It’s Raining!

‘Don’t you trust me!’

Neha did not get any response to this sms she sent to Aman fifteen minutes back. She waited. May be he is driving, maybe he is in the shower? Perhaps he is in a meeting or on a call. Neha was sure Aman would reply to her sms and then call her back. Then she would tell him everything. Aman would never fail her she knew. After all, she trusted him more than herself and knew her secrets were always safe with him. But what had happened now was unacceptable and she had to speak to him. It was important.

‘Didi- it’s raining since morning. I am so bored. Cannot even go out! Am bored looking at Facebook. Kolkata will be under water soon’- finished Jhelum in one breath. Neha’s younger sister loved talking and could go on for hours non-stop.

‘Hmmm’ was all Neha managed to say before disconnecting the phone. She looked out of her window. It had already started drizzling and there was a soft moist breeze flirting with the tree outside the window. Neha loved the rains and ever since she came to Mumbai – the rains fascinated her. While she waited for Aman to respond to her sms, Neha’s mind drifted to her memory of the first rain in Mumbai. She smiled and closed her eyes. It was so fresh a memory – as if it was just yesterday.

June 7, 2010

‘Come on Neha- you will take ages to finish the training or what?’ sms-ed Aman

‘Shhh… done. Two minutes’ Neha sneaked the sms while looking at her trainer with a straight face. She knew Aman would keep sms-ing till she was out of the classroom. Within two minutes, the session was over and Neha ran down the corridor –out of the office building. Aman was waiting for almost twenty minutes.

‘Sorry sorry. Let’s go’ she smiled apologetically.

‘What will you do with so many trainings? You want to become a writer – not a project manager!’ laughed Aman.

‘Hey Aman- see this’ – Neha pointed to the fat droplet of water on her palm. ‘It’s drizzling – the first rains! Wow!’

Aman was bemused to see the expression on Neha’s face. ‘Ok ma’am. You get wet then. I’ll open the umbrella now’.

‘How did you pre-empt it will rain? You have an umbrella also!!!’

‘I kept one in my workstation at the start of the month only. These rains cannot be trusted’ stated Aman proudly as he took out the umbrella from his bag. By now- it was no longer drizzling. It was raining – rather heavily.

‘You should get your umbrella too’ added Aman.

‘Hey – share the umbrella. Am half-wet already’ complained Neha.

‘Uh – but you wanted to get wet. Come now. One umbrella never helps you see! Both of us will get wet now' Aman replied.

‘So mean Aman!’ laughed Neha completely overlooking the rudeness in Aman's tone. ‘You don’t want to share your umbrella with me’.

‘Haha! Not like that Neha’ replied Aman - breaking into laughter at the spontaneous innocence in Neha's expression. ‘Just that both of us are getting wet’.

‘Then let’s just let go’ –with a wicked smile Neha snatched the umbrella from Aman’s hand and closed it. In minutes, they were drenched.

‘What did you do?’ Aman almost screamed back.

‘I just experienced the first rains in Mumbai. I will never forget this day Aman. Thank you!’ Neha replied naively.

Aman did not know what to say. He looked into Neha’s eyes and loved the mischief hidden there. He didn’t mind getting wet in the rains – for a change. Neha gave a big long glance back at Aman and then closed her eyes for few seconds. She was happy. When Neha rejoiced a moment, she closed her eyes to capture the frame in her heart. It was her own little secret. She could replay it later whenever she wanted - as frequently as her heart desired.

Simple moments… How they make such everlasting memories.

Back to Present Day

Beep! A bright white light flashed on Neha’s smart phone screen.

‘Ah- there comes Aman’s reply’ she smiled to herself. She unlocked her phone to read the text message.

‘Your mobile phone bill is due today. Please pay today to avoid any late payment’.

Neha checked her Inbox again. There was no sms from Aman. Neha looked out of her window - the rains had stopped. There were no sign of the Sun but the sky reflected the colors of a beautiful 'after sunset' sky. There were splashes of orange and pale white spread across the sky that looked like footprints that the Sun had left behind en route to calling it a day.

Aman did not respond. Hopes to hear from him faded away just like the orange-white faint beams disappeared from the sky and darkness took over.

But Neha knew that the Sun would rise again tomorrow. There was always hope.