A Bend in the road - Vol 2

80. Favors

"I have an idea" Geet said, making Vikram grin at her. He was going to come up with his smart ass-ery, the moment she says something, she was sure. She ignored him.

"We can have a workshop in free style sketching, asking the girls to sketch whatever they want to express" she said as a group of them who signed up to be volunteers at the NGO, were brainstorming.

"I read in a psychology workshop which had done something similar to know what the students were feeling. They were asked to paint and then interpret what they wanted to show, to understand the problems that would be bogging us. I think they need us to see as more than just volunteers to break the ice and really come to us with their issues. This might help"

Vikram gave her a nod of approval, although he made a face, as if he was surprised she came up with this.

"We will have the basics of Taekwando taught to the girls for a period of two weeks. Some of my students will come along to conduct the classes" Vikram added.

"Do you guys have any other ideas? Neelima, do you want to add something?" Vikram said, making the girl to look up, a little startled, and making everyone to shift the focus on her.

"We could have a workshop on some hobby"

"Like what?" Vikram asked, enjoying her predicament.

Geet narrowed her eyes at Vikram noticing he was bullying her for no reason.

"We can have something everyone could do, like painting maybe?" Geet added.

"You are so much into painting today, M.F Hussain" Vikram said, with a wolfish grin. "Do you have any ideas of who could take up the workshop, why Neelima, I heard you sketch"

Neelima looked at Geet instantly.

Geet, who knew of the one pencil sketch of Vikram she had sketched sometime back, looked at Neelima, giving her a tiny nod of reassurance, that Vikram had no idea of the sketch.

"I only do pencil sketching. I don't paint" Neelima said, finding her voice.

"What a pity" Vikram grinned, unapologetic.

Geet, who really wanted to smack Vikram for targeting her friend, was suddenly struck by an idea, and looked at her fellow students.

"I might know someone"

"You are still working on the same painting" Geet remarked.

"And you are still here with food, yet another night?" Tara said, still her eyes on the canvas.

It has been a couple of weeks and Geet had almost made it a habit to drop by.

"Do I have enough charm to make young girls to fall in love with me?" Tara asked tired.

Geet smiled at the unexpected joke.

Tara expected anything but this, whatever this was happening. She had said she did not need this midnight food that was given to her, as a ritual. But she couldn't be too strict and cold either.

"I just came here to tell you, I took your advice" Geet said. "I did something"

Tara knew what Geet was talking about. She did not comment.

Truth to be told, Geet's presence was a welcoming distraction. There was a time, the mere mention of Geet from the lips of Dev, when he had an accident had pushed her into insomnia, just thinking about various things, of the possibilities that happened to the girl, flashes of the past that she was a part of, but now, having her before her eyes, still did not push her into this disturbance she was expecting. Instead, this was the only time where she was glad she need not put up a façade.

Dadi, although very sweet to her, still could not approach her breaking the mask Tara has, because Dadi wasn't aware of the complexities or the secrets Tara held. Geet did.

Some mornings Tara drove to the house she bought in old Delhi, the house where Dev grew up as a child, the one she bought and stayed in before Maan came to find her.

She tried to sit by the tree in the garden Dev talked of, and which made him redesign the garden in home back in Toronto.

She had made a painting of Dev sitting by the Maple tree on the bench once, which she had left behind. She herself told Dev once, that once she painted a portrait, she got over people. And with the same intention, she left away everything she painted of her and Dev.

But now, she regretted having at least one memory to hold on to, and maybe that's why, she tried recreating what she had drawn once. But somehow, the details were fading in her mind's eye. She tried every night to recall the smallest of details, about the grass, the color of the bench, the red of his sweater, the frameless spectacles, how he had his foot crossed against one another when he sat down on the bench, but she was missing some of these details. And she tried to recall how he sounded, his voice, his fragrance, and was scared she would eventually forget them as well.

These thoughts kept her troubled during day and night, and she was glad, somewhat to have the presence of Geet, to hear her talk, or just to have her around so that her thoughts were at bay.

"And it is nothing fancy. I made a regular mug cake" Geet said cutting through her thoughts.

That made Tara turn to face Geet.

Wordlessly, she walked towards her to take the mug cake in her hands, and sitting by to dig into it.

"What did you do?" Tara asked finally.

"I wrote him a mail"

Tara hmm-ed, but did not say anything.

"I actually a favor to ask of you"

Tara looked up, a little wary, making Geet smile at her.