'Dada ekta roll, ekta cutlet, aar ekta mughlai porota pack kore din toh.' I pick the packet and hop around the pandal looking at the various stalls which might provide me with good food for her. I decide to stop at the biryani stall and ask him to pack 1kg of mutton biryani. Then I decide to take my car and drive to a mall and search for some beautiful jewellery and dresses that will light up her pretty face and make her look like a princess. I scan the mall and go to Claires first , I look at some beautiful loop earrings and immediately think that she would look perfect with them. Without a second thought I buy them. I go to Fabindia next and spot some traditionally crafted silver jewellery. I buy two jhumkas one with red beads and one with blue. I look at the sarees. I select a blue chanderi and a golden tussar. I know she will look amazing in them. I look at my watch. I look at my watch and see that it's already late. I hurry out of the store. Drive my car and go inside my house. I start decorating the house with fairy lights. I had to use lights because after all I was celebrating my favourite festival, her birthday. After the lighting, I start wrapping her gifts. I arrange them neatly in a pile. Apart from the clothes I also have bought books for her and a hamper filled with good food stuff. I then go to the kitchen and put the cake I made in the oven and the marinated chicken in the tandoor. I also toss my pan which has my very own specially prepared chicken noodles for her. I again take a quick glance at the clock. I have one hour to get ready. I go in for a quick shower and wear a suit along with a dupatta in which she said I look beautiful. Then I take one last look at my house. The food was on the table. The lights were glittering and her gifts had made a beautiful pile. I hop in my car and drive to the airport. She has no idea that I will be there to receive her. She actually has no idea that I know she is going to be in Delhi today and till the next week. I wasn't there on Twitter for the past few days hence she couldn't tell me. Actually there was a medical conference in Delhi and I was attending it as well and she was invited as the guest speaker in the conference. When I saw her name written on the sheet , I contacted my sources and found out the hotel she was staying and the day she was arriving. Luckily for me she was coming on her birthday. I could finally celebrate her birthday after waiting for 15 years. It's amazing that even after 15 years we are still the best of friends. Nothing changed between us even though with each passing year it got tougher for us to interact because of our tight schedule. But every Sunday we used to make it a point to speak to each other for an hour on the phone and know what was happening in our lives. People still don't believe that we are best friends rather sisters even though we haven't ever met each other. I have stopped explaining it to people because what's between us is solely ours. Mri and I are inseparable and will always remain so. I reach the airport as I think about her. I stand out of the car with a plackard in my hand reading 'Mrinalini Mukherjee'. I spot her with a small suitcase in her hand , wearing a formal suit and sunglasses. Her hair covering her porcelain skin face. I stare at her. Nothing but love and respect and love engulfs my heart. Respect because she looked so dignified and so confident and love because I was seeing my sister after 15 long years. I notice the engagement ring on her finger. I smile reminiscing about how she used to complain about dying a spinster. But deep down I knew she would find her Aman Mathur and she had minus the heart disease of course. And she deserved that gem of a fiancee because any guy would be more than lucky to have her as a wife. We had decided to get married on the same day. And the date was fixed on the 10th of October next year. I had chosen this day because that date was the time when we had, had our first chat in the DM. My fiancee had left my flat so that I could spend quality time with her (In other words , I had asked him to leave )
Mrinalini looked at the board and when she looked up , her eyes were out of her sockets. I was waiting for that reaction. I smile and she stands there, rooted at the spot. I see some tears glistening in here eyes and then she rushed towards me , engulfing me in a hug that almost knocked me down. I hug her back and then hold her shoulders and take a good look at my girl. She was still in shock and then said 'How? When ? I...."
I laugh at her stutters and say "I will explain everything. Get in the car first and for heaven's sake bring your bags from there before you start cribbing that it got stolen. She rushes to get them. I keep the passenger's door open for her and then get into the drivers seat. She looks aghast and says ' You are going to drive?'
I say "Yes. Why?"
She says "Listen , I love you a lot and trust you too but I really don't want to see your surgical skills being used to treat me."
I laugh and say "14 years Mri, 14 . I have been driving up and down since 14 years and you are scared I might kill you. Don't worry, you will get home safe and sound"
She still looks doubtful and I say "You be the DJ wale Babu"
She laughs that tinkling laughter of hers and I start driving. The whole way we chat about food , the different cases we handled, she was so modest that not once did she mention that almost the entire country knew her name because of her brilliant work in microbiology, we bitch about our fiancees and then she suddenly says "Ei shon. I have been thinking , if we get married on the same day and the same place, we won't be able to eat at each other's wedding then. What do we do ?"
I take a sharp turn and stop my car and grab my steering wheel and start laughing. I laugh at the seriousness in which she said it. I say "Tui shokale biye kore neesh, aami bikele. That way we won't have to worry about lunch and dinner."
She grins and says "You are my sister for a reason."
I start the car and she starts with her weird stories again. I can't believe that even after so many years all the, even after being such an eminent person ,all the abnormal things still happen with her.
We finally reach home. She is surprised seeing all the lights and she says "Are you mad? Who does this ?"
I say "Your sister does. Now come on in."
She says "Jiju aache?"
I say "No , I sent him to his friends place for the next two days. I wanted to spend this night with you. And don't you met your dirty brain twist this sentence."
She says with an innocent smile "I don't have a dirty mind ."
I smirk and say "Yeah, and I don't have a house. Now get in "
She enters and whiffs the air and then sees the table laden with food. She almost stumbles in her hurry to reach the table. I say "Aaste. Keu khenebena tor khabar. It's all yours ."
Her eyes glitter as she spots the sarees. She says "Why ?"
I say "So that you look beautiful in the conference."
She hugs me and I can sense that she was getting emotional and I think that it's time to distract her and that can only be done with food . I put the tandoori chicken in front of her nose and she stops herself from crying. I say, "I am starving. Let's dig in"
She starts with chicken and then takes the noodles and the biryani. At last after sharing a roll with me she says 'This was the best meal I had. Where did you get the noodles from ?"
I say "From Beech Ka Kitchen. "
She says "My god, you can actually cook ."
I say "And I can bake too. Wait"
I get the cake and her favourite chocolate fudge.
I say "Allow me to feed you a piece of fudge ."
She eats it and says, "Itsss amazing. I am going to ask you to courier this to me every week."
She grips my hand and says 'I will never be able to forget this day."
I say "I know what you want to say and you needn't say anything more . Tomorrow is a big day and it's time you slept. And by the way Happy Birthday."
She just nods and doesn't say anything else. I show her to her room and say "Wear this tomorrow."and hand her the sarees and jhumkas. She goes to her room and immediately the room fills with the sound of Thik Emon Ebhabe. The walls flash with our chats and tweets and pictures. I go from there and leave her alone to gather her thoughts. I think I hear a sniff and I smile.
The next morning
She puts on her saree and comes out of her room putting on her earrings while saying "Tii...tor kaache kaajol aach......"
And stops midway. Me and our 5 other best friends were standing in the hallway. Her mouth was in a perfect round O. She says "Nandini, Maya, Zia, Sarah, Megha. You guys.."
Nandini comes forward and says "Yes bitch, it's us. Your CD player made this plan possible. And we thought it's now or never so we left everything and came.'
Mri just stares like a statue and we decide to give her a hug and break her trance.
What happens after that will be another tale to tell. Till then see you .

Mri I hope you like this story of ours and I hope and pray with all my heart that one day I get to celebrate your birthday like this one day baby. Have a great great birthday baby. Love you till eternity.