Naina: ''Ramya wake up its 10:30..''
she opened her eyes at once, as if a scene from some movie was being shot, and Ramya had to open her eyes as Naina finished delivering her dialogue..
unlike her daily routine.. Ramya woke up, got ready, fought with the lift door of her society, which always gave her a tough time. Grabbed a quick breakfast from subway , caught a cab and left for lower parel, on the way she picked up , one of her friends, dhaanya.
Both of them studied in the same college, they had to go to lower parel , to meet a photographer, regarding their, styling shoot, as both of them were fashion students.
''its raining cats and dogs.. gosh.. i forgot to carry my umbrella", said Dhaanya.
''that's alright, anyways, we just have to meet him and come back, we don't have to roam or do any shopping.. in fact, we shouldn't , at least not me''.
That fear, that disappointment, that despair, had never left Ramya, since that day, when her father, left her mother and little Ramya just 4 months old, since then, her mother, Sunaina, could somehow, fulfill her only child's school dues and , with the help of her ancestral jwelry, she managed to get a MUTHOOTH finance loan, and that's how she managed to send her daughter to college.
It was pouring madly, on the town side streets of Mumbai. A very common sight in the monsoons. Both of them, alighted the cab, paid him off, and started moving toward the , old , dilapidated building, which read "MADAN MOHAN TOWERS''.
" godd.. don't tell me, this guy has his office here, in this ''kabootarkhana''.. he seems to be a well off person, at least , good enough to have a proper office" Dhaanya shrugged.
''Never judge a book by its cover '',... Ramya smiled.
The seven storied building , had a lift, which seemed to tell its age old tragic story, its door seemed to be in such a bad condition, that it would pin out of the walls, with a slight extra jerk. The sad condition of the lift, made the two damsels, take the stairs, they panted and reached the office, which was stationed on the 5th floor.
To their surprise, the door of the office,seemed to tell a much happy story than the lift, holding a name plate of '' JAMAL GUJRAL'' , they entered the stain glassed door.
The office was like a new born child , as compared to its mother, an elderly woman, who lost all its charm due to aging( probably it did'nt use OLAY age defying cream ).
"Excuse me, we would like to meet Mr. Gujral, we have an appointment".. inquired Ramya.
" I am very sorry ma'am , but Mr. Gujral is out , for a week, he left, for New York, early morning, on some urgent business calls''.
Both , Ramya and Dhaanya, gave disgusting, at the same time, disappointing looks to each other. With no other option left, both of them took a leave.
It didn't seem to stop raining at all, they decided to have a cup of tea at the nearby stall.
'' Hey, look at those bangles, ohh!! i so wanted to buy them since the farewell party, i had seen that, Monishka , wear them, hey please, lets go and have a look. P-L-E-A-S-EEEE"?? begged Dhaanya.
Ramya, always kept herself from falling a prey to the whole "shopping mania".. because she knew, how hard it was for her mother to manage even her daily expenses. But obviously, deep down inside, she always longed for so many things which she never got, one of them was, " a pair of shoes".. in her favorite color, green. A wish, a hope, which was so petty, when it came to the rest of the world, but in her own world, it was a dream come true.
Dhaanya, went from one shop to the other, then the next and so on and so forth. She shopped till she ran out of cash.
The day was breaking, with its regular speed and pace, the two girls, got mixed up in the whole bunch of shopaholics, it was late evening by now.
'' Wow, it was great only na? that silly photographer left, else we could have never gone for shopping".. Dhaanya said happily.
on the other side, sat, Ramya, with a sullen and pale face, peeping out of the window, with no comments or excitement.
"hey, why have you made that face now''? your new shoes are so pretty, aren't you happy? asked Dhaanya
"I can use those shoes''.. replied Ramya.
''Why ''? asked Dhaanya
''the money, from which i brought these shoes...''
''Ya what's with the money now''? Dhaanya asked, a little irritated now.
''My mom , got it after donating blood in the blood bank''....
it was that guilt, that lingered and their was only silence. On one side, was a girl , who never even bothered about the price, or the money, from where it came, and on one side was Ramya, a victim of circumstances, that money, was so precious, not because she was a needy person, but because, it was her mother's blood, buying just '' a pair of shoes'' can be such a big task?, such a big mistake?.. these questions, always lingered in the back of, Ramya's head... and those shoes.. never came out of the shoe box... just a pair of shoes..
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