“We learn something from everyone who passes through our lives. Some lessons are painful, some are painless... but, all are priceless.”

Mom and dad look at me amused. What? Was I supposed to remember?

“You don’t remember, Abhimanyu?” Mom asked me in surprise. I scratched my head and shook my head. “Why?”

“Okay, that’s not an issue.” Dad cut the silence thick, “Abhimanyu is Shikha’s nephew. I think Prerna has told you about him.”

“Oh! Yeah. Mom did.” I confirmed. My brain box started working at a great pace and scenario before two months rolled on.

ESV gasped, ‘How could you forget that hot mess?’

As if you remembered him. I retorted. You are my subconscious after all.

“So, be on time then.” Dad said.

“Okay. I will be on time.”

It would be suffice to say that I didn’t suffer from pre anxiety syndrome. Days were slipping from my fist like water and I could hold on to them. It felt like yesterday when I said ‘okay’ to dad and the Friday knocked my door with a rush. I had a lot in my hands. I had fingers in every pie and pie dishes were in the hands of bulldog. After my decent refusal to the proposition made for me, he thought that I lack the potential of doing anything good and that belittled me in his eyes. Hence, he loaded me every next task that caught his eyes. I could’ve knocked the door of human rights department but I didn’t. He was the guest of what we say, two days? I had heard it correctly from Mrigank that he was going to be deported to Chennai and this was his last project over here.

“Thank God, Shree, you’re here, bulldog practically went mad with stress.” Aarti lashed out as soon as her murky brown eyes noticed me. She had a heap of files and her petite frame was almost invisible under the weight.

“By god, if he asked me one more time about the demonstration. I will destroy the pen drive and delete the backups.” Rhea snarled, throwing her hands in air and slumped on the leatherette chair.

“Oye, that’s a wrong pen drive.” I called out to Josh when he rushed around and grabbed my pen drive which was supposed to be the backup.

“Oh, sorry. Where is the presentation?” He queried and I thrust the PD in his hands, “Here check the details and please do the corrections if any.”

“Let’s go.” Aarti nudged me.

“You’ve taken the software details with you, right?”

“Yep. Everything is ready.”

“May we come in, sir?” I knocked on the door twice before peeking in.

“Come in.” A very dull voice of our boss came. Why Mr. Batra had to retire so early? I found myself egging over the same question on loop. We entered only to find him sitting on his table with head buried in the cup of hands, loosened tie and the multitude coffee cups around him.

ESV tsked, ‘This man takes unnecessary headache.’

Well, I agreed. I mean who start taking anxiety pills before a project launch. For, he does.

“Sir, you asked for the details, here it is.” Aarti placed the file and compact disk on his desk and he showed his pumpkin face, glaring at us. “I asked you to show me it before ten minutes and you’re getting it now.”

“Sir, actually you are very early today, we still have two hours in our hands.” I explicated.

“So, now you are questioning why I came early?” He glared me.

“No sir, I’m just saying...” I tried to articulate but he stopped me.

“I’m the boss, I know what to do and how?” He boosted, getting up.

Yeah sure, brainless creature!

“Are you both planning to be statue here for the whole day?” He added fuel to my rage like always. That was why the whole team called him bulldog because he kept barking.

“I’ll take my leave, Sir.” I spun around frostily and paused when he called Aarti back. “My secretary is late, so make coffee for me, Ms Aarti!”

He looked up at me and I ran out with my supersonic vampire speed, trying hard to not trip.

“How was your coffee making?” Josh snickered, noticing Aarti and she rolled her eyes. “Ha-ha very funny.”

“What you think I’ll let him go easily for making me do his secretary’s work and insulting me?” She grinned, mischievously.

“Don’t tell me you did what I am thinking you did.” I warned her, thinking that she spiked his coffee and she grinned more.

“God! Evil you are!” I exclaimed in disbelief.

“Oh common...” She started but Rhea butted in. “Will you both please tell us what she did?”

“She mixed constipation pills in his coffee.” I certified and we all got silent before rolling on the floor.

“You actually did it?” Josh asked with interspersed giggles and Aarti nodded with pride in her face.

“Guys will you please shut up, he will sue us if he knows.” I recovered first.

“But for that, he will have to leave toilet which he can’t right now.” Rhea hollered. We resumed to our work. As expected, meeting was good and finally bulldog breathed in triumph that we brought to him. What made us quizzical that, not for once did he retire to the bathroom? However, we were in good spirits to bother to investigate. Unpredicted as it was, there was a party arranged for us.

“Attention everyone!” Bulldog clinked his flute, “Alright, I’m very happy with your performance so I’ve planned four days trip for all of us which was supposed to be a two days trip.” He announced enthusiastically. We cheered loudly as he cut the cake and fed us one by one. When he fed Aarti, he didn’t miss to glare at her and toss in his advice, “Next time when you prepare my coffee, make sure it’s warm when it reaches to me otherwise I’ve to return it like today.”

“Yes sir.” She gulped. We cleared our throat to grab her attention as bulldog left and she muttered under her breath. “How would I know it?”

I had just started to enjoy the party when I reminded myself that I was supposed to see a few guests who were actually going to ‘see’ me and most thrilling fact was to discover Abhimanyu whom I had seen a few months ago on the picture only. His face was hazed in my memory. I was a lethal combination of excitement, anxiety, fear and perplexity. It was like jumping in the fire without having safety suit. It was like drowning in the water when you didn’t know how to swim. Marriage, I meant but then, it was just a meeting and I had taken promise from mom that it would be my call that would be warranted as final. I escaped from the party quickly and dashed inside my cubicle to pack my stuff and hurry up to the way back home. It was already four o’clock. The prospective guests could be there at around six or seven.

“Hey, Butu! Where are you running? It’s just 4pm.” Rhea licked at her cream messed fingers, tapping my computer desk. I sneaked a quick look and pulled my hair in a bun before shutting down the system. “Yeah, actually some guests are arriving today. So, dad has asked me to come home early.”

“What guests? You didn’t tell me about it.” She chewed on her thumb and yanked the chair to assemble her on it. My hands stopped midway on the keyboard and I bit on my lip, squinting eyes. Crap! I haven’t told her who actually the guests are.

“Promise me, you won’t be angry.” I asked, keeping all the heavy things out of her reach and she jerked up her shoulders, “Depends!”

“Well, aguyiscomingtoseemeandiwasabouttotellyou.” I drawled in a breath and panted heavily, watching for her reaction. She stared me blankly and sighed, scratching her head. “Butu! Hold your horses. I didn’t even understand a single word.”

I heaved a deep sigh, “A guy is coming to see me and I was about to tell you but it slipped out of my mind. A lot of things are slipping out of my mind nowadays.”

She was calm and then, tearing a sticky note from my note board, she scribbled something hastily before lobbing at me. I caught the note that fell near my feet without touching a single strand of mine. It read;

‘Don’t you dare to talk to me now. Our friendship is over.’

I rolled my eyes and tore the note, dumping it in the dustbin nearby. “Even I forgot about him.”

When she didn’t reply, I ended up reciting the whole story to her and I could see that she was melting, “So his name is Abhimanyu?”

“Yeah!”

“You bitch!” She pounced on me, landing a few punches on my back. “Why didn’t you tell me? I don’t care if you forgot or not. How can you hide such huge news? I hate you Butu!”

“And I hate you for calling me Butu.” I whooped at her back.

“Don’t change the topic.” She messed my hair and irritated, I ruined her hair do. “Don’t overreact. Even I didn’t know and dad told me yesterday.”

“So what? You could’ve told me today morning!”

I rubbed my forehead, cursing myself for having such an idiotic friend. “God! We were busy in the meeting. What you want that I should announce it on the mike in the conference hall?”

“Fine, I will still not forgive you until I am treated with Vanilla Truffles.” Her ever foodie, gargantuan self made her presence.

“You swine! You could’ve asked for the truffles without the drama.” I sneered, finger combing my hair.

“Hey! Show me his pic.” She nudged my shoulder and I slumped on the desk beside computer, “I’d a look at him when Siya managed to show me two months ago but I don’t have any pic as of now.”

“Such a stupid girl!” She patronized, “Every guy has his pictures flooded in Face book. Search him!”

I mentally face palmed myself. “Why didn’t I get this idea?”

I quickly opened my Face book account and those blue white background icons made me appraise of the notifications, friend request and messages.

“I don’t know his full name.” I confessed when I was about to punch his name in the search box.

“Try his first name!” She propelled and reluctantly I did that but what I saw next made me frenzy.

“There are 879 Abhimanyu in whole Face book. How am I supposed to find him?” I chided, feeling like a sleuth and she hummed.

“What the harm in trying?” She mumbled like a schizoid but sensing my glare on her, she added. “But I would wait till evening.”

***

“Keep your eyes closed.” Rhea smacked my head as she brushed a stroke on my eyes and I hissed. It wasn’t supposed to be my makeover but as Rhea tagged along and mom saw her, a glint of hope shone in her eyes and she handed the responsibilities of making me ‘beautiful’ to Rhea.

“Let it be Di, Butu Di is a gone case in this matter.” I heard Siya cribbing.

“Just wait till I open my eyes, I am going to kill you both.” I snarled as they both giggled. “First let us do our work.”

Twenty minutes later, when I finally opened my eyes. I was aghast to see myself. Their handiwork was pretty good on my face and I was staring in the mirror, with my eyes in slits. I saw a face outlined with curly tendril, highlighted cheek bones, neatly colored lips and smoky hued eyes that belonged to me. My hairs were tightly pinned in a twisted bun.

ESV cupped her face, dreamily, ‘Is it me? The beautiful me!’

Rhea cleared her throat, passing me one of those look that I easily recognized that she wanted me to give credit to her. I swiveled to face her and grinned, “I am really very beautiful. See I just made your work easy. Isn’t it?”

She scowled, “Huh! Self appreciation doesn’t need recommendations.”

“Come on, enough chitchat. They will be here anytime.” Mom said, coming inside and handed me a pretty magenta colored sari. “Here! Wear it fast.”

“Mom! I am asking you again, I mean are you sure that I should wear it. There are twenty stairs that leads me to the hall and I may trip or worse, it can be opened.” I expressed out my fears loud. Though, the latter one was more mortifying then the former. But still I couldn’t take chance.

“Nothing will happen, Butu! Relax.” Mom assured me and I trolled inside bathroom taking blouse and underneath skirt, still as reluctant as before.

“Where is mom?” I asked when I came out.

“Actually dad called mom and that’s why we as in Rhea Di and I shall help you.” Siya said.

I made a face, “Have you even draped a sari around you miss?”

“Don’t worry! Who do you take YouTube for?” Rhea giggled and took my Mac Pro.

“What the hell are you actually doing?”

“Searching for demonstration video on YouTube, you know where we learn basic steps from.” She apprised with her eyes guided on the screen. I skidded near her and peeped in to the screen. The video was rolling on and I was draping the sari as shown, finally after three attempts I succeeded in tugging it in skirt and pleated the fall, fixing it on the shoulder.

“Siya! Pass me the safety pin.” I stretched my hand out, still gluing my eyes at the screen.

Siya rolled her eyes “Di, it’s the fifth packet you’re using. Stop pinning every pleat.”

“I don’t want to be subjected of mockery.” I exhaled, carrying the fall and Rhea chided. “Ugh! Why are you making me kill you? Just unpin it.”

“No...Whoa! Rhea, what the hell are you doing?” I mewled as she took out all the pins and opened my pleats. “Just wait and don’t open your mouth.”

She practically unwrapped my sari and repeated the steps with minuscule amount of pins.

“There you go. Now hold it like this and perfect.” She instructed, pinning the drape on shoulder and grinned.

“Wow Rhea Di. You are genius.” Siya added a boost to Rhea’s overly sized ego and I shook my head, smiling.

“I know baby girl, you see I am the genius here.” Rhea smirked, pulling her imaginary collars.

“Okay. I gotta go.” Rhea muttered, swiveling her bag around her arm and hugged me.

“Where to? You are staying okay. You can’t leave me here all nervous, you understand?” I declared, hugging her back.

“No...Actually mom and dad are out and I’ve the keys with me but we are meeting tomorrow right.” She encouraged. “And I want details.”

I tapped her head, grinning. “Sure thing.”