'Beyond the Horizon': There's more to it...

Chapter - 2

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"A Hello..." He replied sighing.

Yes, this is what he got to hear first from her after almost two years. But the sweet sound instantly drowning him into the pool of memories, evocating the most beautiful sight of her gorgeous lips in movement when she would say anything, and he would be lost in the gesticulations not bothering to what was being said as if nothing in the world was more important than the pretty face and the prettiest lips in motion. Sigh that was only a memory now, an impression inscribed in the most active part of his brain.

"And?" His mother nudged for him to speak further.

"I replied back to her greeting....and I could hear shuffles in the background followed by few heavy breath on the receiver" He informed still into the numb-self zone.

"Are you sure it was her?" She asked again.

"Yes Mom...vahi thi! I am sure it was her" He replied confidently.

"Vaps bola usne kuch....did you tell her that it was you on the phone?" She wanted to know more, everything to be frank it was her son after all.

"I didn't have to...she recognized my voice...I don't know...Kisi ne awaaz lagai piche...and she just hushed asking me if I would call back" He informed.

"Aur phr she just disconnected...all of a sudden...Pata nahi kya hua hoga" There was a helplessness in his tone. He wanted to be happy that he eventually got to talk to her and knowing that his voice still had a certain effect on her with her deep gasp that left her mouth the moment he greeted her back he was now also sure about the fact that she had missed him too and the way she had asked him with a pleading voice if he would call again, had him dying in anticipation.

"To tune call back nahi kiya?" She asked.

"Kiya tha maa...I could only hear a busy tone then" He replied rubbing his forehead, tension arose at the back of his mind visible through the frown on his face.

"Hmm" She hummed in response.

"I really feel she would've come along...I did wrong! But why would she not reply if she wanted the same...Was I too quick to take the decision? I should have waited right?" He was again getting himself ready for the guilt trip.

And his mother could sense it. There was no way out of this but to close the topic then and there she thought, he would be sulking all day otherwise.

He had been doing good for himself the past few months and she did not want his achievements to just go in vain brooding into the age-old memories analyzing the rights and wrongs or cribbing onto something compulsive that seems to serve no purpose at least for now. She now has an idea that the moment he would get an opportunity to be with 'her', he would snatch it by any means. She herself was now ready to take a chance to speak to her family now that she would finally fall on the legal age group wherein expressing an interest to an alliance considering two adults would no more be considered as a 'non-sense' talk. And about the girl's career, she would now be mature enough to decide what she would want to do with her life. Sidharth has been earning too now so there was a definite seal of approval on her part.

"Sidharth I have told you many a time and again telling you this, isme teri koi bhi galti nahi hai bache...you are no one to be blamed! Get this straight in your mind...now if you are ok, baad me baat karein is baare me?" She asked.

"Yeah fine with me...Chachu had called, kal dopahar aap the nahi to meri baat hui unse" He switched the topic completely. He knew there was no positive result of much pondering into something that was not in his hands now but what about the permanent ache in his heart that he had been living with for some time now. He was a sensible guy and so again covering all his plight behind the curtain of responsibilities, went ahead with his mom's request.