Birthday Girl

It was 11pm when three girls were busy decorating the house for a big birthday bash. Yana, Krishna ands Kiran were looking very busy as if they were running out of time. “Everything has to be at place before Richa reaches home”, said Krishna. In the last five years all of them knew how crazy Richa was about Birthday’s celebrations either its other’s or her own. She always made sure that everyone’s birthday had been celebrated in a special way; so all of them were trying to make everything special when it was Richa’s birthday. Yana was looking busy wrapping up the gift and Kiran was arranging the candles on top of the cake. Krishna was putting the chocolates inside the balloons and waiting for the cake cutting to get over so that she could have her favorite chocolate truffle. That’s when Yana called up to say that she might take half an hour more to reach home. Yana and Kiran started shifting the things to the balcony slowly, hearing this. Someone rang the bell and Krishna went to open the door thinking that it would be Richa, but it was the delivery boy with a cake n flowers. There was a mouth-watering strawberry-cheese cake. Krishna’s immediate reaction was, "Thank God , it’s not another chocolate cake."

Richa’s birthday celebration had started at her office. Her colleagues were the first to make her cut her 25th Birthday cake. Finally it was five minutes to twelve when Richa stepped in the house. Everything seemed normal to her till the time she had not opened her balcony door. The moment she went to the balcony, there was a crowd waiting for her with cakes, flowers, balloons, musical candles n knife. Yana had kept the video camera ready and Kiran was busy capturing each expression on Richa’s face. The moment Richa blew off the candle n touched the knife to the cake there was music. There was not only B’de song but the songs dedicated to their friendship. Richa was surprised as she was told that only Yana would be there for her Birthday; Krishna n Kiran were supposed to go home. So it was a big surprise to her, another birthday with her three best friends, lots of flowers, chocolates, cakes and gifts.

All of them were busy eating the cake when a car stopped in front of their house. Few other friends came out of the car and decided to go to another friend’s house who had organized a party on Richa’s honor. But the car took another direction and they landed up in a nice club. The surprise was a pool-side party which went on till the early morning. All of them were back home after enjoying the dance and music for two hours. At home everyone fell asleep other than Richa who was lost in her deep thoughts. She was little relaxed as she got an off on her birthday but the charm on her face was telling some other story, telling about Aadi. Few more hours and her Aadi would be with her.

Aadi, the other side of Richa’s life where she’s a complete different persona, someone who made her feel complete with his presence, someone who had filled her life with love; someone who meant the world to her. No wonder her diary says, “My Aadi- My World.” No wonder she kept telling to Krishna, that her world started with Aadi and ended with him too. Richa was doing the most difficult thing that time- waiting. She just wanted the next few hours to fly. She had waited for two years after Aadi left to USA for his higher studies but the last few hours were testing her patience. Aadi’s come back to India was the biggest gift to the birthday girl.

She reached the airport before Aadi’s flight arrived. Each moment was difficult now. Finally the flight landed another fifteen minuets for her to see Aadi. A big crowd coming out from the terminal. Richa could now see Aadi. It was not possible for her to hold back her tears the moment she saw Aadi. She held back her emotion for two years, but not now.The happy tears were rolling over her cheeks. She could remember Aadi’s promise of being the reason for all her happy tears. Aadi reached near Richa and took her into his arms; their silence was telling how much they had missed each other during those years. They went home and got lost in their own world. But Aadi wanted to make her birthday special in some other way. So he took her to their favorite restaurant, there was cakes n champaign. There was music- the songs they really meant a lot to them like- jab koi baat bigad jaaye... Richa wanted time to freeze there forever. She said; “I am so happy that I don’t want anything more in life, I have lived it completely in the last few hrs” Answering this Aadi said that abhi to bahot zindegi jeena baaki hai Michael. Michael- that’s what Aadi used to call Richa with love.

Aadi was taking the car out when Richa went to the other side to pick up some flowers and while crossing the road banged on to a car. Aadi could do nothing but screamed standing at the other side of the road. He somehow managed to get Richa inside the car and started driving towards the hospital. Her off-white silk kurta was looking red when the doctor was taking her to the emergency ward. She was immediately taken to the operation theatre. Aadi was scarred to sign that bond. How the doctor could say like that. He could never let Richa leave him alone like this. He could never let that happen. He was consoling himself. In the restaurant why Richa told that she had lived her whole life in those few hours. Why he did let her go to the other side of the road alone, it could have rather happened to him. But whatsoever might come on his way, he would live with Richa, that’s what he kept telling himself and to God. In the meanwhile Krishna, Yana and Kiran had reached the hospital and waiting for the doctor to come out of the O.T. It was more than three hrs when the doctor came out of the O.T.

Richa’s fine but she would have to be under observation for the next 72 hrs, told the doctor. Each second was difficult for them but Aadi was really breaking down seeing his Michael at this stage. All were curiously waiting for Richa to wake up from that long sleep, but when she actually got up, she was different. She had hardly remembered anything about her past. She was attacked by Amnesia, she had lost her memory. This was the biggest shock to all. “The girl who remembers every small and big thing about everyone, how can she lose her memory?” said Yana. “She lost her memory, you mean she doesn’t remember me?” asked Aadi to the doctor. “That’s not possible, I think the doctor has not examined her properly.” said Aadi to all. Krishna and Kiran were just stunned, not sure what to do.

The doctor said that she would take time to recollect her past with proper medication and treatment. But that would take time; might be months and for some people it might be years too. Though there was hope that Richa would be normal one day, the uncertainty in the time-span made everyone upset. Richa’s memory cells were blank when she was up after the accident. Even if she had forgotten most of her past, Aadi was still there in her fainted memory. Knowing that he was not a complete stranger to Richa, Aadi was feeling little better. Her birthday was still there in her mind. When Aadi started interacting with Richa, the talk had started with her Birthday. Gradually with time, her health was becoming better. By then, her parents were also around. She was under strict medication and the doctor had to change one of her medicines since that ran out of the stock in the market. That’s when everyone had to go through another phase of trauma. Unfortunately due to induce drug, Richa was affected by vitiligo.

Richa was broken this time. She kept complaining to God why she had to undergo all these. She was tired of her treatment, she was tired of life. She decided not to go ahead with Aadi though she knew that this was toughest decision she had ever made. Aadi was surprised to know about her decision. It sounded absurd to him. Knowing Aadi’s denial to this decision, she was broken. Aadi was surprised at how she could make such a decision. He could not think of not standing by his Michael when she needed him the most. He reminded Richa of her own words, “you could love someone for only one reason and that’s love, so love could never end with any reason ”. Richa was not convinced by what she had told in her past. Finally Aadi kept mum instead of telling yes to all her conditions, which probably Richa took as a Yes. He decided not go go back to tey Silicon VAlley and took up a job in India so that he could be with her. It took her more than two years to recollect her past, to grow beautiful; both mentally and physically again.

It was Richa’s birthday again. This year the birthday meant a lot to all, it was a rebirth of Richa. Aadi was planning to do something special, but he was not sure what really could make her day. Finally he thought of buying her flowers; something she was always passionate about. The city was looking desolate to him before the midnight. There was no florist opened. He had to somehow cross the same hospital where he would never want to step in again. This was the place where Richa’s treatment was going on. There was a flower shop where Aadi used to buy flowers for Richa everyday to celebrate her birthday when she was hospitalized and her birthday remained safe in her fainted memory. He bought the flowers. and reached her before it was twelve. He was still blank on how to make her day special. When the hour, minute and second hands were touching twelve, he held her hand and bent down on his knees. Seeing that Richa was surprised. It took him no time to tell her the three magical words, "I love you Richa, will you marry me?" .She was silent for a while but the blush on her face told him everything. He knew that he had made the day of the Birthday girl.

Those special lines !!!

See the world through my eyes,
Life is so small to waste on cries.
When the sun rises in the east again,
It’s me you have seen.
When the gentle winds buzz your ears,
It’s my voice that you hear.
When the foams of sea kiss your feet,
It’s my caress that you feel.
When you touch that morning dew on the grass,
It’s me whom you have touched.
Believe me this is the truth,
Till we meet again,
Don’t tell me you fear the end,
When your journey's just begun...