Encounter with life..

Ah, a break!! Riya thought, none to company with, 'let me treat myself a shopping spree and a coffee, I'll have a cafe-shopping day'.

It was Diwali, and after constant working of hours she had lost count of, she had a free time of her office when all her colleagues and employees had vacated the office to proceed for a Diwali furlough. She looked at her office, the result of her profound toil and effort of 10 years that took to establish her own export house. No regrets she thought, Gratified enough.
Spirited, as she entered an air conditioned shopping mall, her eyes struck on a man- tall, lean and handsome- busy with his shopping at the far corner. She could not believe what she was seeing.

Stopping herself from running, shrieking, she called out reaching that man and engaging him in a bear hug "OhmyGod, Ani.. Is it you? Where have you been all these years?"

Awestruck, he spared himself from the embrace to have a look who was this girl. Recognizing the strange look in his eyes, she said "Its me, Riya. Didn't you recognize me?"

"Riya? Riya Arora? You look so.. different." he mumbled with a managed smile.

"I always have", Riya found herself chuckling back at him when she noticed a tall, pretty and happening and all girl standing by his side with a stern look in her eyes.

And Ani too realized the air getting thicker and addressed that unidentified girl "Ishita, she is Riya, a... a long lost friend... and Riya meet Ishita, my wife."

"Oh hi!" Riya said in a tone so friendly, "Ani and I have been long lost friends".

"And I thought only I called you Ani" added Ishita in an arrogant diction.

"Aniket, I meant, so what has been up with your life? Got so much to catch up.." was all Riya could manage.

"Yeah, I have been fine enough, into my own venture and married for 2 years now, see... She makes a lovely wife", Aniket pointed out Ishita when she left them chatting for trying another outfit.

"Yeah, I can make that out." Riya replied, she had sensed an air of uneasiness in Ani's voice. She always did, she thought gloomily.

"How have you been? What are you up to these days?" Ani shot at Riya.

"Just usual stuff, busy with work and all, I have finally set up my dream-export-house if you remember" Riya told him with a swell of pride in her eyes and a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh that's great, really nice. How about personal stuff??" He shot back with growing stiffness.

"Yeah, Mom dad are doing just fine, and Kunal- my brother, he is settled in USA." she replied coolly.

"Hun, we are getting late, remember we gotta go to the Verma's party?" Ishita's voice rang from far behind in Riya's ears.

"Just coming sweetie" Ani responded back.

"It was really nice seeing you Ani...Ket, your wife is waiting." Riya said.

"Same here. Bbye, See you around" and he left, he turned and waived a hand at Riya with a smile.

Riya too returned a faint smile, she stood there, watching him leave, 'see me around when he didn't even bother to exchange contact numbers'.

The flashes of past came rushing to her mind as if a movie was being played in fast forward.

Aniket, Ani and she had been friends since times immemorial. They had grown up together, tearing each others hair, teasing hell out of each other, soothing each other, consoling each other.

More than a friendship was blooming within, they realized, when they were knocking towards their youth. Their first brushes against each other, their first kiss, the night when she lay in his arms as her lover- possessing him and being possessed. She stood there, seeing past, scene by scene being played in the memory lane.

She was over with her academics and could not decide what to do next, when one fine day, Ani broke the news that he was going abroad, for further studies. She never asked the silly question 'and what about us?', she just understood.

But they were part time lovers and full time friends. They would talk everyday, they would talk about the hell stuff , about home- how he missed it, about lot more things. But with time lingering, the busy-ness crept in, and gradually, the everyday turned into often, often into rare ending up they lost contact.

She waited with a hope of him returning back to her, jumped into work, jerked everything other off her life and gave everything to her dream- her own export house. And how successful she was. And how empty...

Not that she did not have the opportunities, she was pretty, vibrant, successful and talk of the town. Who did not want to win her? Her colleagues, associates, clients asked her out. But she ignored. All of them. For a ray of hope, that had survived kindling inside her for these looong 10 years.. That same hope which died today in the encounter with life..

May God bestow his best of blessings on you Ani and Ishita, she wished as she turned away, startling at the call of her name from a distant place.

"Hey Riya"

She turned around to find out a business associate who had become a friend as well over the years.

"Hey Abhay" she said with a wry smile.

"What, of all the places are you doing here? and aloof?" Abhay demanded.

"Making up my mind for a re-incarnation at 35. What say?" she joked back.

"You already look stunning dear lady, you do not need a make-over I believe." Abhay bantered.

"Aww you mean guy, you know how I despise flattery." Riya continued.

"Do you mind even a coffee Damsel!" Abhay said.

"The treat has to be mine, I am the one who is going for re-incarnation" she replied.

"Your wish is my command ma'am" he bragged.

Riya held onto Abhay's outstretched hand and marched towards a new life.

With a new hope...