“Goa….. “,screamed Pihu as she dropped her phone with excitement when their instant trip to goa got finalized. She had finally managed to convince her friends to have a quick trip to Goa after a lot of persuasion.

The moment, the plane landed at the Dabolim Airport, all of them screamed with joy anticipating the wonderful time that they were going to spend in the next two days. Goa redefines holidays with its exquisite mix of Sun, sand, and surf! The long stretches of white sand beaches, the sight of the sublime sunsets on the horizons, the coconut trees that adorn the roadsides, the carefree lifestyle, the availability of a variety of seafood cuisine, the mix of modernity with the rich and vibrant heritage oriented lifestyle, the amusing nightlife can always mesmerize the travelers and allures them to travel again and again.

“Pihu, I had told you, we should book everything earlier! You know I like to be organized. Still, you never understand. You suddenly made this plan and dragged me along. Me agreeing to this plan does not mean I am not upset with you! Why do you always do this? You know it makes me restless when things do not go as per the plan.”

“Off ho … chill baba !! Nothing will happen. there is so much fun in spontaneity. Do you ever understand? See, this is the excitement that will be memorable.”

“This is not excitement. This is stress, plain stress! I get panic attacks with such unexpected things.”

“Aditya … Now this is too much drama, Okay?”, announced Pihu.

The couple and their friends booked a taxi to visit south Goa, a relatively calmer area as compared to North Goa.

Pihu let her head out of the window and waved her hands in the air like a child.

“What are you….. a school kid? Come back inside?”

Aditya pulled the hoodie of her T-shirt from and made her sit in the back seat of the car. Agitated with this dominated behavior, Pihu was about to punch Aditya, when the car halted suddenly.

There was an old woman who had suddenly come in front of the car!

Pihu, jumped out of the car and went ahead to help the lady while Aditya looked at the watch repeatedly ,annoyed that the precious little time that they had was being wasted. They had to look for the best hotel, book the finest restaurant and make reservations at the best Casino so that they can have a blast! Even, the other couple were on the verge of exasperation as Pihu was the one who had forcibly dragged them along without telling them any specific details of the plan. They were all colleagues who had joined the company as a batch and hence they could not ruin their relationships over a trivial matter. Hence, Vaibhav and Prerna ,had finally agreed to accompany Aditya and Pihu.

“You are coming along with us. You just tell us where to drop you and we will!”, Pihu said to the old woman.

Before everyone could resist this move , Pihu was already in the car with the lady . The group had now understood that Pihu had a mental breakdown . Aditya, who was a control freak was almost loosing it. Finally after sometime of racing on the serpentine roads of Goa , with greenery all around, they all had reached the house that belonged to the old lady. It was a beautiful two storied cottage that had a rustic feel to it . There was a lush green garden in front of it . The gate had bougainvillea plants adorning with pink colored flowers adding their magic and making the view resemble like a painting.

You can all stay here. There is no need for you to book a hotel and all. I and my husband stay alone here. Our children are all settled outside the state. This house will also feel alive when you children are around . Mostly we do take in bookings but this weekend we did not have any such lead. So, you guys can explore our property and see if you like .You all can use the first floor and do not worry about the food! I guarantee you, you will have the best of finger-licking delicacies that I will prepare.

“Yes, Aunty! That will be best. Guys what do you say, let’s stay here for a change? Pihu said while looking at her friends waiting to get the approval. Aditya , was almost enraged listening to things being planned in a jiffy.

“Please, guys, let’s be patient to go with the flow and see how this vacation comes out? Anyway, you all were not ready to come here in the first place and see we are here! Trust me this will be a different experience.”

“Different is okay, I don’t want to ruin my mood and time, Pihu! You have been taking all decisions by yourself. “Said Vaibhav, who was Prerna’s partner with irritation in his voice.

Pihu looked at Aditya for support in this ego tussle. Aditya kept quiet until, Pihu enlarged her eyes, making it obvious that consequences will be dangerous if Aditya did not come to her rescue. After Aditya’s tactful handling of the situation, the group of friends finally put all their paranoia behind bars and were ready to dive into this unexpected time that they were going to have.

They went up and the rooms looked average and Aditya was still not convinced with Pihu’s idea until Pihu opened the window to a magnificent view of the sea. It seemed as if they had their own private beach which only the best of the luxurious hotels guarantee. The next two days went smooth, when the group, unlike spending their time in shacks could actually explore Goa as if they were proper Goans having a house their. The experience was very different and not to mention unique .

“Aunty, can I have that extra serving of Goan fish curry?” asked Aditya

“Sure sure. You seem to like my cooking the most. Promise me you will come here next time and bring all your friends especially Pihu. Do not forget me, okay?” The old lady said with a warm smile on her face.

In these two days, the friends as if had become a part of the family .The hospitality that they received from the old couple had touched their hearts. They had learned that the couple in their youth, had quit their busy city life and had decided to start a more relaxed lifestyle. They had finally settled down in Goa. With their savings, they had somehow managed to own a small piece of land through one of their known acquaintances at a very reasonable price. They certainly had to modify their way of life to a very simpler version but this whimsical decision had turned out to be the best decision of their life. With patience and perseverance, they created a life that gave them ‘time’ to enjoy a quiet and meaningful life.

It was time to bid goodbye and of all the people, Aditya was the one who had become the closest to the old lady. He probably, found the love of his late grandmother in her motherly affection in this short span of time. With a promise to visit again, Aditya was the last one to get in the car!

The vacation was nothing like these four people had expected. They had thought of loud music, dancing on the floor, boozing till they were all out . Probably that is what Goa was for them , until now. In spite of any of such activities, they felt at ease and rejuvenated . The pause that their restless heart wanted was probably offered in that old two storied mahogany framed quiet house. They all sat peacefully in the car while returning to the airport.

“Pihu, will you marry me?”, Aditya had just proposed Pihu , when they reached the airport.

“What?” Pihu removed her headphone.

“Will you marry me, Pihu?”

“You have never even confessed your love to me and I had thought, I will be the one to do it because your planning of doing everything perfectly would have taken an eternity! And now… woah… all of a sudden marriage!! What happened?”

“Some things are better not planned. I have realized. Answer me na, Pihu”

“Of course, I will.” Pihu said with a grin. “This is memorable, Aditya!! I never wanted one of those predictable proposals to ever happen. I would have said no , if you would have done that”, said Pihu with her mischievous eyes.

The couple held their hands and with a big smile, went towards the check-in for a new phase of their togetherness was about to unfold before them.

Sometimes patience to go with unprecedented turns in life open up new perceptions

I have decided to take up an emotional joy ride with this year’s A2Z challenge where my focus is to showcase different aspects of human behavior . I will be penning down pieces of fiction centered around emotions in alphabetical manner. I have a title for my theme and it is : A little bit of you; A little bit of me . 

I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z -2021

You can click on the alphabets below to read the stories that have been published so far.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Love,

Chinmayee