[Trip]

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"I am sleepy!" Lex announced.

"I want to know when you aren't. I keep hearing you yawn whenever you're with me." Dylan taunted.

"It's not my fault that you are such a boring company."

"Ohhhh!" Arnav and I chorused.

"What are you two chorusing on?" Dylan spat.

Arnav coughed knowingly as I responded, "On your burn, baby!"

"Mom, see they three are teaming up against me!" Dylan complained.

"C'mon Dylan you got this." Aunt Elle motivated him from the front.

"Mom...I wasn't asking for your emotional support but the motherly one." The minibus got filled with laughter.

"Kids, rest, otherwise you won't be able to enjoy anything today."

"Mom the fun just started, Lex and I are gonna pull the nighter, not sure about the babies.

"Hey!" Dylan grunted.

"Oi!" Arnav whined.

"We can pull a nighter too!" they chorused.

"Awe...we will see." Lex said.

***

They all slept. Had I not been a kind soul, I would have poured water on each of their faces. Adults in front are either sleeping or conversing quietly. I sit in my usual seat, which I have reserved, with the moon and stars as my only listeners.

Life has a way of making people feel emotions. Having people that it is difficult to let go of is a blessing that I am richly blessed with.

The idea of letting go has never made sense to me. It has always saddened my soul, and I have always had a strong resistance to it, but a lesson I learned through my experiences was that letting go is the art of life, and holding on is a part of life.

Life certainly plays its tricks on me to make me feel at one moment completely downhearted by letting go of people, while in the next moment being hugely elated by seeing Lex here with me.

It was Mom and Dad's plan that the Torres visit India over spring break. When in India, a foreigner would surely want to visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal, one of the 7th wonders of the world, and that's what we are doing.

We have fewer days than expected since Lex just got a week off for spring break. They departed for India on Monday afternoon and were here by Tuesday late morning.

After the reunion of Torres and Buffett's, Lex's jet lag kicked in and my exhaustion, so we slept in my room after lunch. It was eight in the evening when we all woke up and dad returned from the office.

We had a relaxing dinner, and that's when the plan for the trip was made. We didn't have much time to relax if we wanted to check things off our bucket list.

Ahuja's were our guide to the places, to make out a perfect plan. As we got a festival of colors called Holi on Thursday, Lara, Arnav's mom suggested visiting Vrindavan and celebrating the festival there only.

We have been warned about the crowded area, but let's see what happens.

It was two am when we left for our trip today. Now it's four and we still have to travel two more hours, to reach our first destination.

Sunrise at the Taj Mahal is said to be a breathtaking experience, which we will be able to witness this morning, but for now, I should also sleep.

Adiós luna y estrellas, it was always good to be in your company.

***

"Wake up Sunshine!" I splash a fistful of water on Lex's face. This is what you got when we promised to stay up all night and you didn't. Fortunately, all the adults are out and stretching.

"You bitch!" Lex swore.

"Shh...the kids are here." I quieted her down.

"Since when?" Lex claimed.

"Huh?"

"Since when have you become concerned about that, or since when have you considered them a kid to whom we can't swear?"

"Even though Dylan is already on our path, I don't want Arnav to be like that."

"Oh c'mon, you can let him be. Let him decide for himself which path to take and all that. So, where the hell is Katie who never gives a damn?"

"You keep pointing at how much I changed Lex."

"Well is it a bad thing that you changed?"

"I should be the one asking you that. Is it bad that I changed?"

"No honey, not at all. I just kept pointing it out to understand you better because this is a side of you that I have never encountered before."

"Since when did you become so wise?" I asked.

"Not even a year away from you and I become smarter, people can guess who was the bad influence." she said candidly.

"Not even a year away from you and I became a goodass, people can guess who was spoiling me." I retorted.

"The hell with that word! However, both of us always have a good ass." We laughed and nodded. Apparently, birds of the same feather flock together.

"Let's get the lazy asses up now." I said.

"Any idea how?"

"We could welcome them in this world the same way that I did for you." I suggested.

"I take back everything I said when I said you were a changed woman."

"Old habits die hard."

"Let's tickle them." Lex suggested.

"Veto! Dylan will be so grumpy if we do that."

"I am proud that he took the grumpiness from his sister." I rolled my eyes at her comment.

"Let's shower them with all the love we have for them."

"You literally want me to be kind to my brother that too in the morning?" Lex inquired.

"It's fun trying new things."

"Okay you go first then!"

"Baby! Wake up baby." I kissed Arnav on his forehead and shook him a little. This cute little devil is really an angel with his eyes closed.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes, getting adjusted to the environment.

"Your turn!"

"Do I have to? I might have diabetes for my entire life." Lex cried out.

"Duh!"

She whined and went near Dylan's seat. "Honey! You gotta wake up! You were excited about coming here right? See we have arrived." Lex gently shook Dylan's shoulder.

"Dylan won't wake up like Kat, and see that Arnav has gone to sleep again." Lex chuckled.

"These pigs aren't going to wake up like this." I exclaimed.

Lex and I smirked in unison, "Water it is."

"Well I will go for Dylan and you go for Arnav, that way they won't be able to get mad at us." I suggested. We took a fistful of water and splashed it on both of their faces.

"Morning Sunshine!" Lex and I said in unison.

Then Lex and I both gasped when Dylan and Arnav said in unison "Bitches."

I think Dylan brought out the swearing side of Arnav.

"Kids my ass!" Lex and I exclaimed, and then started laughing.

***

Our focus today will be the Taj Mahal. After that, we will check into a hotel, freshen up, and have breakfast. After that, we will wander around in Agra, and after lunch, we will check-in at Vrindavan, where we will have our dinner.

"Katie! Lex! Dylan! Arnav!" Aunt Lara called us out.

"Good morning everyone." Dylan shouted, grabbing the attention of others around. Always the confident one huh. Everyone greeted him back, and we took the battery bus to our destination.

Buses and cars aren't allowed within 500 meters of the Taj Mahal to avoid air pollution.

Uncle Steve and Uncle Karthik went ahead of us, to get the tickets beforehand. They will meet us outside the entrance.

"Now that we have the tickets, let's get in fast so we don't miss the sunrise. It's almost that time." Dad announced.

"Yay! Let's go." Arnav shouted. Everyone is visiting for the first time here except Aunt Lara and Uncle Karthik.

After switching off our phones in our travel bags, which we carried with us, we entered the forecourt of Jilaukhana. The place was not crowded, but you could see plenty of people. One of the many advantages of coming here early in the morning.

Our view of the Taj Mahal was obscured by this enormous aesthetic gate. Photographers and tour guides flocked to us. We didn't want a guide, so we hired a photographer to take artistic pictures of us.

We took a look at a few information panels around the area. At last, we reached the entrance.

Finally, I caught a glimpse of its beauty from a distance. I wonder how it managed to remain preserved for so long. The aesthetic distance to the Taj Mahal really adds to the beauty of the monument.

It will not be a secret to the world that the Taj Mahal is beautiful - no matter how I describe it.

I held Lex's hand and dragged her to the nearby bench that the photographer instructed us to.

We posed individually and in pairs. There's one where we both hold the Taj Mahal from the top and another one where we appear to be pushing it. We clicked some group photos and photos in which all the children posed.

We walked through the path, soaking up the virtue all around us.

"This is fab!" Lex exclaimed.

"I second that!" Dylan followed in.

"I know right!" Arnav said.

"Come on guys, we need to take more photos."

"Bummer!" Lex and Dylan chorused, and I rolled my eyes.

As we weren't allowed to take photos inside the tomb, we took some outside with Dad's camera.

After that, we all lined up to enter the tomb. It was strictly prohibited to use phones inside the tomb, and also silence should be maintained.

In tranquil silence, we walked along the path after the security check was completed.

Walking down the trail, feasting my eyes on the serene beauty of the inside, trailing my fingers across the exquisite marble, it felt like my soul had left my body to roam the world.

I discerned the marble which was filled with patterns and Islamic calligraphy inscriptions. What if this type of architect was normalized? It would have been nice to live in a home designed like this, but then the beauty of this artwork would have seemed frivolous.

***

We had a wonderful time in Agra. All of my company is asleep because of exhaustion, and my only companion who stays with me all the time is not here.

It's 6 in the evening. We are back on our minibus. Today has been eventful. Following our exit from the tomb, we stayed in the hotel for two hours, got ready, and had breakfast. We visited the Agra Fort, Buland Darwaza, and Fatehpur Sikri Fort shortly after 11 am when we checked out of the hotel.

Agra Fort

Buland Darwaza

Horseshoes on the gate

Fatehpur Sikri Fort

We did take a lot of photos but eventually got bored with them because we had nothing else to do. Each place was equally beautiful and well designed. I don't remember all the historical facts, just the ones I find fascinating.

Knowing the uncanny facts about the places was the highlight of the day.

The Buland Darwaza is also known as the horseshoe gate because it is covered with real horseshoes. Since there were hollow blocks in Fatehpur Sikri Fort from which cold air entered, from the river that runs behind it, it is said that the idea of an air conditioner originated then.

As for now, I have a festival to celebrate tomorrow, so I should relax as well.

***

Hello humans! Well, I tried my best at describing things, but it wasn't actually my cup of tea. Hopefully, you liked it.

***

Q: Wanna visit Agra?

A: Duh!

K: It's too soon to go back there again.

***

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