"If you don't mind we can share this Umbrella"

Riddhima turned to see a lady with a cheerful smile on her face with a little girl around 12-13.

"Thankyou. But Three people won't fit." Riddhima replied smiling at the little girl and bent to her.

"I have my own, you can share." The little girl replied showing her umbrella.

"Okay then. What is your name?" Riddhima asked.

"Mridula. Mridula Garg." She replied and Riddhima pulled her cheeks.

"Thankyou for your help." Riddhima said as they reached towards her home.

"Are you a writer?" The lady asked and Riddhima amused, with her guess.

"Not a writer, but surely one day." Riddhima said and chuckled.

"I knew. I also write, and I wish my girls would do the same." The lady said with a sad smile.

"I am sure she will." Riddhima said putting her hand on her shoulder and murmured one more thankyou. Waving a bye to Mridula, Riddhima entered her home.

"Who said you to go out in such rain? You never listen to us Riddhima. You have grown up now, when will you get your maturity?" Her grandmother started scolding as soon as she entered.

"Why are you shouting? Let her live the way she wants to." Her grandfather said in between.

"See I am all good and back." Riddhima said taking a round at her place and her grandmother slapped her forehead.

"There is a letter for you Riddhima." Her brother said as he came from outside all wet, but the letter was safe.

"Oh god Rishabh you will catch cold. Give it to me." Riddhima said snatching her letter and ran to her room in tension.

She had just posted it yesterday.. there is no way it could reach fast.

Sitting on her study table..'table' with a jump she opened the envelope and started reading.

Riddhima,
I found your letter infront of my house, so I had submitted it in the post office. Writing this letter to inform you if the reply gets late.

All the best and hope you get a letter of approval only. Sorry for reading it. But yes it's gone for Bombay now.

Vansh

Riddhima released her hitched breath and wiped the sweat buds from her forehead with the back of her palm, removing a hair strand to back of her ear.

It was still raining, and from the open window, Riddhima is seen sitting on the table looking out with a sigh. She jumped down and looked at the envelope, luckily it had address of where it came from. A tight smile formed in her lips, atleast she could thank the person, Vansh.

"Riddhima! Have your lunch." Her mother's voice came and she ran downstairs keeping the letter beneath a transparent paperweight, exactly kept on the beautifully written name.

"What's the letter about?" Rishabh asks chewing his food while Riddhima nods eating her food.

"I sent something yesterday which didn't reached at its place but someone did it and sent a letter to inform." Riddhima replied.

"What's something?" Her grandmother asked.

"Let's wait till I get a confirmation. It would a great surprise, specially for grandfather." Riddhima said smiling at her grandfather who smiled heartfully.

"Then it should worth the wait." He says.

"For sure" Riddhima replies taking a spoonful of rice.

Coming back to her room to took out a new piece of paper and made borders and made a flower on the corner and colored it with some pens, opening her ink pen she wrote with calligraphy, which she had learnt recently.

To Vansh ji,
Thankyou for your gratefulness. I would have been living in the thought that I am not capable of reaching the camp. And your sorry is replaced with what you did.

Please tell if I can do something to show my gratitude, you helped me to go through with my dream. Thanking you once again.

Riddhima

Sighing she closed her pen with a click and re-read everything making sure it's correct. With a smile she took out an envelope and place it in carefully. Writing the address and other formalities, she placed a stamp on it and decided to go to the post office itself, and submit it their.

Wishing he belonged to the same city, she checked herself in the mirror and sighed looking at messed up clothes and face.

Looking through the cupboard she went with a pink shirt with Black Polka dots and a black loose pant, along with a cloth headband to secure her open long hairs and applied a little bit of kohl in her eyes.

Her eyes welled up in putting the kohl and she dried it out blowing air from her hands. Now looking at herself in the mirror, she smiled and swirled in happiness.

As she wore her sandals her grandmother came shouting, once again.

"Oh lord this girl! Where are you going now! And that after getting dolled up? Go change and be in your room." She scolded her while Riddhima had a frown on her face.

"But I am-"

"No. No I know you. Go in your room. Already you have been out the morning, no need to go anywhere in the afternoon or else don't come back to home." Her grandmother said straight forward, making Riddhima silent.

And she was taking of her sandles, Rishabh passed from there all glammed up and went away without even telling anyone. Riddhima's face was a perfect O and she looked at her grandmother.

"Staring won't change anything. Remember you are a girl, already they have got you so much on head by letting you study. Come inside fast!" Her shouted and went back inside.

Riddhima sighed, and took of her sandals going back inside she threw them on the floor harshly and went away back to her room slamming the door.

One of them had to compromise, either it's her and her grandmother. She had always asked her grandfather as a kid and what was so good in grandmother that he married her, and she still has that question.

Taking the letter out of her pocket she kept it on the table, she will go out today and that was totally final, while anyone liked it or not. She peeked out and saw her grandmother exactly staring at her door from downstairs and she closed the door and hissed in annoyance.

An idea popped up in her mind and she opened her window, it was not that high but it was high enough to break one bone atleast. Taking up an old saree, she tied it to the handle of her cupboard which was next to the window and three it down.

Luckily her window faced backside of the home where no one will see it. Making sure she has locked the room, she turned the radio on to start some music and very nicely slid down the saree.

As she was nearly touching the ground, she fell down with all the saree in her hands along with the handle of the cupboard.

Getting up she brushed her clothes and kept the saree beneath the car, running out of the home. As she entered the gates of the post office, she had clearly thought to cry loudly.

She forgot the letter on the table.

How much she would slap herself if she could. And there is no way to get back to her room than the main or back door. But she has to reach her room right? Where grandmother's eyes are totally fixed?