Loving again – part 55 (twinj ff)

CHAPTER 55

She knew from the moment her bags were packed and weighed that it was not that simple she was trying to make her believe.

It was going to be a hell of a journey with a small baby, no wonder people were more active before babies in terms of vacations and sightseeing.

And now, when the luggage was checked in for their first flight, she shivered with the thought of a whole 14 hours of this journey. They had talked about the flight and though he wanted her to experience the changing landscapes she insisted on a night flight so Kavya sleeps through the maximum journey.

She hoped this was the case otherwise she didn’t want unnecessary attention to them because of Kavya and due to Kavya.

She recalled how Kunj was calm and relaxed before packing, during the packing, or when they were entering the airport premises.

She wanted to tell him that this was not how he used to fly, alone but then she was trying to believe his words – “it not going to be tough, believe me.”

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Her watch told her it was 2 am when the first tremors came, she scooted close to Kunj the best possible.

“don’t worry it is temporary…”. he told her as he patted their baby’s small back.

Kavya was with Kunj and she too had sensed something was not right. So far she had not created a fuss and had gone to sleep after watching her favorite color show.

He had resumed watching the movie through his headphones but she didn’t get the required assurance… in her mind, she started the holy chants and worked on her breath.

Unknown to her she had focused her stare to the front and her fingers curled and uncurled in anticipation.

The seatbelts sign illuminated in no time.

“Twinkle, it’s nothing, it happ…” he was cut mid-way when the captain announced.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re experiencing some turbulence. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts, its temporary, be seated”

“like I was telling, it’s temporary, sometimes it happens.” after helping her with the belts he told her again. “here have some water.”

She didn’t want to drink anything but took it anyway and uncapped it and as she proceeded to have a few sips the strongest of all turbulence got her along with a few co-passengers in panic.

“here, hold my hand and close your eyes…” holding Kavya carefully he extended his arm to her. ” it will go away in a while.”

She clung to his arm and held him for her life.

She could sense he had leaned at her and his warm breaths were surrounding her and soon she started relaxing in another calm.

The aisle was still booming every now and then with the fear-stricken shrieks and shouts but she was not paying any heed, she had intertwined her fingers with his and somehow his words were the only truth for her… “it will go away in a while.”

Around 3 in the morning the heavy tremors stopped and the plane resumed the smooth flight with occasional small ones almost unrecognisable, air hostesses were walking down the aisle with refreshments, water, and what not.

He had asked her if she needed anything but she denied it so he was sipping his tea and also going through some booking on his phone.

“it was good Kavya was not awake…” she started a conversation.

“she was awake …for a while,” he replied.

“oh, but she did not cry or shout.” adjusting Kavya in her lap Twinkle looked at him.

“she didn’t understand otherwise she might have or perhaps when she woke up the place was unfamiliar so she slept again.” he smiled at their baby.

“do kids behave this mature?” she asked him astonished.

“This is not maturity Twinkle, this is their childish behaviour, they find the place unfamiliar and they sleep to avoid it… an adult would start getting restless and would not be able to sleep,” he explained.

“Oh yes,” she mumbled.

“by the way you didn’t sleep at all, I thought you didn’t get a good sleep even last night.” he had observed her tired eyes in the morning.

“I think I won’t be able to sleep properly till we touch your place…” she answered him and Kavya took the exact moment to stir.

“now she is waking up, I think she did a nice job throughout the night but I wish she could have slept a little more.” Twinkle smiled at him apologetically.

First, the little hands and then the tiny feet extended out of the lap, and then Kavya’s body convulsed in her strange style of cracking her bones as Kunj had pointed out once.

He scooted close and they looked at each other followed by a laugh they stifled, seeing passengers were asleep or were trying to get some sleep after the ordeal.

“you can sleep for a while,” she told him after he made some faces to Kavya and took her for a small walk to get her face cleaned and change her nappies.

“Yeah, ok then,” he told her as he switched off the overhead light and stretched on his seat to get in a comfortable position.

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It has been a while and the sun was turning on around the horizon spreading the insides of the plane in an orange hue Kavya was busy in the muted video, Twinkle grabbed her purse and swiped open her phone screen.

She smiled at her mother-in-law’s messages she was getting just now… next was her sister’s sheepish texts she needed to ignore for a while.

What surprised her was her father’s call around 10 last night, perhaps he forgot they were boarding the plane at that very moment. She smiled at her father’s cuteness.

She made a mental note to give them all a call before the connecting flight in Amsterdam.

Every beautiful tale involving Greek gods has been in her mind since she got to know their connecting flight would be from Amsterdam, she had hoped it would be in Munich since he had his connecting one from the city last time.

Someday she would walk around the beautiful Greek temples for sure.

In a flick of the moment, everything has changed, and in a year she was already starting to embrace this new life… sometimes she felt selfish for she was starting to care for Kunj and not remembering the life she once was living.

She slapped her mentally for thinking those things again, she had made her mind to not fuss over past and things which happened… people were trying to forget and so was she.

She looked at him and found him sound asleep so she mustered up the courage like she had done a few times in recent weeks.

She smiled at this new courage she had developed – secretly clicking pictures of the three of them.

Every time she clicked his sleeping pictures her brain reminded her about the saying – don’t click someone’s picture when they are asleep.

And she told her brain – but it was beautiful to watch them sleep this sound.

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his eyes opened with the flight announcement of them landing in 20 minutes. Rubbing his eyes he blinked a few times to wake up fully.

When he gained consciousness his eyes fell on the woman smiling at him from a few seats ahead.

“what it was that she found amusing.” he wondered and then it occurred to him.

He was not able to view it properly but the other woman was smiling at his family sleeping cutely, leaning on his shoulder.

He recalled one such flight to Dublin where a woman wanted to talk to him and he had shushed her politely.

His thumb moved to his ring finger and he touched the gold band, again a flash of memories drenched him.

Not wanting to rush them, he called Twinkle to wake her up and get ready for the landing.

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To say her feet were jumping to go out would be an understatement… for the first time she was in a foreign land yet she could not go out due to Visa rules.

She tried to find a window but the restroom they were provided didn’t have a proper window to give her an outside view.

She was indulged in these lame activities when he came out and saw her jumping up and down the window.

“what are you doing?” he asked her with amused eyes trying to find out her motives.

“nothing thought it would give a greek view…I mean Amsterdam.” she fumbled and looked away.

“arey, I didn’t know you liked the city,” he told as he wiped his face and hands.

“No, it is not like that, when I got to know we had our connecting flight here, I sort of thought about this city and the mythologies,” she replied as she grabbed Kavya’s and her toiletries.

“oh, well, welcome to the land of God Apollo.” he caught her hand and spoke dramatically.

“you mean?” she turned back surprised and amused.

“well, apollo is the Greek god named after Sun.” he smiled at her.

“hahaha, really.” she beamed with a new found joy.

“tell me about his wife, she might be some goddess!” she asked him enthusiastically and he cursed himself for the mention of Greek gods.

“that we will talk some another day, go get freshen up we have to eat something before the next flight.” he changed the topic abruptly and she sensed something.

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The foreign faces welcomed them in this one flight, and Kavya surely got the attention of them. The couple opposite the aisle was quite interested in her.

And she too had started playing Picaboo with them, going up and down on Kunj’s lap.

Since her attention was not on them, Twinkle opened the phone and typed Wife of God Apollo.

Among the names, the one name that was termed his true love was a Nymph Daphne but the story didn’t end in a happily ever after.

So this was the reason he changed the topic back then.

“Apollo’s true love, Daphne has broken his heart but he still pursued after her and had her but it hurt them all.”

With a somewhat upset mood, she put her phone in the bag and focussed on the clouds.

“can I tell you something?” after a while, he asked her and she turned to him.

“hmmm,” she replied.

“read a story without getting involved with the characters, in the end, it is just a story.” he leaned towards her and mumbled.

“but it was sad.” she felt her eyes were welling up.

“still a story,” he repeated.

“yeah… just a story.” she agreed to turn to the window.

“and we are checking into a hotel after we land and in a few hours we will leave for our apartment when it is cleaned and ready,” he told her.

“I can do the cleaning besides I am not even tired,” she told him with a slight glare.

“well, I do not want my family to have the first impression like that… yeah, in the future if we ever come back I’ll let you do the honors.” he smiled.

“Whatever…” she made a face but deep down she smiled at his thought.

He had redecorated the house for Neha back then and now it needed a few changes and photo swaps so he could not let Twinkle and Kavya enter the house designed as per some other person’s comfort.

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Hey guys! how have you been?

COVID 19 has turned into COVID 21 and I don’t know how long it will take to completely go away. please follow the guidelines and stay safe.

this time it is spreading vigorously and making us helpless at every point.

Now, I hope you enjoyed chapter 55, I’ll be waiting for the feedback.

Thank you for being patient with me and not losing hope in this tale.

With this, I pray for everyone’s safety.

With love Morusya♥