Mika (Part II)

For those who missed Part I here is the link Mika - Part I

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It wasn't much, just a few lines but yet they had shaken her to the marrows. But the optimism that filled her after that had made her feel much better than she ever had in the past six months. These were the lines


"True love strikes as disaster does - when you least expect it,
Disaster tests you the same as true love does - when you least want it,
Test do they your faith, upto the last strand,
Face them head on, answered will you be,
The power to believe against all odds,
And that makes all the difference!"

She read the lines and looked at the horizon. She did not realize how long she had been staring ahead but suddenly out of the blue, she heard someone calling her name. "Mika! Mika!"

Mika turned and saw her mother walking hurriedly towards her.

"Oh, there you are... I was beginning to get afraid that something happened to you ... you have been out nearly three hours"

"three hours .. " Mika couldn't believe herself.

"Hey, you are all right, are you not? You have been acting different from morning. "

"Well, Mama, I'm all right, was just thinking about something. Come let's go home."

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After lunch, Mika made sure her mother was busy in the kitchen below. There was a big family party at their house that night and her mother was very busy preparing for it.

She sat at the computer and switched on the power. She waited until the desktop appeared but by some impulse, she went and lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. Her thoughts wavering around the morning's events. What had come over her?


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"Mika! where are you?" Anand's voice rang out through the window. Mika peeked out, her chin resting on the window sill.


"What is it, Anand?"

"Hey, come down fast. I want to show you something."

"Show it from there itself .. I can't come down"

"No way .. are you coming down now or I am not going to come up there and get you!"

"ok baba, coming .. but it better be a good reason"

"come down, you wont regret it"

"ok"

Mika jumped up from bed and hastily made her hair. As she did so, she looked longingly at the computer screen. Her mailbox was open in the computer and it showed a long list of mails from Anand. The mail subjects read ...

"Chocolates by mail from Switzerland by way of Wisconsin :)"
" Snowing at Atlanta .. wish you were here"
" Stars up and away - photo taken at the lawn in the night"
" I'm coming to India in June"
...

She hastily picked a small, ornamental bindi and fastened it to her forehead. Then rushed down the stairs, smiling to herself. She ran to the front door and out into the lawn. Anand was waiting for her there. He looked so handsome in the sherwani. He seemed to be gesturing to somebody on the far side of the house, but he swiftly turned as he heard her approaching.

"Hiyee", he yelled.

"Hi! .. ouch... why on earth do you have to yell like that for? .. by the by, whom were you talking to when I was coming."

"Me talking to someone? .. not at all!". There was a twinkle in Anand's eyes as he said this.

Mika got a wind of something being hidden from her, "Anand!", she said in a mockingly slow manner. "I know you are hiding something from me... come on .. tell me."

"okay .. okay sir, I accept defeat ... that was a part of the surprise"

"oooh ... okay, what's the surprise?"

"You will have to close your eyes ... come on"

Mika closed her eyes.

"Hey, no peeking !"

Mika laughed and kept her eyes closed. She wondered what Anand had in store for her. She heard some shuffling noises by the bushes. She willed to open her eyes, but she kept them tightly shut so as to not disappoint Anand.

"okay now .. you can open your eyes"

Mika opened her eyes to see Anand standing along with another girl. She was dressed in a traditional saree. Mika was lost for words, she looked from Anand to the girl and then back at Anand.

Anand then spoke, "Hi Mika, she is the surprise. Pavithra, meet my close friend from childhood , Mika"

"Hello"

"Hi..", Mika managed to bring out from her throat. What had come over her? Why was she struggling to talk?


Anand continued, "Mika, this is Pavithra, the girl who I am going to marry. We were classmates while I did M.S at Wisconsin"

The lump in Mika's throat hardly allowed a single word to emerge "Oh..cool".

"Hey Mika, are you ok?"

"Uh, well .. I have a bad headache ... that's why I was lying down .. it will go away soon .. don't worry"


"Oh ok then, I'm really sorry for disturbing you but I wanted you to be the first person whom I introduce Pavithra to. All others can come after that"

"oh, come on .. that was not really needed ... err .... hey guys, could you excuse me for sometime ... I want to take a bit of rest now to trash this bad headache ... I will come and meet you guys in about half an hour ..."

"oh, no problem at all," Pavithra said. "take your time .. get completely well and then come to see us ... besides I guess we will be seeing each other much more often in the future". Pavithra gave Mika a wink.

"ok thanks ... bye guys"

Mika turned and ran towards the front door, hardly able to conceal the tears in her eyes.
She rushed up the stairs, ran into her room, slammed the door shut and dropped to the floor crying"

Mika jumped out of the bed, bathed in sweat.

Oh! [Mika sighed in relief] it had been a dream!

She had never been able to remove that incident from her mind. She drank some water from the jug on the table by her bed and looked at her computer again.

The happenings of the morning came rushing back to her. Smiling to herself, she swore to find out who the mysterious messenger was.


Continued at Mika - Part III