Diamond Hearts (Volume I & II)

8. A Perfect Sunday

Kuhoo opened the eyes. Darkness outside visible from her bedroom window suggested it was still the night or probably the wee hours of morning. Shuffling through the comforter, she searched for the phone on left side of her pillow. Soft light coming from the display made her eyes squint for a moment before adjusting to the same. Twenty seven past four the digital clock showed, three minutes earlier from the time set for alarm. It was funny how she would mostly wake up even before the alarm rang. Kuhoo chuckled remembering how her best friend called it 'Sign of an awake subconscious'.

Switching the lights on, she got out of the bed and her vision landed on the note written by the new neighbour. She chortled as the memory of a man cursing grumpily after falling on the floor flashed in her mind.

After brushing she stared at her teeth in the mirror and made a mental note for taking an appointment from the dentist soon. Tartar had deposited again over the last one year. Strange she never had such dental problems in India. But then how was she to blame this country, it was her inability to fall into the habit of brushing twice. Regardless of trying so many times she failed to clean the teeth at night as it would mess up her sleeping schedule. And Kuhoo Chaturvedi was borderline obsessed with completing things in a stipulated time.

'Miss perfectionist' Adi had named her when they were just starting to get to know each other. But then at times he would confess that he had fallen for her flaws as well. She loved him so much. Unfortunately, the heart she had perceived to be made of diamonds was nothing but black. A pitch black heart. Maybe it was life teaching her - All that glitters is not gold.

Closing the orbs she pressed the tap and focused on the hot water trailing down her body, sighing to its relaxing effect. Sometimes she wondered which one was more soothing, sleep or a relaxing bath. Nevertheless, sleep topped her list, as bathing mostly ended up in a brainstorming session.

Applying a small kumkum tika on the forehead, she prepared a cotton wick and lit a lamp in front of a Krishna idol. Kuhoo smiled remembering how they bought it during a random, unplanned trip to Mathura. Eli and she were strolling on the streets near Banke Bihari temple when her eyes fell on local vendor selling those figurines. She had bought two marble idols, one painted with pink and silver, the other blue and silver.

Kuhoo didn't think it would stay with her or Eli after all these years while gifting the pink one to Elisha, but the woman had proven her wrong by sending a picture of the idol following a small puja every year on Janmashtami. Oh, it felt that just yesterday they had together danced in Nidhivan, forgetting worries of past, present and future.

The wall-clock hit five. Kuhoo first chanted a few mantras remembering lord Ganesha before worshipping the beloved Lord Vishnu.

"ॐ शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं 

विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् । -"

("Om, Shantaakaram Bhujag-shyanam

Padmanabham Suresham,

Vishwa-adharam Gagan-sadrusham

Megh-varnam Shubhangam -")

She started, her heart being more at peace with every sholka, mind deciphering meaning of those words at the same time roaming back to the time her Dadi would elaborate the meaning of all the sholkas to an eight year old Kuhoo.

Out of all the verses, she admired first one the most as a child, imagining the divine figure of Lord Vishnu lying on the Sheshnaag, a beautiful pink lotus arising from his navel being an aasan for Lord Brahma and his blue skin shining with a heavenly glow. She would then wonder about the co-incidence of sky being blue as well.