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You Only Live Once

Kiranjeet

Wednesday, 25 December 2023 Ricky’s Beach Shack, Palolem

‘It is all written in the stars, and the stars will guide you home, always.’

A s the sun sets over the Arabian Sea, casting streaks of warm reds and brilliant pinks over the beautiful coastal village of Palolem in Goa, Nirvaan and I walk hand in hand on the beach. The sound of our chatter and laughter fills the air. Our days here have been nothing short of magical. We’ve taken long, endless walks, driven around on our rented scooter, made unplanned stops and eaten amazing, fulfilling meals wherever we felt like it! We’ve slept, talked and made love. And now, I can’t hide the feelings that have been building up inside me all day.

I glance sideways at Nirvaan, itching to tell him about it, but the words feel trapped inside my mouth. Finally, just as we reach a slightly secluded spot that overlooks the sea, I take a deep breath and turn to face Nirvaan. ‘There’s something I need to tell you,’ I mutter, my heart pounding in my chest.

He looks at me with concern flickering in his eyes. ‘What is it, Kiranjeet? You’re starting to worry me.’

I take another deep breath, my hands trembling slightly. ‘I’m pregnant,’ I say softly.

For a moment, Nirvaan goes absolutely still and silent. The expression on his face is unreadable. Then, he breaks into the widest of smiles. ‘You’re … you’re pregnant?’ he splutters, his voice filled with surprise and joy.

I nod as tears of happiness well up in my eyes. ‘Yes, we’re going to have a baby, Nirvaan!’

The next instant, Nirvaan pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly against him. ‘This is amazing, Kiana. I can’t believe we’re going to be parents,’ he whispers in a voice full of emotion.

As we stand there, wrapped in each other’s arms, I feel a wave of overwhelming love wash over me. In this moment, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life raising our child together and sharing every joy and challenge that lies ahead.

Nirvaan pulls away slightly, his eyes still looking into mine. ‘Kee, there’s something I want to ask you.’

My heart skips a beat. ‘What is it, Nirvaan?’

‘Will you share your plushie cat Luna with our baby?’ he asks and bursts out laughing.

‘Of course, I will! She’s been my best imaginary friend. She stood by me on days when I was lonely and had no one to call home,’ I admit. There’ve been times in the last few months when I could not believe how lonely I’d once felt in my life. And that I was finally past it.

‘You know, here I was thinking that I’d be the one to surprise you, but you’ve pulled a much bigger surprise than mine.’

‘What? You’d planned something?’

‘Yes, I did. Let’s walk to Ricky’s Beach Shack. It’s this amazing little place right at the end of the beach.

‘Okay, let’s go.’

We reach the beach shack in a few minutes and I see that it’s a charming place that’s a little like a portal to another time. More than half of the tall wooden structure is covered by a hot pink bougainvillea tree. Yellow fairy lights have been strung all over, adding a touch of romance to the place. The rustic wooden shutters are painted in a turquoise blue that mirrors the hues of the Arabian Sea.

In the outdoor seating area, mismatched chairs and tables lend a bohemian vibe that invites guests to linger. The air carries the myriad scents of the delicious delicacies that must be getting prepared in the kitchen inside; my nose has been overly sensitive these days, and guess what hit me here? The fact that I won’t get to have even a sip of alcohol for quite some time now!

There’s soft acoustic music drifting in from somewhere inside. The owner of the place, an old man with a warm smile and sun-kissed skin, greets every guest as if they are all old friends.

‘Hi! I’m Ricky,’ he says as he takes my hand in his and ushers us in. ‘I’m your host for tonight. Would you like to be seated by the beach?’ he asks politely

‘Yes, please!’ I say with a lot of excitement in my eyes.

‘The artist who’s playing the closing act for us tonight, he’s waiting to sweep you off your feet. Thank you, Mr Nirvaan, for helping us with that!’ He winks and leaves, giving us the time to figure out what we want to order. But wait, how does he know my husband’s name already? Maybe the surprise Nirvaan had mentioned is waiting for me right here!

‘What have you done, Mr Entrepreneur? What’s the surprise here?’ I ask him.

‘Nothing big,’ he says dismissively. His answer doesn’t pacify my curiosity.

Having placed our order, I look around the place and spot a beautiful little girl with curly hair making a sandcastle on the beach. Our eyes meet for a second and I’m drawn to the strange allure of her innocence. She must be around five or six.

‘I’ll be back in a second,’ I tell Nirvaan as I get up and walk towards her. It’s almost as if my pregnancy has cast a spell over me and now I’m instinctively attracted to kids. Even earlier in the morning, I’d found myself staring longingly at another toddler.

‘Where are you going?’ Nirvaan asks, but I don’t respond.

When I reach the little girl, I sit on the beach next to her and ask, ‘What is your name?’

‘Elisha,’ she replies.

‘Wow! What a beautiful name. And where are your parents?’

‘Inside,’ she says, pointing towards Ricky’s. ‘They are performing here tonight. Aarav has his standup act and Alara’s going to sing with some American sound producer they have invited.’

The way she uses her parents’ first names instead of calling them ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa’ makes me want to burst into laughter, but I don’t, lest she feel hurt. ‘Oh, I see,’ I say instead. ‘But why are you playing alone outside? Shouldn’t you be inside?’

‘It’s all right. This is Uncle Ricky’s place. I’m safe here. He keeps a watch over me.’

‘Aha! You’re growing up in a beautiful place indeed.’ I smile.

‘We don’t live here,’ she informs me with a very serious look on her small face. ‘My parents travel a lot and I keep moving with them. We’re here for Christmas and New Year. We’ll leave in the first week of January.’

I nod my head and place a gentle kiss on her forehead before walking back to my seat. My heart is full of emotions I cannot quite identify; clearly pregnancy hormones are already raging within my system.

Our drinks arrive. Mine is a virgin pina colada, and Nirvaan’s is an LIIT because Ricky said that’s what they serve the best!

Time slows down as we sip our drinks and revel in the magic of the evening. In less than an hour, the entire place is full of travellers and locals and the sound of their conversations creates a buzz in the air. It seems like Ricky’s is a much-loved place, and possibly very well known on Instagram too! I guess we’re lucky to have occupied a table which gives us a perfect view of the small stage where the performances are going to take place against the backdrop of the sea.

What was the surprise though? This anticipation is really killing me.

I’m a little lost in my thoughts when I see a tall, handsome black man walk towards me. The bright lights from the stage don’t let me register his facial features that well, but when he’s almost at our table, he says, ‘Kee! I’ve missed you so much!’

I sit up straight, shocked, because I can recognize that voice anywhere, even in deep sleep! It’s Zayn!

‘Zee? You’re here? What are you doing here? Wait, you’re the surprise, isn’t it? I can’t believe this!’ I squeal and splutter as Zayn pulls me up and embraces me tightly.

‘Mr Entrepreneur really loves you, Kee. He wanted us to meet. And because of all the stories you told him about me, he’s offered to invest in my music career. So, I’ve quit my job at Josie’s!’

‘What? Really?’ I look at Nirvaan and can’t hold myself back from kissing him.

‘When is your performance?’ I ask Zayn.

‘I’m the showstopper, darling, because people always groove at the end of the night!’

‘Wow! Can this day get any better?’ I scream at the top of my voice since I can control neither my pregnancy hormones nor my excitement.

In the hours that follow, we sing, we dance, we laugh and we cry tears of happiness. Life feels so good. Sometimes, we need to believe in the timing of the universe because the destinies of two people just don’t converge until it’s the right time.

We raise a toast to the magic of Christmas and the coming year, ‘You Only Live Once!’

And as we stand there, celebrating under the surreal glow of the moon and the stars above, we know that our journey together is a gentle reminder that it is all written in the stars, and that the stars will guide you home , always.