Forget-Me-Not : Bound by Secrets

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

October 2012

Geet stared at the envelope in her hand, both confused and surprised. Moments ago, the courier had come, and along with it had been this envelope for her, blank except for her name written on top-Geet Juneja. She didn't recognize the handwriting, but she was quick to slit open the cover and draw out two sheets of folded A-4 size paper, and another smaller piece that was slightly crumpled. When she opened the A-4 sheet, she stared at it in surprise. Her handwriting stared back at her, along with the date on the top left hand corner: 17/07/2000.

Ananya's birthday, she thought with a sharp intake of breath. It was something she'd written out for her best friend, from all of them. Even though Dia had been the master of literature, Geet had taken up the task of composing a small and sweet note for Ananya, along with the special gift they'd all given her. On the night when they attended the Mirchandani house party, she'd slept quite restlessly and kept thinking about the day she'd spent with her friends, and Ananya's upcoming birthday. She hadn't been able to stop-it had been an emotional moment for her. She'd thought of all the times Ananya had given a different meaning to her life, made her feel happy, made her see life differently than she usually did, and she'd decided that she had to get her thoughts on paper.

As a result, she'd written the most emotionally influenced letter of all times and pasted it to the gift wrapped box they'd all bought for Ananya. Now as she stared at it, she couldn't define how she felt. It seemed as if she was going back in time, going back to Ananya's room back then in July two thousand, and saying happy birthday to her.

The memory was sharp and clear, as if it had happened just days ago. Tears threatened to pour out of her eyes, but she restrained them and opened the crumpled chit. Inside, Ananya's bold handwriting spelled the words, "Let go of the responsibilities and be free."

Below it was written, "Love, Ananya."

Geet sank down on the sofa and stared at the paper, trying to get a bearing on her emotions. She'd never expected a goodbye from her friend, at least not like this. First the news of her death had shocked her and shattered her, and now this little part of Ananya had given her hope and happiness. She took a moment to remember her friend, to wish she'd had a chance to see her before she...

She closed her eyes and held the envelope and its contents reverently in her lap. A few moments passed, and her phone started ringing, startling her and bringing her back to the present.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Geet?" Dia spoke on the other side, and Geet blinked. It was hard to believe that Dia had voluntarily called her, and she took a moment to react.

"Dia. Hi."

"How are you?" there was hesitation in her friend's voice, and a sliver of doubt. It was three days since the funeral, and Geet hadn't expected a call from Dia. She had talked to Vidhi in that interim, but calling Dia had somehow seemed awkward and inappropriate to her. More than unwillingness, there was the fear that Dia wouldn't want to talk to her.

"I'm good. You?"

"Yeah, fine," she mumbled. "Just fine. I got a courier from Ananya," she blurted out abruptly.

Geet paused and looked at the envelope in her hand, and suddenly things didn't seem as they'd done earlier. She felt more of the secret hope she'd felt then. "You did? Even I got a courier from her. Just now-a few minutes ago." The friends shared a short silence on the phone, and Geet could imagine Dia's surprise.