June’ 2002,
Volente Beach Water Park, Travis County, Texas

“Have I gone astray in finding the missing girl?” Aryan asked looking at Mruna and Saryu.

“You don’t have to, she will show up in fifteen minutes” Mruna replied “by the by when did you arrive?”

“In the morning,” he answered “so why wait here? Let’s check in”

“We are done with it and waiting for Poo,” Saryu said “you guys should go and finish the procedures, will come along with Poo as soon as she shows up”

“Alight,” Jenny said.

They both walked towards the reception for the registration. They approached a women with vulcanite black hair, standing on her stilettoes, holding a pen in her right hand and answering the phone call. Her pencil thin sharp eyebrows eased down gently on to her elfin nose. Her carafe shaped waist enclosed in a velvet voguish pink colored top could not make anyone take their eyes off her. As her Mexican-pink coloured fingernails ran through her scalp, bunch of hair plunged onto the honey glow face to dawdle on her wee lips.

Receptionists represents the face of the company. Maybe that is the why, we find the face winsome. Aryan murmured but Jenny didn’t pay any heed over the comment.

As Aryan and Jenny approached her at a slow pace, they drew her attention. She placed the receiver back and noticed their arrival. She flickered her thick long eyelashes, with a pleasing smile, showing the luminous white teeth having given a positive vibe she asked, “Excuse me? How may I help you?”

The dulcet voice delivered her elegant and enchanting personality she posessed. Finally after one of the celebrations of being alive ceased to continue, they lay their hands on the keys to their suite.

“Dude! These damsels, they do have a second privilege,” Jenny said “The Beauty”.

“Hahaha, I do agree to an extent,” Aryan retorted following him while both were dragging their trolleys in the corridor, “what’s the first one?”

“Dude!” he forestalled his walk and turned towards Aryan with a smug look, “Being the girl,” he said. That’s when Aryan perceived that they had reached their suite.

“It’s unfair but it hammers away for now and forever until there comes an end to the time”, Jenny said as they continued walking into their suite.

“It’s unfair? That’s a moot point” Aryan argued, “The beauty is subjective. It solely depends on how we see it, the receptionist might have been charming to us but that’s not the case with every other bloke, we never know” he said wryly and continued, “that brings us to pen down the conclusion that every girl is beautiful”

“Enlightened,” Jenny said and mocked, “But I am just wondering if you are graduating in pscycology of love”

Before Aryan comported, Ding! A message popped up on his phone she has come, will be upstairs in minutes.

Knock the door before you leave to your room, we will show up he sent a reply to the message.

Few minutes later, Aryan and Jenny found a girl with long layered, textured curly hair. The fibre like very soft thin material in helical structure flapped like the wings of a butterfly in the puff of air. Her pixie’s nose and fallen lips brought the emptiness close to the mind and heart. The intense blue upturned eyes sends an invite for an invincible affection to the hearts of hombres.

“Look at you Babes, how are you?” Aryan asked nearing at Pooja.

Delighted with his presence she replied, “I am fine. When did you come back?” She asked with the Duchenne smile.

“Today, in the morning” he answered her, “Heard that you are leaving us in a short while. What’s up with that?” he asked.

“Yeah Aryan. Daddy has got a new job in the Canada based Celluloid pharmaceutical laboratory. He will be working there at the lab in formulating and testing a drug to cure a dangerous health issue Schizophrenia, dad has got expertise in the same. The management have asked him for his presence in the running project. So we should be going” She said.

“But why now? Aren’t you in the middle of your graduation,” he enquired.

“Dad did check on the Universities that accepts a transfer student and he found one. He holds dual citizenship and that actually gave a leap. Also, there is no extended family in here to take care of me. So I decided moving along with the family,”

In a tone of disappointment dispelling his buoyancy in haste, “Great, fair enough,” he said having no other choice in convincing her to stay back.

After a short reinstitution, the girls left to their suite. While Saryu went into use the loo, “Pooja come with me, please” Mruna walked along with her out into the balcony.

Pooja was perplexed when she clasped her carpal and yanked, “What is it?” she catechized.

“Want you to do me a favour” Mruna asked.

Her nose and forehead rumpled “Shoot it” she said with her lips pursed together.

Mruna’s expressions hardened, “I want Aryan and me alone in a room for half hour,” she winced in her voice.

“I guess you are obsessed after watching too much of it yesterday night. Take control over your nerves baby doll” she said remaining baffled with what Mruna asked.

The contortion coasted unto Mruna, “What do you mean,” She asked unintelligibly on what Pooja was referring to. Pooja answered, “you know exactly what I mean, honeycomb, don’t you?” she tried insinuating.

“Argh! Queen of London. Don’t think too much, I don’t mean what you think I mean”

Pooja replied “So you mean, what I mean for what I thought you mean is not what you mean”

“Shut up girl. Yet again, I don’t mean anything that you think I mean. The bottom line is I want to propose Aryan tonight” she finally revealed her intentions on what she meant.

“Hey!” Pooja was tickled in pink, “but how do you want me to help you out?” she delved in for a tip-off.

“How should I do it is what I am asking you. Nothing strikes my stupid little brain. I am very lousy in these issues and yet he drives me crazy. I am on my last legs every single day when I forbid to open up my heart to Aryan” she continued to appear in her coyness whenever she uttered the name, Aryan. A blush wriggled up her face.

“Okay, Gotcha! Let’s get outta here for now. I will think of a plan and let you know. Buy me sometime” Pooja assured her.

“… and this will stay with us, you swear” Mruna said as they walked out of the balcony and made their way into the room. “You have my word gal” Pooja dabbed her shoulder.

---

When they arrived insides the suite they found Aryan and Jenny in their aleatory conversation with Saryu. They were abruptly interrupted by the arrival of Pooja and Mruna, “What’s up?” Jenny queried them as they ingress into the room after having sufficiently lengthy confabulation.

“Oh yeah, it is this thing that Mruna is …” Pooja seemed to make an attempt to scare the hell outta Mruna but she promptly wafted the subject “…that Mruna is interested in Spirits this time”, she gazed at Mruna and said, “Honey, maybe a Tequila or a Pisco or a Mezcal” she then looked back at Jenny and Aryan and continued, “She felt nervous to parade her tenderness all of sudden. Let’s get her high tonight, shouldn’t we?”

“Oh sure we should. Yay, Mruna,” everyone showered their excitement. Jenny in leaden steps walked towards her. He extended and poured in few words, “Come on girl. Sure you should be interested. Will have most out of it. Wait for tonight” he wrapped his arms partly around her shoulder.

“Pooja, out with me,” this time, it was Jenny who hauled Pooja into the balcony.

June’ 2002,
Austin, Travis County, Texas.

Aryan arrived in Austin at the right time. He phoned Jenny before boarding his flight for sending a word to pick him at the airport.

Jenny didn’t show up at the Bergstrom Airport, Aryan had waited for more than half hour. He wasn’t startled as he knew something like this would happen. He dialed on Jenny’s number to have a check over his headway to the airport but he was hapless, the call went unanswered. He dialed in for couple of more times yet again he was out of luck. His phone screen flashed momentarily and he read out the message loud in his mind, “I’ve just started; will be there in an hour. Pardon chum”

One hour Aryan thought and he looked around in the lounge to help his bump with a spot. He dumped the duffle and neck pillow aside; ensconced himself on a couch with his legs wide opened and hands in his laps untethered. He lay his back snuggly on the cushioned splat and shut his eyes. Just a few minutes later, he heard a beautiful voice, “Excuse me”, a girl vocalized standing right in front him. Aryan intuited it to be familiar vocals, he veered his noggin up to see the unknown.

“Oh you, you… ah… Ms… ” he tried to recollect the picture of her from his memory. She is the same girl next to me on the flight he finally figured her out.

“Felicity,” she introduced herself.

He paused for a second, “yes please, anything I can help you with?” he asked in a dubious tone.

“Actually, it’s the other way around” she said, “I’ve come up here to help you, handsome”

“Sorry?” Aryan had absolutely no clue of what she was talking about.

“Yes! Here,” She pulled out the billboard from her tote, “you slipped it on the air stairs” she said.

“My goodness. Thank you very much, you spared me a great deal of work. This has all my substantial cards and other essentials,” he repeatedly thanked her, “Oh! I am sorry,” he cleared the seat by his side on the couch, “Please have a seat,” he said.

“Sure,” she responded, “let me help myself”

“You know, it means a lot to me. I can’t thank you enough Felicity,” he heaved, “This ID,” he lay hold on the card, “It’s the access to the laboratory at the college. Believe me you have no idea of the consequences if I had lost the card”

“I know,” she chuckled, “the adamant UTA and its regulations”

“Hey, how do you know?” I am not so foolish to acknowledge the fact that she had already read through the details on my ID. It is just that I’d liked to be bent upon asking her. She’s is enticing Aryan said to himself.

“Because I belong to the same college,”

Oopsy! I am stumped Aryan murmured, “How strange, we were seated next to each other for couple of hours and we didn’t know that we go to the same college” he said and swiveled on his interior monologue, Seriously Aryan? Did you mean it? You doze off like a toddler.

“Yeah It is,” She bobbed her head.

Jenny Calling…

“If you don’t mind. I have to take this” he said and answered the call. Aryan learned that Jenny arrived at the airport and was waiting right outside the arrival arena.

“Felicity, I have got to go now. My friend has arrived,” he said picking up his baggage, “we should catch up sometime again at the University, cool?”

“Oh you bet!”

“Would you like to share with me your number?”

Aryan saved her contact and walked into the arrival stand. He finally got into his car and they drove back to their denizen. The clique intended for a sojourn to a resort at high noon on the same day.

---

“So, Pooja is leaving us for Canada,”

“Yep!” Jenny answered, “I haven’t got much details on whys,”

“Uh-huh,” Aryan heaved adjusting the backrest angle of his seat.

They reached at the apartment early dawn. Thanks to the clear roads, Aryan muttered as he hopped down the car. He dialed Rekha soon after he stepped inside his bedchamber, the line kept ringing.

Aryan caught the sight of the ambience and realized that all the chattels, patulous duds, knapsack, lap robe and other things were all installed in the place where they belonged. He looked around and everything in the home seemed to be exquisite to him. Although Jenny’s house was in the same city, more often than not, he stayed with Aryan. He had been living at the place since Aryan left for his hometown. Jenny preserved cleanliness, he eked out living only in a salubrious milieu. When Aryan glanced at the digs that explained everything and all he could do was to be all smiles.

One shouldn’t be staggered when Jenny’s home. The aura that hygienic ambience has per se is why I feel a little comatose and the bed, it kept pleasing. I have got three odd hours before we leave for the resort. Feels like to knock a nap. Aryan spoke with his inner voice.

Aryan shut his eyes, Jenny kicked him out of the bed. “Don’t you dare to be yawny? I don’t give a shit if you are knackered, get your arse wheeling. We should be leaving early; have got a couple of errands before us driving to the resort”

June’ 2002, Saturday – 23:00 Hrs,
Midtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.

It was twenty-three hours, Aryan grabbed his laptop and opened the airline portal on the web browser. At the same time, he dialled on Jenny’s number to let him know that he will not be returning back to Austin.

“Hey Aryan, Wassup?” Jenny was in excitement after receiving the call.

“Nothing much yo. How is you?”

“I am all good. When could we expect you back here?”

“Jenny, I’ve just called to tell you that I’m staying back at home. I will not be able to arrive in Austin for quite some time”

Jenny got himself caught on the hop and he was dazed by Aryan’ s revelation, “Oh is it. Why a sudden change in the programme?” and Aryan elucidated, to which jenny replied, “But dude, Pooja is leaving for Canada this week. so maybe you may wanna drop by. You know, we will scrape together and it will be a good send-off sign to her as well, don’t you think so?”

“Oh really? But what’s up with her and the Canada? Anything you know?” Aryan flabbergasted after apprehending the fact that she is egressing the country.

“Yes, we could talk more after we catch up, don’t skip this bud, I am counting you in,” the sidekick said leaving all holds barred.

“Alright! I will call you after I reach there, the day after tomorrow” he conveyed. He hung up on the call and swooped down mulling over dayanand’s lurgy with a great affliction.

He seems to be doing well after a small perturbation in the health. Aryan thought. The only change in Dayanand was he’s been resting all day unlike the days before. Aryan never ever felt bored of being home, Dayanand had always made it a much better place. They had an excellent rapport maintained between them right from Aryan’s childhood. Sometimes Aryan wondered, how lucky he was to have such a smartest person as his grandpa. He felt like talking to him but it was already dead of night and he believed that Dayanand might have slept by then. Usually Dayanand sleeps late in the nights due to lots of his personal works from the industry but lately, he had been advised on a serious note to avoid unusual schedule at his age and was insisted upon to stick to the suggestions from the doctors. Otherwise, it would only deteriorate his health abysmally. Dayanand endured an indisposition since a long time, the infirmity had only evinced lately. He had the premonition of malady but only confined by him within his four walls. Eventually, he decided to broach the question of a new CEO for JAPMI. At the tip off, Mr. Satya had been given the province.

Aryan called his mama on the intercom to let her know of his updated tour. She had got no course of action but only to agree with Aryan.