Que sera sera !

Mom was dead against the whole idea. But, growing up wasn’t fun listening to mom all the way. So, here she was twisting and turning in her berth waiting for the morning when she would get down and take a vehicle to ‘Chopta’ where she would join the trekking team. (Chopta is a small region of meadows and evergreen forest area, located in Uttarakhand state.)

Her heart was beating with excitement though her mom’s face pried in between… ‘all right mom, I will be back soon’, she murmured to herself, ‘besides, weren’t you like me once?’

In the morning she traveled to Chopta, the travel bug pinching her all the way and the first time she was on her own. The mountains greeted her cheerfully and, in a while, she would have her first date with the Himalayas. Her fingers scribbled on her phone, ‘Reached Chopta’, she texted mom and was eager to send a mighty mountain picture to mom. But who knows she may call the next minute!

‘Let us go together’, mom had pleaded almost.

‘No’, was Teesta’s firm reply. ‘I want to do it alone mom.’

But it seems defying the lady and undertaking this trip wasn’t as easy as she had presumed.

The team leader greeted her warmly the next morning and she was introduced to the group. Armed with a backpack and a camera, she was ready for the trek. The mountains left her speechless and the group squealed with excitement at the glimpse of the snow-covered peaks. There was this cute boy who was smiling and making everyone laugh with his weird jokes.

‘Beware of boys, Teesta’, Mom’s words echoed.

‘I am going to meet him on the Himalayas… Don’t worry’, she had chuckled.

No signal on her cell phone now. Last night she had a talk with both mom and dad. None too happy of course. But nothing she can do about it, they will understand, they have to.

The cute boy was waiting as she was lagging behind. ‘Hurry up’, he smiled.

Teesta caught up with him and soon they were talking all and sundry and gaping at the Himalayas at every curve. She had the most amazing time with the boy, his name was Hrehan. The mountains and the trek were mesmerizing and so was Hrehan!

‘We must do it again’, She gasped when at the top.

‘We will’, Hrehan stared at her, ‘just give me your number’.

‘Okay mom, I will avoid the boy thing, but no promises’, Teesta had told mom.

Numbers exchanged happily with Hrehan, she was all breathless and flushed as they reached downhill. Time for tea and snacks in a shack.

The cell phone had sprung to life at the proximity of a village and she had received calls and messages from both of them, mom and dad. She sent the best pictures she had clicked.

She wanted to tell more, of the fun, of the Himalayas, of Hrehan like she used to after school as mom waited eagerly for her to get down from the bus. And as she grew up and began to speak less of school, mom used to speak a lot about her adventures in life, the life she used to live before Teesta was born.

‘Que sera sera Teesta’, She remembered mom singing along with Doris Bay. Some days she could glimpse a carefree independent woman with a wanderlust soul trying to tame her daughter, who was proud of the spirit her daughter had inherited form her, and yet, like all moms, didn’t want to let go. No, she did not let go yet. Teesta knew mom would spend sleepless nights at home. But mom has to learn… wouldn’t she! The world was unfurling its mysteries for Teesta, she can’t whine for mom.

Her mobile was flooded with texts from her parents.

‘Teesta, you lucky girl’ She smiled at dad’s message.

‘Que sera sera  Tees… Have as much of the Himalayas as you can. We are loving all of it’, Was that mom? ‘Wait till I tell about Hrehan’, Teesta smiled.

Soma Bhattacharjee