Chapter 319

The week was almost over and as usual it was just another week with usual work. Diya's remainder from her phone beeped. She picked it up and remembered that she has a reception to go to that evening. That's when she realized it was Friday already and she had completely forgotten about and had not asked Lisa to accompany her. She looked into her closet to see what she has to wear for the evening; she had a couple of options. She can either go in a traditional Indian outfit which would actually be more appropriate for the occasion and will also help her blend in the crowd or were something more American. She decided to go with the first option and decided to leave early from work that day to get ready and decide on all other accessories. She wrote a gift check and placed it in an envelope and left it near her dressing table so that she won't forget. In a few minutes she was in her car on her way to work and everything seemed quiet normal, the usual rush and the same traffic jam near the school signal as everyone has to wait for the kids to cross the roads and for the parents to get into the school. When she reached her office her phone buzzed and the Bluetooth picked it up and it was Lisa. "Good Morning Diya. How are you? At work?" she said. Diya replied, "Yes. Just got here. Is anything important?" Lisa said,” I don't think I will be able to come in today. I am having car trouble. Some stupid guy bumped onto my rear and I bumped onto the car in front of me. It is a ripple effect involving 4 cars. I am not sure about the damages in my car; I believe it has to be towed. I am waiting for the cop to show up. The good thing is we don't have anything urgent going on at work today and I can afford to not show up." Diya was concerned, "Are you okay? Get yourself checked just in case." Lisa said, "Thanks. I am fine but a bit shaken up. I will see you Monday. I think the cop is here. I have to go." Diya could hear the sounds in the background. She disconnected relieved that Lisa was doing fine.

She didn't have much to do so by lunch time she was almost done with the things on her to do list. There were a couple of things left to do that were personal on her list. One of them was to pick up a gift for the wedding reception that evening, second to check the directions and find out how long it will take for her to get there and leave accordingly. She reached for the invitation and looked for the address. She was shocked to see the address as it was some temple in Philadelphia. Then she looked again, and was a bit relieved as the wedding ceremony was in the temple and the reception was in the New York Hiltons at Avenue of the Americas. She knew very well on a Friday evening how busy Manhattan would be. So she estimated a couple of hours for travel to get there. The event started at 6.00 PM. She planned to get there at least by 7.00 PM in the evening. But driving alone and going there alone, the thought of it was too boring. She looked at the time and it was 1.15 PM. She decided to pick up a gift and head back home. She knew she need to wear something a little traditional as she definitely didn't want to be the odd one out, which would take her more time to get ready. So she planned that if she left home by 4.30 PM, hopefully she would get there before 7.00 PM. She got into the car and stopped by the mall to pick up a gift. She looked at a couple of items and it was not very difficult to decide what to get as the digital display frames in crystal seemed to be good choice. But for some reason there was only one customer service lane open and there was quiet a line and by the time she got home it was close to three. As she had already grabbed something to eat when she was at the mall, she decided to just relax for a few minutes and check the weather and traffic and then get ready to leave. She kicked off her shoes and stockings and kicked back and relaxed on the couch and tucked a small pillow behind her neck for support and turned the TV on with a single click on the remote. She wondered if she should call Akshar as find out if he was free that evening, but as it was too late to even invite him she decided against it. Before she could decide what to watch, her phone rang. Reluctantly she reached for the phone, undecided weather to pick it up or not. The name on the caller ID brought an enthusiasm in her voice and she picked up and said, "Hi." She was about to say I was just thinking about you, but instead said, "What a surprise Akshar!"