Jaise tum na... waise hum

Purab meets Pragya

Terrace, Chawl: A couple of hours later.

There were 2 black, a white, and the queen coins on the carrom board in the winner takes all game.

Sumit struck the black coin but failed to pocket it. It was now Abhi's turn.

"Chal bhai Prashant... tu dhar mat" Sumit said "Aaj tak Abhine rani nahi liya hai. Jeetenge to hum hi".

"Haan... yaar" Abhi said, "Ye rani humesha se meri weakness rahi hai" as he prepared to take the strike.

"Aur Rani mili to bhi cover nahi nikalega" Amit said and laughed, "Lekin Abhi, mein hu yahan... ye bachche bolte rahenge, jeetenge to hum hi." Abhi laughed along without any complaints.

Abhi and Sumit were considered the weaklings in the game – Sumit because he actually didn't play well, but Abhi for very different reasons. Ever since he had started playing with his friends he had never pocketed both the queen and the cover coins. That seemed like the eternal duty of whoever his partner was. He could clear up all the other coins but when it came to the queen and the cover, he faltered. Its something that he was annoyed with in the beginning, but soon something that he learnt to accept, and something he kind of liked deep down, for he had started associating the queen coin with Pragya.

Pocketing the queen coin felt like the times she came into his life, and not taking the cover coin, to him were the times he lost her because of his foolishness. He believed he didn't deserve the queen in any of her forms – be it the carrom coin or Pragya. There were times when he liked to think that the day he gets the queen and the cover together will be the day Pragya comes back in his life forever and in the first few months he would deliberately try to make it happen, but had never succeeded. After a while he gave up trying as he did with expecting her back in his life.

He aimed his striker towards the queen. He had a smile on his face when he got it.

"Ab cover" Sumit said "Cover kaise nikaloge bhai?"

"Ye to mere naseeb me hi nahi hai" Abhi said and aimed at the white coin. Though the aim was good as it went right towards the pocket, he did strike it a bit too hard which made it hit the frame and flip. But then it rolled towards him slowly much to the anticipation of all, and fell into the pocket on his right.

Everyone cheered and laughed and Abhi joined in the celebrations with them. It seemed like quite an achievement for him, something he hadn't been able to do for a couple of years, but soon he couldn't help feeling dejected too. 

He walked towards the parapet and sat on it, had a sip from his hip flask, and looked over at the skyline at the rising moon. He was happy that he did get the queen and the cover like he always wanted, but now he was met with the stark reality that Pragya isn't alive any more to come back to his life, to be with him, to love him... well... to love her, and to live with each other.

The sadness though led to peace when he considered that perhaps this can be the day he unites with her again, in heaven. 'And what better day for that to happen' he thought 'on my birthday.' He was sure his Fuggi was waiting for him, ready to have a fight, with that stern look that would shatter the lens of her spectacles if she didn't ground it by touching the frame at the right moment. That image brought a smile on his otherwise morose face – Fuggi being as Fuggiest as she could be.

Prashant approached Abhi and said "Sirji... aaj jaa sakte ho kya aap? Mujhe kuch kaam hai" breaking the small trip to memory and peace that Abhi had.

Abhi looked at him and said "Arey nahi yaar... Mujhe aaj gaana gaane me koi interest nahi hai" and had a sip from the hip flask.

Prashant insisted "Sirji... please... Rani milne ki khushi me"