A Summer to Remember
I
didn't mean to kill her. A soft cry echoed in my misty life. Suddenly the air
turned black all around me.
My
mind wandered through this dreaded graveyard, I felt like something was
watching me. Icy fingers gripped my arm in the darkness. And there she was Ava,
the love of my life; who knew she would take my heart with hers.
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Avyi
Thea (Ava), Dawn: Gift of God, had her thick curly hair reaching till her
elbows contrasting with her big oatmeal coloured eyes, and her beautiful smile
on her dark lips and height, short for her weight. Ava was a few months older
than me and way much bolder than me. She had a warm skin tone and the second
chin of hers made her exquisite. With her sound like a chipmunk and always
laughing wholeheartedly like a giant was adorable.
I
met her during our kindergarten not knowing she lived next door all along, ever
since we were together.
Ava's
parents were sweethearts during their childhood and adored me like their own.
Even my parents loved Ava just like me. Ava had an elder sister, but she got
killed in an accident long back even before Ava was born. However, her parents
never showed even a bit of depression in front of Ava and Ava always tried her
best to impress her parents. This was one reason why I love her so much. Her
parents trusted me with her, and my parents, her with me.
Our
families were more than just neighbours, like the quote, "Family isn't
always blood", we were a family.
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I
woke up at 4 in the morning thrilled for the day's adventure. Today, I turned
18, which means, I am allowed to wander and explore the world. For a whole
summer two weeks, I was allowed to go anywhere, none to ask. Thinking I can get
on any bus I want, go anywhere I wish gives me the thrills.
As
I promised Ava, I would always go for such a break with her and this summer of
'06 we planned to go to all the places she wanted to go.
We
already packed together about three days back, mostly Ava packed. My
pink trolley was filled with clothes for both of us and a few
other things I don't think we may need. My black shoulder bag had our
emergency clothes; it also had a few snacks and water. Ava's backpack had a few
pieces of equipment. For now, we have everything we will need. The only thing
we avoided was our camera and Ava's phone.
I
bathed and quickly got ready. I put my hair up and wore my black leggings and
plain white crop top. I went out and Ava was already out. She wore an olive
A-line skirt, a grey full sleeve top and a brooch which she used to wear for a
long time. Like mine, her hair was also put up.
By
5 am, we both started our first trip together to the unknown. The weather
wasn't cold even though it was early morning. The sky was still dark.
We
walked into a bus and reached the bus station within an hour. We had to wait
for about 30 mins to get on a bus that took us to Ukkadam, Coimbatore. We
were starving and got to one of the finest restaurants. We had Dosa for our
breakfast and got ourselves a tea to keep us up.
We
roamed around the city and got into a bus to reach our destination, VOC Park
and Zoo. It was really hard to move around with the entire luggage. So, we sat
down on one of the benches and just watched the places and the people. There
were fewer crowds as the zoo just opened some time ago. Ava had this feeling of
bliss. I knew it because every time she was thrilled or happy, she would
have goosebumps all over her body, even her face bumps can be seen.
It
was quiet where we sat. All we could hear was some people chattering, birds
chirping and kids playing. We had our lunch at a restaurant nearby and headed
for Brookfields Shopping centre.
We
roamed through the mall with the entire luggage and had a peaceful time at a
food corner.
Ava
has always been a talker. She talked to me as she was having her Pista ice
cream. I got myself a double scoop of Chocolate ice cream and listened to her
talk. Sometimes I get lost in her words and laughs and this was one of those
times.
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Ava
and I was together nearly all the time. We were neighbours yet, we do our
sleepovers, dining together. Our family was so close that we didn't even have a
wall separating our houses and was treated like a single-family.
Ava
took everything in a positive vibe. She loves when someone calls her fat, she
says they are jealous of how she gets to eat stuff and stay cute and chubby.
Her tender words are enough to make me smile.
And
cooking skills are the worst, it is beyond worst. Her mother once prohibited
her from entering the kitchen when she nearly burned down the kitchen while
trying to toast bread. To others, it is a mystery of how she burned the
kitchen, but to me, nope. Let the secret be safe with me.
Ava
was always cautious about the words she used. The words she uses are utterly
easy to understand. Just like a teacher, she knows how to make others
understand rather than shouting at them. She never used curse words nor took
her hand upon someone.
Altogether,
she was brave, bold, beautiful and the best.
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Hours
ticked by and we had to move on. We got outta the mall. We got into a cab and
went straight to Coimbatore airport. We were right on time.
Our
first flight was to Hong Kong. After a 10 hours flight, we reached HK
at midnight. We checked into a motel and spent the night. I wasn't aware
of her ideas until we were in the motel.
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We
got up at 7 in the morning, freshened up. Ava wore a pink laced black top with
black pants and her brooch and I wore a maroon balloon top with brown slacks.
We put on ponytails and went to get something to eat.
After
a light breakfast, we got into a cab and drove to Disneyland. Who on Earth
would go to HK Disneyland 'cause we do! HK Disneyland was the only Disneyland
we could afford at the moment.
By
9 am, we entered the breath-taking Disneyland. Although HK Disneyland is the
city's largest theme park, it is the smallest Disneyland created.
It
was a huge park. The wondrous colours caught my eyes. Ava, this was a perfect
place to start. When Ava and I got inside, we both wondered how this theme park
was said to be the smallest Disneyland. The place was just like a dreamland
with the smell of flowers and food.
We
kept our belongings in a locker we were given and carried just a
backpack and a sling bag with us. A Disneyland map was provided for us
just in case. We were heartily welcomed by Mickey and Minnie characters and
continued walking. Though Disneyland was her idea, the rest of the plays were
mine.
Our first ride was to Fantasy land. We could see a lot of rides including
Cinderella's carousel. After wandering through the crowd, we went to the Dumbo;
the flying elephant ride. They said Dumbo is the best ride at HK Disneyland. It
was crowded there, so we nearly waited about 30 mins just to get into a
ride. It wasn't all that fun, but a ride is a ride and you enjoy
everything at Disneyland.
There
was a gift house nearby so we bought some gifts for our friends that included a
foldable tiara, five pens having faces of Disney characters at the end, a
baseball bat and two snowglobes. We kept the things in Ava's bag and to
maintain a balance between Ava and me, I held the Baseball bat.
We
haven't had much to eat since we entered so we went to Corner Cafe and bought
some snickers, mars and pringles originals. Unlike most of the people around
us, we were gazing at the beauty with our own eyes rather than to capture the
moment in a camera.
As
we were walking through one of the paths, we happened to come across a girl
dressed up as snow white. The child was weeping. Ava went towards her and asked
why she was crying. To be honest, I did think about why Ava would ask such a
question. It was quite clear that the girl got lost, cause she was alone, her
face was red from crying and of course, she had a running nose. But at this
moment, Ava would kill me if I ask her such stupidity.
However,
seeing the little one crying did make me feel bad. The child also said
something, but as she spoke in Mandarin, we didn't understand any word of it.
It is funny when Ava looks puzzled, but this was not one of those times where I
crack a joke at Ava's face.
We
took the child to a security a bit far from where we were. Thankfully her parents
were searching for this kid to the next officer. A family reunited. But I
couldn't understand why her parents would search in the neighbouring lane
rather than the place where they lost her until the officer told us that this
child was running and playing around when she got lost.
Prays
to the almighty, let us all be safe.
Later,
we arrived at the great castle. All the Disney princesses were smiling and
singing and dancing. They were friendly and who would miss to give the
princesses a handshake and take a photo; apparently, we didn't have their photo
but we did get their autographs.
Passing
by the marvellous castle, we approached the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique; the BBBs.
Ava dressed herself up as Cinderella and me as Mulan.
We
danced a bit in the costume and some photos of us were taken by the people
present there, but they said the photos can't be given until tomorrow, so
we just ignored the photo and left the place after having a pleasing time.
Since we paid the full amount for the costumes, we were allowed to keep the
clothing. We had a wonderful time being princesses and continued with our tour.
Unlike
me, Ava had very little interest in ghosts and ghouls so our third destination
there was The Haunted House - Mystic Manor. Deadly as a haunted graveyard it
looked, yet Ava had a minimum interest. Just as we entered, I was excited and Ava, yawning. A bit later another
figure appeared from Ava's left. She was busy eating the snicker we
earlier bought that she hardly noticed. This figure was remarkably looking
lifelike even though it was just a machine.
This figure walked towards us dragging her arms and drooping eyes. Her cuts and
stitches gave away to horror. She stood beside Ava and screamed at us. What can
one expect than to scream back. All three of us were screaming at each
other and suddenly, without thinking I held tightly onto the bat I was holding
and smashed the figure with it several times until it was on the ground
noiseless. A pin-drop silence filled the air and we were shocked at what
just happened. It was only then I realised we were seated on a joint chair, and what I smashed was the empty front seat.
I
felt my life turned black but it was the room that turned black as there was no
other light and Ava grabbed my arm in fear. A bit of light was visible somewhat
and I looked at Ava maybe just to gain some confidence. We could spot the
cameras looking at us and at once the room was filled with light. The
maintainer came screaming at us. Even though we didn't understand what they
were talking about, we were thrown outta this miracle house.
Thankfully,
we were not sent to It's a Small World for some unknown reasons. It is a
punishment at Disneyland if you misbehave there.
After
the freaking Mystic Point, we continued our tour visiting other lands.
The
best was at The Adventure Land, where we went for the Jungle River Cruise. It
wasn't until we got onto the boat we knew, it was the largest adventure land
all of the DLs. Through the jungle, we went to Tarzan's treehouse and returned
soon. The view from the boat was splendid. It was hard to believe that a river
was present inside the park until I remembered we were on an island.
It
was soon late evening, and we left the DL before it was too dark. It was tiring
day after all those food, rides and fun we had. We stayed at the motel for the
night. I wanted to ask Ava how she could afford the expense, but I was too
tired to ask her and through the thought, we both were fast asleep.
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After
a wonderful day at Disney World, we continued our journey by 7 in the morning.
We
got ready and packed our things back and checked outta the motel. As we missed
supper the previous night, we were starving. We got to a cafe and had scrambled
eggs and Macaroni soup with a classic fry up. What we didn't expect was
milk tea, chai.
Nothing
can bring us up like a classic chai with the perfect taste.
After
having our energy back on track, we got into a cab. Although we were in China,
we didn't have any kind of difficulty in communication as these people were
also fluent in British English.
As
Lantau Island was the largest Island there, there was more than just Disneyland
to watch. We reached the Tian Tan Buddha location.
The bus terminal was direct across from the Tung Chung MTR station. We got onto bus 23 going directly to Ngong Ping Village which is home to the Big Buddha.
The journey took nearly an hour.
After
walking for about 10-15 mins, we reached our destination for the time being.
The
Buddha was made completely out of Bronze and was 112ft tall. The work was
impressive too. We went to the top after climbing 268 steps and a lot of Phuket
Island was visible from there. After the hardest climb, came the best
views.
We
also went to Chaithararam Temple, Wat Chalong. The building was well built. The
structure was beautiful with all the greenery around it. By 3 pm, we returned
to our next destination.
By
evening we reached the Sunset peak. It was the third highest mountain in HK. We
had to walk for 2 hours to reach the peak itself. We got some company while
climbing up, a family from North Korea.
Thankfully,
we didn't miss the sunset. After watching a majestic sunset, we returned. The
return trip was more difficult than the climb. It was dark and we had to get to
the airport soon.
We
didn't have time for our supper and took our bags and rode to the
airport.
Thanks
to our driver who rode the cab fast, by 7:45 pm we reached the airport. Our
flight was at 8 pm. The announcer announced that our flight was half an hour
late. We were happy, lucky and exhausted.
Our
flight arrived, and we boarded the economy class. I don't even remember when we
slept. The next thing I remembered was that we reached our destination.
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By
6 in the morning, we reached Delhi, our second destination.
Ava
already arranged bus tickets for us. After having roti and dal, we got onto the
bus to Kullu Manali. Thanks to Ava, she had already packed us winter items of clothing,
gloves and socks. Now I feel weird how I didn't check the trolley before and
these were those clothes I didn't think we might need.
At
our first major stop Chandigarh, we got down. The journey was quite a stressed
one, yet beautiful. We didn't plan anything 'cause all the destinations were a
surprise for me. The worst part is when I had to play my role. Not only in
China, but I had to choose what to do when we reached her ideal places. But
thanks to her, Ava already got us bus timings and the rest. We got a Volvo Bus
to take us to our destinations and hoped things were not too hard.
After
a long journey of 12 hours with all that scenery, traffic and enjoyment, we
reached the great Kullu we always heard of. Like someone said, "Better to
see it once than to hear about it a thousand times".
Ava
planned a 5 days trip to Kullu Manali. Without Ava's knowledge, I changed the 5
days trip to 3. We had supper and tried to check into a hotel for the
night. We couldn't find a hotel to sleep into, so we had to sleep on the bus
like the others in it.
For
some reason, I did not find it that bad.
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Morning 8 itself, our bus started its engine for the
rest of the trip. We were fast asleep and when I woke up, I knew that the bus
was moving for the past 30 mins. Remember how I said it was good for some
reason, this was it. We had some breakfast on the bus and not to mention,
we didn't brush. We also met some of the people sitting next to us and we
enjoyed the bus travelling more than we thought.
After
a bit of the journey, we got down the bus as we reached our next location. We
went to a hotel and got to the washroom. I can't believe we brushed today after
having our breakfast. After cleaning ourselves up, we started with holy places.
We
first entered Hadimba Devi Temple, the sacred place of the wife of the
strongest Pandava Brothers, Bhima. This pagoda-shaped wooden temple is
situated in the Deodar forests, has intricately-carved wooden doors and wooden
shikhara which is believed to be over 500 years old.
A
10 min travel from this temple is Lord Manu temple. The temple is to be
reached by a somewhat steep road up although not so difficult. We can enjoy the
uphill walk watching the shops and places on the way. It is said that the
temple for Manu is a very rare one. This wonder had a very pleasant temple
ambience. And had a lovely view of mountains from the temple arena.
Our next walk was to Vashisht village which was just 15 mins away from Manu temple.
It is a popular tourist place thus it was crowded. This village was founded by
Guru Vashisht was the sole guru and teacher of Lord Ram and Laxman. The village
was once the home residence of the Vashisht clan. Natural springs and
sandstone temples accentuate the beauty of the tiny locale. The springs of
Vashisht is believed to possess medicinal properties. The waters of the hot
brooks are believed to heal skin diseases.
We
had some food on the way to the Tibetan monastery.
At
the monastery, it made us feel so peaceful and calm. I loved the hymns being
chanted and watching the great buddha himself. The place is so positive that we
felt like giving us peaceful meditation.
We
spent some quality time in the monastery and later walked by the shops nearby
selling wonderous handicrafts. Ava and I got a few items and soon enough we
were starving. We had some food from the nearby shop and enjoyed the pleasantry
some more time.
Afternoon
we went shopping in the malls and after hours of wandering in the mall and
shopping, we checked into a hotel. We had a hard time getting a hotel as it was
quite crowded at the hotels and motels.
We
called it a day and went for sleep after a good supper.
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After
Breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded for a full day excursion.
Started
with the visit to Kothi Village. It was summer, so the paths were clear of
snow, but not of cold. We could notice the type of house that we learn in
lower grades- a chalet or a cabin. We moved onto the next village - Palchan.
Palchan was not different from what we saw in Kothi, except for the village name.
Ava played with some of the children for some time. Watching Ava laugh and
smile like that made me happy and a happy tear came out of my right eye.
We
carried onto Nehru Kund. The story behind this pool goes long back to Nehruji.
The water of this pool was carried to Delhi for former PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
Later, after the name of Nehru, this pool also got the name of Nehru Kund.
This pool was just a natural spring of cold water. I was holding Ava's hand and she
was giving this arch to touch the water like one of those scenes we see in
movies and honestly, I didn't mean to do that, but my hand slipped and Ava fell
into the cold water. Thank god, unlike me Ava knows to swim. Here is where we
had our emergency clothes bag. Cheers to the brain and thinking. Ava changed
her clothes and by the grace of God, she took it as a funny experience only.
We
spent a peaceful moment amidst lush greenery and serene surroundings here and
got on with our journey.
On
our way to Gulaba, we stopped to watch a beautiful waterfall. Gulaba was
another village in Himachal Pradesh situated in the Pir Panjal mountain range.
We had to share a taxi to reach here as no other transport was availing. Gulaba
was the only route to Rohtang Pass which we couldn't miss.
After
rough traffic, we reached Marhi, a town before we reached Rohtang. We had our lunch
from there and continued towards Rohtang, as there was great traffic and we had
to reach there in time.
It
was afternoon when we reached Rohtang. The place was covered with snow and the
cold was extreme. We did some trekking and reached Bhrigu lake. The locals said
that the lake is sacred and it never freezes. The lake indeed wasn't
frozen.
After
an hour from the lake, we reached Solang valley and walked a bit just to
feel the air and coldness. Solang valley is also known as the Snow point. It
conducts adventurous sports and even skiing is played.
It
took us a long time for our ride. Ava was thrilled to go for Zorbing. I watched
her as she hurled down the hill on that transparent ball. I remember laughing
at Ava when she couldn't walk properly after the ride. She gave me
that serious look on her face and suddenly I wished I didn't laugh. And
then it was my turn so I went paragliding.
The
paragliding queue went faster than any other queue present there. An elder
person accompanied me for the sport. What can I say other than bravo to David
Barish for inventing this. I wished Ava also went for this ride, but it was
late and we had to get back.
After
a 2 hrs journey, we reunited with our bus and had a delicious supper with the
entire crew. Sometimes I felt like we went there just to eat.
We
checked into a hotel and slept for the night.
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After great breakfast in the morning, we started our excursion to Kullu Valley. Ava
was still wearing her grey top and brown sweater with those white earmuffs and
her brooch. I was wearing a black sweatshirt which was Ava's and black
earmuffs. Both our bottoms were placid yellow pants and knee-high boots.
It
was really cold outside, not enough for snowfall, but all we could do was to
manage the coldness and enjoy it to our full potential. Kullu was
more than that we could capture in a camera. The farming was so beautiful that
it reminded me so much about the dedication and work of farmers.
Ava
was feeling the place more than just enjoying it. Well, who can blame her, her
vibe was positive, so was that of the place, full of energy. And what we could
breathe was fresh air and amazing smell food which happened to be our next
destination- Kullu market.
At
the market, we got some souvenirs and got ourselves some clothes. The best was
their food, hot and spicy. After having lunch, we continued to our next
location- Vaishno Mata Temple.
Turns
out, here not only during great festivals but even regular days were crowded.
The temple shops were selling handmade crafts for cheap and reasonable rates
too. We both got ourselves something. Vaishno Devi Temple in Kullu was another
example of an idyllic sacred place here. Due to the topographical bliss
and spiritual value of this place, this is a major tourist attraction in Kullu.
Also known by the name Mahadei Tirth, this temple is situated on the serene
bank of the River Beas.
We
left there and went to the heart of Kullu, Beas River. To be
honest, it was such a fascinating experience just to be there. The water is
pure as it is melted snow from the mountains. The river was calm and people
just enjoyed the river in silence. River rafting, picnic spots can be observed
all around. We went river crossing through the cold water of Beas hearing
the beautiful song made by the crashing water.
We
walked 2 km from this sacred place to reach back to Kullu Town. Ava and I
walked for about 15 mins to reach the wondrous town. It was from the local
people we knew that Kullu was earlier known as 'Kulanthpitha', meaning 'The End
Point of the Inhabitable World'. This is actually because Kullu was isolated
from the world and not easily reached up until the '50s, which has largely
allowed it to retain its traditional charms and century-old customs.
We
had enough time to wander through the enchanting town, having a campfire with
the town people. Folk dances, songs and small talks and laughs and this was one
of those talks where we fake a laugh and just nod along as these people
talking, I don't know what but not English and Hindi we study at schools; oh
dear old school classmates, thanks for playing Damsharas with me.
Later
we went back to the hotel we checked into and had a sound sleep.
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After
breakfast, we checked out from the hotel and the wondrous journey ended by
lovely memorable & sweet memories of the Himachal.
I
couldn't believe that Ava still had no idea that our trip ended today until we
climbed down the mountain. It was late when we reached down. The cold began to
lessen. We had our dinners at alternative stops. And both of us had to spend
another night on this bus for my new destination Ava unaware of
'cause I felt it wasn't great that always Ava planned the surprises.
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We
reached where we started from, Delhi. In the morning we were woken up by the
shouts and honks of the Delhi traffic. Within an hour, we were at Tanvi's
wedding, a four days wedding ceremony to which we were invited two weeks back.
I was sure Ava might have forgotten it, which was the reason for my
"surprise" surprise.
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Tanvi (Tuhi), Lord
Durga, was our senior during our sophomore year. She was a north Indian,
but she knew our languages too. My friendship with Tuhi began when she tried to
bully me and I was laughing at her because she was too pretty to be called a
bully.
Tuhi
was very fair and had long black wavy hair like Ava's. Her eyes were black and
her lips were red. She was as tall as me. Her heart was pure and was an
outspoken person. In total, she was one obedient girl, and I don't know how she
became a bully.
Tuhi
helped us a lot and she was like Ava's own sister 'cause I remember once when
we invited Tuhi for a dinner night with our families, Ava's mother cried
looking at Tuhi saying she looked just like Ava's late elder sister. AWKWARD!
Anyway,
later we did have a peaceful dinner and a sleepover at Ava's.
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Something
was telling me that 20 isn't the right time for someone to get married but for
someone like Tuhi, it was perfect.
Today
was the engagement day. The ceremony is at night but the preparation started
already.
Tuhi
wore a pink shirt in the morning but it wasn't until the afternoon, she was
looking stunning in a red saree. The saree was hand-embroidered using
miniature pearl-like beads and the finest quality Zardosi and Marori. Tuhi wore
a stunning uncut diamond and pearl choker with matching studs. And with her
makeup, she looked different, a good difference. For her to get ready for this
occasion took about 4 hours, I can't imagine her wedding day.
Tuhi
had a lot of cousins and she was surprisingly fond of everyone. Although Tuhi
introduced each and everyone to us and even told us about her family tree, I
can barely remember four names.
The
bride was taken to the auditorium in a brand new red Mercedes Benz along with
her parents and her Chacha driving the car. Ava and I got into a bus they pre-booked
along with all her other cousins.
The
auditorium was only a 10 minutes trip. On the way, Ava nearly ate my ear by
telling me how we were supposed to be packing for our next tour destination by
now. Thank god, we reached our destination.
It
wasn't a big ceremony. I could notice that about 50-70 people were only
present. Within an hour we reached, the rite was over and food was served. We
posed for a photo or two and the best part of the day I saw was how Tuhi was
happy; dear god, I wish her a happy married life.
After
this beautiful day, ending with a lot of snacks and sweets, we were sent to
sleep in Tuhi's room along with her. Night's surprise was that Tuhi only
invited us to her wedding, none of her other friends. We were told to
sleep early as tomorrow was a huge day for Tuhi and we had to wake early for
that. That is when Tuhi mentioned how she didn't have a close relationship with
her parents before as they were both into business and their work. Now because
of this ceremony, she is having a new special bond with them. I observed that
rare sparkle in Tuhi's eyes and this means a lot to me.
We
bid goodnight to each other and went to sleep.
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It
was past midnight when Ava woke me up. I turned on the side lamp and saw it was
1 in the morning. I asked her what happened with both worries and confusion.
Ava wasn't the kind of person who would wake up in the middle of the night.
But this was way funnier than I imagined. Ava was disturbed by Tuhi's snoring.
Tuhi was so tired after the function that she started to snore. Even Ava used
to snore, thus I was able to sleep through one's snore, but not Ava, at
least not for the next two nights. It took some time for Ava to fall back to
sleep. Soon I too fell asleep.
The
time passed like a second. We woke up, and Delhi was much much hotter than we
assumed. We freshened up. We were given yellow Kurtis and dupatta for the day.
We had a colourful breakfast and to be honest, we have never seen so many
varieties of breakfast dishes.
Today was Haldi day. Ava and I have never been to a North Indian wedding before so this was all new for us. It wasn't late when we noticed that 99% of the crowd present there were in yellow clothes and everyone was glowing with happiness.
The
entire house was covered in lights and music. The air is filled with the smell
of flowers and food. In a huge room, Tuhi was made to sit and their rituals
were taking place. Pouring water on Tuhi reminded me of Ava falling into the
river the other day.
After
this ritual, Tuhi was seated in a Diwan and Mehandi was drawn on her hands and
feet as part of the Mehndi event and Haldi was drawn over her face. Along with
her, we also took our chance of getting mehndi. Her mehndi reached
from her fingertips to her elbows and toe to her knee. One can't blame me for
thinking, who on Earth put mehndi till one's knee, not that people are gonna
look for that.
Meanwhile,
I caught Ava shedding a drop of tear while looking at a distance. It wasn't
long enough 'til I noticed what she could have remembered. I saw a boy,
probably our age, using a Samsung, a flip phone.
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About
4 years back, I remember that I was talking to Ava sitting next to me
during one of our free periods. It was unusual for me 'cause Ava seemed to be
lost in her thoughts. It was only then she told me about her new boyfriend she
proposed and got accepted on the same day, which happened to be that day
itself. She called it - love at first sight, maybe for her.
Daiwik
Kunal, God's grace eyes, was the new student in our class. He
was tall and yes, maybe handsome, not that I care. He had pale brown eyes and
black hair. As soon as Ava saw this freak, she went and proposed to him, and
surprisingly he accepted it. Ava wasn't that kind of girl who felt boys
attractive, and I found boys completely stupid especially this one.
It
wasn't until he arrived in our lives, I knew that I loved Ava for who she was
and Ava thought of me as a person with whom she had been together for
years.
Over
the next four months of their relationship, Ava started wearing makeups, pumps,
heels and always trying to be something she is not. It is not that I didn't
mention her about her change, but she gave me a reply that she is sassy and
gave me a wink! Ava has never winked at me before, only God knows what has
gotten into her. All her positive vibe was changing, she was rude to her
parents and called me a stranger somewhere in the middle of this crisis.
For
Kunal's birthday, Ava gifted him a Brooch which I gifted her as a "Forever" a gift during the year I met her. This broke me down.
Kunal's
mama, uncle, gifted him with a new Samsung, imported, for
his birthday. He was the first person in our class to own their phone. He
brought it to the class nearly every day. At first, Kunal was being mean and
selfish, saying it was his phone and he would only use it, but later Ava
was allowed to use it until the day I was waiting for. As Ava checked his
phone, she noticed how Kunal was texting other girls; the one thing every teenage
boy is afraid of. Jealous Ava calmly told him to stop it to which Kunal
refused. They fought until Kunal dumped Ava. Ava came to me crying and all I
could provide her was a hug, a hug that meant you are safe with me and
that said I am there for her. This was one of the best and worst days of my
life; I was sad 'cause Ava was crying so hard that her face turned red with her
running nose and I was happy, 'cause she came back to me. That was the day, Ava
completely accepted me as her Best Friend Forever, BFF and what I lost was once
again mine.
And
as an act of revenge for Kunal, Ava broke an egg in his bag, for which she got
detention. I had a hard time getting back my Brooch from Kunal and later gave
it back to Ava.
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I
was sure Ava was thinking about Kunal. For a moment I wanted to scold Ava but I
went to console her. I held Ava and took her to the bus we came. I didn't even
have my dessert, but I stayed with Ava. After this function, we reached home at
10. Ava and I went to sleep early and Tuhi was so excited playing and enjoying
with her cousins that I don't think she had a proper sleep but we both sure
did.
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It
was the noisiest early morning of my vacation. I expect my vacations to be
peaceful and calm ones but not today.
Ava
already woke up and went for a shower. I got up and the first thing I saw was
not only Tuhi's face with half makeup but nearly every girl and women in this
room had only put on their foundation, trust me this is one of the things you
never wanna see as the first thing in the morning. I freshened up and wore a
Maroon lehenga with white embroidery works. I wore one of Tuhi's cousin's
pearl necklace and a matching stud. Ava wore sleeveless tomato red Balgori long
with a high turtle neck silk gown. Ava wore a single stone stud and her
brooch.
More
beautiful than anyone was Tuhi. She wore a Smashing Dusty Peach Net with
Thread Embroidered Work Pasting Stone Lehenga with a long Dupatta. Tuhi's neck
was covered with beautiful gold and diamond Rani Choker Haar, necklace,
with a Red Ruby on the centre and matching Maang Tikka, ornament worn
on the girl's hair, and long Bali, earrings. She also wore a
Gold Kundan Beaded Nath, nose ring, and a Polki beaded long plain
gold necklace. A dozen red Sanhati vajra choodiyas, bangles,
covered her forearms along with a few plain rose gold bangles and a gold finger
ring bracelet. The dupatta went over her head after all the ornaments and Tuhi
was the queen of the day. She did look beautiful.
Without
any time to lose, we had to reach the auditorium as soon as possible. It was
the same auditorium we went to last night, but they changed all their
arrangements. The wedding was held in an open auditorium. The place was
amazing, and everything was going nearly perfect. The groom sat for the wedding
ritual and Tuhi walked with Thali on her hand. She was looking so beautiful and
the wedding was a grand success. We saw our friend, Tuhi, happily getting
married to this wonderful man and I saw hope in Ava's eyes. I knew the moment
Ava looked at Tuhi on her wedding day, she wished for the same and we didn't
want to stay for the reception.
The
weirdest thing I saw was how people waited for the bride and the groom to get
married with full enthusiasm and then went to have lunch silence without any
kind of rush.
Ava
and I had some food after wishing the married couple our good wishes. We changed
our clothes back to jeans and tops and returned the respective items to
the owners. We bid goodbye to the family, got our bags and left the
place.
We
got in auto and went to the airport. Thankfully, the tickets Ava earlier
booked for was at 3:30 pm. We waited and boarded the flight to reach Bangalore.
We reached Bangalore by 7:45 pm and checked into a hotel for the night. We had
a great supper in the same hotel restaurant and called it a night.
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We
woke up early in the morning and freshened up. Ava wore her Olive A-line skirt,
blacktop and her brooch, and I wore a Simpson’s long shirt and blue jeans.
Having
aloo paratha for the morning, we headed for Nandi Hills. After the Manali
trip, all Ava and I could think of was some quiet place to spend time.
About
40 km from where we stayed, was this enchanted place. We hired a cab and it
took us more than 50 mins to reach here. Nandi hills are also known as
Nandidurg, a hill station with the resemblance of a sleeping bull. As soon as
we reached here, we could feel why this was one of the best places to visit.
After being in the city, this place was really good to get away, with its cold
weather and pleasantry.
But
this hill was famous for its hill fortress built by Tipu Sultan. The wind was
also blowing much and we had to walk around with a bit of difficulty checking
out the temple, the garden, and a Kalyani, a small water body, which can be
observed once we start entering the premises. We spent almost a couple of hours
roaming around and made our way back.
After
this beautiful trekking and roaming, we made it back to our hotel by late
evening.
We
had a great dinner and packed everything back and went to sleep.
Today,
one thing I noticed was how Ava was excited to go back to her hometown. After
visiting such lovely places, I was sure, once I go back to my home, I would
feel homesick. I was so enlightened by how the local people enjoyed the way
they led a simple lifestyle with a simple income which we urban people could
never understand as long as we are living in our community. And yes, I want to
go back home with my wonderful memories.
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This
was the day when my summer vacation of '06 is going to end. I woke up late in
the morning and saw Ava already dressed in a pink Kurti, white Patiyala and
white dupatta. I noticed that Ava is still wearing her Brooch and it does match
with her all dresses.
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During
our first year, Ava once lost her Brooch. She was so sad that she didn't even
want to meet me. I didn't know why she was being such a drama queen, it was
just a brooch but of course, everyone knew how much that little brooch meant to
Ava.
Ava
didn't even attend her birthday party in disappointment.
It
wasn't until 4 days later, our school janitor found the pin and put it in the
Lost and Found and Tuhi was in charge of the Lost and Found. Once the brooch
was returned to Ava, she just smiled. Ever since Ava has never misplaced it nor
wore outwear without it. These are just simple things, which I am gonna remember
as long as I don't have Alzheimer's.
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We
headed to the bus station as we didn't get any train reservations. We hopped
onto an AC bus and within the next 19 hours, we reached Palakkad. It was
such a tiring journey. We had to eat our lunch and dinner from some restaurants
and I am sure it wasn't all that hygienic. The return journey was so pathetic
as I puked 3 times on the way.
We
had to check in to a hotel in our hometown as there was no bus availing back
home at 5 in the morning. We went to bed and waited for the sun at its peak.
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I
insisted Ava visit around our hometown before returning home. We went to a
restaurant to have our Brunch and later went to Tipu Sultan Fort. After being
at Nandi Hills, this fort was appraising our visual, at least mine. After
spending 3 hours there, we were returning to our house.
On
our way back, we met some of our old classmates and spent some time with them
at the parks.
By
5 in the evening, we reached our home, with glorious memories which can never
be erased. Like I said before, I knew I was gonna feel homesick once I entered
my neighbourhood.
Anyway,
I can't wait for next year.
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- A Story by SwathiSreesha
