A little story for you all. It’s part fiction and part something that happened while I was in school. Darjeeling is my home town. It’s a hill station situated in West Bengal. I hope you all will like it. This story is part of my published books- “A THING CALLED LOVE “.

The morning was as usual, busy and bustling with the crowd of people moving and rushing towards their different destination- in short life was just life, filled with many attempts to overcome the daily needs and wants.
The sun was beautiful. Winter mornings in Darjeeling are the most memorable and gaze-worthy.
November was in its early stage and the little pressure of the final exams of these kids running to their school was the most relatable thing for me. Nostalgia was hitting hard and a soft smile graced my face.
I lunged a bit out of the window and gazed happily at the school-goers. They brought back those happy and wintery memories of me and my siblings rushing to get ready and run towards our respective schools. Now after completing my post-graduation and my brothers in their own space of life- I felt like going back to those days again. Morning assembly, church service, the very first class, the fifteen minutes break, and the desperate wait for the hour of lunch and finally the last bell of school. Nothing compared to the happiness of the last day of weekdays.
Whirling these memories of my school days, I glanced up and saw someone. She was at her usual place, watering the plants and humming a tune to herself. Sensing my gaze she looked up at me and passed a familiar and warm smile. I giddily smiled back and waved at her. Two figures came and hugged her warmly before disappearing down the stairs and running out the house- off to their schools. She watched them off and then continued with her work and left after she was done. It felt I had a sudden flash of a very special and sweet memory of my life. Something which had not happened with me but I was very much the part of it.
During my school days, the lady in our locality which everyone referred to as Aunty, had hired a new driver for her many water supply tankers. She ran a mass tanker system business and her house was filled with servants. She was that lady whom we see spending her life just with her numerous cats and dogs and lived in a big mansion with servants and also harbouring a dark secret. Well, she did had servants, but had two pet- a cat and dog, lived in a three storey house and about harbouring a dark secret- she knew best whatever she was hiding, nobody in our locality cared about that, but, yes they did care about the amount of money she hid. She a was born miser! Her house was across from ours and we used to witness the daily chaos of her house with laughter and curiosity.
The year was 2010, I was in ten standard. The male driver who was hired by aunty was actually recommended by my father. He had come from Bihar and was a aced driver. I still remember getting a full glimpse of him when he had come at our place. A young, fair and tall man. He smiled warmly at me while I peeked at him from the kitchen.
I got to know his name too- Rajesh.
While working for aunty, Rajesh had seemed to be-friend almost all the servants and drivers. He was loved by all and he used to make the evening gatherings of these people entertaining with his jokes. He had many times helped my mother with grocery shopping and had even given me lift till my school in the small car that aunty owned.
The cook of the old lady, had a daughter who also worked with her and assisted her mother- Kalpana. Kalpana was a young girl of eighteen or nineteen, she was the house help. She used to dust the house, water those dozens of flowers and small pots of plants, and also sit and play around with the two pets. Kalpana was helping her mother since she was fifteen and we too had grown fond of her. Even the old lady was immensely pleased with the young girl. Kalpana was always helpful and she had managed to make everyone her friend and well-wisher.
The very first encounter of Rajesh and Kalpana was a moment that, never ceases to leave my brain. The young man had not met this young girl till the end of almost a month he had started working for Aunty. I was lazily sprawled on our veranda bed after returning from school, while my mother was assembling the dry clothes from the windows. I was blabbering about a certain new teacher who had recently joined as our Geography substitute and how she had already become a pain in our neck, when a loud sound of glass breaking was heard. My mother glanced out the window and murmured about something breaking in Aunty’s house. I quickly bounced of the bed, pushed my mother and witnessed the scene across from us. The balcony was bare for our eyes, Kalpana was clutching her left hand with blood dripping from it. Rajesh stood gawking at the broken glass with a nervous look, I couldn’t properly see what had broken, but I had managed to see the look on both the human beings faces. They both were oblivious to their surroundings and the mess they had created- instead they pleasantly stared at each other’s face, just like out of a Bollywood movie.
The poor souls were interrupted by the shrill voice of the old lady, she screamed her heart desires, had managed to scold all the three servants and Rajesh. Kalpana’s mother quickly took her daughter towards the kitchen to clean the wound. The other servants, a stout lady with a horrible face and a mouth more horrible grumpily bend down to clean the mess. Rajesh, the clown he was smiled sheepishly at the ladies, handed something to his employer and left- not before turning back and glancing towards the kitchen where Kalpana too was peeking out from like a ghost.
I had managed to gather this incident in my head and just couldn’t let it leave.
This was just the beginning of something much more beautiful.
And later we found out, the precious glass flower vase was the reason these two people met.
I used to completely forget about these two when I would be in school, but my time at home after school was always spend in the veranda, while watching the small interaction and glances these two would give each other.
Rajesh had started spending more time with the female maids, much to their surprise. He would play with the pets while Kalpana would feed or groom them. Their shy smiles and gazes were unnoticed by everyone- except me. I was witnessing a romantic Bollywood movie. Not that I minded watching it.
October was slowly approaching, he whole town was filled with the festive vibe. During the last week of school before the puja holiday, I saw these two beautiful souls together, without anyone surrounding them. They were together, just the two of them.
While leaving for school with my friend, I had briefly seen Kalpana leaving the house, not paying much attention to it, I walked my way. We had reached the Alicevilla Hotel when I spotted two familiar faces. Rajesh and Kalpana were standing to the left side of the hotel, a rather quiet pavement, which would eventually lead to the then Museum of the town. I was rooted at my spot and I happily saw the pair shyly holding hands and then they disappeared further towards the road.
Now when I think about it, I know that they were on their very first date.
A sweet love story was gradually being weaved on the streets of Darjeeling.
Puja vacation had finally arrived and I was more than happy to sleep my days. There were many times, Aunty used to call me and my younger brother to spend time with her and her pets. These were the times I used to catch these lovebirds chirping silently in any corner of the house. In one such visit, I saw Kalpana sobbing silently with Rajesh holding her and comforting her warmly. I desperately wanted to approach them and ask what the matter was, but I couldn’t. Right now while remembering about them, I understand that I was just a spectator in their love story. I wanted to let them know that I silently approved of the love they both were creating.
A week later, while paying another visit I unknowingly heard a conversation between the old lady and Kalpana’s mother. Kalpana was supposed to be wedded. A perfect match had been found for her and Kalpana’s father was not letting go of this prospective groom. This had immediately struck me and at that moment I knew why the poor girl was sobbing.
Events after that were very blurry, as the vacation got over- schools had re-opened and now everyone was busy with their final exams. Amid all these things, a news was heard.
Kalpana was missing for a whole day. She had left the house for a matter of five minutes to get something for the kitchen and had not returned till the end of the day. Her mother was hysterical and was mostly terrified of her husband knowing about the matter. The drivers were sent everywhere to search for the missing girl, yet there was no sign of her. People of our locality were worried for Kalpana- they too were doing every possible need to help the mother find her daughter. Even after two whole days, there was no sign of the young girl and now the poor mother was bed-ridden. Her health was getting affected due to this crisis and this was now getting serious.
I remember accompanying my mother to Aunty’s place and watching how desperately the woman was wailing for her daughter’s safe return.
Her condition was getting unbearable and now even the father along with his relatives had arrived all the way from Nepal. The chaos that they was creating was also getting unbearable for all of us.
Amid all the crying, shouting, sobbing and worried faces no one actually noticed that an other person was also missing. Rajesh was also not present since the last two days. No one had actually paid attention to him being absent too, until the horrible faced maid brought it to everyone’s notice. Suddenly, everyone realized what was happening and people starting putting two and two together and now it was clear. Kalpana and Rajesh had run away together. Kalpana’s father had also come at our place when he got the knowledge of Rajesh being employed through my father. His mean and dirty face was something I could never forget, but my father was not fazed a bit- he threw the man out. No one was to be blamed for what had happened and Rajesh was not someone we knew closely. He was a distant relative of someone who used to work for my father. Finally, having enough of the man Aunty sternly asked him to leave. No one knew or cared if he left the town or not. He left, and also left Kalpana’s mother- abandoning her forever.
Everything after that happened really fast and maybe after some time people had forgotten about these two. I used to remember them from time to time. I had seen Kalpana’s mother lost and sad everytime I got a glimpse of her and it was evident she missed her daughter.
It was the September of 2014, I had already completed high school and I was in college now. One such day, our honours classes got cancelled so I had happily bunked my general classes and giddily skipped home. Happily reaching home, I greeted my mother with a loud smile. My mother happily greeted me and didn’t bother to ask the reason of my early arrival. After hogging down my lunch, I was yet again sprawled on the veranda bed. My mother was seated beside me scrolling through her phone, when suddenly she told me that Kalpana and Rajesh were back in Darjeeling- not that we knew if they had left Darjeeling or not.
It seems they did had left Darjeeling. Back in 2010, they had eloped and ran off to Rajesh’s maternal village in Bihar as he knew his father would never accept the alliance of him and his beloved. His maternal uncles were supportive of them and had managed to hide these two. The couple got married- Rajesh, being the charismatic man that he was landed up with a job as yet another driver- and also now had a daughter.
After hearing about these events I sprang from the bed and lunged forward to the infamous window of ours. There they were. After all these years, they were as young as they could ever be. Rajesh was warmly holding a young child in his arms, Kalpana stood right in front of my view- with vermilion gracing her forehead.
She briefly glanced at me and did a double take and looked back at me- smiling happily she came towards the fence of the balcony and waved at me. I, too happily waved at them- my happiness knew no bounds and somewhere in my heart I wanted to see them again. Rajesh came forward too and showed me the face of his daughter. She resembled the love they both had created.
Thankfully, the mother had forgiven her daughter, Aunty was happy too or so I can come up with. The horrible faced maid had already left the job and also the drivers Rajesh worked with.
Time changed, and many things had transpired in those years. The couple had another child, a son and they seemed to be happy in their own bubble. Their love story was one which I could never forget and it will stay in my mind forever.
Now, after seven years of Rajesh and Kalpana returning back I still remember vividly each and every moment of them- that I had silently been a part of. They both still worked for our much older aunty and Kalpana’s mother took care of the her grandchildren. Aunty on the other hand always grumbled about the house being noisy. Well, we really can’t change some people.
I lost track of the time, I was standing at the window and the chilly morning was replaced by the bright rays of sunlight. My mother must have called me numerous times.
Paying a last look to the house in front of me, I smiled at Kalpana feeding the very same pets, aunty at her usual rocking chair, the mother with yet another crocheting and Rajesh taking the car keys and leaving for his tanker duty- not before passing a warm and loving smile at his much beloved wife.
Letting go of the window, I went inside while cooking up an explanation to serve my dear mother.

@omernaila910