Natasha was busy making her assignment when her cell phone buzzed. She did not like this interruption in her work and what pissed her more was that it was Vrinda who was calling. Vrinda was Natasha’s cousin who had always admired Natasha. However, Natasha did not like her much. Vrinda was just a 10 year old kid and apparently, Natasha considered her too young to be her friend. Vrinda was just a little, immature sister for her.

“Hi Vrinda”.

“Hey di, How are you? Where have you been? You answered my call so late.” Vrinda had too many complaints.

“I am busy, Vrinda. I have assignments to make.” Natasha was annoyed.

“I wish I could be busy like you. I completed my homework in 15 minutes and now I have nothing left to do. I wish we were in the same city. I wish Mom allowed me to use facebook. Why is there an age limit to everything, di? This is so frustrating.” Vrinda said everything in a breath. She had so much to talk.

“Gosh! You are just 10 years old and you have so many wishes and complaints. Give a break to your thoughts, Vrinda. Enjoy your childhood. Be thankful that your homework gets completed in few minutes because my assignments take forever to complete. It’s difficult being an adult. Moreover, Aunty is right. You are too young to use facebook. This virtual world isn’t for you right now. You can use it after 8 years.”

“8 years? Isn’t it too long? And by the way I have heard that ‘LIFE IS TOO SHORT’.” Vrinda chuckled.

“Stop chanting these stupid one-liners.” Natasha was irritated.

“Relax di, keep calm and listen to your little sister. I had called you for a very important thing but forgot to tell you between these conversations”. Vrinda sounded serious now.

“Important?” Natasha got curious.

“Yes, very important. Remember, you were supposed to send me the photographs of our Shimla trip? You still haven’t sent me those.” Vrinda complained.

“And this according to you is very important?” Natasha raised her eyebrows.

“Of course it is, all my friends have been asking me to show those photographs. They think that I am giving excuses and some of them think that I am lying about the Shimla trip. That’s not cool at all.”  Vrinda’s tone got a little lowered.

“This is insane. If your friends don’t believe you, they can never be your friends”.

“Di, please just send those photographs. Mom and Dad did not click a single photograph. Lazy people. Only you have the photos.” Vrinda paid no attention to what Natasha said about her friends. All she was bothered about was the photographs.

“Calling your parents lazy is the last thing I would like to hear from you. They have more important things to do in life rather than clicking photographs and showing off to their friends.” Natasha retorted.

“I am sorry, di. I shouldn’t have said so. It’s just that I want to see those photographs desperately. I want to cherish the memories of our trip together. You know what; I always keep talking about you with my friends. They all know how much I adore you. I want them to show that girl I admire. I have always seen you as a reserved kind of a person. You don’t talk much usually but in Shimla, you were different. I saw a different side of you. You were happy. You were smiling and for the first time I saw you enjoying. The girl that hides behind those spectacles is very different. Do not cage yourself with those sad memories. It’s been three years now. It wasn’t your fault. It was Cancer’s fault. Aunty succumbed to cancer. It was destined. Why are you punishing yourself and Uncle for that? Have you ever looked in his eyes? There’s so much of concern in those eyes. He wants you to be happy, di.” Vrinda had never talked so deep. Natasha was shocked. She never realised that Vrinda noticed her so much. The girl whom she considered a stupid, spoilt kid actually understood her emotions. There was a long silence on the phone. Natasha did not know how to react. She could hear Vrinda sobbing on the other side of the phone.

“Do not cry, Vrinda. I will send you the photographs soon. I will mail it to Aunty. You can see it there. Take care,” Natasha was very bad at showing her emotions. She did not want to breakdown in front of Vrinda so she disconnected the call.

Vrinda’s words were echoing in her ears. Has she actually caged herself in the sad memories? She looked herself in the mirror. Her eyes were getting blurred because of tears. She removed her spectacles and tucked the hair strands which had been falling on her eyes. She realised that she hasn’t smiled from a long time. Has she changed? Has she become a loner? These thoughts started haunting her. The only time that she was happy after her mother’s departure was the time she spent in Shimla. For the first time in two years, she got some solace. She was smiling. She was happy because that was the place her mother loved the most. She had been there with her parents as a kid. Her mother always talked about the scenic beauty of Shimla. She loved the snowfalls there. So going to that place again made Natasha feel her mother’s presence. Playing with the snow made her happy because her mother loved it. But, once she reached home, she was the same again. Her mother’s memories never left her side and no matter how hard her dad tried, he could never take her out of those memories.

Her eyes went to her laptop. The assignment was still pending but she was no longer concerned about it. She had studied a bit too much in these three years. She kept herself pre-occupied with her business studies just to devoid herself of the memories of her lost mother. She searched for a particular folder in her laptop amongst the numerous folders which her laptop had. “SHIMLA TRIP”, she clicked abruptly on that folder and the memories came alive. She felt happy seeing herself smile. For the first time she noticed that she resembled her mother a lot. She had the same brown eyes like her mother. Fair complexion, tall and having the charms that girls die for. Yes, she was beautiful too.

She played the videos she had recorded on the trip. Everyone was happy. Her dad, Uncle, Aunty and little Vrinda. She regretted being so thankless to them. She took them for granted. If she had lost her mother, then her dad had lost her wife too. She remembered how Uncle and Aunty had taken care of her. The sleepless nights her Aunt spent sitting beside her because she got nightmares. They were always there for her. Her dad was heartbroken too but he never showed it in front of her. Natasha realised that she needed to stop being a sadist. She needed to move on and live with the happy memories of her mom. She needed to remove those painful cancer memories from her mind. Her heart was lost in the profound memories of her mom when a voice brought her back to the present. It was Vrinda’s voice. The video was still playing and now Vrinda was on the screen. Playing with the snowballs and laughing out loud. Natasha couldn’t stop laughing. She could feel her childhood days in Vrinda.

“Someone seems happy today”. Natasha overheard a voice. It was her dad. He was happily surprised on seeing her daughter laugh.

“Hey Dad, see Vrinda, how cute she is looking and did you notice her dimples? Awww, I never knew she was so cute”. Natasha said in one go.

“Yeah, she is cute and you look cute too, when you smile. Be happy, beta.” Her dad said caressing her hair.

“I am sorry, dad. All these years I never came out of the shell. I know it hurt you. But, I promise to move on now. We will cherish mom’s memories and not mourn over her death”. There was hope in Natasha’s voice. She was determined to bring happiness back in her life.

“And if you have forgotten then we have reasons for celebrations too. It’s your birthday after three days and this year, we will celebrate it”. Her dad sounded excited.

“Yes, why not; we deserve to be happy too”. Natasha nodded in affirmation.

“I shall inform Bhaiya and Bhabhi that we are having a grand birthday party. Vrinda would be so happy”. Her dad’s excitement knew no boundaries.

“Sure dad. And yes, tell Aunty that I have mailed the Shimla trip’s photographs. Vrinda is dying to see them”. Natasha said this clicking on the sent mail option. She did not want to disappoint Vrinda anymore. She imagined the smile on Vrinda’s face which will come on seeing those photographs and knowing about her birthday party.

We often hear that time is the biggest healer. It heals biggest of wounds. The tragedies which once made you cry become past very soon. A long forgotten past which is engraved deep down your heart. Though, it makes you sad at times but apparently, you learn to live with the fact that some people or some things are not meant to be with us forever. Natasha had understood this fact and she was trying her best to overcome the grief of her mother’s departure. She got busy with her birthday preparations from the next day. There was so much to do and so less time. She desperately wanted her Aunt to come over so that she could get some help and company too but as Vrinda had her school, they were supposed to reach a day before her birthday. Amidst all these preparations, Natasha was missing something. Vrinda had not called her the whole day. It was very unusual. She used to call every day. She had so much to talk. No matter how uninterested Natasha portrayed herself in front of Vrinda, she used to keep talking and talking. It had become a part of their daily routine and Natasha had somehow come to terms with it. She had unknowingly become habituated to Vrinda’s talks. So today when she did not call, Natasha felt as if her day was incomplete. And the most unusual part was that she did not even call after seeing the photographs, the pictures which she was dying to see. Natasha thought of calling herself. She dialed her Aunt’s number.

“Hello Aunty, how are you? Hope you all are coming soon”.

I am fine, beta. Yes, we will come surely. I am glad that you are celebrating your birthday. I always wanted to see you happy”.

“Thank you so much, Aunty. By the way, where is Vrinda? She did not call me today.” Natasha got curious.

“Well, I don’t know what is wrong with that girl. She is behaving weird today. She had been crying all day long. Yesterday when I told her that you are celebrating your birthday, she was so excited and today she is all gloomy and sad.” Aunty complained.

“Is she alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. She is just throwing tantrums because she could not see those Shimla trip’s photographs.”

“But I sent you those photographs.”

“You did but our Wi-Fi isn’t working from yesterday. It has been raining heavily from yesterday so there is some sort of connection problem and she is being adamant that she wants to see the pictures anyhow. I told her that she can see the photos at your place too. We will be there soon but she is not ready to listen at all. Stupid kid.” Aunty sounded like a typical mother. Natasha remembered that her mom was the same. She missed her mom a little that time.

“It’s raining here too. Let me talk to Vrinda. I will make her understand”. Natasha shrugged off her thoughts and concentrated on Vrinda. She overheard Aunty calling Vrinda. Some slow steps were audible towards the cell phone.

“Hi di”. Vrinda seemed so sad.

“Vrinda, what is wrong? You can see those photographs at my place too. You can wait a day. It’s not a big deal.” Natasha said softly.

“It is a big deal, di. You don’t understand. Nobody does. I needed to see those photographs today. I can’t wait”. Vrinda was so adamant.

“Calm down, little sister. You are one spoilt kid, haan! This rain isn’t in our hands. It’s not our fault that wifi isn’t working. Try to understand.” Natasha said sweetly, though Vrinda’s words made no sense to Natasha.

“Yeah, maybe God has some other plans for me.” Vrinda was lost somewhere.

“Forget those plans and concentrate on my plans. You know it’s my birthday. What gifts am I going to get from you?” Natasha changed the topic intentionally for lifting up Vrinda’s mood.

“Wow di, you sound so sweet today. I love it. I missed the happy you so much and do not worry about your gift. Mumma is taking me to mall tomorrow. I will get something awesome for you,I  promise”. Vrinda was back to her usual chuckles and constant blabbering but for a change Natasha was not getting annoyed. She was enjoying those stupid conversations. Sisters were bonding finally.

Natasha looked outside the window. She had just finished talking to Vrinda. It was raining heavily from past three days. She did not want the rains to stop. She had always loved rains. The sound of the falling rain droplets gave her solace. It was like an oasis in her deserted life. She got nostalgic again, remembering how her mother used to scold her sweetly whenever she got wet in rain. She wanted to relive those moments but unfortunately it was not possible. Nevertheless, that did not stop her from getting wet in rain. She felt as if those rain droplets were her mother’s blessings. That night, she did not merely get drenched in rain; she lost all her sorrows and found herself again. For the first time in three years, she slept peacefully.

The next day was a hectic one. Preparations were on peak and Natasha was eagerly waiting for Vrinda to come. The party was scheduled for the evening. It was already afternoon but there was no sign of Vrinda’s arrival. Natasha tried calling them but the call went unanswered. She got a little disappointed.

“Maybe they are stuck in the traffic. The rains have not stopped since 3 days”. Her dad tried to assure her.

“But still, it’s too late, dad. I can’t celebrate my birthday without Vrinda.”

“They must be on their way. Do not worry. They will surely reach before the party. You get ready for the party, birthday girl!”

“I guess Vrinda might be busy in the mall. She said she had to take my gift.” Natasha smiled at her dad and went to get ready.

*********************

“But, how is it possible? This can’t be true”. Natasha overheard her dad’s voice while she was getting dressed up. She could not understand anything. She thought maybe it had to do something with his office and ignored it. But, within a few seconds she heard his loud voices again. She got tensed and ran towards her dad’s room. She was shocked at what she saw. Her dad was crying profusely. She saw him like that when her mom died and she got the intuition that maybe history has repeated itself again. She wanted her intuitions to be proved wrong.

“Dad”? Natasha was trembling with the fear of unknown.

“Vrinda is no more. Bhaiya called right now”. Her dad looked at her with blank eyes.

“I talked to her last night. She can’t die. She can’t!” And that was the moment when Natasha’s world came crashing down. Her life lost its meaning.

“We need to rush to the hospital”. Her dad could not say anything else to her.

On her way to hospital, Natasha kept getting flashbacks of the last night. Vrinda’s words kept echoing in her ears. “Life is too short”, “I can’t wait, di”, “Maybe God has some other plans for me”. All those words of Vrinda made sense now. Maybe she had got the hints of God’s other plans. Maybe she understood that how little time she had. Natasha wished if only she could have understood those signs, Vrinda would have been here.

The moment they reached hospital and Vrinda’s mom saw her, they both burst out crying.

“Vrinda will never be able to see those photographs”. Her aunt said with immense pain.

Natasha’s heart broke a little too much on hearing that. She could not even fulfil her sister’s last wish.

“She had asked me to recharge internet pack on my cell phone because she wanted to see those photographs as our Wifi was not working. I had recharged and given the phone to her. She was so excited that finally she will see those photographs. I still remember that smile on her face. She had gone towards the balcony. I wish I knew that the balcony will prove fatal for her. I would never have let her go there. My little daughter slipped from the balcony because of the rain water.” Uncle narrated the whole accident. His voice was mixed with anger, guilt and grief.

“She got severe head injuries. She died in front of us. There was so much of blood everywhere. She was crying in pain. I had embraced her tightly in my arms and on our way to hospital she said that she did not want to die”. Aunty wallowed in grief.

“The dead body has arrived”. Natasha heard a relative’s voice.

“She is not a dead body. She is my sister Vrinda”. Natasha was fuming with anger.

She wondered how insensitive people can be. The girl who instilled a new life in everyone with her smiles was now just a dead body. Her eyes went on her little sister, who was sleeping peacefully draped in white clothes. She looked so divine. Natasha felt as if now Vrinda will wake up and ask her to show those photographs. She longed to hear her chirpy voice and sweet laughter again but she was gone, never to return. It was unbelievable. It had hurt her beyond repair. The whole family was in pain. She wished she could do something to take Uncle and Aunt’s grief but she was helpless. The house which was decorated for her birthday celebrations was mourning now.

The rain in which she got drenched last night had proved fatal for her sister. The time when she was sleeping peacefully, her sister was struggling for life. Time proved to be a culprit again. It took everything she had and her life sinked into oblivion.

Vrinda went away and with her went away the happiness of Natasha. She went back to her shell. She caged herself in the sad memories again.

Years have passed but nothing has changed. Their family is deserted as always. There is a killing silence everywhere. None of them could ever come out of that grief.

“Wow, it’s raining, let’s click a selfie together”. Natasha’s thoughts abruptly came to a halt with her Fiancé’s interruption.

“I hate rains and I hate photographs too”. Natasha said sadly and her fiancé kept wondering. Little did he know that she once had lost her most precious belonging in these rains.