Love was not what Ragini expected in her life. For her gaining the respect instead of the pity was only thing she ever desired her life. It was another Sunday evening when she was ready to play the violin again for the choir in the church for the Mass.

“Finally” Mrs. D' Costa said crossing her arms when someone covered her eyes. She heard giggling. “Now stop playing the game like a five years old. If your dad saw you doing this again you know what will happen” she said and he bent his head placing his chin over her shoulder and removed his hands to hug her from shoulders.

“Your name should have been useless not Sanskar” he chuckled repeating Mr. D' Costa his dad's words which were like the bible for him. He has heard them so many times that even if you ask in sleep he will say them with the same tone like his father.

His mother hit on his hand playfully and Sanskar touched his mother's cheek with his and drooled. The church father who was on the raised platform cleared his voice and they both looked at the direction. “Come on now” Sanskar's mother brought him to her one side and they waited as the father continued giving his message.

“And now the choir” he announced and walked aside. The choir started playing. At a point a tune hit Sanskar's ear drum and alerted his brain. He was not a music freak. Neither he had slightest knowledge to recognize if a tune is new or missed. But  he was confused why did he felt that.

As his eyes scanned the usual choir group whose members he knows from school days his eyes fixed on her. She was also playing the violin like all other with her closed eyes enjoying the music. But he doesn't know why he could not take his eyes off her.

Each tune she played was hitting the right chord of his heart.

Everyone can play the instruments but only the one to whom the instrument surrenders can touch the right rhythm of the instrument and make the sound MUSIC.

And she was the one to whom his heart surrendered. And the MUSIC it played was something soothing and he wished it never to stop playing. When the choir was over her eyes opened.

Honey coloured eyes perfectly defined with the Kajal and eyeliner. She looked at the surrounding and a smile crept on her face when she saw the satisfaction on everyone's face which was due to the music and divine aura created.

She was least aware that there was a pair of eyes which were lost in their own world looking at her face.

“Sanky” his mother shook him  with a bit more force which jerked him and he landed in the real world. The clouds of imagination burst across him.

“Move” he looked at his mother who signed him. He shook his head to realize whether he was still in the dream land because the difference seemed very thin line.

His head moved back to the stage where the choir was still present. His mom walked to the father for getting blessing and along with her Sanskar moved still staring her beautiful face.

After her mother received the blessings she moved Sanskar forcefully to do that. He was still staring at her where as she was not aware of it.

He moved his self up and while doing so his eyes fixed on something.

The wheelchair she was sitting on. Her legs were thin and twisted. Looked like she had never walked on her own feet. He did not knew when that stinging pain filled his heart.

She was laughing speaking to the person sitting beside her. He wondered how can she even smile when life had been so unfair to her. It felt like he knows and had experienced her pain himself.

“My child” the father's voice made him to stand straight and his eyes were still fixed on her. Ragini who was giggling moved her eyes hearing father's voice and found Sanskar who was looking at her with a confused expression.
When her eyes met his she found his lips curving up slightly. She did not knew whether to return a smile or to avoid. To her surprise she felt her lips curving up too. A new kind of feeling started hopping inside her deserted heart.

Sanskar walked from there or can be said that his mother dragged him literally out of the church. As they reached outside Mrs. D' Costa met her old friend and was busy talking with her.

Sanskar who was still re living the moment he spent just few minutes ago was looking around. Again his eyes fixed on Ragini who was pushing her wheelchair.

She waved her hand to stop a taxi. After few speeding taxis she finally got a taxi. It had stopped a bit forward. Ragini moved her wheelchair to reach the spot.

She stopped looking at a pit which made her to stop. She stretched her lips tired with that helplessness again. She pushed her wheelchair back so that she can use the road beside but was stopped by someone. She looked behind to find Sanskar. He pulled the wheelchair and again pushed it forward in the side of the pit and stopped at the taxi door.

As he opened the door of the taxi Ragini placed her palm on the taxi seat to take the support. Sanskar forwarded his hand and she held it instead of the door. After he helped her to settle inside she was about to fold the wheelchair but she did it herself.

“Thank you” she said with a formal smile looking at extremely smitten Sanskar. He just smiled back weakly. She guided the taxi driver and he ignited the engine.

The taxi sped and disappeared in front of Sanskar who just stood watching. “Sansky” he heard his mom and walked to her.

“Damn I should have asked her name” he pulled his hair frustrated when he was staring the ceiling in the night after the dinner. His dad was nagging him continuously outside his room. But he was all smiles like he has got something very precious.

He spent the week in a hope to meet her again on Sunday.

And the Sunday arrived and he was all excited to visit the church.

“What a surprise your useless son is ready today before wasting the bucket of water” his dad mocked adjusting his tie. “And finally your husband got a time to thank GOD after a month” Sanskar rolled his eyes.

“Better than you. You remember GOD only when you haven't read for the exams and trust me it had happened every  time” his Dad looked at him.

“Okay okay now relax” Mrs D'Costa stood in between them to make peace between before the third world war starts.

“Shall we” she signed them to leave. Sanskar held his mother's hand in his hold proudly looking at his dad. Mr. D'Costa held his wife's other hand giving the same attitude to Sanskar.

Mrs. D' Costa looked at them dazed for a moment before nodding her head giving up to the usual cold war between the dad son duo.

That's what she has been doing from many years. Sanskar was always been a naughty kid from his childhood. Mr. D'Costa being a disciplined person was the most annoyed one due to his son's pranks.

It was usual for this Dad and Son to never agree on a point. And Mrs, D'Costa had been used to this and loved them both as they were equal halves of her heart.

The D'Costa family reached the church. “Damn mom we are late” Sanskar ran looking at the empty veranda of the church.

“Actually” his dad held his shoulder stopping him midway. “We are too early” he gave a mocking smile to Sanskar who smiled sheepishly at his father.
“How early?” asked his mother. “More like two hours” said his dad looking at Mrs. D'Costa who looked amazed. Both Sanskar's Dad and mom looked at him crossing their arms waiting for his explanation. He just stood praying to the almighty to save him from the two tornadoes which were ready to wash him off.

It seemed like GOD heard his prayers – the one he really wished and another prayer which never left him.

A taxi stopped and the driver walked to the door to open it. Ragini was placing the wheelchair out of the taxi. Sanskar who was watching the taxi along with his parent immediately rushed to the taxi so swiftly that his movement jerked Mr and Mrs D' Costa who were standing there.

Ragini was struggling to balance the wheelchair as the floor was a bit rocky where the driver had stopped the taxi. She was about to miss her balance and fall on the ground but Sanskar held her by her shoulder.

Ragini looked up at him while he stared in her eyes blankly. “I had told you na. Be behind us” another girl walked to them who was on her two wheeler and stopped it just near the taxi. She was glaring the taxi driver. “Sorry Ma'am” the poor soul gulped in.

“Jenny” Ragini said to cool the girl who nodded her head sighing. “Thank you” Jenny spoke to Sanskar and helped Ragini to sit straight. Sanskar held the wheelchair tightly and helped Ragini to sit on it.

Jenny pushed the wheelchair and they both entered the church while Sanskar kept looking at Ragini.

“Oh so the last time choir has done the magic?” he heard his mom who was grinning at him while he just looked around nervous.

Soon the people started arriving and the Mass began. The choir  was what Sanskar was waiting for and it started after the church father's message.

His eyes were fixed on Ragini who was all lost in her music and he was lost in her face.  It felt like everyone around him has disappeared and only he is present there with Ragini who was playing the violin.

As the choir finished he waited for his turn to take blessing from the father along with his parent.

He was just looking at Ragini and she felt his gaze and turned to look at him. He gave her a wide smile and she returned him a rather weak formal smile.

“By the father who is the new member in the choir you did not introduce” Mr. D' Costa asked shocking Sanskar whose jaw touched the ground due to the amazement where as his dad winked at him.

“Silly me” the Father walked to the dais again. “Hello people. I completely forgot to introduce the new member of our choir team. She is Ragini D' Silva. She has shifted here with her family recently. Poor kid lost her limbs for Polio attack in the childhood. But she is  very strong girl who helps her father to run the family along with her younger sister. Exceptional violinist you all know that. God Bless her” he said and walked back to his earlier place.

Sanskar turned to Ragini who was a bit uneasy that everyone knows her name now and might be they are developing pity for her. But in Sanskar's heart he was developing respect for her and an unknown feeling.

Ragini looked into his eyes. First time in her life she had met a person who did not had pity for her in his eyes but respect and something else too which neither she was able to decipher nor he was able to understand.

Leaving all the thoughts to know about that weird feeling in his eyes Ragini moved when Jenny helped her.