Baarish
"Ram!" she shouted, as he walked away with the umbrella, letting her get drenched in the heavy rain. In his hand were the papers; the ones he would never want to discuss with her.
You compelled me to love these rains, Priya thought achingly. Because of your love, your sweet words…your poor jokes…Ram, I began to love the rains. But today you, the one who lived for this rain, are walking away from it? Why?
She looked up at the sky, welcoming the downpour with open arms. “I am in love with you, Ram,” she whispered softly. “I am in love with you. Ram - my husband. Not the image of Mr. Kapoor I built in my mind five months back.”
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FIVE MONTHS EARLIER
"Baarish! You want to give a speech on this topic? I am not impressed, Sakshi and Naman.” Priya was annoyed. She hated the rains with an all consuming passion.
Sakshi rolled her eyes. "Ma'am, we thought that in the monsoon season, Mumbai's baarish would be a good topic for the speech."
Priya folded her arms, looking stern. "I too thought that you people would act like grown ups by now but no, you two are mentally still in class 5.”
The two students looked down sheepishly, choosing wisely to say nothing.
"Koi aur topic ready kariye,” Priya commanded crisply. “Otherwise, I am not going to give you good marks in this subject."
"But Ma'am-” Naman tried again, but she collected her books and walked away.
On the other side of town, Ram was munching his favourite blackberry pastries in his blue Audi’s back seat. The car was one of the many swanky ones lined up at the traffic signal of one of Mumbai’s posh localities.
"Do you know,” Ram was saying, a happy smile on his face. “Mujhe fifth class se yeh baarish sabse zyada pasand hai. I am just in love with it!”
"Class 5 se kyun, Sir?” the friendly chauffeur asked.
Ram laughed. "Because I used to have a crush on my English teacher.”
The chauffeur too joined in, chuckling. "And what about now, Sir?” he ventured hesitantly after a while.
“Now?” Ram laughed out loud and gulped his anti-acid pills. “Now, that English teacher is my earliest girlfriend in whose son's wedding we are going."
The chauffeur didn't laugh, his face reflecting his confusion. In the awkward atmosphere, Ram complained good naturedly, "Tumhe hasi nahi aayi? Yaar, mere jokes pe koi hasta kyun nahi?"
"Sir, I will definitely wish ki aapke jokes pe koi hasne wala mil jaye," the chauffeur responded cheerfully.
Ram smiled, looking distractedly out of the window. "Wow, baarish aa gayi!” he exclaimed.
The next moment, he had exited the Audi, a child like excitement on his features.
"Sir, umbrella?" the chauffeur yelled behind him.
"Bola na, I just love this baarish!” Ram looked at the water droplets kissing his skin and ran his hand through his wet hair.
A
"I hate baarish, Twinkle! Ab dobara mat poochna ke raincoat kyun pehna hai!” Priya reprimanded her colleague, sliding into the auto-rickshaw parked near the traffic signal. Twinkle was just about to join her in the auto-rickshaw, when suddenly the splash of muddy water from a blue Audi hit her clothes.
Priya gave a death glare to the luxurious car crossing the signal. Twinkle stared in dismay at her dirty clothes. "Because of these bade baap ki bigdi aulaads, I have to wear a raincoat in the rain.”
She shook her head, grumbling to a shocked Twinkle as the auto drove on.
beta-ed by gurl-enchanted
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