Surpriiise!

3…2…1… Bang!!!! Surprise!!! And yes, Again!!!

He has now mastered the art to love me this way! And I couldn’t be less in love with him!

I was exhausted with the line of festivals- talk about staying with elders at home- all festivals are done in a pompous way. We had packed off all festive confetti, wrapped off the big lamps, scrubbed the pooja area and all done! I now needed a big break and my husband only guessed it right.

He told me to pack my bags for 3 days and that we were flying the early morning flight. Destination was unknown. A surprise indeed. Early 4 am, my bags packed with warm wear and my favorite head gear! Thanks to my not so wind friendly ears. We reached the airport in early 50 minutes and he handed over the boarding pass. Thrilled- It was a pass to Chandigarh. I ate, slept, did Sudoku and everything during the journey. We landed and there was a cloudburst. Heavy rains that faded the view ahead. We luckily had the taxi booked. As we hailed the taxi, the driver and Vinay shared a casual talk. I was too excited to notice. I adored the downpour and happiness filled my thoughts. Wait! Did I overhear about “Shimla”? Vinay was grinning and his face beamed pride. He managed to keep it a secret! Yes! We were going to Shimla. I screeched and my heart danced a childlike jump. I always desired touring the Himachal roads. The stairway that led to the most spectacular and magnificent mountains!

A long journey to Shimla with hot tea and lunch at Haveli. A well-located restaurant with the view of pines embracing the place and the mist clad aura that defined a romantic affair! Paneer that melted in our mouth and hot butter dripping tandoor roti. Slurpp! Land slide was a common sight through the journey. The slopes were jeweled by beautiful pines overgrowing the fluffy clouds. Lush green, warm arms, a majestic view, and the love of my life. Perfect!! I snuggled in his brawny arms and sang to myself  “ .. there’s nowhere else in the world I want to be…”

We reached our hotel by sunset. We walked up to the reception and checked in. Our room was on the second floor opening to the most awesome view of the hills. We left the curtains rolled up the whole time we stayed there. We shopped like maniacs that evening. Ok… It was just me! He captured the beauty of Shimla through his lens. He clicked the gleams of sunset, of sweets that smelt delicious, of clothes that displayed vibrance, of distant humanity and his elated wife who shopped for stuff that overloaded her bags. Camera is his new love. He sees things in a new perspective, talks about its technical stuff, tries to explain wavelength and aperture only to see my blank face. I love the camera too- only from the other end! We hired a bike the next day. We rode the Himachal curves in that beauty. Words don’t do justice to that beautiful feeling. A feeling of love tranquilled with the freshness of nature. I held him tight, closed my eyes and lived my dream! We rode all the way up to Kufri. Had lunch thousands of meters high. And relished every moment of togetherness. We then rode down to Viceregal Lodge – place of historical importance. The place was highly inspiring. We wandered the long hallways and were mesmerized by the architectural elegance. It poured heavily that day. The showers that nurtured the aura added a tad more beauty to the green around! Our checklists were marked off and we swayed happiness.

That night was wonderful as I gaped at the starry silence. It was pure magic to say least. The fine bliss of mist cracking your bones and the chilliness to celebrate the day. Vinay walked in with glowing candles lit up on chocolate pastry. Happy Anniversary to Us! For turning 3, for turning to be crazier and for each other’s best half! The year thought us (him) to make peace at times, to love(me) more and to be there together to celebrate every adventure together. Times have gotten wiser, I must say! Fights are calmer and giggles are plenty. Serious discussions are surely not helping us. As rushing against time and kissing the fades of light, we have crossed many days and nights feeling warm and blessed. We are not together to conquer the world! We have a different perspective of settling down. As against many others, we believe in travelling, in exploring new places, in being a part of crazy ideas and executing those mindless thoughts. Triple Love to Insanity!

P.S. I wrote this from the plane – with a view of sunset between the cloudy enchantment. Awwww...!

I also managed to be giggling in excitement reading the above and scaring my co passengers!