The Best Diwali of Two Souls

"This is for you Aunty," She said handing me a beautiful wrapped-up parcel, smiling at me calmly, and giving me a hug before running down to meet her cousins.

And after opening the parcel, 

 I travelled in time, 10 years ago-

 "In the fireworks, I see you," I told her as she glanced up at the fireworks and nuzzled my cheek with her nose.

This was me, Kaya Tiwari, with my 6-year-old niece, Simayi, in my house's courtyard, showing her the majestic sky painted with bright fireworks and the other houses adorned with fairy lights, lamps, and hangings , As she sat on my lap

Simayi simultaneously looked at the chaotic but pleasant colourful night sky, sometimes scared when a huge hydrogen bomb blasted somewhere at the distance, sometimes suppressing a sweet giggle as a bright pink cracker spread itself on the night sky.

"Kaya, what are you doing? Help me dress up". Came an annoyed yell from my elder sister, I gave Simayi a quick nod and ran into the room to help my sister with her saree.

After that was done, I was about to go dress myself up when-

"Kayu, look here I guess the laddoos have cooled down, please pack them" I heard my mother call me from the kitchen, I rushed there and slowly gathered two laddoos each and packed them up in silver boxes for distributing them to all the guests which were expected that Evening.

Simayi came skipping into the kitchen and picked a laddoo up when I stopped her

"No Simayi, these laddoos are for the guest, I will make you another set of laddoos tomorrow, I promise," I said cupping her cheek.

She looked at me with her small eyes, all vulnerable. She nodded and ran away. I knew she was heartbroken because she was eager to taste them when they were freshly taken out of the pan and arranged on a beautiful Golden plate with a red border, making the laddoos look tastier than they were and tempting to anyone who came across them.

Simayi and I, both of us knew that tomorrow again everyone would be busy, and making another set of laddoos was an empty promise.

I decided that I couldn't break Simayi's heart, I barely got a holiday on Diwali, and this time I was lucky to get one so it's not often that I get to help everyone and mingle with everyone to live this festival to its fullest.

There were a total of 20 guests expected and I packed 19 boxes, silently praying to goddess Lakshmi that nobody would notice and my plan worked.

After a lot of patience, the guests arrived. To my amazement, exactly 19 guests arrived and I thanked the goddess for this miracle.

That night after everything was wrapped up,

Simayi was about to go to sleep when I silently led her to the kitchen. I removed a small tiny box kept above the fridge and opened it making sure it didn't clink while opening.

I slowly removed one laddoo amd fed it to Simayi who was puzzled as well as overjoyed at the same time. "Happy Diwali my little firecracker" I whispered to her as she ate the sweetmeat.

That smile of hers lit my heart just like one of those firecrackers that lit the sky now a black canvas being painted by elegant colors of the fireworks and rockets.

She quickly gobbled up the first laddoo and as she proceeded to have the second one, she looked at the laddoo and then at me and then she quickly broke the laddoo into half and was about to feed me when we heard her mom approaching the kitchen. I quickly motioned her to put it in her mouth and turned my back at her shielding her from the view of her mom who was now standing on the kitchen's threshold.

"What's happening here" My elder sister asked with sleepy eyes.

"Oh Simayi wanted some water" I replied looking into my elder sister's eyes.

She nodded and then asked Simayi to walk with her, As it was time to go to bed.

Simayi told her mother to go forward and that she wanted to have some milk with turmeric too.

Her mother nodded and I said, "I will make it for her, I am not tired yet".

Her mother shook her head and left the kitchen after asking Simayi not to take too much time and to join her soon for bedtime.

Simayi nodded and making sure that her mother had gone upstairs, she slowly said-

"I want a picture with you Aunty" 

And I smiled then I opened my camera and we took a snapshot, in which Simayi pressed her cheek against mine while hugging me and I grinning wide, trapped in her embrace.

The next day, my mom asked me where was the remaining laddoo box kept and I told her the truth. She got upset,

"Kayu, we could've bought laddoos for Simayi some other time why did u have to feed her the one kept for our guests,

You know that Mr. and Mrs. Armani are going to arrive today evening as they missed yesterday and now what sweets are we going to give them? I had promised to give them laddoos which we made with pure cow ghee and fresh cashews at home".

I bent my head and saw Simayi peeking from her room at me.

"But mom, I thought that -" I tried to explain to her but she cut me off

"I had strictly told u to keep those 20 boxes safe. Now run down to the store and buy me all the ingredients that are needed for the laddoos, we need them by today evening" She said in a frustrated tone.

I went to the store that day, but to find it close and came home without anything adding to mom's anger.

She quietly ordered some sweets from the sweetmeat shop and gave me the silent treatment for straight 2 days. But at this point, I didn't regret feeding laddoos to Simayi, because that smile was priceless and I realized the meaning of the joy of celebrating Diwali with a loved one, calmly rather than in a hustle where everyone is busy looking after guests and don't get sufficient time to have a good conversation with each other. If I had to compare, I would definitely say that that was my best Diwali.

As I came out of my flashback, I looked at my parcel, it had the same picture that I and Simayi had taken on that Diwali night. The memory was alive in my hands in the form of a painting that Simayi's elegant teenage fingers had swiftly stroked on a white canvas with the brightest colours ever. the parcel came with a small silver box of laddoos and a handwritten note that read-"Aunty, I tried making laddoos, I haven't tasted them yet because you deserve them first, I know they are not perfect, but I still remember that Diwali night, and I will carry that memory in my heart always and forever.

Lots of love,

Simayi"

And my heart once again lit up like that firework which I heard outside my window.