Chapter 1 - The Doors

                        Suddenly the room was filled with the fragrance of soap. The fresh smell of Medimix soap spreaded all over the room as she walked out the bathroom with complete wet hair kept opened. She hurriedly walked towards the dressing table and started a little touch up.

“Archana.... how many times I have told you not to wash your hair daily!”

She didn’t even care about her mother’s angry words.

“At least get it dry...” , Mother’s words continued to flow.

Archana is a 21 years old girl, studying her B Tech final year in Chennai. We can identify someone’s intelligence by seeing their face and eyes. She is one of those. There is a saying, ’Intelligence is inversely proportional to the time being spent in front of the mirror’. In fact it is true. She spends hardly 2 minutes in front of the mirror for touch up. That is the reason why the looks of famous intelligent scientists like Einstein, Edison, Eddington were very normal. But Archana is not one among them. She stood different from them. I don’t know to explain her beauty. But I know some facts. If a painter paints her, that would be the best painting in the world. If a poet writes about her, that would be the fantastic poem of this millennium. If a novelist writes about her walking, that would be an unstoppable narration.

While she was doing touch up, her open wet hair swung right & left and drops of water shed from her hair at regular intervals. When you look at this, definitely you will feel about the dew drops in the grass in early morning. Nature does not need anything to make itself beauty. Only artificial things need frequent maintenance to keep it beauty. She is one of those natural beauties. She does not require mirror for touch ups. But these touch ups might be because of giving the opportunity for the mirror to admire her beauty at least for  2 minutes a day. She searched for some notebooks in her book shelf. When she pulled a notebook, one greeting card was slipped out of the shelf.

‘My Heart says I LOVE YOU 72 times per minute. Awaiting for your response’

              -With Love Sethu

She looked at the card for few seconds. Her eye showed mixed feelings. Her body language resembled frustration and disappointment. She replaced the card on the shelf, took one of the notebooks and left the room.

Her mother was preparing food in the kitchen, her father was reading newspaper in the front hall.

“Archana, Breakfast is ready at the dining table. Please have it and go. Four idlies are fine right?”

Archana did not respond anything. She directly went into the kitchen, took an empty Tiffin Box ad rushed towards the dining table.

“Archana, What are you doing?”, mother puzzled.

“I am not hungry ma. I will have it in the break hours.”

She kept all the four idlies in the Tiffin Box and kept it in her bag.

“Hey Archana, eat it here. At least have 2 idlies. Don’t let your stomach empty.”, mother shouted.

She did not respond anything. Mom continued shouting.

“See. Your daughter is not listening to any of my words. Atleast you say something to her.”

Archana’s father seeked out from the newspaper and looked at her for a second.

“Hey, let her go. She is grown up. She knows what she is doing.”, as usual her father supported her.

Archana smiled at him and hurriedly moved out of the house leaving some words, “Bye bye Dad.”

When she came out and searching for her footwear, her father’s friend came there and stood behind her.

“Good Morning uncle. How are you?”, Archana greeted him with a bright smile.

“Morning girl. How is your studies going on? Is your father inside?”, he seeked into the house.

“Yes uncle. He is inside. Its getting late. See you later uncle. Bye.”, Archana rushed like a bullet train.

Archana’s father and his friend seated in the front hall. Archana’s mother served coffee to them. That friend started speaking first.

“Archana is doing her final year right?”

“Yes da”, her father answered with puzzled eyes.

“What do you have planned for her next?”

“We have not planned anything yet. We let her to decide her future.”, her father told by looking at his wife. Her mother looked unhappy.  His friend understood that her mother did not like that. He started speaking

“Don’t you have any idea on her marriage?”

“Let her complete her studies first.”, Archana’s father stopped the conversation. There was a 30 seconds silence. Both of them completed their coffee. His friend continued to speak again.

“I heard she applied for some space research project in ASRC (American Space Research Center). If she joins there, she won’t be coming back to home. Is that true?”, his eyes widened.

Archana’s mother dropped little tears and she left that place. Her father answered,

“Yeah. ASRC planned for Human Colony MARS Mission this year. They have planned to hire 50 potential researchers for this project. Last year they conducted some written assessments and oral interviews. She appeared for everything and waiting for the results now.”

“What is this Human Colony Mission about?, friend asked a question and her father continued again,

“They are going to create a colony in Mars planet with a group of 50 potential people. They will do researches on the presence of water or any living aspects. They will spend their life in that research center and won’t be coming back to Earth. This would be considered as the first land to expand our living beyond this planet Earth. This is a very great opportunity. Those 50 names would be coined in the history in the future.”, his face looked bright when he told this.

His friend interrupted again.

“Are you crazy? She is your only daughter!!”

“Brother, I am tired of saying this”, her mother with tears.

Her father stared at her for a second and said,

“I cannot deny her interest, This is her dream. Anyhow, lakhs of people attended that interview. Only 50 will be selected. Lets see what will happen. Whatever will happen, that will be for good.”

Both his friend and his wife were not compromised.

Archana rushed towards the bus stop where she used to wait for her college bus everyday. Veni, her friend was also waiting for the bus at the bus stop. Veni was her best friend. She used to share everything with her.

“Hey Archana, you are very late today. I think today is your lucky day. Bus has not yet arrived.”, Veni smiled.

“I woke up very late today.”, Archana told.

Veni smiled at her again and said,

“Dreams with Sethu?? So woke up late today??”

Archana got angry and stared at Veni. Her eyes were very sharp. Veni could not look into her eyes.

Sethu, an IT professional, has been following her for more than 10 months. He proposed her so many times but she refused all the times.  His first proposal was a greeting card with the words,

‘My Heart says I LOVE YOU 72 times per minute. Awaiting for your response’

    -With Love Sethu

 

She threw away the card without reading. But he did not know that she came back and picked the card again where she threw away. She also had a soft corner of love on him. But her desire ad dreams refused her to move along with her feelings. Her only life and only concentration is about that ASRC research project. Literally she was sacrificing her love because of her dream. The nature cannot be changed.

‘To open a new door, an another door has to be closed on the other side.’

Sethu was very stubborn. Even she refused and insulted him several times, he did not stop following her. But he had not appeared for a week now.

Veni looked at her angry face and asked, “Sorry....”

Archana stared at her for a second and smiled. They got into the college bus which came by 20 minutes late.

That day went very fast and the bus dropped her at the same bus stop. Veni was also with her. Both of them were talking about the incidents happened that day. Suddenly Veni stopped walking with a strange look. Archana looked at her in confusion. Veni pointed out her finger at the other side of the road. Sethu was walking towards them.

Author's Note

This chapter tells about the two important parts of lead character's life. The two doors of life