Carve your own Journey #Episode 2

The dawn was a customary one, birds warbled from distant branches along with the swift morning breeze and a thin ray of light managed to penetrate through the old, shabby curtains of Kabir’s dark room. His eyes swollen yet a wide smile was stretched on his lips as he gently flung his hand from underneath the pillow and his lips carved to read out the words on the plaster ‘Get well soon, bro...We love you... Walk carefully and slowly... The car driverwas drunk... Your Satu... Don’t forget to take your medicines on time...Stop crying like ababy and so on, somehow they helped him in the curing process.

He tried to stand on his injured leg, which was better and was successful. After two long weeks, he was on his knees, the knot in his stomach twisted when he gave a sharp look at today’s date. Vaidehi was going to embark on her feet, miles away, from the sands of Hubli today, He imagined her innocent smile and how surreal her opulence and.... He longed for them. A life without her smiles and glances would be like a barren land. He leaned against the walls glaring blankly at some invisible distance. Later he led his way towards the cuisine; Mrs. Deshpande was cleaning the stinky breakfast vessels. Her smile never failed to cheer him; she could heal him with just a light kiss on the forehead.

“Good morning. How is the wound?” She gave a vivid smile as she wiped her wet hands witha dry kitchen cloth.

“Still, healing,” He hardly could breathe the words out.

“Does your forehead still ache, should I redress it?” She questioned delicately lining the wound.

“No, bleeding gave way,” He took a dish and subsequently commenced the process of drying it with a rough cloth

“Why don’t you take some rest?” She instructed.

“No, i am better now, wimped of lying in bed for hours” He blankly nodded

“Umm... Kabir, today Vaidehi is leaving for Mumbai,” Her voice trailed away, by a tiny smile was enforced on her lips as she hesitantly mentioned.

“Yes, but how does that matter?” He gave a blank expression and nodded.

“Stop lying to your mom, i know you love Vaidehi, you did that to help her achieve her dreams, and Mansi told me about it,” Her eyes locked with Kabir’s.

“Come on, it is just an infatuation,” He turned away, placing the plate in the upper drawer.

“People don’t do such crazy things in an infatuation, Love is powerful it could make you perform things that you never meant to do in your wildest dreams. She means so much to you, just at least voice a last goodbye and bid an adieu” She tried

her best to convince as she squeezed his shoulders.

“I don’t think she wants me to visit her on such a splendid occasion, I might just reduce her happiness to sorrow,“

“Well, of course she will be delighted to meet you, listen, son, never miss these last goodbyes, you will regret it your entire existence,” She cleaned up his messy hair.

“Whatever” He nodded “Why are these last farewell wishes so important”

“Because you wish to have one last glimpse of the person who holds your heart, Kabir it’s the tiniest of things that take the widest space in our hearts,”

She gave away a gentle smile as Kabir rushed out of the kitchen, and flung the door open. The blue waters of the Unkal Lake reminded him of the dress Vaidu pleasantly carried when she finally expressed herself. He smiled at the memory as his thoughts were focused on the curl of her eyelashes which gently slid down when she gave out a cry of laughter. The afternoon sun reflected on nature’s mirror and it was bursting into a range of warm colours. The murmuring of the lake was as deep as the thoughts wandering in his brain.

He slid his hand through the sun-soaked grass and felt the strands of Vaidehi’s hair, the way she would tie them and the auburn strands wavy in humidity. He keenly drooped into her blue iris, he could feel her soft lips nourishing his and he realised that he pulled the life off the grass through his frustration, he needed her, he needed a last glance, maybe a last exchange but he needed her clothes filled with colours to dazzle his eyes.

He ventured on the path towards the railway station his half-broken knees tried their best to make it on time. The station was smoky and crowded as it would be, his eyes danced through the maze of faces to find her toothy smile. She was checking the last-minute substances and accumulating her luggage in its place, her heart was enthusiastic and boundaries broken.In her wonderland, her eyes fell on Kabir’s and her cheek muscles blossomed into a contagious smile. She gripped his hand and his heart swelled.

“Oh my god, Kabir, Thank you so much, i needed to see you before leaving and how are you, did you face an accident, your forehead is injured and arms and legs fractured,”

Vaidehi hardly took a breath , adrenaline jostling in her blood vessels as she scrutinized the blister.

“Umm... Faced a car accident... a kind of bad one,” He stumbled for a response.

“How... When and better now?” She interrogated, demanding the details.

“Yes...Pretty better, remember the day you sent up an electronic mail for me to be at the unkal gardens after the sad news of our engagement being untied... Well, I encountered a car accident en route towards our scheduled meet and so I couldn’t turn up, Sorry for that,”

Frustrated, staring into her deep, blue ocean he had no verbs for the emotions tearing him apart

“I am so sorry... are you alright, I blamed you throughout for not meeting me but,” She lost her vocabulary and nudged herself into Kabir’s shoulders.

“All the best, Vaidehi... i hope you to see you succeed in all your future endeavours and be someone we would look up to,” He grabbed a grip on words as her heart melted in a puddle.

“I am on my path to inspire, but you already inspired me, you ignited a ray of hope in all those girls whose dreams are still bolted in their wardrobes, “Her eyes holding his, accompanied with an inspiring smile.

“Vaidehi, I guess you should leave; the train is in the process of departing,” The hollow horn of the rumbling train danced in his Eustachian tube.

“Kabir, Take care” Her hands flung around Kabir, she could feel his warmth and the love that radiated “Will you miss me?”

“Maybe not, At least could you keep in touch that’s all I ask for” He gave a blank nod, retreating himself from her arms.

She escaped his finger and rushed towards the peddling train which carried her on a new express of life, maybe just the way Harry Potter boarded the train from platform 9 and three quarters and he encountered Hogwarts.

Her toes were on the peddles of her life and she would lead them to a breathtaking journey of love, dreams and friendship and she was darn enraptured to unravel the mystery the city of dreams held, it felt sweet but with an exciting after taste of danger, yet she longed to unfurl it, she sensed it to be intense yet enchanting beyond anything. Hardly could she hear what he last uttered. Kabir stood still for a few moments and later strolled on, the word ‘Take care’ cycling in his brain, he could feel her hunger for success and her excitement speeding in her veins as she embraced him. The train rode away in just a blink and so did the incomplete desire in his heart.