Her Mr. Right

Her Birthday 🎂

Neha sighed when her mother called again. She did not receive the call for she did not want to ruin her special day. Yes, it was her birthday today. Her mother called her on every birthday and wished her, but along with those wishes came a long list of curses which she despised.

She was pretty excited this year. Despite, she had not told Arjun anything about her birthday but she had a small hope in her heart. She wanted him to make her day a special one. It was a working day and she got dressed in a new pink Luckhnavi kurta her sister had sent for her as the birthday gift.

Leaving her wet hair open, she applied a little darker shade of pink lipstick, a smile playing on her lips reminiscing the kisses she had shared with Arjun. Relishing the crimson hues on her cheeks, she headed for work. As usual, it was Arjun who picked her. However, much to her dismay, the journey towards the Federal Bank of India was a silent one.

Her smile faltered and her heart fell, when Arjun did not even wish her. The rational side of her mind was constantly telling her that perhaps, he did not know however, her heart was keeping high expectations specially after the Valentine’s Day surprise.

Arjun, on the other hand, was not feeling good today. With a terrible fever and a bit of temperature, he wanted to skip work but the idea of telling Neha that she should go alone today, did not settle well with him. Putting up a smile, he had got dressed and now he was driving to the bank.

It was Piya who called her sister and as soon as Neha received the call, she sang ‘Happy Birthday Dear’. Despite, Neha had lowered the volume but still, Arjun had heard the cheerful ‘happy’. He wondered what it was today.

He was sure, it was neither Holi or Diwali. It was fifth day of March. He was sure it was nothing special about today. After Neha ended the conversation, he curiously asked, “What is it today?”

“Wednesday”, she replied pissed off.

“O! Happy Wednesday”, Arjun sang, teasing her only to get a smack on his shoulder. “Don’t talk to me”, Neha whined and he whistled enjoying the banter. However, his joy was short-lived as Neha chose to stay quiet throughout the journey. Her day was ruined, sadly.

Arjun had been sitting in his office when he received the letter from Mumbai Branch. There was a World Finance Banking Symposium to be held in Mumbai and every manager was asked to recommend one person from their department. While many managers had decided to attend the conference themselves, Arjun had recommended the name of Neha, for she was the most diligent person he had met in the branch. It was indeed, an important event for her career. Finally, the list of selected candidates had arrived and he was elated to see her name in the list.

He was going to call her and inform her about the same when peon entered inside his cabin. “Sir, please have lunch in the cafeteria today”, the peon said.

“Why?” He asked amused. “Was it something special today?” He asked himself.

“Sir, it is Neha madam’s birthday and Juhi madam has arranged a small get together during lunch”, peon informed nonchalantly and it was then, realization dawned him. O! Lord, he was doomed. He had forgotten the birthday of his lady. Cursing himself, he browsed the internet to know what he should gift to his girlfriend.

Jewellery, dress, date, spa appointment and other gifting ideas did not attract him. It was then he realized that he had the best gift for Neha. All he needed was to act a bit and show that he wanted to surprise her.

He continued to browse the internet though, searching for an impeccable gift when he found a beautiful necklace, as elegant as her however, the same-day delivery was impossible. Winding up his work, he quickly rushed to the nearest brand store and finally was able to find something similar to that elegant piece after an hour-long search. It was quarter to one and lunch began sharp at one.