Episode 12 - The Paradise has a Heart

 The sunshine was a paradox to the cold weather in Gulmarg. Although most of the year had been spent indoors due to COVID-19, people seemed to have forgotten all about the pandemic. Roja was so immersed in the beauty of the place that she did not notice Agnivesh approaching her. Nakul and Pradyuman had gone to pay for the snow-bike ride.

‘Roja!’ called out Agnivesh as he neared her. She turned around in surprise to find a visibly angry Agnivesh.

‘What's wrong?’ she asked casually.

 ‘You will not go on that hideous snow-bike,’ he declared.

‘What is this? An order again? But I have to disappoint you because I will ride that bike.’

‘Don't be such an idiot. It is dangerous.’

‘I am sure that it is certainly less dangerous than you. Will you please stop being ridiculously angry for no reason?’ she said letting out a sigh. Agnivesh moved closer to her and held her arm.

‘I cannot let you get hurt, Roja. Why don't you understand? I care for you,’ he said tenderly.

‘If caring for me means snubbing my freedom, then I would rather be uncared for,’ she said sharply and moved his hand away from her arm.

That was when she noticed that Pradyuman had already rejoined the group. She was embarrassed that he had witnessed her encounter with Agnivesh.

‘Shall we go?’ asked Pradyuman looking at Roja.

‘Yes please,’ she muttered and went ahead to stand next to him.

Pradyuman held her hand and gave one stern look to Agnivesh before walking towards the snow bikes. Preetham and Nakul followed them wordlessly. Agnivesh clenched his fist and looked away. Roja had insulted him with her words and what added fuel to his anger was that she had disobeyed him.

‘When did you arrive at the scene?’ asked Roja walking carefully on the snow.

‘When you told that the snow bike was less dangerous than him,’ said Pradyuman with a smile.

‘Then why didn't you say anything to stop him?’ she asked surprised.

‘Because it was your battle and I wanted you to fight. Although I will not be so patient if he ever again even lays a finger on you. He will then end up having at least a bloody nose,’ he said firmly.

‘At least a bloody nose?’

‘Yes, the damage for him will be much more than that, I can assure you. It is not for nothing that I am trained in martial arts.’

Roja giggled at his words and the four of them reached the snow bike zone. Each on climbed onto the snow bike and sat behind a driver. He gave them some basic instructions before whizzing the bike above the mountain. It was an exhilarating experience and one could feel the cold air blowing on the face. Swiftly they reached a point where the other bikes were clicking pictures. The driver told them that they could only stay up to 10 minutes at that spot because it was not safe to stay longer in that weather. It was extremely cold and Roja could not feel her nose after a few minutes. Quickly they took some pictures. The view from that point was mesmerizing. It was magical to see the mountain ranges at a distance which looked as if they were floating over the mist. Sun was playing tricks by momentarily casting its rays over the mountains and then disappearing behind the clouds. The ride down the hill was even more fun because the drivers let them ride their bikes. It was a thrilling experience and Roja was glad that she had not missed it. As soon as they disembarked from the bikes, they were craving for some warmth. The guide who had accompanied their group was waiting near the restaurants. He informed that the others were eating lunch in one of those restaurants. Quickly he huddled them into a small restaurant which had a cosy fireplace at the farther end. Roja, Pradyuman, Nakul and Preetham sat on the plastic chairs around the fireplace. There was a closed cylindrical structure inside which the fire was burning. The heat from the cylinder was a saviour from the cold. Each ordered a cup of hot Kahwa and a plate of masala Maggi. They were famished and the warm food was indeed comforting.

As the evening approached, the temperature began to drop. Also the gondola would stop operating by 5 PM. The guide led everyone back to the gondola. Roja sat next to Pradyuman and once again relished the ride. She had consciously avoided looking at Agnivesh and thankfully he had taken another gondola behind them. A few minutes into the ride, the gondola came to a standstill over the snow-covered valley. Everyone was perplexed but before boarding the gondola, there was an instruction sheet pasted on the wall. One of the points did read the due to power cuts, sometimes the gondola might stop mid-way but it will resume after a few minutes. Yet, the passengers were still worried.

What if the operation of the gondola had stopped mid-way? What if there was a serious power cut for over an hour! It was already so cold. what if it does not start until next morning?

Legit fears of people who had experienced it for the first time. Roja's hand was firmly intertwined with Pradyuman’s. Thankfully after 10 minutes, the gondola began moving. Everyone let out a huge sigh of relief. Ten long minutes of muted panic. Soon they were once again in the old rackety van, snaking down the mountain. Within minutes the entire place was completely dark. They reached the base and after returning the rented boots and jackets, they boarded the tempo traveller. Once again it was a delicious home-cooked dinner and everyone decided to wake up early the next morning to go to the airport. While Agnivesh and his friends' flight was at 11 AM, Roja's was at 12PM and Pradyuman's was initially scheduled for 2 PM but it was later preponed to 10 AM. He had booked his flight very close to the date of travel and therefore he could not manage to get a seat on Roja's flight. Everyone retired to their rooms and began packing their bags.

Roja and Pradyuman managed to pack their clothes and the items that they had bought during their Srinagar shopping into their bags. Now all they could do was hope that the weight of the checkin baggage does not exceed the limit of 15 kg. They both slipped into the cosy blanket but they were not yet sleepy. Roja turned on her left and Pradyuman wrapped his arms around her from behind. They were in their own cocoon of bliss.

‘Pranu, shall I ask you something?’ she asked hesitantly.

‘Anything, my darling,’ he said planting a kiss on her shoulder.

‘Why didn't you think that the snow-bike was risky for me?’

‘Of course, I knew that it was risky.’

‘Then, why didn't you stop me?’

‘Because you wanted to do it. And I think you are sensible enough to decide what you can handle. Moreover I was never going to let you do it alone.’

‘Thank you for letting me be,’ she said softly.

‘Roja, I will not make decisions for you. But you can certainly count on me for standing with you in your decisions,’ he said and gently pulled her closer to him.

A quiet smile entered Roja's face. Pradyuman was everything that Agnivesh was not. She turned around in the darkness to face him. Although, she could not see his face, she had no difficulty in locking lips with him. He let out a soft moan and kissed her back passionately. It was one more memorable night in their paradise and they wished it would never end. The next morning they woke up early and got ready for the airport. Roja called up Zayed to ensure that he was on his way to Mr.Wahib's house.

‘Hello bhaiya, when will you reach?’ she asked over phone.

‘Madam, I have not yet left home,’ replied Zayed.

‘Why? What happened?’

‘Have you not looked out of the window?’

With heightened curiosity, Roja walked up to the window and drew apart the curtains. The sight that greeted Roja was something that she had never seen in her life other than watching it on videos.

‘Oh my God...’ she breathed.

It was still dark outside but in the brightness of the streetlight, she could see snowflakes landing on the ground. It was indeed the first snowfall of her life.

To be continued...