Comb

By V G Sathve

Khushi was watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S on her PG tv. Her nature was just like the series, to put a smile on everyone's faces, to see the good in everything. Her roommate had just vacated the PG after marriage, so Khushi became the sole owner of the room. Being alone or with company , she just enjoyed the goodness in that. Khushi got news that her new roommate is coming the next day, she had no issues as she would see the best things even in a ghost.

Jeevitha arrived the next day and introduced herself. Khushi's radiant smile says it all. They became good friends in very short time, then sharing a room they started sharing lives together. Life talks, moonlight street walks , bike rides and burnt parathas , they had it all.Jeevitha was more of a strong willed passionate human being, she would grumble like any normal human being, Khushi was her secret keeper as usual.

Jeevitha had one peculiar habit , but as usual Khushi saw the good side of it rather than questioning about it. Jeevitha used to get up very early before no one else was up and used to go to sleep only after everyone slept. Khushi joked ghat maybe she is a werewolf by night like Lupin from Harry Potter. Jeevitha hair wa like min Rapunzel, beautiful sturdy locks wavering around her cheeks, Khushi admired it everytime.

Jeevitha was possession of a beautiful comb she owned. It had beautiful stones and tiny mirrors too, it was like straight from a Disney movie set belonging to a Disney princess. Khushi laughed at how it was secured, the comb was kept inside a big box, big enough for other possessions, it was secured by a password , and also had auto lock feature. Khushi admired at the intelligence of it rather than mocking at the silliness.

Like every human being, she was a bit curious but never wanted that to come in between the beautiful friendship they had. Khushi had misplaced her office Id card one day, and she furiously searched her room in and out. After a furious two hour search she found her ID card under her pillow. Just then Jeevitha enters her room and feels insecure as her comb box was moved. She suspects Khushi and asks her a hundred questions and almost yells at her. Khushi understood Jeevitha, she understood there must have been a reason, but what she could not handle is the false accusation Jeevitha told her in anger.

After time cooled things between them, Khushi realised that maybe because she is so good people are taking advantage of her patience, the feeling that a person who is always good natured faces, the burden of being taken for granted. Khushi had this burden. She was determined to find out about the comb. She knew it's sounded ridiculous and nothing like her, but she was fed up of being taken for granted, for once she really wanted to be normal, just like everyone else, anger, ego, arrogance, jealousy. She wanted to know the reason for the accusations on her. She was determined to find out the reason this time.

As usual Jeevitha waited for Khushi to sleep, and after that went to sleep. It was around 2am when Khushi saw Jeevitha wake up to drink water. The ego of her wounds won the battle over the patience of her smiles, she picked up the box and was figuring out ways of opening it.

What was all the fuss for a comb, this Khushi , the slightly wounded tiger thought, again so unlikely of her.

The box had a question to be answered to unlock. It read

This is the FILE given only once, once only.

_ _ _ _ . Complete this four letter word with three chances only. See the hint and you get one chance only.

Khushi found it ridiculous, the question was so vague and everything around it annoyed her. She didn't have much time, she decided to take a chance of seeing the hint. The question made no sense to her.

The hint read: It's closely related to your name, your name only.

A spike of guilt hit Khushi, she felt bad to be trying to break through Jeevithas privacy, just because of her ego. She realised the guilt is much worser than her curiosity, revenge and everything else you would call it. She left the box , not wanting to even think about it again and apologize to Jeevitha for doing this. She turned towards her bed while she saw a figure near her door.

It was Jeevitha, she had witnessed the whole scene. Khushi expected tellings and accusations , but not a word came from Jeevithas mouth. Jeevitha told Khushi to on the light. Jeevitha tells " I was watching to see if you would open the box or not. The moment you didn't respecting my privacy and feelings, you have become my soul, there is nothing that my soul doesn't know, so should you".

Seeing Jeevitha, Khushi understood what the secret was all about. Teary eyed, she looked at her. Not a single hair on Jeevithas head, she was bald. She had always been bald in a long while.Jeevitha tells Khushi, that she should unlock it. She should figure out the answer and open the comb box. Jeevitha gives three more hints.

1. What is that one thing everyone wants

2. She wrote some pairs of words

TAR - ART

CAR - ARC

CAT - ACT

3. Analyse in the name of the owner of the box.

Khushi scanned up and down, and after ten minutes , punched the four letter, the box opened. She knew it, she should have expected it all along.

She saw the comb in a slot, the hair Jeevitha was always wearing as wig coiled in the middle, with a big file of documents and lots of medicines.

Jeevitha was fighting with life, she was going through chemotherapy, that is why she was bald. Jeevitha narrates all the fuss around the comb and the box.

"I didn't want sympathy, I wanted true bonding. I didn't want a sea of tears but mountains of happiness. If you knew all this before, all I would get is sympathy, that is why I tried hard to hide. Every moment with you was cherisable , the way it should all be. But I was constantly conscious of the way I looked, my insecurities and fears were all that anger which came out that day. I am so sorry, you were that sunshine out of the dark cave, I didn't want you to lose it, so I decided to shine in it. I distracted everybody on the comb so that they don't ever figure out my other faults. I slept late and got up early to hide this secret, hide the sorrow so that there is only happiness. We hide our deep feelings from those who look down upon us, not those who belong to us.I won't hide from you anymore. "

The slept on each other's arms, in the morning Khushi was not in her bed. She came after a long while and offered something to Jeevitha. She had balded herself and offered her hair instead. Jeevitha told " I will never hung down my head because of my looks. I need the aura of the smile in your name (Khushi). I don't need this wig, nobody does when they learn to smile from their heart ". Khushi took both the wigs in her hand to return it to the organisation who would distribute them to the patients. Love and happiness is all that is needed."

Just like her name Jeevitha had a very long life ahead of her, and like her name Khushi gave shade to many others under her smile.

Oh ya, I forgot. The password right. Those four letters.

_ _ _ _

It's LIFE.

Let's get all the clues to together.

This is the FILE given only once, once only.

FILE and LIFE are anagrams.

Anagrams are words which have the exact same letters rearranged.

Hint - Closely related to your name. That is Jeevithas name.

The other hints.

Everyone wants - LOVE, LIFE. Both have four letters.

All these are anagrams just like LIFE

TAR - ART

CAR - ARC

CAT - ACT

Jeevithas name means life in hindi.

Jeeva - Life.

We need a life, a beautiful life to live, let's make it happy.

By V G Sathve