Radha rushed out of her kitchen to open the door for her 19 year old daughter, Maya.
'Where were you Maa...you got me drenched...look at me...I could scare a scarecrow.'
'The same question goes for you Maya, where were you till 7, I thought your classes got over by 3 on Tuesdays eh....and it doesn't take you four hours to get back home, never mind, can you go change now before you start living on saridons and disprins again?'
'Hey Dee, you wouldnt believe what happened in school today', Ryka, Maya's sister ran out of her room.
'Ah later Ryka..i'll just go change now...'
In less than 15 minutes Maya came down in a pretty blue party dress, all dolled up.
'Whats going on Maya ?', Radha asked
'Ah maa....Have you forgotten? Its Neil's birthday, Got the cake and and a few celebration stuff. Ryka please get at it right away. i want the room all done before he comes. Its not really a surprise but he doesnt know about about the cake..and all of this..'
'Dee...what the hell..'
'Maya...what is wrong with you???'
'Oh please Maa, i m over it, he is my bloody best friend, and he would never celebrate his own birthday, so please..'
'Maya, m not letting you do this...' Radha came up and grabbed the cake packet.
'Have you gone mad Dee ? Why are you doing this ?'
'I have to Ryka, you know that jerk, he'd never do a thing for himself, forget about celebrating his birthday..'
Maya snatched the cake box back, opened up and dug in the candles inside the vanilla cake and brought out a white tshirt from inside her bag.
'So.....when did he say he is coming?',Ryka snapped.
'I dont know, m sure he knows i'll be doing something.So, should be here soon, now please get back to the decoration, its just a couple of balloons and colored paper Ryka', Maya walked up and down the hall starring at the door every other second.
'Are you sure you have a reason for this insanity Maya', Radha starred at her daughter with welled up eyes.
'Oh yes Maa, he comes down every birthday,m sure he will be here any time.', Maya smiled.
An hour passed, and yet another hour, and yet another one...Maya sat on tha huge couch near the doorway, staring out of the window.
Ryka walked up to her sister, held her arms in a tight grip and hugged her tighter,'You sure he'd come? Neil da is so forgetful,how about I keep the cake in the fridge? We can all have it tomorrow?'
Maya looked up at her little sister, disbelief in her eyes,'But he always came didnt he ? He is my best friend Ryka'.
Radha gestured her younger daughter to take Maya upstairs to bed.
Maya creeped in to her bed, a beautiful wind blew in by the window. Neil loved windows. The wind dried up the tears on her fair skin. The moon peeped in and lit up her bed. She slid her hands under the pillow and pulled out a rusty photoframe. There she starred, at her best friend. She pulled out her school year book and fluttered the pages to the 'Memoirs Page'. And their again, she looked at her best friend. And beneath that beautiful smiling face, the photo title read 'Neil Roy (1989-2010)'. She closed the book and left it on the side of her pillow, creeped in to her big white blanket, hugging that rusty photo frame.
And the stars heard a little girl whisper to her best friend in the frame, to the love of her life,'Wish you were here jerk, you still havent learnt to keep promises huh.' And she kissed him on the glass, looked out of the window. The winds blew, the moonlight lit up her face and she smiled to sleep.
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