chapter 19

“Guys..if your adult movie is over, can we open our eyes??” Prachi.“hahahahahaha, yes please, we want to eat the cake!!” Nitin.“ohh sorry,” Jay and Mita realised that Prachi and Nitin were waiting.“Let’s cut the cake, it is 11:58 pm!!” Nitin.“Yeah sure,” Jay was holding Mita’s hand tightly. He took the knife in another hand and then turned towards the cake.  it was a simple chocolate cake decorated with gems.Prachi lit the candle. Jay blowed it off.“Happy Birthday to you…!!!” everyone was clapping. Jay started to cut the cake but….he couldn’t, he tried again but still no success. The cake was too hard. He looked at Mita. she looked at Prachi.“Try try but don’t cry,” Prachi started laughing.Jay used his both hands and somehow managed to cut the cake. He took the piece of a cake and again looked at Mita but now she was reluctant to feed him the cake. Then he only ate it,“hmmm….not bad”, he tried hard to chew it.Seeing his expressions, Nitin couldn’t control and burst into laugh. Mita was embarrassed,“I am so sorry Jay, looks like I messed up with the oven settings,”.“Have you ever baked a cake before??” Nitin.“mmmm…no, this is my first time,” Mita tried hiding herself behind Jay.“hahahahahahahaha……” Nitin.“Jay, I am really very sorry,” Mita was almost into tears now.“It’s okkkkk, it tastes good, so what it is little bit hard??” Jay hugged her to console.“Sahi me yaar. First, you had to do shopping with me, then treasure hunt and then this cake cutting competition. Kitni mehenet karavayi Jay se…too much fun today, hahahahaha” Nitin.“Indeed, it was!!!” Prachi.Jay and Mita were laughing too!!“Thank you, guys, Thank you so much for all these surprises and special thanks to my love,” he hugged Nitin and Prachi and then kissed Mita on her cheeks.---------Next Morning:Tring Tring..It was 8:30 am. Due to yesterday’s celebration, everyone was still sleeping.Without opening eyes, Mita picked up her phone,“Hello…good morning!!”“Oh my God, Dada???” Mita got up from her bed seeing her elder brother in video call.“Hmmmm, Where is the birthday boy??” Dada.“Ohh, how do you know that it’s Jay’s birthday today???” Mita.“because of our Pitashri, our pyare Papa!!” Dada.“Ohh Papa remembers everything, where is Vahini and Golu??” Mita was too excited.“We are here only Di, see Golu is playing with the cars. Golu…say hi to your Aatu,” Vahini.“Hi Tattu…” Golu said in his baby language.“Ohh wow my cutie pie.. Tattu missing you so much, your voice is sho cute,” Mita gave flying kiss to Golu.“So, where is the birthday boy??” Dada.“Yeah, he is in his room, I am going there… Jay Jay..”, Mita was impatient and started banging the door.“What happened Mita?? Planning to break the door??,” Jay opened the door and was rubbing his eyes.“Shhhh…..Jay, my bhaiyya has called to wish you.. take this phone and talk to him,” Mita.“Ohh ok, just a min,” Jay went back inside, combed his hair, came out of the room, and sat on sofa taking the phone,“Hi Bhaiyya, Namaste!!”“Hey, Jay, Happy Birthday to you!!!” Dada.“Happy Birthday Bhaiyyaji, Golu, say happy birthday Mama…clap clap…” Vahini came from behind with Golu.“Thank you so much!!” Jay.“Mita, never introduced us with you. She has completely forgotten me, not calling me these days. All updates I am getting from Mummy and Papa. So, I thought, today would be the best day to talk to you!!” Dada.Mita was about to say something but Jay only continued the conversation,“No Bhaiyya, she keeps talking about you all. How can she forget you? But yes, due to time difference and work schedule, her calls might have reduced. She had planned video call with you many times but couldn’t,” Jay.“Hmmmm, I am impressed, how you guarded my sister immediately. Always take care of her and keep her happy, this is the only thing a brother would ask for,” Dada.“Sure Bhaiyya, I will always be there with her,” Jay.Mita became emotional.“Wait a min, Looks like someone is calling,” Jay.Mita took the phone, “Ohh that’s Papa. He must be calling to wish you.”“Wait, I will add him here, let’s have a group call,” Bhaiyya added Papa.“Ohh, everyone is here, good good good, Happy Birthday Jay, May God bless you!!!” Papa.“Thank you Papa,” Jay.“Happy Birthday Jay beta,” Mummy.“Thank you Mummy,” Jay.“Hey, let’s celebrate his birthday with a cake, online celebration, ohhooo..” Pihu came with a cake.“wow” Mita.“Jiju, please blow the candle,” Pihu.“Whatt? How?” Jay.”Oho Jiju, just act as if you are blowing the candle, I will do the rest, ok??” Pihu.“Wow looks like she knows yesterday’s cake story,” By now Prachi and Nitin had come to the living room hearing all these conversations.“hehehe, you are right,” Nitin gave her high five.Jay virtually blowed the candles, Pihu cut the cake, everybody started singing the song again, “Happy Birthday to you..!!!”Golu saw the cake and started crying, “Mumma cake…”.“Ohh no,” Mita.“Ok Di, Jay, Golu is crying, I will disconnect the call, you guys enjoy and take care, Bye everyone,” Dada cut the call.“Beta, You guys carry on, we will also leave now, God bless you!!” Papa.“Ok Papa, Mummy, Pihu, Thanks again!!” Jay.“Byeeee everyone, Love you all!!!” Mita.“Sahi me Jay, great celebrations, the cake was cut twice but tumhare nasib me nahi thaa…hahaha,” Nitin.Jay smiled, “That’s ok, cake wasn’t important, I have received so much love and the blessings!!”.“Sahi kaha,” Nitin patted Jay’s back and went inside to get ready.“Guys, I will make sandwich for breakfast, ok??” Prachi left to the kitchen.Jay hugged Mita, “Thank you so much for everything. This made me feel really very special. I never had such special celebration.”“Really?? You are happy right??” Mita.“Of course, This is so overwhelming!!!” Jay kissed on her forehead and continued,“You know, we never celebrated our birthdays like this. Appa never bought a cake, because it wasn’t so important for us. We used to go to the temple in the mornings and Amma used to make sadhya (special food) with Payasam (kheer)”, Jay.“Well Jay, not sadhya but other the special food I had prepared with semiya payasam and now you get ready, we shall go to nearby temple now, okk??”“Sure my love, but tell me one thing, Bhaiyya is elder than you then why he called you ‘Didi’??”“Ohh, not only Dada but everyone calls me Didi including my aai, grandma. It’s not because who is elder and younger it’s out of love and respect. You can say it has become like a nickname,” Mita explained.“Ohkkk but then why bhabi called me Bhaiyyaji and asked Golu to call me Mama? I am not her brother?” Jay wrapped his hands around Mita.“Well, if she calls you Jiju like Pihu then it means she is like our sister. But she can’t be as she is my brother’s wife and so she is our sister-in-law. And also, she doesn’t have a brother so maybe she was excited and called you Bhaiyyaji…samaze ???” Mita pulled his nose.“Aaooo, got it, relationships are so complicated,” Jay.“Relationships are never complicated, we make them so,” Mita.“huhhh…. overdose of relationships today, okk, I will get ready now,” Jay went inside. After some time, he got ready and came out. Mita was already waiting for him. She performed aarti ritual for him and then they left for the temple….. “Temple Ganesh”. At Temple Ganesh:“Such a beautiful and serene place,” Mita.“Indeed, it is,” Jay.“I am visiting temple for the first time since we came here in Paris, I am so excited to meet Bappa after long time,” Mita held Jay’s hand and literally pulled him.Mita gave “Puja thali” to panditaji and the both folded their hands to pray,“My dear Bappa, Thank you so so so much for everything!!! I am eternally grateful to you for sending Jay in my life. My life has changed miraculously.  Now, it is my duty to protect this sacred bond forever. On his birthday I pray for his happiness. Please fulfil his all dreams!!!!.”Jay finished his prayer and looked at Mita, she was still praying. He smiled and was starting at her.She opened her eyes. Panditaji gave them prasadam. They bowed to panditaji. He blessed them,“Sada sukhi raho!!”Jay and Mita were walking down the stairs,“Such a divine, powerful feeling isn’t it?” Mita.“true!” Jay.“Jay we should come here more often ..okk?” Mita.“Yes, but that was a really long prayer, what were you asking for? And don’t give me filmy dialogue, that we shouldn’t tell anyone about it,” Jay.“That’s true Jay, we shouldn’t tell anyone but I can tell you, I just thanked Bappa for everything,” Mita.“Ok. Didn’t you ask anything for me?? It is my birthday,” Jay kept his right hand on her shoulder while walking on the streets.“Ofcourse I did. I prayed for your happiness my dear Kanna…” Mita wrapped her left hand around his waist.“Wow….my name sounds so different ……magical….. when you said it.. Kanna!!!” Jay.“From now onwards I am going to call you Kanna only..!!!” Mita kissed his right hand which he had kept it on her shoulder.“Lovely..that’s my another gift..I am loving it!!!!! But…” “But????” Mita stopped walking and looked at him.“Its Kaṇṇā……not Kanna,” Jay pulled her nose.“That’s what I said right?? Kanna ..” Mita said innocently.“No Mita, the pronunciation is not correct. It is Kaṇṇān ….. Kaṇṇā,” Jay tried hard to explain the difference.“But doesn’t it sound the same?? Kanna??” Mita couldn’t’ understand.“See, look at me, you need to observe my tongue to get the difference,” Jay pronounced it both ways.“Ohhhh… I see…. Now I get it, when you say ṇā, your tongue is twisted inside but when I say ‘na’, it touches my upper teeth…hmmm okk….” Mita observed Jay’s lip and tongue movement carefully.“Smart girl, now let me teach you how to twist the tongue,” Jay pulled her again towards him and was about to kiss.“Ohh no Kanna..this is a public place,” Mita pushed him.“again Kanna?? It is Kaṇṇā,” Jay..“Whatever…” Mita.He was teaching her the pronunciation till they reached home!!! 😜😍😘 To be continued….