The meeting

"Oh my god!" cried Vasanti "Is it you Varshu? Let me take a good look at you. You have grown so much. I would not have recognized you if it were not for your eyes."

"I recognised you the moment I saw you" said Varsha, "I was just trying to make sure. And you have grown older too and a lot more beautiful"

Vasanti smiled at the compliment "How have you been dear? What did you do all these years" she asked.

"Let me hold those details until we meet the others" winked Varsha, "Why repeat the whole story again? The only thing I'll say now is that I missed you all a lot"

"So did I. Initially it was so difficult not to think about you all. I used to wonder how you would be and what would you be doing that very moment."sighed Vasanti "It took me a few years to get used to the fact that I might not be able to meet you all again. The only thing that kept me going was this" Vasanti held out her palm to show a crinkled note.

Varsha needed no hint to guess what it was " I always thought maybe I was the only one clinging on to that piece of paper"

They both sat silently for a while each lost in her own thoughts. They had so much to say, but they wanted to wait. What if, the others turned up.

"Vasu di, why do you still have your luggage with you?" enquired Varsha "did you plan to stay at lake house too?"

"Yes, but I don't think I can afford to stay at THIS lake house" said Vasanti waving her hand at the hotel "Where is your luggage?"

"I left it at the cloak room at the bus stop, I came by bus from siliguri. I was a little confused when the taxi driver told me there is no lake house, so I left my luggage there"

"I should've done that. Hm, I can still do that, but where do you plan to stay?"

"I was looking forward to staying at the lake house" said Varsha looking longingly at the hotel.

"So was I. Fate does play strange games. I feel like we are homeless again" said Vasanti sadly.

"Fate is just a word Vasu di. Whatever happened was not because of fate nor is the fact that we met today. It was planned and it's happening as it was planned. The house was not really part of our plan." argued Varsha " I don't believe in fate!"

"Father never believed in fate" reminisced Vasanti fondly.

"Yes, he never did"

"Varshu, look at that girl in the blue sweater" said Vasanti pointing to a girl who was walking down the road " Could she be.."

"Looks like her, but then girls do that to their hair on purpose these days"

"Nobody would want to have laddu's hair" said Vasanti stifling a giggle.

" But, this girl is quite fit and healthy, It would have taken laddu years to look like this" said Varsha

"It IS years since we met her."

The girl in the blue sweater looked at the hotel for a short while and started walking towards the lake. She still looked like she was searching for something or someone.

"Wait lemme go and talk to her" Varsha started to get up.

At the same moment the girl looked at Varsha and then at Vasanti. She cupped her hands around her mouth and stood gaping at them.

Varsha started running towards the girl. Vasanti looked on as the girls hugged each other with delighted shrieks of "Varshu!!" "Laddu".