to us then.