Parting was always going to be difficult after their time together. Two empty cabs passed by them, but none of the two raised a hand to stop them. They just stood there, by the road, hand in hand. Reliving all the moments. Savoring all the moments.

"Where do you live?" it was Riya again who broke the silence.

The old lady pointed her cane to the left, "In an old age home across the town."

The feeling of being alone gripped Riya again. She didn't want her to be alone. Not today.

"There's no way I'm allowing you to travel all by yourself at this time of the night," she made an excuse, "spend the night at my house, and then you can go along in the morning."

Granny understood what she meant. After all, she too had the same feelings. She just didn't have the courage to say it out aloud. For years, being alone had become her identity. It was the company of people which made her nervous, made her tingly. But this girl had made it all vanish.

She just nodded her approval to Riya. For she knew that if she spoke, the emotions would take better of her. She wasn't sure if she could control her tears then. Sure, the tears would be of happiness. But they'd be tears nonetheless. And she'd hate shedding tears tonight. No, not tonight.

Soon, they were in the cab, headed towards Riya's home. As the cab started, Riya opened up a bit about her day. She told the old lady how her boyfriend had ditched her on this special day. Just a mere thought of him broke the dam Riya had been building. Tears glistened her chubby face as she gave a big hug to the old lady. There was a strange kind of affection radiating from the lady.

After wetting the shoulders of her new found mate, Riya finally broke the hug. She slowly placed her head in the lady's lap, as the cab went quiet for the rest of the journey.

It was over a quarter past midnight when the cab stopped before an apartment.

"We've reached mam," the driver announced from the front.

Riya was sleeping peacefully by then. The exertion of the day finally taking a toll on her. The old lady reluctantly ran a hand through Riya's hair. The curvy black bun rustled under her touch, but it wasn't enough to wake Riya up. So she patted her cheeks lightly and whispered her name in a soft voice.

"Riya. Riya, wake up. Come on."

Riya jerked to life with that. The first couple of seconds were filled with desperation as she tried to get her bearings. It didn't take much before her eyes laid on the old lady as all the memories rushed back to her.

After paying their due to the driver, both the ladies were walking towards the elevator. Riya gave a smile to the watchman as they passed his cabin. Once in, Riya pressed the fifth-floor button as the elevator rattled on towards the end of their night.

The floor was silent as expected. Two LED's flashed the nameplate of her parents, while the rest three doors slept in darkness. Both being working people, Riya was sure her parents were asleep by now. She took her key and opened the latch with as little sound as possible.

With the old lady just a step behind her, she ventured into the dark room. Living in that house for almost eighteen years now, Riya was familiar enough to walk in there with her eyes closed. But she knew the lady couldn't. She just stumbled upon the first pot by their door. So Riya lightly grabbed the hand of her partner, before taking a lead in.

She had just closed the door behind her when the room was suddenly engulfed in a blinding white light. An ear piercing roar of "Happy Birthday" followed it up. A chorus of happy birthday started as the familiar voices sang to wake up the neighbors.

As the excitement subdued a bit, Riya finally took notice of all the people in that room. Her parents, her aunt, uncle, a couple of their neighbors, her ever so beloved friends; and even her boyfriend stood there with a wide smile on his face. This man just broke with me a couple of hours ago, Riya thought at first. But then, she too put up a sly smile as she understood the whole game. It was just a joke.

Though, amidst all the excitement that was in the air, color suddenly drained out of the two faces. And the silence of the duo didn't go unnoticed. The surprise that was seen on Riya's face when she entered was no match to the one evident on her parent's faces at that moment.

Riya was sure they were looking at her. But still, she knew they weren't. They were looking right past her to something. No, not something. To someone.

In the sudden change of her mood, she completely forgot the old lady whom she'd brought home. Riya glanced behind to watch a similar expression replicate on the lady's face too. Just what is happening here, she scratched her brain to decipher.

But just the one word that was uttered after that cleared all the confusion in her mind.

"Ma?"

The voices of her parents echoed in that room.

Before Riya could react at all, she saw the old lady leaving the house, silently as ever.

***

"You can shove them in the deepest corner of your heart, but some memories are bound to surface when you don't want them to."