Chapter 15

Diya had finally finished the book she was reading. It had an unexpected ending. It was well written and she had thoroughly enjoyed it. She recalled what Akshar had said. You will end up reading this book again with a different perspective after finishing it. Diya thought no wonder this was a best seller. She sat on the beach watching the guys play their game, yet another day and Alan playing besides her. She wondered how come Alan never gets bored of playing in the sand and Akshar hanging out and calling each other buddies; they were strangers 3 days ago. She could not understand such a relationship that guys bond through games. She had played games but hardly with strangers and even in her school days they were just teammates and nothing more. It was puzzling a also a bit annoying. She was looking forward to spending time together but Akshar's new found relationship with his beach buddies was coming in the way. The book had kept her a little distracted until now. Diya had not seen him have so much fun. She though he needed a well deserved time like this and felt happy for him. But she couldn't stay idle for long so she asked Anna to watch him for a little bit and went back to her room. She opened up the suitcase and picked up the pile of work she had brought with her and started on it. To her surprise she finished all the work that she had planned to do and had estimated about a day and a half to finish within six hours even with the interruption of Alan who was now playing a video game besides her. She felt refreshed even after that much work. She said to herself, "I really have to thank Akshar for convincing me to take this vacation. I really needed this."

She looked at the time and it was a little after seven in the evening and it was still bright outside. She had to convince Alan who refused to stop his game as it was quiet apparent to her that he was hungry now to have dinner. Diya was feeling very hungry too after all the work. She bribed him about the ice-cream and he was very much willing to go with her. The buffet was open and there were some already enjoying their meal. Diya and Alan took their first round and found a table closer to the ice-cream stand as Alan wanted to keep an eye on his prize. He made no fuss and it was quiet obvious that he was very hungry as she watched him finish his pasta and his favorite corn, black bean and tomato salad. She was equally hungry as she noticed that her plate was almost empty. She had taken the artichoke hummus with the frittata bread and it was just fabulous. She had also taken a cup of soup and some pasta with vegetables. She was tempted to eat more as it was mouth watering but choose not to as she was really feeling full. She finished up with the glass of lemonade that Alan had left it for her. By the time both of them were done, Alan asked her to her surprise, "Mommy, can I have my ice cream later? I am too full." Diya said, "Sure my dear. What do you want to do now?" He said, “Can we go to the pool?" Diya said, I am not sure if the water will be warm. We can check to see if there is something else you can do. I heard there is a story time show with animals twice a week. Maybe we can see if it is today? “Alan exclaimed, “Story time with animals! Wow!”

Chapter 14

When they were just about to leave Alan screamed, "Daddy" and ran towards Akshar. Akshar and Patrcia's dad Anthony were eating and chatting with some men and women. Diya instantly recgonized some of the faces. They were the ones she had seen them on the beach. Diya was a bit surprised and also a little jealous to see him make new friends in such a short time. Alan ran towards his had with his ice cream in his hand and Akshar seemed quiet happy about it. He looked up and saw Diya and the others at a distance and smiled and waved. In just a minute Alan was surrounded by at least a couple of young women from the table and were very much entertained by his presence. It was quiet obvious in his smile that Akshar was a proud father and indicated to Diya that he will keep an eye on Alan. As it was a bit hot outside and after a nice meal Diya was starting to feel a little sleepy but Patricia who was fond of Diya wouldn't let her go anywhere. So they all went back to the beach and choose a nice shady spot as Diya and her sister-in-law Anna relaxed on the beach while Gloria got onto the hammock hanging nearby and Patricia playing on the sand. It didn't take too long for Diya to fall asleep in spite of the noise around her. Anna didn't have the luxury as she often had to intervene the fights between the two girls. Diya was both aware and unaware of her surroundings. She had slowly immersed into a gentle slumber and felt peaceful and relaxed. On the other hand Akshar was fill with excitement and adrenaline rush with his new found mates and yet both were enjoying themselves in their own way blissfully unaware of anything but what they were doing.

Diya was gently awaken by a little tug over her shoulder and noticed that it was Alan who was comfortably settling in his mother's arms and was quiet evident that he was very sleepy. Diya turned around and noticed that Anna and the girls were not around. She pulled Alan over closer and he was fast asleep in minutes. She could very clearly hear the crowd cheering and seemed much louder than earlier. She could only get a glimpse of what was happening back there and could now see that this time it was all men who were playing out there. Most of them were much younger there Akshar but Akshar blended well with them with a well-maintained physique. She picked up the book next to her and continued to read, as she couldn't fall asleep anymore. Now she was half way through the book and lost count of chapters. The character whom she suspected to be the killer, she was quiet certain of it used the pretty women he picked up at the bar as a leverage to get to his goal and in the process couple of them turned up dead. But what didn't make any sense to her was why he was not interested in the model he met at the hotel bar where he was staying who seemed interested in him. She wondered just because she had a boyfriend he didn't pursue her didn't make sense as he was not portrayed like that by the author in the earlier chapters. Never less it was interesting enough for her to keep reading. When Alan woke up she realized that he needed a change of cloths and had soiled his diaper, which she had used as a backup as he was partially trained. Diya looked it the direction where he was playing earlier but he was nowhere to be seen and neither was the crowd. She gave out a big sigh and picked up her things and Alan and walked over to their room.

Chapter 13

A little while later a ball came over and bumped onto Diya's chair and she looked up from her book and saw another blond picking it up and smiling at her. He went back to her book only to look up in less than a minute and notice that Akshar was no longer playing alone. There were at least three women in their bikinis on his side and four with Alan. Now they had a net, which Diya had no clue where it came from even though it was not a real volleyball net. She could see that Akshar was very much into the game and was giving hi-fis to his teammates. Alan was there in the middle not knowing what to do but still wanted to be apart of the game. Diya starred at them for a moment and then got up and walked over towards Akshar. As soon as Alan saw her he came running towards her. She picked him up and he said, "Mom, I am really thirsty." Akshar saw Alan with Diya and smiled with an acknowledgement without taking his eyes off of the ball. Diya suggested that it was time to get cleaned up and Alan initially protested but looking at the fountain near the pool made him change his mind. By the time he was done playing and had some water to drink it was almost noon. Diya saw Gloria coming towards them with her mom. They both looked tired and hungry. Gloria said, "Aunt Diya, Do you know where Patricia is?" Before she could answer she appeared with her dad who was more than eager to leave her with her mother. He said, "I will grab my lunch a little later. Looks like something interesting is going on the beach" and walked towards the beach. Diya turned around to look at the beach and there seemed to be a bit of a crowd over where Akshar had been playing. Judging from the noise she knew that the crowd must have now been cheering for the teams. She was not very happy about the fact that Akshar was playing with pretty women surrounding him but she didn't want to interrupt the game with a crowd around.

Both the women and the kids decided to have their lunch as they knew their men will not be showing up any soon. After hearing what was going on outside, Akshar's sister said, "Oh! Akshar is very good at volleyball. He used to be his team's captain in those days. He had women cheering for him all the time." She paused for a minute, "Well things haven't changed much. Have they? He is playing his favorite sport and is still good at it, obviously. Otherwise all these women would not be there watching and playing" Diya didn't say anything. Gloria was listening to the conversation and asked, "Is uncle Akshar in trouble?" Diya replied with a smile,” I don't think so. Why would you think that?" Gloria didn't reply and choose to fill her mouth with food. For a minute Diya though of considering Gloria's question as a suggestion and then ignored it. As ice cream was always a part of the menu Alan and Patricia never forgot about it and were constantly talking about it while eating. Luckily this time Alan was hungry enough and didn't trouble Diya. All of them walked over to the section where ice cream was being served. They had three completely different flavors this time and Alan was disappointed as there was no chocolate flavor this time but Patricia had a tough time choosing which topping she wanted on her ice-cream. Diya decided to try one herself and as all the flavors were tropical she chose the double scoop of pineapple and mango and skipped the toppings. Gloria's ice cream was completely covered with gummy worms and was also having fun scaring Patricia with those who started complaining. It was almost after one in the afternoon and Patricia asked, "Where is dad and uncle Akshar?”

Chapter 12

Diya seemed to be the only one interested in taking a shower, as Alan and Akshar were so eager to go and get some breakfast. Diya had to give in as there was even more pressure from Patricia and Gloria who claimed to be starving. The breakfast buffet had a large selection of varieties and Diya stuck to her usual as she was never a big fan of trying out new things and this was no exception. Akshar nudged her from the back suggested that she try the hash brows that were made with sweet potatoes. Diya said, "Later" and Akshar knew that she was not going to try it. He had no luck with Alan in trying anything new so in the end got frustrated and said, "Like mother like son". Diya ignored his comment and they all were done with their breakfast by ten thirty. Akshar's brother-in-law whispered something in his ear and he smiled back with acknowledgement. Diya knew that a lot of discussions happen between men and this was just another one of them and she didn't bother to pay any attention as she was pretty much used to her brother doing that growing up. But Prayag had always been an exception, which made her wonder how he was doing. She was still in touch with him and she remembered that she had asked him about some candidates for a position of an assistant that she was planning to recruit. Alan distracted her thoughts about work and she was more than glad not to think about it. He started playing on the sand with Patricia and Gloria went with her mother for some even they had enrolled the previous day. Akshar and his brother-in-law were nowhere to be seen and Diya recalled that they were talking to someone in the dining room.

In a few minutes he joined her and had volleyball in his hand. Instantly Alan jumped and splashed the sand all over Diya who was sitting next to him, especially into her eyes and grabbed the ball from his dad's hands. Akshar asked, "Buddy, do you want to play?" Alan was too little to play an actual game but loved playing ball, any ball for that matter. In a few minutes they both started playing as Diya went looking for some water to clean herself up accompanied by Patrcia who now had sand in her pockets and in her hair. It took Diya quiet sometime as it was lot to get rid off and Patrica was distracted and wanted to go into the small water fountain for kids that were next to the pool. As Akshar was with Alan, Diya didn't mind spending time with her and indeed preferred that as it made the cleaning part much easier. In the mean time Alan and Akshar were having a great time on the beach even though alan had a tough time catching the ball that his dad was throwing at him. Often it rolled over farther down towards sea and sometimes towards the beach chairs. Some would help him out by handing him over the ball and some would engage him in a conversation, which Alan was quiet prompt in answering. By the time Diya cam back, two more young women in their bikinis had joined Alan and Akshar in the game, mainly helping Alan. Often Alan got an hi-fi or an hug from one of them. Diya could hear the blond calling Alan adorable. She kept an eye on Patricia until her dad came back to watch over her. Then Diya immersed herself into her book with a bottle of water next to her.

Chapter 11

Alan was sound asleep in his bed. Akshar was a little too excited to fall asleep but was a little too tired to join the late night activities at the resort. He was flipping the channels and was looking for something nice to watch. He seemed quiet comfortable in his shorts and his T-shirt and was slightly sitting up on the bed with one hand holding the remote and the other supporting his neck so that is slightly above the pillow. Diya was reading a book next to him with her night lamp on. Akshar was happy that she had kept her promise and had not picked up any documents related to work and was actually reading a book. After flipping through the channels for a while and finishing up two beers he found something interesting to watch. He was a typical guy, in the sense that he loved electronics and this was one such program that he was watching and found it to be very fascinating. Diya continued to read her book and had finished three chapters. It was slowly getting interesting even though she was a bit bored by the details about the characters the environment. She thought about the author for a moment and said to herself, "Too much patience to observe and write something like this, but have to hand it to you the story line is actually well written to even keep me reading." She was not a much of a reader, she would rather watch a movie that is if she had the time. But this one was about a murder plot and how it was executed and how the killer outsmarts the police. The story was well written with just eight characters and that is why it was a big seller and that is exactly why Akshar bought it and had read it and recommended it to her.


Akshar was so involved in the show he had not finished a couple of more beers and made a clinging noise when he left it on the floor is when Diya looked up and noticed the time on the clock. Yes, they were on vacation but the little one's clock doesn't change because they were on vacation. She got up and checked on Alan and turned off the lights and noticed that the number of beer bottles next to Akshar's side of the bed. He face turned into a frown. She waslked over to his side and removed the bottles and locked the fridge that was there and took away the key and got back into bed. Just then the show ended and Akshar noticed the expression on her face and looked puzzled. He gave out a big burp and he realized that he had more beers than he had intended and there by breaking his work to Diya. Before they got back to the room, as Alan was very sleepy, he had consumed enough alcohol with dinner and had promised himself that he will not have more than one. Diya had warned him not to get carried away and that was exactly what had happened. He got up and brushed his teeth and got back to bed. He leaned towards Diya and said, "I am sorry. I got a little carried away" and kissed her on her cheek. Diya turned towards him and said, "It is my fault too. I was right next to you and should have noticed. Instead I was so much engaged in the book and didn't pay any attention to you." Akshar asked, "So you like it? How far have you read now?" Diya gently ran her fingers on his chest through his unbuttoned T-shirt and said, "I am on chapter 6 now. He met this girl at the bar and she was quiet impressed by him and has invited him in for coffee. Is she the one he is going to murder?” Diya asked with excitement in her voice. Akshar replied, “If I tell you that there will be any fun reading?. Diya said, “True” and tightened her grip around his neck and closed her eyes. “Thanks for planning this vacation. I am starting to unwind.” Akshar said, “You are welcome. Good night”.

Chapter 10

It was a beautiful morning; well that was Prayag’s opinion. But for the locals living in a tropical island it was just another morning as they were pretty much used to the golden sun waking them up every day morning and were quiet busy entertaining the tourists arriving there. But for tourists visiting form Canada and the USA found it to be absolutely wonderful, relaxing and joyous. Prayag was just one of those tourists who found that beautiful Caribbean island of Jamaica to be wonderful place to be. He peeked through the balcony that came with his suit overlooking the sea and the breeze touched the skin, he was extremely delighted. He made himself a cup of coffee after brushing his teeth and walked back to the balcony. While he was standing there enjoying the early morning breeze his wife joined him and hugged him from the back and had to go on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek as there was a significant height difference between the two of them. She was short and petite and had a beautiful, content smile on her face. She had thick long black hair with curvy eyebrows that were naturally well shaped. She also had a cute dimple on her left cheek when she smiled. Prayag kissed her back on her forehead and then rubbed her slightly bulging tummy and said, “Good morning my little angel hiding in there. “ She smiled and said,” So you know it is going to be a girl? It might even be a boy? We don’t know that yet.” He smiled and said, “True. If it is a boy I can’t call him a devil. So in either case we have an angel in there.” They both laughed and sat next to each other enjoying the breeze.

She was a nurse and was from Kerala, from the southern part of India. She had sweetness in her that attracted Prayag towards her. Knowingly or unknowingly somehow she had helped him get over Diya and had helped him move on. But even after that they had been friends for a long time. Her view of life was something that fascinated him. She had a very positive, down to earth, caring personality and was someone who could genuinely care for a wounded stranger. She was engaged to be married and was planning a trip home when an unexpected incident had taken her fiancée’s life back in India. She was devastated and he had been there for her as her friend and that had changed both their lives even though they didn't get married until recently. Prayag still loved Diya, but he loved his wife Binna more. And now that she was expecting and was not ready to take a break from caring for others, Prayag had forced her in a wonderful vacation, which was quiet evident now as she could see had relaxing and enjoying herself.

Chapter 9

Carissa was relaxing and enjoying her time while promoting her clothing line at the Hawaii convention. Her new swimsuit line was based on a tropical theme so what better place to show it off. She had combined both business and pleasure on a single trip. Magazines praised her to be the most eligible bachelorette around. Anyone who looks at her would first give credit to the Botox and then think again above all the age deifying products that are available in the market, then the makeup artist. But once they get closer to her, they would probably blame it on God for being so impartial to all others in the World. It was very hard for anyone to tell her age by looking at her as she still looked like a model in her mid-twenties. But everyone would be puzzled when they look at her daughter. Carissa tried her best in so many possible ways to keep it a secret that her daughter was adopted. She meant everything to her and it was quiet apparent to everyone. As her daughter Hasnaa, meaning breathtakingly beautiful, which, was a slightly modified name from the African Swahili tribe did justice to her name. Carissa often talked about a woman she met when she was in Africa whom she named her daughter after. But she chose to call her Angela which was her nickname and which she often told her was also her grandmother’s name.

Hasnaa had accompanied her mother on this trip to Hawaii and was enjoying herself. She was hardly a teenager but with her height and from the influence of her mother she could fit right in with the teen models even though she still had some baby fat on her cheeks. But Carissa kept her away from all of this and insisted on her being a normal child. Carissa’s new assistant Mark was more than her assistant in the public eye. He was handsome, well built and had a sparkling smile and accompanied her everywhere including the red carpet and was often her escort and her date for events. If anyone who knew her well, would know that there was nothing going on between the two of them. But if they had know her for a really long time and was her confidence, would also notice a striking resemblance between Mark and Akshar, wondering if she was keeping him around to remember him. After Akshar married, Carissa had kept her contact with him to a very minimal to avoid unnecessary complications even though Akshar had insisted that it would not be a problem. Unable to convince her Akshar had agreed to it which had made both his wife and Carissa happy. Carissa had made Akshar and Diya, Hasnaa’s legal guardians, Akshar being the primary decision make in the even if anything ever happened to her. Akshar had been more than satisfied to still be a part of her life.

Chapter 8

Diya couldn’t help but smile. She was admiring Akshar in her mind. She said to herself, “Oh my smart husband. No wonder Akshar likes you more.” Akshar looked up and noticed that Diya was smiling at him. He was not sure what she was thinking but he knew the look in her eyes. He said, “Something cooking up there?” Diya said, “No. I was just admiring my husband” and she continued to smile. Akshar was done and got up t get another serving. In the mean time Gloria came by took Akshar’s seat. So Diya also got up indicating Gloria to stay with him until either one of them gets back. Gloria nodded. Diya joined Akshar in the line. Akshar asked her why she was smiling at him earlier in a whisper. Diya whispered back in his ears “I was quiet impressed by the way you handled him. I have never been attracted to you more in my life than I am right now.” Akshar’s expression changed instantly and he raised his eyebrows and whispered, “Hold that thought. I am almost done with my food. It is not every day that in a man’s life that his wife admires him and says that she is attracted to him. I want to capitalize on that.” Diya couldn’t help but laugh, but instead gave out a chuckle. It took a few minutes to get back to their table and by that time Alan was done and Patricia had joined them and all three were having ice cream. Alan had already dripped some on his shirt and was a mess. Diya sighed. Akshar instantly understood and said, “Don’t worry. I heard that they have a good laundry service here.”

Diya gave out a week smile in Akshar’s attempt to make her feel better. Akshar got a Mohito for himself and virgin pinna colada for Diya and all five of them went to the beach. The gentle breeze was welcoming and the waves were rhythmic and the walk on the sand was invigorating for her. She found a beach chair and sat on it buried her legs into the sand. Akshar sat right on the beach sad with Alan still licking his ice cream that was dripping from his elbow. In a couple of minutes they were joined by his sister and her husband. The two girls were playing with the sea water, their mom yelling on and off, “Don’t go in. Stay far back.” At one point Alan gave up on his ice cream and gave it to Akshar and ran towards the girls and joined them. At this point Akshar’s brother-in-law also joined them. Akshar looked at Diya and she seemed very relaxed. He asked his sister to keep an eye on Alan and turned towards Diya and said, “Come with me. Let us go for a stroll on the beach.” His sister immediately said, “That sounds like a good idea. Once you are back we will take out turn.” Diya said, “Definitely” and both Akshar and Diya started walking away from the crowd. When they were almost away from every one and were almost isolated, Akshar pulled her in front of him and kissed her.

Chapter 7

Diya and Alan were on the buffet line to get some food. Alan was very curious about what was on the table as he couldn't really see much. Diya was holding his hand in one and a plate on the other. She got some fruits, especially some pineapples as they were his favorite and some pasta that was there. She took some fruits, salad and some pasta for herself along with a bowl of minestrone soup. Alan was now holding a glass of apple juice and was walking with his mom as she was looking for a table to sit. Ice cream was being server at a corner and Alan was all excited to go there. The flavor of the day was mango and coconut. Diya had to keep him in control and said, "Once you finish your meal you can go get your ice cream." Alan was disappointed and said, "Daddy would have let me have the ice cream first. I don't like you" with a frowning face. Diya ignored what he said and continued walking. Even after they were seated Alan had a long face and was giving a hard time refusing to eat. Diya tried to distract him with other things and tried to feed him but nothing was working as his mind was set on having an ice cream before his meal. Diya was starting to get a little annoyed by his behavior. Just as she was about to lose her temper Akshar joined them with his food, and instantly Diya was relieved but wondered how he was going to handle this little stubborn child sitting next to her.

Alan instantly asked Akshar, “Daddy. Mommy is mean. She said I can’t have ice cream.” Diya interrupted, “Before you finish your food.” Alan made a mad face at his mom and said, “Yes. I told her that you always let me have an ice cream. Isn’t that true daddy?” Akshar spoke after he finished chewing his food and said, ”Hmmm…. Let me see. I don’t see why not.” Diya was surprised to hear him say that but before she could say anything Alan got up and pulled Akshar, “Come on dad, let’s go get some right now.” Akshar put his napkin from the plate and got up. Alan turned around and gave a victory smile to Diya. Before the two of them left the table Akshar said, “Buddy, I think we might have a tizzy bitsy problem.” Alan’s eyes that were wide open instantly turned into a concern and asked “What is that daddy?” Akshar said, “Well! Ice cream is considered as a dessert so we eat dessert after a meal. So if we get it now and it might melt before we are done with our food. But if we try to eat fast and not chew our food well, then we might choke. Unless if you want to eat your ice cream melted we can get it right now. Now that I think about it, I do not like my ice cream melted so I will get mine later. How about you Alan?” Alan thought about it for a minute and said, “I will first finish my food daddy then we will go get it” and hopped on his chair and started eating.

Chapter 6

Diya asked her son, "Where is daddy?" He said "He is right outside our room. Someone asked him if he could take a picture of them, and he agreed. As our room was just two doors away I came here all by myself" By the time she heard some laughter near their room, Diya had almost given her son a bath as he was quiet dirty. She said, "Before daddy shows up you will be all ready. See now your hands are clean. Don't touch anything while I go get a nice shirt for you" He nodded and said, "Yes. Mommy". Diya opened up the suitcase and was looking for his shirt. She accidentally rubbed her left pinky against the wall and scratched it. Even though it was a minor scratch there was some blood so she had to immediately clean it. She washed her hand in the sink that was right in the room and grabbed a hand towel and held it tight against it to stop the blood. Within minutes that did the trick. But she preferred to put a band aid on, so she opened up the bag that was next to the suitcase and reached for the emergency medicine kit that she always carried with her. It had a couple of antiseptic wipes, Neosporin, acetaminophen tablets, some antacid tablets and some children's Tylenol along with some cotton balls and band-aids. She took on and managed to wrap it around the wound and was all set.

Approximately five minutes had passed by before she could get back to her son who was in the bathroom playing with something on the floor. "Come on sweetie, let me change your shirt." When he looked up Diya couldn't believe her eyes. She had just washed him and got him all cleaned up but he was a mess all over again. He was holding her lipstick in his hand. He also had sprayed his dad's shaving cream on the floor and had used her lipstick as a crayon and had been drawing on the floor and also on his face. It was not just that she had to clean him all over again, she also had to clean the floor as there was no way one could walk into the bathroom. The worst part was that the toilet seat was also covered with this mess. With innocence in his eyes he said, "Mommy, do you like my picture? I made it for you." Even though she was very upset with the mess he had made she could not bring herself to yell at him. Instead she said, "That is a very nice picture. But next time let us not do this with mommy's lipstick and daddy's shaving cream. Never touch the toilet seat. Do you understand what I am saying?" He was distracted and was playing with the water while she cleaned him. Once he was all ready she said to him, "I can't take my eyes off of you even for a single second. You are a handful." He continued to play with the water. Diya turned his face towards her and said, "Alan. Do you understand what mommy is saying?”