Hotel Sweet Memories

Getting down the tourist bus , Kavita’s eyes caught the name of the hotel “Hotel Sweet Memories” .A dry smile appeared on her lips at the irony that she ended up at the words which she wanted to escape  “The Sweet Memories”. 

“ Ma’am here is your room key, 105, WiFi details on this slip”, a beautiful manicured hand of the front office girl handed the plastic card to Kavita. Kavita tried to have a three sixty degree view of the hotel lobby. A four star hotel, which had great reviews on the internet, affordable price , tastefully decorated with artificial plants in huge brass pots and in one corner was a bronze statue of Lord Buddha.

Kavita smiled at the receptionist who was kind enough to arrange for a bell boy to carry her back pack and her moulded pink suitcase. Since the room was on first floor, Kavita took the polished wooden staircase. The ten hour ride in the bus had almost left all her bones rattled up like wind chimes on a stormy night. All she wanted was a hot shower and soft bed to flop down.

In the dim lit corridor, it was bit difficult to find the room number, but walking along she found it was a corner room. She took the card which she was clutching tightly all the while. She inserted the card in the slot and swiped once..twice.. thrice no luck. Suddenly from no where came a young woman may be in her thirties, almost wrenched the card from kavita’s hand..

Just in one stroke the red indicator turned green followed by a beep , the door opened. Kavita smiled in spite of herself and turned to thank the lady. But Lo the woman had already entered the room and threw her brown leather back pack on the bed. Kavita was confused for a moment. 

“ This is my room,” Kavita faltered. The woman laughed and corrected “Our room!” She took out the second card from the hip pocked of her faded jeans. Kavita’s eyes moved on the maroon coloured top that the woman wore which had the words “ Find someone who knows you are not perfect but treats you as one!” Nice words but what was this lady doing in her room was still unclear to kavita. 

“ There’s some confusion. I had booked my room almost a month ago. You better check”, said Kavita trying to sound bit authoritative. The young woman again laughed loudly and this time she literally stretched herself on the bed. “ My dear ma’am, even I too booked a long time back. Only yesterday I received email from the hotel, you too might have got an email too regarding the change in the room bookings and we need to share the room . Of course we would be given a handsome discount. I am happy and have no issues to share the room with a total stranger!”, she laughed again.

Kavita remembered seeing the notification from the hotel but didn’t bother to go through the mail. The result was to share a room with a total stranger. How she had wished for an isolation to get away from the all the terrible times she had in the past few months. She had chosen this little hill station, not a very popular tourist destination and the Boucher said it would offer a lot of privacy. She wondered why destiny always played truant with her. 

Few months back she was also a happy-go -lucky soul. She was totally dependent on her friend. He took care of everything in her life from shopping to travelling. Every moment was heavenly in his presence. She had almost made up her mind to settle down with him. When she expressed her views, he simple brushed away as an old fashioned idea. Within a short time he drifted like a stray paper to end up in another relation with no place for any apology. Kavita was heart broken and crestfallen but her self respect prevented from confronting her tormentor. She silently left the place. This trip was to gather all the broken strings of her relationship to move ahead. Her reverie was broken by sudden springing moment of her room mate who suddenly rushed to the bathroom.

Kavita started unpacking the few clothes she had brought for the trip. She picked up a straw hat which he had brought for her in one of their trips and now it was almost a part of baggage wherever she travelled. She placed the suntan tube, a bottle of moisturiser, and her hair brush on the table.

“ Ma’am I am done with the restroom and now all yours”, said the shrill voice of her new roommate. Kavita went inside the bathroom. “Ufff” the entire floor was wet and used up tissues left carelessly in crushed balls and half open soap tossed in a corner. The bath towel left on the floor. She wondered why people are ignorant of bathroom etiquette. Her thoughts went back to Him. How meticulous he was. He properly disposed the soap wrapper, pull the shower curtain so as to stop the extra water dripping on the floor, neatly placed the shaving kit, toothbrush and aftershave on the counter... Kavita shrugged her self out of the past thoughts and tried to tidy the bathroom herself. She also mentally thought of talking to the hotel management to give her a separate room and the price didn’t matter. 

She wrapped the bathroom bit more tight and came out to see her roommate who had already slept and  the snoring sound reverberated in the room.

 kavita was equally tired, she changed and slept on her side of the bed. Thankfully it was twin sharing room.

Kavita slept fitfully and suddenly woke with a sound of someone munching really loud. She opened her eyes to see her roommate munching a packet of chips. She offered the packet to kavita. Bedside clock showed 8 p.m. , time for dinner. Both of them went together to the dining room. Kavita realised that she still didn’t know the stranger’s name. Before she could ask her stranger roommate - “ I am Kiran”, the young woman replied. 

Next day morning both the roommates decided to on a trek. Kavita realised her roommate was keen photographer and every now then she would shoot a picture of a shrub, tree or even an insignificant insect. Sometime she shot pictures of Kavita too. Late in the afternoon they returned and once again Kiran left the bathroom in a mess. But kavita never bothered to complain. She somehow started liking this young woman. She was frank, laughed loudly, dressed the way she felt like, never bothered about about any etiquette. Free as bird. Kavita wished she could be like her and not cling to all those stupid memories. She felt her room mate was really wise in the sense not losing her head for any worthless man. 

In the company of kiran four days passed in a wink. Kavita got back most of her confidence . She was glad to share her room with a total stranger who could transform her life from a wriggling worm to confident butterfly to move any place, and make more friends like Kiran. 

The last night ,the duo spent time in packing and after dinner came back to the room. Strangely both of them were silent. Kavita was already experiencing an empty feeling of leaving this bubbly companion. She had brought a small souvenir for her room mate a blue glass locket of a bird flying . She decided to give her the next day. Both decided to sleep early. 

Around midnight, kavita woke up with a sound of sobbing. Initially she thought may it was her imagination but slowly the sob increased. She switched on the bed side lamp. The other bed seemed uncontrollably shaking with weeping of her room mate. Kavita went to Kiran’s bed removed the blanket from her face and made her sit. Tears were flowing in streams. Kavita knew that she would never get any reply from this woman now. She closely hugged her and let her finish her crying. Kavita felt her top almost wet with the tears of her room mate. She wondered what made Kiran cry? But all she did was to hold her. The poor woman slept still sobbing like an infant who might have had seen a bad dream. Kavita spent the whole night sitting for she didn’t want to disturb kiran. 

In the morning kavita woke up to find herself still hugging her room mate and she saw the reflection on the balcony glass that they appeared like two stone sculptures carved from a single rock.

Kavita gently woke up Kiran. Both of them got ready still maintaining the silence of the previous night. They checked out of their room , settled their bills, handed over the keys and walked towards their respective bus. Kiran hugged kavita. In turn kavita gave the souvenir to Kiran. Kavita was about to get into her bus. She felt the familiar hand of kiran on her shoulder, she turned around to see kiran standing . Kavita gestured what she wanted from her.

“Dear Kavita, thank you for being such a great room mate. Even i was worried to share a room with a stranger. I learnt a lot from you - patience, calmness and support that yesterday night you gave. You are a wonderful person. The world really needs people like you. I will miss you. one last word - don’t waste your life for that bastard who ditched you for another woman. He’s not worth it. I recognised you the very first day. Your. Photograph is still in his wallet which I stole from him after he dumped me to cry every night...” said Kiran almost in one breath leaving Kavita standing while the bus picked up the moment.