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SHREYA

I am eleven years old and celebrating Holi with my friends in my building. Arjun is out somewhere. I and the girls are blissfully lost in the celebration when we see some unfamiliar guys entering the compound of our building. They are totally unrecognizable, laden with colours. They start applying colours randomly on anyone who crosses their path. Suddenly I find myself surrounded by them. They are not exactly doing anything offensive. They are just grinning and shouting – “Bura na maano Holi hai!”. But I feel uncomfortable.

All of a sudden a warm pair of hands engulfs me and I find myself protectively hugged by Arjun, just when one of the guys splashes some colour in my direction.

“Please leave!” Arjun says, still holding me firmly. I am only too glad to wrap my arms around him. The guys raise their arms in surrender and leave our building.

“Are you okay? Did they trouble you?” He asks me in concern, drawing himself back from our hug and staring at my face. 

"I am okay. They didn't do anything." I tell him.

He releases me from his arms and smiles. “Go, enjoy with your friends.”

Later, I am walking around the compound when I reach a corner and hear Mrs. Sharma, one of our neighbours, admonishing Arjun. They cannot see me. I hide in the corner and listen to the conversation.

“You are 21 now, aren’t you? Why did you hug Shreya? You are not children any more. You cannot be physically close to her like you used to be before. It is not decent.” She scolds him.

“What are you even saying, Aunty?! She is just a kid! I do not view her in any other way! I have been holding her since she was just a day old!” He replies angrily.

“She might just be a kid but you are grown up, Arjun! You should realize these things on your own!” She retorts back. Arjun simply hangs his head, closing his fists while she leaves.

That was the day when the hugs stopped.

“Madam!” The helper in my office interrupts my reverie and brings me out of it. “Sir wants to meet you.” He says, gesturing towards the boss’s cabin. I thank him and leave to meet the boss.

“Ah, come in Shreya.” He says as I knock at the door. He gestures me to sit and leans back in his chair, for a change looking very casual.

“How are things at your end?” He asks me.

“Going good, Sir. I am at the last phase of the project. Then we will put it through some trials and work out errors if any.”

He chuckles. “As if any of your programmes result in errors!” He straightens himself and says. “I actually have some great news for you. How would you like to work at New Zealand for six months?” He drops the bomb with a smile.

My jaw falls. “New Zealand?” I weakly mutter. Stupidly, my first thought is – six months away from Arjun?!

“Yes. The Board was asking for employees who can be sent for offsite work. I was happy to consider you foremost. You have been an exceptional programmer. I would really like to see you give this a shot.” He says.

I nod slowly. “And this is just for six months, right? I can return back once the project is done?”

“Yes, even before that if you complete the project before time. But why the hurry? I would say, make this trip both official as well as leisure. New Zealand is a beautiful place and I am sure you would love to have a tour of it.” He says laughing lightly.

“Sir, can I get back to you by tomorrow? I will just have a quick discussion with my family about this.”

“Of course! In fact, tell your family to keep their passports ready too.” He winks at me. I manage to smile at him and leave the cabin in a daze.

My first impulse, as always, is to seek out Arjun. I call him.

“Hey Kiddo! I collected the kits and distributed them to the kids. I must say, you have earned a lot of tiny fans!” He laughs warmly and I shut my eyes in despair.

Yesterday evening, when he held my hands in his and told me to move on, that was the most painful moment of my whole life. I do not know how I made it through. I clear my throat resolutely.

“That’s great! Can we meet tonight? I wanted to discuss something with you. Our building compound at nine, what say?”

“Sure, I will be there.” He says sounding somewhat confused.

“Okay then, I will see you. I am leaving from office now.” After saying bye, I disconnect the call.

My hands feel cold. On one hand there is the lure of dealing with an overseas project which could greatly enhance my resume. On the other hand, I have never been this away, this long, from Arjun. At the most, I have been to my native place during vacations for a week’s time. How will I manage six whole months without ever seeing him!?

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