The letter

'Dear Shresta… 

Summers and winters have passed by… vacations and holidays came and went…

Every vacation, I wait near the wall that you climbed everyday to sneak into my home. The wait for you increased and so did my weight… I've missed wishing you personally on this birthday too, but I hope this post of mine reaches you. Wish you a very very happy birthday Shresta!!

Yours,

Sunny'

This was a post that was just put on social media. It was posted on a page named 'Dear Shresta' at 9:40 pm and within half an hour, it was having more than a lakh likes and comments. The comments mostly were of two types. One, "Happy Birthday Shresta" and two, "Please come back to Sunny." 

This was posted by Sunny, a man who was probably waiting for his lover Shresta for the past twelve years. It a page full of love letters for Shresta which had grabbed the audience attention in about 6-8 months of inception. 

Delhi city, around 10:30 pm. 

A Mercedes Benz was parked in a street near an ice cream bike cart. A cute and bubbly girl was sitting on the bonnet of the car and was having an ice cream. Ice Cream was all over her hands and dress. Her parents were standing in front of her and were watching her eat. 

The kid successfully finished this ice cream and demanded another. 

"Daddy, please get me another. This time, I wanna have a vanilla cone!" said the kid. 

"Dear, eating too much ice cream in this cold winter is not good for your health…." said the mother. 

"My dear Pallavi… this is a habit that your daughter inherited from her Chachu*… It's his habit of eating two to three ice creams in winter every week. Before telling my daughter about what is right and what's wrong, why don't you correct her Chachu??" said the child's father. 

                                       *Chachu refers to father's younger brother

"Vikram! Dare you say a word about Aadi. Just go get her whichever flavor she asks for…." shouted Pallavi, the child's mother. 

"Dad, does mom love us more or Chachu??" asked the child innocently. 

"Dolly baby, we're helpless in this situation. Come what may, your mom will always support Chachu. According to her, Chachu is not only her brother in law but also like a younger brother to her. We cannot win over the combo. Come along dear, choose your favorite flavor…." said Vikram.

"No dad… I don't wanna come… You get me a Vanilla cone" said Dolly.

"As you say, my princess…." said Vikram leaving Pallavi and Dolly there. 

On the other side of the road was a balloon seller leaving after his day's work. There were four or five balloons with him. 

"Wow… balloons….." said Dolly. She began to run towards the balloons jumping off the bonnet. 

It was a small street with almost no vehicles passing by. Pallavi who was replying to her father in law's message, was not able to catch Dolly. 

Just then, a speeding car passed by. As the car was about to hit Dolly, someone pulled her from the other side of the road. 

"Anjali….." screamed Pallavi following her.

Upon hearing her scream, Vikram dropped the ice cream and rushed towards Pallavi and Dolly. The vendor also got tensed but was unable to run behind them as he was physically handicapped. 

The person who saved Dolly was a lady in jeans and white T-shirt. instantly picked a stone and threw it at the car. It didn't hit the car, though. "Blind Idiot!! Drunkard! Can't you see a kid….." shouted the lady holding Dolly. 

Dolly was holding the girl's legs tightly. "Kiddo… Kiddo, you're fine! Your friend has saved you…. See, your mom and dad are here. Open your eyes, Candy!" said the lady sweetly. The sweet voice of the lady was quite familiar to Dolly. 

Dolly lifted her head up to see her teacher, Ms. Meera. "Meera ma'am…" said Dolly softly. 

"Anjali…. My sweetheart…." Said Meera lifting her up. 

Pallavi was about to faint on the road while Vikram held her. Upon seeing Anjali, aka, Dolly safe in Meera's hands, Pallavi takes in deep breaths to control herself. 

Meera brought Dolly to Pallavi and all 4 of them went towards the car. "Thank you ma'am" said Pallavi, joining both her hands together*.

                * joining both hands together is a sign of respect in India. 

"Ma'am, please don't do that… She is safe and we are happy about it" said Meera gently. 

"Dolly, make a promise to Dad. You will not cross roads like this without an elderly person around. This must be the last time you've done something like this…." Said Vikram showing his palm. 

"I'm sorry Mumma, sorry Dadda… I won't do this again…." said Dolly putting her palm in her father's. She had realized her mistake and was embarrassed about it too. Meera felt that she was getting more frightened. She wanted to divert her attention from the situation. 

The ice cream vendor slowly came to Vikram with the help of his stick and asked, "Sir, is your daughter alright??" 

"Yeah, she is fine… She saved her life" said Vikram pointing out to Meera. 

"Oh.. Meera ma'am! I was actually waiting for you. She is my daily customer sir…." said the vendor. 

Looking at the vendor, Meera found a way to divert her mind. She asked Dolly, "Anjali, do you wanna have an ice cream??" 

Anjali nodded her head in yes. Meera looked at her parents for their approval. Both of them smiled. "2 of my daily ice cream…." said Meera instantly realizing that she hadn't placed an order for Vikram and Pallavi. 

She tightly closed and opened her eyes and asked Pallavi, "Ma'am, your order…." 

"No, all three of us had one each. She wanted another while all this happened…." said Vikram. 

"Oh…." said Meera. By then, they'd walked up to the ice-cream cart. The vendor bought out 2 ice creams that Meera was eating regularly. He gave one to Dolly and the other to Meera. 

"Why is the box so big?" asked Dolly innocently. 

"Open it… it will be a small cone with a biiiig scoop on top…." said Meera. 

Dolly was still in Meera's arms and hence Meera was unable to open the box. Pallavi helps her out. They strike their ice cream together saying "cheers" at once and enjoy it.

After about 10 minutes… 

Both of them had finished their ice creams. 

"Shall we drop you home…?" asked Pallavi. 

"No, it's just 2 streets away and I can walk…." said Meera.

"Please ma'am, please come along…." said Dolly in her sweet voice in a pleasing tone. Her tone was so nice that Meera was left with no option other than saying yes. 

"Okay….." said Meera.

In the car… 

"Be careful Ms. Meera. As per my knowledge, I don't think this area is safe for women at night…." said Vikram. These words reminded Meera of her elder brother Shourya and brought a mixed emotion on her face. "Actually, the area is taking a better shape now. The new DCP is quite strict and a gentleman. He has warned all the rogues and hooligans of the area. His patrol is also very strict. We now feel safer …" said Meera. 

These words had brought a smile on the other three faces. 

"Have you seen him?" asked Pallavi, getting more interested in the matter. 

"No ma'am. But come what may, I'll always pray for his well being and courage" said Meera with a smile.

"Oh no! So, you haven't met Chachu?" asked Dolly. She was extremely fond of her Chachu.

"No dear…." said Meera looking out of the window. She didn't focus much on Anjali's words. "Sir, please pull over. We've reached my place"

"Hey, it's a street corner. Tell me the exact location…" said Vikram.

"The street on your left. It's a narrow street with vehicles parked on both ends. Entering and coming out will be very difficult. I'll walk from here" said Meera, getting out of the car. 

Anjali was sleepy and dozed off in Pallavi's lap. Meera thanked Pallavi and Vikram for the lift. Vikram got down and watched Meera go towards her apartment.