69 Maahi and Aditya (1)

About two years back, Bangalore International Airport, Visitor's Aisle…

A 15-year-old Aditya sped excitedly as he hugged a girl who had just walked through the exit lounge while dragging along a small suitcase. The girl, who had a petite figure looking as if she was in her late adolescent or early adulthood stage, not only did not resist but wrapped her arms around Aditya as a sunny smile appeared on her face.

She was very beautiful with a small porcelain face like a doll which along with her petite figure gave others a subtle feeling like watching a delicate glass figurine. She wore a women's multicoloured printed shirt made of some luxury fabric. It was a regular fit along with long sleeves and spread collar along with a pair of black slim fit clean look jeans.

Because of her kitten heel Chelsea boots, the girl reached the same height as Aditya and both shared similar thin physiques. They looked more like a pair of under-aged lovers than an elder sister and a younger brother but both of them didn't seem to care about others as they looked at each other and smiled.

"Elder sister Maahi, I missed you so much, it has been two months since the last time we met. I can't imagine how I was able to live for these two months without seeing you," Aditya jabbered excitedly as he held on to her as if she would vanish if he let her go.

Maahi knocked Aditya head with her thin delicate pinkish knuckles as she said laughingly, "don't exhibit your drama skills in front of me, even if I didn't visit you in person, we had been chatting, exchanging memes, seeing each other in video calls day and night. Even three hours before I boarded the flight, you were describing the details and other preparations uncle and aunt made for your 15th birthday."

Maahi gave a small smile as she rubbed Aditya's head in the place she had knocked previously as she muttered slowly, "fifty-eight days, thirteen hours and eighteen minutes, yes, I also missed you."

Aditya smiled sheepishly while rubbing his head as he let go of Maahi. Maahi took a good look at Aditya as she said, "you seemed to have entered the age where your growth is going to explode, let's hope that you increase some muscle along with your height."

"Haha, you can be sure of that, I have started working in the garage recently, with all the heavy work I am doing, it's just a matter of time before you see my ripped and bulging muscles," Aditya spoke confidently.

"You had to sacrifice your birthday gift to get uncle to agree to you working in the garage, is it worth it?" Maahi asked as she did not turn her eyes away from Aditya's face for a second.

"Totally worth it, elder sister Maahi, do you really think that I have something lacking for which I have to wait for my birthday to ask? Also, even I have something I need, don't I have a rich elder sister who takes care of me," Aditya chortled as he held Maahi hand.

"brat, have you set your eyes on my property?" Maahi pretended anger but Aditya did not buy her act as he laughed and nodded shamelessly.

Hmph, Maahi turned her head as if throwing a tantrum just in time to find an elegant couple watching them.

"Uncle, aunt, I did not think that you will also come," Maahi left Aditya as she almost ran towards them with a bright smile.

"Adi, what did I say about never allowing a girl to carry luggage," the refined looking handsome man with olive complexion roared at Aditya.

Aditya trembled a little as he grabbed Maahi's bag from her. Maahi also smiled as she released the handle, she knew too well about Aditya's father who was a little orthodox in his bearing.

Aditya's father was Satyendranath Bose who was currently working as a physicist. He was an orphan who had been adopted by a freedom fighter. He was tall and thin with a thick greying beard. His eyes were gentle as he smiled amiably at Maahi. There was no trace of strictness which he had when he spoke with Aditya.

Maahi directly hugged the woman, beside Aditya's father, tightly as she said with her eyes closed, "Aunt Nirmala, it's been a long time." Maahi turned towards Aditya's father as she smiled and said, "Hello, Uncle Satya."

The mature, graceful woman, who seemed to possess a spark of spiritual fire in her eyes, looked warmly at Maahi and smiled gently as she said, "Maahi, you seem to have lost weight, come let's go to our home. You seem tired."

Maahi's mother was a roommate and the best friend of Aditya's mother when they studied. Maahi's mother did not find her loved one neither did she have the courage of Nirmala to decisively cut off ties with her family in favour of her beloved. So, she ended up married to a stranger by her family who gave more priority their financial benefits rather than her lifelong happiness much like Anupama's parents' families.

Only in this case, the husband turned out to be a sadist who abused her regularly and strictly controlled her, restricting her from having any social interactions. Before Maahi's mother decided that 'enough is enough' and got a divorce, she found out that she was pregnant. She, who did not possess a strong heart from the beginning did not want her child to grow up without its father so she decided to bear the pain.

After Maahi was born, her husband i.e. Maahi's father who wanted a son was disappointed and blamed her mother in his rage and started mistreating her even more. He would also beat Maahi even if she was just a child and would restrict her also.

One could imagine what kind of a childhood Maahi had with this kind of a bastard as a father. When Maahi was eight years old, her mother had finally realized that her daughter was developing some weird and twisted personality when she saw her cutting her own tiny hands with a small blade. The child's face was impassive as if she had stopped feeling the pain which terrified her mother. At that time, she had not met Nirmala who was once her best friend for more than 10 years but when she thought of asking for help, Nirmala was the only one who came to her mind.

She did not delay any further as she grabbed Maahi and rushed to Aditya's home despite knowing that her husband might get mad at her. At that time, Aditya was four and that was when both Maahi and Aditya met. Nirmala was outraged when she heard about all the hardships that both Maahi and her mother was facing.

But she always possessed a tranquil and a composed mentality within her which could also be seen from the letter she had written to Aditya before they were taken away by 'that' organization. So, she immediately encouraged Maahi's mother to separate from her abusive husband and the rest could be decided after that. Maahi's mother agreed to it but left her daughter with Nirmala until she comes back. Nirmala tried to stop her from returning but Maahi's mother insisted that it would be the last time and went.

But to some unknown reason, the news, that Maahi's mother had succumbed to some disease and passed away, reached Satya and Nirmala, shocking both. They immediately perceived that something went terribly wrong. The very same day, Aditya's mother Nirmala who had not contacted her father even once after her marriage went to meet him. Even with the pain of losing her friend, Nirmala was still able to think straightly. She knew that if Maahi's father came to take Maahi away, she did not have any reason or power to stop him. Maahi's safety became the first priority now.

Nobody knew what happened between Nirmala and her father but after that day, Maahi was allowed to visit and stay with Nirmala as many days as she wanted and her father would not stop her.

Maahi would stay most of the time in Aditya's home as she gradually recovered her psyche and started smiling more as she played with Aditya and lived with him. they would eat together, play together, Maahi would teach him the alphabet and in the end, they would sleep on the same bed.

Sometimes, Maahi would scare Aditya by telling him some horror story. Then, Aditya would run to hold elder sister Saira if she was present or his mother as Maahi would laugh looking at him.

The few days that she would go back to her home were always accompanied by pain and suffering as she would come bearing bruises indicating physical abuse. Aditya would always be waiting for Maahi, holding a healing ointment, on the day Maahi was supposed to come.

He would spend some time every day to create new swear words like 'Jumpin Jahosa' or 'Wadnamitt' for Maahi's father and he would be cursing as he applied the medicine while Maahi looked with a small smile at Aditya's angry face. Aditya would always ask as to why she had to go back and Maahi would only smile, keeping silent.

So, for Maahi, if there was anyone she cared for other than Aditya, that would be his parents. Maahi learned that there was a thing called happiness that could be aspired for only after looking at the love between this couple. She learned how a true man was supposed to treat a woman from uncle Satya while how a woman had to be strong and composed from Aunt Nirmala. As for in Aditya, she found a reason to be alive.

As if God would not deprive a human of everything. Maahi was blessed with magnificent talent and mental prowess. She possessed photographic memory capabilities and wonderful comprehending skills which were praised highly even by Nirmala who was a prodigy herself. Maahi also came to like doing business and trained at a very young age under Nirmala who was an alumnus from Oxford University.

Maahi had started a diversified financial services group at the age of 16 named 'Mumbai Bulls' which truly opened the floodgates of Maahi's potential in understanding and predicting the direction of market development.

In just a matter of three years, Maahi's company had spread into housing finance, consumer finance and personal wealth. Her company went public two months back, so Maahi had to move her company headquarters to Mumbai where the stock exchange was situated. At the time of Aditya's 15th birthday, her company was valued at $80 million USD boasting a whopping 60,000 customers.

She was a modern anomaly in the entrepreneurial circles and many old-timers also were interested in investing in her company. She also pioneered a digital end-end personal loan fulfilment which effectively cut off many exploiting brokers from the loan process winning many awards and accolades.

"Seems like you have been working very hard," Aunt Nirmala looked at Maahi's tired eyes with concern and pride flashing through her eyes. Maahi's achievement was the source of her pride as she was her student. After her 12th grade, Maahi had discontinued her studies and concentrated fully on her company.

"It's nothing really, aunt" Maahi smiled as she watched Aditya dragging her bag. She turned towards her uncle as she asked, "How's your research going on, uncle?"

Satya's eyes lit up and said, "It is only you, my niece, that show any interest in my research. Neither Nirmala nor that brat shows the least bit of concern. Do you know that after the discovery of the existence of the God particle (Higg's boson), physicists are closer than ever in figuring out the nature of Dark matter and Dark energy..." Satya began describing the contemporary exciting discoveries in quantum physics when he saw Aditya rolling his eyes and stuck his tongue out putting up a bored expression. Maahi, on the other hand, listened with rapt attention.

Satya was aggravated when he saw this as he said bitterly to Maahi, "I wish you were my daughter instead of this fool who wants to skip studies and learn to be a mechanic with no real ambition. I would rather he worked as your assistant or at least as an office boy, maybe he will learn something useful."

"Pa," Aditya shouted angrily, "today is my birthday, give me a break. Ma, look at Pa."

Nirmala laughed as she turned to give a look at Satya who cooled down immediately as he made his way towards the car as he murmured, "I don't even know when is my birthday, what's so great about celebrating one anyway."

Maahi smiled and followed walking aside Aditya as he said that his friends were also coming for his birthday party and described the special food items his mother had prepared. Not one of these two people could imagine that this would be the last day that they would see each other face to face. For the coming years, they would only become more remote to each other.