It was Sunday morning. Tara left for the market to buy some supplies for Aashram. Ladies of Aashram did small businesses like preparing & selling chutneys, papad, pickles, hand embroidered bedsheets & cushion covers, etc. She bought lot of things & her hand was full of plastic packets. She walked back slowly. She stopped as she found someone standing in her way. It was Karan.

He almost laughed at her. Her face was pink with exhaustion. Drops of perspiration lined her forehead. Her hair stuck to the sides of her face.

‘I think you could do with some help’, he offered.

‘No. I can carry on my own’, Tara wasn’t pleased with his offer.

‘Oh C’mon, what’s the harm…’, Karan objected.

‘I said its ok’. Tara said bluntly.

They stared at each other for a while. Then, Karan stepped out of her way & gestured her to go ahead. He stood there & watched Tara go. Suddenly one of the packets in Tara’s hands tore & many masala bottles spilled out. Tara got alarmed & looked helplessly at the rolling bottles. Obviously embarrassed, she looked around & left the bags from her hand. Karan reached upto her & started handing over the bottles to her one by one.

He looked straight at her & said ‘All things cannot always be done alone’.

Tara stared at him silently as he collected all bottles & put them in other bags.

‘All things cannot always be done alone’…. Karan’s voice rang in Tara’s years till night. She was disturbed by him passing this statement. He is wrong. Why did I quietly listen to this? I should have answered him back. Of course I can manage alone. I have been doing so all this while.. but deep inside what pricked  her was that Karan was right. It was true that she had been living life all alone, but it wasn’t easy. She drifted into sleep with memories of the past.

Karan started visiting school more often. He helped out Tara winding up school work & preparing for the next day. Though she still spoke minimal, Karan could see in her eyes that she had started accepting him. She was the same with everyone, but with him, things were different. Often, she kept aside work specifically for Karan, assuming that when he comes, she would ask him to do it.

One day, she waited and waited, Karan didn’t turn up. The sun set but no sign of Karan. She was disappointed. Where was he? Why didn’t he come today? He never told me he wouldn’t be coming.. She spent a restless night with her mind totally on Karan. She disturbed the next day too. During school, she fumbled & dropped things, not knowing what she was doing. She waited eagerly for school to end to see whether Karan comes. And sure, he came.. smiling..

‘Where were you yesterday? You didn’t even tell that you won’t be coming? Atleast you should have told me??!!’, Tara confronted him.

Karan said nothing. He just kept on looking at her with a slight twinkle in his eyes. Tara kept on staring at him unmoved. Karan couldn’t help but smile. Tara realized what had just happened & suddenly became conscious. She blushed, smiled slightly & turned away.

Karan felt a sense of triumph. My first step ahead.

One Sunday, to give her a surprise, Karan landed at the Aashram in the morning. He found Tara drying papad with several other ladies. She looked so beautiful in the plain white salwar kameez, with her long hair tied up in a bun. There was a different glow on her face that he had never seen before. He stood against a tree and bserved her from a distance. He could look at her for hours. As he looked at her fondly, he didn’t realize that there was someone else observing this scene. Taijimaa looked at Karan and understood what was happening. She went upto him.

‘ You are Karan, right?’

‘Yes?’, Karan was surprised. Karan folded his hands to say Namaste.

‘So you are the reason for Tara’s happiness. She has never spoken about you but I know its you..’

Before Karan could digest this, he saw Tara come running in their direction.

‘Karan??? How come you here??’, Tara asked merrily. Karan noticed she was wearing gold loop earrings. She looked extremely pretty.

‘Hi. Just to give you a surprise’, answered Karan smiling.

‘She is Taijimaa. The best mother in the world!’, said Tara, hugging Taijimaa.

‘Ok, ok. Tara why don’t you make our special litchi milkshake for Karan?? Karan has come here for the first time! We must give him special treatment’, Taijimaa beamed at both of them.

‘Oh yes! Come, Karan..’, Tara called out to him and started moving towards the aashram building. She looked so happy.

Taijimaa smiled at Karan, giving him a knowing look & turned back to watering plants, as Karan also moved towards the building.

Karan felt restless & uneasy after reaching home. Tara is so happy & cheerful these days. She is actually smiling. Am I really the reason for her happiness? Is she smiling because of me? Does she also feel some bonding with me?

There’s only one person who can help me in this. I must visit Taijimaa again & speak out to her.