If Only...

If only, Ayesha sighed to herself. This happens to me every time I come here, Ayesha realized as she rang the doorbell to Simran’s home. Today was Simran’s ‘surprise’ birthday party.

‘Hi Esha’, Simran’s mother opened the door to let her in, ‘Any idea where Simran is?’

‘She sent me a text. I am supposed to meet her here in an hour’

Conversation flowed freely between them as they worked on the decorations. Ayesha did not remember a time when she had a relaxed normal conversation with her own mother. Agreed, her parents had a lot on their minds. Both of them worked and they were so exhausted by the end of the day that they barely had any energy for small talk. They discussed mostly pending bills and tuition fees. Stretched finances are a conversation killer.

If Ayesha would have pictured a dream family, it would possibly be Simran’s. The money was not the only difference: the family, well, behaved like family. Simran had an older brother and a really adorable set of parents. Each time Ayesha was with them, she wished she had a family just like this.

‘Looks like we are all set’, Kabir said while surveying the living room, ‘Looks like everyone is here. Now just waiting for the little princess to show up’

The door bell chimed as if in response to Kabir. Kabir eyed the peephole and gave everyone a nod. As soon as he opened the door, everyone enthusiastically screamed ‘Surprise!’

‘Oh my God! Wow!’, Simran hugged her parents,’ You guys are the bestest’

You could not argue with that. Ayesha was treated like the second daughter in Simran’s house and she really cherished the warm feeling she got whenever she was around them. They really were the bestest family in the world.

‘Esha, come here babe!’

Kabir clicked away the perfect moment and turned his attention to the table laden with food. After stuffing his mouth with a handful of kebabs, Kabir picked a few trays and started walking around the living room.

Simran split from Ayesha and started mingling. Ayesha was not very comfortable around too many people and when Simran’s parents left for the evening, she found solace in an empty kitchen.

A couple of hours, is what it usually takes for me to start feeling guilty about wanting a different family, Ayesha mused. Not that Ayesha was thankless, but sometimes she just wished things were different.

She was humming to herself while arranging the finger food, when Kabir walked in with a few empty trays. Kabir was Simran’s older brother. He was older, mature which actually should have made her feel out of depth around him. But it never did. He always made her laugh. He always made her feel good about herself.

Ayesha did not have a great deal of expertise in dealing with people from the opposite sex. Most boys in college were downright dull and she preferred to spend time with her girl friends. But she liked spending time with Kabir. Lately, she wasn’t really sure why, she felt all funny inside when she met him.

‘I am guessing you don’t want to be outside with a bunch of hungry lunatics’, Kabir motioned to the commotion outside, ’Not that I blame you’

‘You can take these’, Ayesha pointed to the tray of cutlets and chips she had just finished arranging. She barely made eye contact with him. She really wanted him out of the kitchen. She knew it was a stupid thought. It was his house!

‘So, what are your plans after graduation?’, Kabir questioned while using some tissues to clean the trays.

’I will apply to the university here and see what courses I am eligible for’, she rambled too quickly.

If Ayesha did not manage the scholarship for her master’s program, she would not be able to study further. Simran’s parents, on the other hand, were encouraging her to try a program abroad to get a broader perspective.  

‘Simran is still undecided about where she wants to go and for what program. Since I have studied in the US, chances are she is headed to the US as well’

The choices the rich had to make, she smiled to herself. She thought back to the first day she had met Simran. They had both come into class quite early and sat on adjacent chairs, right at the head of the class. They had hit it off and by the end of the first week, they were pretty much inseparable. Gradually, they had realized the differences. They were poles apart in terms of social standing as well as individual personalities but their friendship just grew stronger.

‘You both want to study advanced architecture, don’t you? Simran wants to learn landscaping, but she would need to stay abroad to practice that. Not sure India has a market for landscaping yet’

‘Yeah, we both think the same as well. She has narrowed it to interior design for now. Depends on the school she gets through’

As they continued the conversation, both were quite oblivious to Simran standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Simran had been looking for Ayesha to share some juicy gossip, but it could wait.

Simran had realized just a few weeks ago that Ayesha had a massive crush on Kabir. Ayesha had not expressly acknowledged it but Simran knew enough about Ayesha to understand without having been told. Interestingly enough, her parents had been looking for a suitable girl for Kabir and they had not come across any good alliance so far. 

So Simran had asked Kabir what he thought of Ayesha. She had waxed eloquent about the goodness of her darling friend and Kabir had laughed her out of his room. But sometime between then and yesterday night, Kabir had been convinced about Ayesha.

Simran’s parents were ecstatic. Coming weekend, they had decided to talk to Ayesha’s parents about Kabir. If Ayesha’s parents agreed to Kabir as their future son-in-law, they would all tell her together as a family. Ayesha and Simran would both study abroad for their masters program and once their studies were done, Ayesha and Kabir would get married.

The girls had often discussed their lives, the future aspirations, their knights in shining armour. Simran could not believe how perfect Kabir and Ayesha were for each other. She had been warned not to talk about anything to Ayesha till it was all discussed and agreed upon. Frankly, Simran found that quite difficult. She wished she could tell Ayesha. She could not wait to welcome Ayesha in the family.