Dragging his trolley bags across the airport Mridul walks sleepily towards the check-in counter. Travelling for work has become routine for him, and now he no longer minds the sleepy runs and coffee fuelled marathon meetings anymore. Another work tour, and endless hours of meetings awaits him in this new city where he would be stationed for the next fifteen days or so.
Collecting his bags, he is greeted by a familiar face, as Gaurav, his former colleague finds him. Exchanging courtesies they realize they are now working on the same project from different sides.
"What a small world haan?" Gaurav cannot help but exclaim. "I used to be your junior. We had so much fun at office parties together. And now, you're my client. Well my company's to be precise"
"Tu itta formal kyun ho ra hai bhai? Office mei ho lio formal, abhi idhar to bhai hai apna" Mridul patted Gaurav on his back, proud of the man he had become. Mridul had been a part of Gaurav's onboarding process and mentored him for a solid three years before he left to start his own venture.
"So first time here?" Gaurav asked.
"Haan yaar, I mean ek do din k liye meetings pe aaya hu main kaafi bari yahaan but iss bari fifteen days rehna hai. Not sure what I'm gonna do" Mridul shrugged. Banglore city was not exactly alien to him, but he was unsure of his leisure plans as of now.
"Arey Sir, mere hote hue aap tension kyun lere ho? main hu na. Gaadi leke niklengey dono bhai, aapko yahaan ke untouched adventure spots ghuma k launga main. Main city mein kuchh nahi raha, off roading niklengey mazey mein" Gaurav chuckled with enthusiasm.
Checking-in into their respective accommodation suites, the boys caught up with their teams and the rest of the day went by in a blurr. Come saturday morning, Gaurav called Mridul up at 4am in the morning,
"Sir ji aa jao niche wait kar raha hu aapki"
"Bhai itni subha kahaan jaega? Iss time to clubs band hone lagtey hain" Mridul answered in a sleepy tone.
" Sir clubs to aap yahaan se zyaada dekh chuke Dilli mei, usmein main kya le jaunga aapko. Apko promise kiya tha off roading karaunga, so bas. Aaj hum jaengey off roading." Gaurav exclaimed.
Within fifteen minutes Mridul was dressed and ready to go. Both reminisced old days of banter and fun at work. Old bonds forged over time, have a tendency to come back strong. No matter the time lapse, or distance, nothing changes.
Having driven for over two hours, they were now outside the city, the roads were narrow and flanked with lush green grasses on both side. Large fields of rice and coconut trees flanked the terrain with rows of jackfruit trees and cute little huts, dotting landscape apart from occasional flocks of sheep, and cows. the scenery was picturesque and Mridul pulled out his phone to share his view, sending a short video to his close friends.
Crossing multiple hills, they finally reached the top of the Jog Falls. Mridul could not believe his eyes, such a grandiose view, barely a few hours away from the busy city was mindboggling. The air was fresh, with a hint of cider and oak wood like fragrance. The strong winds brought light sprays of mist along with them while the greenery swayed melodiously in the distance. This was the longest ziplining spot near Bengaluru city and Mridul wanted to go for it. He took a quick snap of the falls and shared it to close friends including Maaya.
Putting on his safety harness, he felt a tug inside of his chest, like a faint warning of the gut. Ignoring the feeling, he secures his phone in his pocket. The last name he sees flashing on his screen is Maaya - Message sent to Maaya is all that the phone displays. Seeing her name, he recalls how paranoid she gets about her gut feelings.
Instinctively he requests Gaurav to check in with the ground safety staff. A few calls are exchanged and the safety crew realizes their error. The ground staff at the other end were still amidst preparation and had there not been this delay, Mridul could have been at risk. After clearance, Mridul and Gaurav enjoy their zipling experience safely, the adrenaline rush the ride brings wipes away all the stress and brings out their appetite. Getting down, they find the first shanty on their way. Set up at walkable distance from the waterfalls, these little set ups sell fresh hot south inidan breakfast that Gaurav swears by.
"Arey sir try to karo yaar, continental to aapko Delhi mein bhi mil jaega khaana. But Banglore aaye aur aise tapri se amma ka idli nahi khaya to kya hi khaaya" Gaurav had spent a couple of months in the city and would not budge from giving his friend the full experience of the city.
"Chal maan li teri baat, Bhook lagg ri hai bhot tez ki. Aur jitta jaldi tune aaj uthaa diya hai na, bhai wapas jaake sona bhi hai mujhe" Mridul loved south indian breakfast and did not shy away from street food anyway. No harm trying the local flavours here.
"Arey aise kaise sir, abhi to Kaveri river bhi dikha k laana hai aapko. Karnataka aaye aur Kaveri anhi dekha to kya dekha?"
Sitting down at one of the shanty, Mridul looked around. Scores of people had come with thier families for a weekend outing and were enjoying the weather. A young lad served them food on banana leaf and the owner of the shack was a woman in her late sixties serving with a smile. She offered refills without charge and even gave Mridul an extra sweet when she realized he was not from her city. Touched by the hospitality of those around him, Mridul was glad Gaurav brought him here. Bidding farewell to the amma with folded hands, Mridul and Gaurav left a generous tip with the young lad who had served them food and went back to their accommodation. Dozing off in a siesta after an adventurous drive, Mridul was in a dream. He saw himself sitting in the hall way of a beautiful house, just like he dreamed of building some day, with wooden interiors and a high rise ceiling for a spacious feel. Inside this house he saw his close friend Parth sitting at one end while Maaya sat on the other, right next to himself.
"Tu meri baat kyun ni maanta. Pata hai kitni fikar ho rahi thi" Maaya pleaded with rage.
"Tu janti to hai na, meko shuak hai to hai" Mridul tried to lighten the mood. Somehow he knew that the discussion was around the ziplining incident and Maaya knew how narrowly he had escaped the accident, since the safety crew was unprepared by a few seconds.
"Kuchh hua to nahi na, dekh thik hun main" Mridul confirmed, as he held her pals in his hands, her palms were red with blotches of red and blue.
"Tum log ladtey rahogey ya race bhi lagaogey" Parth chirped in to lighten the air.
Mridul looke down at the table and realized he and Maaya were holding palm sized toy cars of funny shapes. Hers looked like some animal, while his was a steel alloy truck shaped like a double decker bus. He looked at Maaya, who pressed the toy gently and dragged it back to create the push factor in preparation. Her hair falling over her eyes, eyes fixed on the finish line marked by the salt and pepper shakers bottle placed by Parth. He could not help but feel grateful for how loving his friends were, and how much they cared for him.
"1. . . . . 2. . . . . 3. . . .. Goooooo" Maaya released her toy car while Mridul was lost in thought.
"Kya yaar tu na baat maan ta hai, na race lagata hai. Koi baat ni sunta meri" Maaya pouted.
"Dekh Maaya, tu jaanti hai, haar main sakta nahi! Aur terse jeet k kahaan jaunga? " He held her right hand affectionately. Runnng his fingers across the bruise marks on her palm, that had come up as a result of her incessant banging on the glass wall of the window.
"Uhm m m . . . . .okay . . . . .thik hai. .. . " Maaya fumbled to find words as she did anytime she got nervous or embarassed. But she seemed glad that Mridul understood her concern for her and Mridul could easily read that much in her eyes.
Intertwining her fingers with his, Mridul held her hand and made a double fist with their palms touching. Maaya leaned her forehead close to their intertwined fingers and Mridul gently kissed her forehead. He was grateful for the bond they shared.
Sitting amazed by the eventful day he had had, he could not help recalling the dream sequence with Maaya. It was the second time he had had such a lucid dream about her, and this time the events form his life were actually showing cognizance with the situation in the dream. This was weird, more so the fact that he could not help feeling concerned for Maaya and her bruised hands. She was one lucid dreamer he knew, but now he was able to recall his dreams too. Strange.
Ajeeb si baat hui yaar. I saw you in my dream, teko hath mei chot lagi hui thi and I was concerned. Just dropping a text, zaada sochne mat baith jio. - Mridul
Leaving a text for Maaya, Mridul went ahead with his meal.
While Maaya woke up in another city, with a time zone difference of a couple of hours, her screen showed 3 unread messages from Mridul.
Continued from Holding Hands 3
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