06th May 2019,

Mumbai, India.

-M A D H A V     R A M A K R I S H N A-

Words fall short, every time I want to tell Shree how proud I am of her. I am elated knowing that she is acing every role in her life right now. She has been a caring mother for our kannamma, a successful entrepreneur and an outstanding undergraduate.

I look at the picture of chellam and kannamma that I have on my office desk.

I pick up my mobile and open the website of the London Flower Shop.

I start to calculate the number of months I have known Shree and Madhu. I place the order for 36 red tulips and 16 dandelions to be delivered to Shree's apartment.

Dandelions are associated with hope and dreams that come true. I want all of Madhu's dreams to come true. Red tulips are for Shree. They symbolize declaration of love. We aren't together anymore like we used to be- but I still love her so much. I send her red tulips, one for each month I have known her, and each flower is a confession of my love for her. Every month I send her a bouquet with one more tulip, and every month as the bouquet grows heavier so does my love for her. There hasn't been a single hour of my day where I didn't think about her.

I will be visiting her in June, when she gets her summer break.

The last time I visited them was in February. The last time I saw Madhu she was starting to walk. By February she could walk and run. She had grown and her hair was longer too. Shree tied Madhu's soft black hair into two cute pigtails. Madhu often wore her favourite yellow frock and her favourite pair of crocs shoes.

She had started to talk too; she could speak in small sentences. When I arrived at the airport and carried her into my arms she giggled as she exclaimed 'Nanna here. Nanna here.'

Shree was recording all that in the camera I got for her previous birthday. She recorded so many videos of Madhu when I was away. We sat in the living room watching the videos of Madhu dancing for the theme song of Paw Patrol; Madhu doing her hand painting; Madhu playing with her rice cereal; Madhu arranging the toys she owned and Madhu bouncing on Shree's bed; Madhu looking at Olivera's illustrations of Mollusca, gastropoda and anemones.

Madhu never let me go away from her sight. She was there beside me 24x7. She sat beside me, looking at my laptop whenever I had to attend an important video call or type something urgent.

The three of us slept on the same bed. Madhu slept in between us. With one hand she held my hand and held Shree's with her other hand. Shree and I looked at each other throughout the night, smiling.

Shree and I enjoyed each other's company thoroughly whenever we got the chance. It was difficult to get some privacy with Madhu around, but we were fortunate to have our little moments. Shree loved it when I hugged her as she stirred the Gazapacho. I loved it the most when she hugged me. She did plenty of times; because she was relieved to have me- her closest friend back with her. I loved those silent moments I had her in my arms. My hands would feel her gorgeous hair that now was back to the old length. She had to grow, especially after I watched the two serials she wanted me to watch.

I liked Kuch Rang Pyaar better than Ishqbaaaz. Maybe because at a certain point it focused on the leads and their daughter. That reminded me very much of us- me, Shree and Madhu. Shree looked beautiful with mid length hair.

Shree and I loved watching her chase the butterflies at the Lewisham Park. She would run, trying to catch a butterfly. Shrieking and laughing. She fell down and scarred her knee. We took her to the Lewisham University Hospital, which was opposite the park. It was the same hospital where Madhu was born. I had Madhu on my lap as she sobbed and sniffled. When the nurse came to clean Madhu's skinned knee with surgical spirit, it was me who was hissing louder than Madhu.

Madhu started to run around the house and the apartment compound a few days after she injured herself. I would run around behind her to catch her in case she falls. I caught her most the times and sometimes I didn't. She stopped running only when she became tired or when she saw Shree glare at her.

* * * * *

30th December 2019,

Mumbai, India.

Shyaam and Devi smiled as they drank the glass of champagne. They were in Shyaam's room. Devi's mother Lakshmi and Madhav went to Lewisham. Yashoda agreed to let Devi stay in the RK mansion until Lakshmi returned. It was a quiet night, a few minutes after midnight.

"Happy One Year to us." Shyaam said.

"Your longest relationship ever." Devi laughs. She was wearing a black satin robe. 

True indeed. Even though Shyaam around five girlfriends before Devi, he never survived one full year with them. Most of them would break up with him because he was too juvenile and reckless. Some of his ex-girlfriends would say he wasn't 'marriage material', while one of them ditched him because he belongs to a lower caste.

Devi loved him because he was free-spirited and fun unlike her. She was too serious, but he had thought her to embrace the fun side of life and to forget about her worries. She loved his juvenile and playful character. His comical antiques and his playful nature made her fall deeper for him.

"Why are you wearing that robe, though?" Shyaam asks drinking his glass of champange. "What about that really nice shalwar you wore often?"

"I'm wearing something I brought a few days ago." Devi says and inches close to him. "Something naughty." She winks as she gets up.

With one hand she undoes the robe and lets it fall off her. She was wearing a delicate negligee made of translucent black net and with a deep crisscross plunge that displayed a very enticing amount of cleavage. There was a lot of extensive lace detailing and an open back. Her full gleaming legs were visible to him, arousing a fire in him.

She swiftly unties her braid and takes off her glasses.

"Are you sure baby?" He asks and she nods. "Fuck, I don't have condoms with me."

"Maybe bhaava has a few." Devi says.

"Yo, genius!" Shyaam exclaims. "My brother has been living away from your sister for almost two years."

"So?" Devi asks.

"He probably wouldn't have used them in a long while. He's got the same box from 2016!" Shyaam says. "It's almost 2020! They may have expired and doing it with expired ones is just the same as doing it without it! You have a higher chance of becoming pregnant too"

"No! Eww I don't want that." Devi says. "Also, it's their's. It's meant for Baava and Akka. It don't want that. Now go get some that's meant for us."

"Should I ask the pharmacist for a pack of Durex or a pack meant for us?" He asks joking as Devi pushes him outside the room.

"Come back soon." She says and shuts the door.

It took Shyaam two hours to find a proper store that didn't have counterfeited, damaged nor expired condoms. He came back home around 2 AM. As he walks into the room, he finds Devi fast asleep on his bed, wrapped comfortably in his blanket.

He presses a soft kiss to her forehead and offs the light.

"Goodnight jaan." He says and walks outside his room.

To be continued....

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