The Ruined Rainbow

CHAPTER 37

Dil ko zubaan, aankhon ko sapne mil Gaye ... Aashiqui Mein, Zindagi ko mainne Mil Gaye

The heart got a language; the eyes got dreams ... in love, life got its meaning

Aashiqui 2 ( 2012)

Ayesha

I gaped at the person in front of me. My eyes widened in shock, and I was unable to speak. Uncertainty and Disbelief surrounded me as the person in front of me, calling my name twice.

"Ayesha?" She called us for the third time, and this time I felt compelled to answer. Though I would have wanted to see the familiar face for some more time, I responded feebly,

"K-K-Kavi Di??" I asked, my voice feeble and almost breaking, feeling a surge of both excitement and nervousness.

"Thank God, I almost thought I was asking the wrong person. " The figure sighed, "But hey, you remember me.  Not bad. " she considered seriously,

I gaped at her. "Wh-what are you doing here? In India?" I asked. My hands felt numb, and my whole body had gone still.

"Nice question, " she chuckled, " but a long story. Why not we go somewhere? And then, I can tell you my story. You are not going anywhere else, are you?" She asked in an afterthought.

"No, " I managed to reply.

"Come on, then. I have heard a shop on the third floor serves the best coffee. And let me get that for you, " she said generously, extending one hand towards my luggage. I mumbled something like don't bother-I will do it myself - or something like that, but she beat me to it and grabbed the bag from my hand.

She led the way to the third floor through the escalator, and I followed her looking thoroughly shocked and surprised. It's not that you run into your cousin every day.

Yeah, Kavita Tiwari is my cousin. My mother's elder sister's only daughter.

She led the way inside a cafe, to the only remaining table and placed the luggage in one chair and occupied the other. She gestured me to do the same in the chair in front of her. I removed my sling bag and placed it on the table. The waiter arrived,

"One cappuccino with five cubes of sugar and you will have?"  She looked at me to complete the order,

"One very strong coffee with no sugar, " I say in an i-really-don't- know -what I am- saying -tone. My one part of the brain was like, No way in hell am I going to drink that, and my other part is like, that's what Sahil likes.

"What do you have? Diabetes?" Kavi Di asked incredulously.

"Hey, You can drink sugarless coffee even when you don't have diabetes, " I protested.

"Suit yourself, " she said.

Okay, I am really sorry, but for the next few hours, Sahil, you will have to go away from my brain.

We started with the lighter topics,
"Where are you studying?" Kavi Di enquired.

"The Indian University, " I reply, "B tech. Last year, "

"Hm, that's good," she said,

"How's everyone in the USA? How's Masi and Mausa? Nana and Nani? How are they?" I enquired about my mother's sister and her husband, and my grandparents.

"Well, they are good, but things have changed a lot.  My father is doing great in his job, and my mother is also going well.  Financially excellent, but all have lost in living. To start with, Nana's health has degraded a lot. He doesn't go out and is not as healthy as before. Nani helps Nana in everyday chores, but on the remaining time, she just sits in a corner. Alone. My mother and father hardly talk to me. The only things we discuss is climate, my marriage and other general topics. "