There was a change in Madav. A good change. After three weeks of spending himself alone, depressed and locked in room, finally is back to normal.

Durga was more than happy to see the old Madav now. She wondered what was in that letter that manage to change him.

Or has he finally decided to move on?

Maybe.

He began his day with his usual routine as he used to do before the event happened. Madav went for his sixty minutes jog, got back home, freshened up and happily had his breakfast with his mother. Being the mother she is, Durga couldn't help but let her happy tears seep down as she gobbled her breakfast.

"Maa, why are you crying? Have I said something?" Madav asked keeping a hand on hers.

She shook her head and wiped off her tears, "No, you said nothing, Madav. You being the old you have brought happy tears, that's all. I'm happy that you are happy" she said tapping his cheek twice.

"You will never see that Madav again, I promise, maa" he said taking her hand in between his and gave his most charming smile.

*-*-*-*

Madav now stood at the busiest street on the busiest day of the week, Wednesday. Maybe it's because the nearest clothing store has its sale on every Wednesday or because it simply a working day that it was busy; no one could really tell the exact reason.

Crossing the street as the light turned green for the pedestrians, Madav headed straight to the café that was stated in the letter, Olive Blue Café. The bell that hung on the door ringed as he opened the door of the busy outlet.

Scanning for the person he came to meet, Madav approached the lone lady at the end of the café.

"Hi! Madhu?" he greeted the lady who seemed too engrossed in sketching the view outside the window in a small notebook. He called her again.

"Hi!" Madav waved his hand in front of her to get her attention.

She took a couple of minutes to compose herself from the sudden unexpected meet. Someone she did not expect to meet.

"Madav?" she gasped in surprise.

He took a seat opposite her and flashed his adorable smile.

"How are you?" he asked.

"So, you finally received the letter" she said after the waiter took his order.

"Yeah, I'm glad I received the letter but I wished I got it earlier, I could have controlled myself better." he sat comfortably on the only cosy couch kept in the café.

Madhu sipped her Latte, she looked out the busy street, then the busy cafe before turning back to the man opposite her. That adorable smile was a distraction for her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything"

"Mind if you tell me exactly what she said that day?" Madhu asked pushing her book and pen aside.

Though she somewhat knew those words was quite hurtful for Madav, she wanted to know.

Madav shifted his gaze from his Mocha to Madhu's; a pair of eyes that was as beautiful as Padmini's.

"Why?" Madav agitated.

He never wants to recall to those bitter moment, it was just too bitter. Too painful. 'She knows then why she is even asking?'

"No, I don't think we should talk about it" he said looking out the window, stirring the liquid in his cup.

"I think we should" Madhu insisted, Madav kept shaking his head side to side.

"Madav.... I want to know. Hiding your feelings to yourself will only continue to hurt you more. I'll just listen and will not say anything else or will try to justify anything"

Taking a few deep breaths and some time to gather himself, he spoke;

"She doesn't know me and that she has a fiancé. That's what she said. Happy!" his eyes welled up a little.

She had hers welling up too, those were indeed sharp and painful and as she promised she said nothing, letting Madav come out of it slowly by sharing his heartbreak.

"Madava?" she softly called putting a hand on his, reminding him of how Padmini used to call him. Turning towards the voice, it was Madhu he realised. "I'll be right back" Madav wiped the single tear at the corner of his eyes and left Madhu alone for some time.

She continued her sketch of the cafe outer view adding Madav in her perspective drawing, the view in front of her that she captured in her mind of him looking out at the busy street.

"Is that me?" he asked standing behind her with two plates in his hand.

"You should not peek at someone's work! That's bad manners, Madav!" she said hiding the notebook away from him.

Chuckling at Madhu childishly hiding her sketch, Madav set the two plates on the table. "Here, tiramisu for you and croissant for me"

"How do you know I like that?" she asked quite surprised.

"Uhmm... I remember someone telling me about it" he said looking somewhere else.

"Did I? I don't remember saying it to you" she said as she tried to recall.

"Oh, don't try too hard... Madhu I just happen to pick that for you. So, tell me what you do?"

Madhu took the plate of the mouth-watering delicacy and she told a little bit about herself.

Madhu is a thirty-year-old freelance artist and a dubbing artist. She lends her voice for kids cartoon program. A simple girl yet one who holds a lot within, trying to capture everything as much as she can in her memory and transfer it to her small notebook.

Memory.

Beautiful memory is what she wants to capture yet just like anyone she too has restriction. Family rules and regulations is slowly taking her passion and hobby away from her.

"Why don't you move out?" Madav asked, taking another bite of his croissant. "There are many places where you can put your skills to work. Especially with those portraits you draw"

"It's not that easy. As much as we think living in a white man country gives us freedom it's that much of a lie. No country can ever change a conservative mind set. My parents are soaked in conservative society that even England can't change them. For them, I can only move out once I'm married" she shrugged and devoured her tiramisu.

Madhu's parents aren't different from Padmini's. They are exactly the same.
Parents who fears for what society would say, fear of being in the bad image in their so-called society and that leads to neglecting their own kid's future.

Madhu left as soon as her phone rang an alarm reminding her that she has to be somewhere else.

"Madav, it's a request. Please overlook the content in the letter you got earlier and also ignore any letters that comes in future"

"Why?" before he could get an answer Madhu left a confused Madav.

'If the letter should be ignored then why was it written and sent to him in the first place?"

Madav's thought trailed off at the sight of a beautiful yellow roses and tulips outside the café.

-------

"Didn't I order those yellow flowers two days ago? I need it today!" a girl in earlier twenties stood by the cashier counter spoke.

"Yes, you did and I have even written it down but one of my workers had it sold to someone else yesterday" the man behind the counter tried to explain.

"That's not my problem! You should have told your staff not to sell them and I have even paid advance for my order" she slammed her fist on the counter top.

"I'm sorry young lady. I don't think I can help you, I'm sure the other shop across two streets will have the yellow flowers you ask for. Here is your advance" he said not knowing what to do anymore and returned her advance.

Madav watched the entire scene from a distance as she left the flower shop, Madav looked down in his hand. Five stems of yellow roses and five stems of tulips were nicely wrapped along with red and white roses.

"Hey!" he called out the girl who sat at a bench a little further from the flower shop.

She looked at him through her blurry vision. "Are you crying because you did not get those flowers?" he asked taking a seat next to her.

"No!" she pouted and looked away hiding her tears from him.

"Really? Come on, you look upset"

"My mother will kill me if I don't bring those flowers by evening" anxiety started killing her as she spoke to a complete stranger.

"Why? It's just flowers"

"I know, you know but she doesn't. My mother doesn't listen to any of us and when she needs it, she wants those yellow flowers ONLY" the girl said quoting the word in air.

"Yellow?"

"Yeah, had it been any colour I wouldn't be upset at all but no, she wants only yellow" she looked up at the grey sky. "err... now that it's going to rain I won't be able to walk to another flower shop" she wept.

"Here, take mine" Madav handed her his yellow roses and tulips.

"Thank you but they are yours" she politely refused.

"That's fine, my mother likes red and white as well. She isn't that of a fussy woman" he smiled giving her those beautiful yellow flowers.

Taking the flowers, he offered the girl handed him the money but Madav being the gentlemen he refused to take any money and in return he asked for her name on their way back home.

"I'm Padmini" she extended her hand for a handshake.

"Padmini..." he said softly, trying to familiarize with her name, "I'm Madav and since we are friends now, let me walk you home" he offered.

"That's alright. It's just down this street, my house isn't far" she pointed.

"Crome Road?" he asked.

"Yup"

"So, we are neighbours then! I live there too..."

~~~~ I walk down the memory lane because I love running into you, my love ~~~~

************************

Madhu or Padmini?

Comment and vote, loves <3

~DEVA~