The Unplanned connection

The game was in full swing! Every face was glowing with sweat and happiness. Of course, it was a muddy football day! No kid was complaining about the dirty clothes or slippery ground, it was all fun.

But it seemed that mother nature had a sudden change of mood. The pleasant drizzling suddenly turned into an ambush of arrows of water. The kids didn't get the time to recover, they started running here and there, however, there was no place. The park was far from their homes and there was no house around but one. Everyone on the street had taken shelter under trees. They decided to follow the same under a big tree in the park.

“My mom says not to take shelter under trees in the rain if there is a thunderstorm,” said Rumi.

“But it’s just raining. We can stay here until the rain stops.” Vishu said matter of fact. At the same moment suddenly the sky roared with thunder. 

“I think Rumi is right. We need to go inside a house or a building. It is not safe here.” The wisest among all, Deepu declared. 

“But where can we go, there is nothing around here.” 

“There is one place we can go, see the old bungalow there, It’s old but two storey! If we run fast, we can be there in 5 minutes and we can stand at the door. Nobody will object.” Rumi already had a plan! 

“But don’t you know, the people in our society say not to go over there. It might be a Bhut-Bangla, haunted house!” It was the mini Mini talking.

“If we stay here, the thunder can make us ghosts, don’t you think. By killing us?” Vishu challenged and started running towards the old bungalow. The rest of the gang followed suit. 

By the time the kids reached the door, they were drenched with water. They waited for a while, but the rain didn't stop. They were shivering and sneezing. They held each other tight to keep themselves warm.

An abrupt crackling sound scared everyone. They closed their eyes and held each other tight. “Come inside, it's freezing in here.” An old lady said with a soft gentle voice. That helped them to regain their fading consciousness. The kids were inside. It was certainly warmer than outside. There was a big living room. The furniture was wooden, old-fashioned; but they liked it. The fireplace was already making the room warm with burning wood inside. The kids made themselves comfortable near the fireplace. 

“Who all are here?” a gravelly voice shook them off their place. It was followed by a tall old man, he was really bigger than the old lady, kids thought.

“Sir we were playing in the ground in front, but suddenly the rain and thunderstorm started and we had nowhere to go. Our home is a bit far from here. We will go when the rain stops.” With the shaken courage Vishu clarified.

“Ok. No worries. I will go and help my wife. I am Sudhir Desai. Retired, Colonel Indian Army. Nice to meet you all.” The old man said and left.

“He is not as bad as he looks.” Deepu sighed with relief. “Let’s stay here until the rain stops, then we can run away.” 

“He is from Indian Army, my dad says Colonel is one of the highest ranks in the army. He must be important.” Rumi declared.

For a while nobody talked, they were soaking themselves in the warmth of the place. Their shivering and sneezing also had stopped. They were too overwhelmed and tired to say anything. The growling sound of their tummies made their hunger apparent. 

“The growling tummies need food. And here it comes.” Mrs. Desai- the old lady brought bowls of soup and breadsticks. The kids looked at each other with hesitance, but the hunger won the battle. They were famished. The snack was finished in minutes. The host of the house looked at them adorably. As the food satisfied their stomach, their brain started working again. They looked at the old couple curiously. They made a few ticks on their imaginary checklist as, 

‘those people were certainly not ghosts, they were human, they gave them shelter and food. Thus certainly not bad people.’ They smiled at their hosts and thanked them politely. 

Still there was no sign of stopping the rain. The old couple made them comfortable with a little storytime and chit chat over a plate of biscuits. Their faces were all curious, animated. But they were also tired. 

“Why don't you sleep for a while, you need rest. We will wake you up when rain stops.” The old, Mr. Desai said. Kids obliged. After sometime kids were sound asleep, with blankets covering them. 

Finally the rain stopped, it was time to say goodbye. Vishu the unsaid leader was bidding them farewell. “Thank you very much Mr. and Mrs. Desai. We would have fallen sick if it wasn't for you.” “Your house is beautiful” Rumi followed the greetings in her way. “Thank you very much, sir.” Deepu concluded. Mini just smiled.

“No worries, kiddo. You all are very well behaved kids. Your parents must be proud of you. You all are welcome here, any time.” Mrs. Desai said softly.

“By the way, it’s almost night, I will drop you guys at home. Let me take my car keys.” Mr. Desai declared.

A black SUV finally dropped the kids at their society. Their parents were already worried about their whereabouts. As the kids made their way to the parents, they were greeted by running tears, frenzy hands checking them for any harm and finally followed by a firm grounding notice. 

“Who were those people?” asked Vishu’s mother. “ Those were Colonel Desai and his wife, they live in the old bungalow near the park. They helped us, we were at their house, during that awful rain.” Vishu and everyone then started with a chatter describing their adventure. 

“Didn’t I tell you not to go there!” It was Mini’s mom’s scolding, followed by most of the parents in the group.

“What is wrong with them?” Rumi challenged their parents.” “ That we don’t know, but it’s been told by other residents that they are not good people, they stay alone, don't talk to anyone.” Of course the kids were presented by unreasonable answers. But they had full faith that the Desai’s were good people.

***

Days went by, kids frequented their visits to Desai's house during their football sessions. It was almost their routine. 

“Why don’t you guys socialize? We never saw you go out at anyone’s house or meet people? People in our society think you are proud, arrogant.” The detective Rumi was detecting and she had no filter! The old couple looked at each other, their faces saddened. Mrs. Desai gestured at a photo of a young man on the wall. He had a handsome, pleasant face with a smile. “He is Kabir. Our son.” 

“He is good-looking,” said Mini innocently. “That he was.” Mrs. Desai smiled. The girls smiled in response. But at the same time, Vishu made an observation. “Was? Where is he now?” 

“He gave his life in service of his nation, my dear.” Colonel Desai said proudly. The room went still. The gang was processing the information. Their not so wise minds didn’t understand how to react to that statement. But they certainly did the most obvious thing. All of a sudden, the old couple was crowded with hugs from their soft hands. They hugged them tight. Tiny small droplets of tear fell on their shoulders, the old couple was surprised by the most human act they had experienced in ages.

                                                                 ***

All the decorations were in place. The balloons, the hangings, the stickers, the hats. Everything was in place. Even the snacks and cake had arrived on time. Everyone had already gathered and waited for the ceremony to happen. 

“Rumi, see everyone's waiting. When are you going to cut the cake?” Rumi’s mother enquired for the second time.

“I told you, my important guests are yet to come. Once they are here I am going to cut the cake.” With that she joined her gang waiting in the yard gate with the same enthusiasm.

“Have you called them?” “Yes, mam. They will be here in 5 minutes.” The gang was quite excited about these guests.

“Do you know, for whom these kids are making such hype?” Rumi’s mother asked Mini’s. Before she could answer, a black SUV made it to the gate. Mr. and Mrs. Desai stepped out with a bunch of presents in hand.

The kids greeted them with hugs and kisses. Rumi held their hands and made it to the cake cutting area.

“May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Desai. The not so social people as you guys labeled. But these are the most welcoming people I and my friends have met. Right friends?” The gang nodded with cheerful faces. “They helped us on a rainy day full of thunderstorms. They gave us shelter, food and made us comfortable in their house. And you said those are not good. That’s not true.” Vishu looked at their parents. The parents and the guests felt embarrassed and almost ashamed of their kids’ true words. 

“They tell us stories, which are more interesting than our cartoons,” Deepu said his point.

The couple sensed the discomfort in the air and tried to steer the event. “That’s fine kiddo. I have too many stories to tell. But let’s first cut the cake! Right Rumi?”

“No, I think our parents owe you a sorry.” Rumi said adamantly. 

“Yes, we definitely owe you a sorry.” It was Rumi’s mom. “And maybe also a cake full of sugar and snacks full of savory!” Rumi’s father said on a lighter note.

That crackled the faces of guests with smiles. Finally, after a big Sorry sound, the cake cutting followed and the party started. Suddenly the Desai’s became the stars of the evening. Everyone was eager to connect with them.

“It is your birthday party Rumi. But I think oldies are having the most fun!” Vishu poked her on shoulder. 

Rumi made a face and said.

“But isn’t that what we’d planned for our unplanned connection”