Holding Hands 5

Petting dogs

It is Diwali season again, and Maaya cannot contain her excitement. The festivities around Diwali are huge in India and it is also considered the new year in Hindu culture. It has been three years now, that her brother left the city for work, uprooted from his hometown, he now lives far away in the busy town of New Jersey, where temperatures dipped below zero for winters and summers are not exactly hot as a Delhite would see. As the two once remarked, home no longer feels like home, without the usual sibling banter, fighting over the TV remote and begging the other to buy Momos on their way home from the market. It is now only during the fast moving days of Diwali festivities that the siblings get to see each other in person and Maaya is tired of facetiming her only sibling, annoying him in person is so much more fun. Her brother's arrival is a much awaited milieu for Maaya, as the siblings have been close since the incident. 

It has been a while since Mridul last spoke to Maaya, and he knows how excited Maaya is for her brother's arrival. Both the friends have their own incidents, leaving them excited and anxious for the upcoming festivities. Mridul knows it will be difficult to catch hold of Maaya once the festivities start, it is a day before Dhanteras, and a Sunday. Trying his luck, Mridul texts Maaya to see if they can catch up before the holiday season, in their decade long of friendship Mridul knows how important family is to Maaya, almost as much as his own. The point of congruence for the two amidst all their differences was their love for their respective families and the understanding of the emotion for each other. 
"Tu aaj milegi? GIP ? Meko kaam hai thoda, tu bhi apni diwali shopping wahin se dekh lio"
"Kab?"
"Dopahar mil le, I know tu shaam mein late nahi ruk sakti"

"Okay . Done"
"Main 1pm kareeb niklunga ghar se tu 1:30 nikal lio"
"Okay Done"
Maaya, set an alarm for 12 to get dressed by ready, put her phone aside, and went about her work. Diwali means loads of tidying up and decorating the home to welcome prosperity and wealth with the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi. 
Mridul too got to work, in his house every event was a grand event as this Mamma's boy would want to make sure that he had a brand new outfit to put on for the puja rituals and another set for the after party. 

12:45pm 

"Uffo, late gyi main to!" Maaya exclaimed looking at the wall clock as she put on her slippers and searched for her keys.  "Mridul to pauchne wala hoga, main abhi nikli bhi nahi." She muttered under her breathe, cursing her last moment change of mood to change into her frill shirt instead of goig with the Kurta. Something she was guilty of doing too often, planning an outfit and then changing her mind at the 11th hour cuz it didn't feel right. 

2:10pm 
Standing at the mall entry, Maaya brisk walked out of her cab and rang Mridul up. 
"Main pauch gyi bas, tu kidhar hai?"
"Main? Main ghar. Tuney phone jo nahi uthaya mera" Mridul stated flatly.
"Arey to main bas paunchne wali thi na, cab se utar ke call back kiya tujhe." Maaya explained. "Yaar dekh mere ghar mei seedha logic hai, time de diya matlab nikal lo time se, nahi to gaadi chali jaegi" Maaya waved her hands in the air to mime a lost carriage even though Mridul could not see her on their audio call.
"Bhai mere ghar pe ulta system hai. Ladies ki chalti hai. Mammi aur chhoti ko tyaar hone k liye bhi 3 baari bolna padta hai, adha ghanta late to karwaati hain. Tune call ni uthaya mujhe laga tu bhi tyaar hori hogi. Tu pauch bhi gyi hai, chal 5 minute de main slippers pehen k bas aata hu gaadi bhagaata hua"

"Please don't, drive safe and take your time"
"See ya soon" Mridul put down his phone, smiling. She always did something unexpected and in a funny way. 

Killing time while waiting for her friend to show up, Maaya browsed through her shopping list for Diwali. Most of the essentials had been bought. As for clothes, she did not mind repeating her favourites for special occasions. She snacked on a sandwich at a mini coffee house in the middle of the mall, taking up a small table in the extreme corner, overlooking the vast atrium. Atriums in Delhi malls are decorated with fervor for festivities, and she liked watching them, more from a distance than up close surrounded by crowds of tired parents and over excited toddlers. Mridul walked up to her and they greeted each other with a hug. 
"Ab bata kyaa kaam hai tera" Maaya was all business.
"Kaam kuchh bhi nahi hai, terse milna tha. Waise to tu milti nahi, bahaane se hi mil le" Mridul smiled his genuine Mridul smile.
"Achha chal thik hai, meko thodi shopping karni thi tu company de de. Aur jahaan tu bolegi main chalunga. Pakka" Mridul shrugged, offering a bargain Maaya did not know what to do.
They sit for a few beers before starting their browsing journey through stores for the perfect outfit. Mridul looks at a few labels, which Maaya rejects outright for the sheer billboard vibe the clothes give. 
"Why do you wanna wear something that has zero design appeal and looks like a branding campaign?" Maaya was getting fussy by the minute, walking out of each showroom with more frustration than before.
Chal meri bari, you said you will go anywhere I say". Maaya turned her head to the side with puppy eyes. Mridul assumed she would take him to a shopping frenzy to pick out different shades of pink, but instead, they were both at crossroads, the bookstore. Maaya browsed through the sections like crazy till she found the book she was looking for. 
"I love the color" Mridul finally said, he was not much of a reader. 
"I love the author" Maaya beamed. 
The both walked out of the bookstore, and walked towards the parking the lot. Mridul had a serious look on his face now. While catching up was fun, usually the serious info was kept for the ned of the meet between these two. 
Maaya noticed the shift in his expressions, festivities were difficult for Mridul, since he lost his dad a few years ago. The responsibilities and tasks were easy to handle, it was the ache of missing a loved one that bit him. Maaya simple held his hand knowing he won't say anything and they walked in silence. Now in the car, Mridul finally spoke, his mother wanted him to settle down. And when brown parents say "settle down" what they mean is get married and start a new phase of life. Mridul started talking about his struggle with the proposals and matches coming his way while Maaya sat their and giggled in the left seat. 
"Tu hass rahi hai? Meko stress ho ra hai yaar" Mridul pleaeded with Maaya. "Yaar dressing sense bhi to koi cheez hoti hai" , "Rishte wali pictures mein sab ethnic mein hotey hain, Maa made me upload pictures from Riya Di's Wedding" Mridul was particular about his sense of style. 
"Nothing new re, mamma can not force you anyway. Say yes when you feel ready." Maaya shrugged.
"Tu badi chill hai, jab tere sath hoga tab puchhunga" Mridul teased.
"Dealing with it since a while now. Chillax" Maaya said with a straight face. 

This was news, of all the things they had spoken about from personal to professional, sharing secrets and sorrows alike, Maaya had never mentioned this to Mridul. He looked visibly shocked as if she had been carrying an octopus on her head that he had never seen until now. Mridul came to his senses after the initial shock of a couple of seconds, and asked what Maaya was planning to do about it now that outright saying NO was not an option. Growing up brings in other responsibilities and one needs to consider these suggestions too. Somehow they were both tipsy and yet their discussions were getting a lot more sober than what they were talking about before drinks. 
At this point Maaya went blank, for her list was not about physical attributes of a person. Those were variables which can be modified with work. Her priority was the character, the attitude and beliefs of the person. 
"Yaar abhi tak samajh nahi aaya k judge kaise karun?" Mridul knew he had to steer the conversation to a lighter note, Maaya would fall deep into the rabbit hole of her wayward thoughts. Neither of them had the time to wait. 
"Koi nahi pasand aaya to kyaa karegi?" Mridul nudged her, they were closing towards Maaya's house, he would drop her home and leave.
"I dunno re" Maaya pouted. 
"If you don't find anyone till thirty, and me neither, . . ." Mridul looked at her, "We could tie the knot" 
"Hain? You mean like a thirty pact?" Maaya raised a brow, she had heard of these things in movies but she never knew this could be a thing. 
Mridul found this to be a light way of steering her to lighter conversation and cheer her up. Plus he did not mind the prospect of spending his life with his close friend. She had been there for him through some of the hardest phases, and he adored her.
"Par mera dressing style to kafi zyada variable hai" Maaya raised her nose in the air to mock Mridul for his parameters.
"Tu seekh lio, I'll promise to learn to be okay with your habit of petting street dogs in exchange" Mridul winked.
"Tu pagal hai, but I like the idea. Main single nahi marungi" Maaya smiled a reassuring smile at him. 
Getting down right outside her street, Maaya walked back in silence. The air had a light chill in it, hinting the arrival of the festive season. 

Getting in bed, Maaya sees two notifications on her phone. A picture message from Mridul, petting a street dog. Caption says - Told you I will make room for you.
Maaya could not help but smile, although a vague idea, spending the rest of her life with her best friend did not seem like a bad idea right now. Especially when he showed his willingness to make room for her quirks in his otherwise perfectionist lifestyle.