Sometimes it is an apology wrapped in silver
Jaya and Mohana attended the same dance class. Jaya was slim, flexible, disciplined, and always prepared. Mohana, on the other hand, was a little disorganised. She often forgot steps, and with her slightly curvy frame, the sit-ups and sit-downs of Bharatanatyam were a bit more challenging for her.
During the final phase of rehearsals for an upcoming competition, Jaya perfected her routine and left early to attend a birthday party. Mohana had been invited to the same party, but when she requested permission to leave early, the team lead scolded her instead. Hurt and frustrated, she lost her temper, shouted back, and even hurled a few angry swear words. The situation quickly escalated, and in the next class, Guru Ma reprimanded the entire team.
The following day, Mohana arrived a little early. She gathered her teammates, offered a quiet, heartfelt apology with an embarrassed smile, and handed each one a tempting chocolate bar. Smiles slowly replaced the awkward silence. As the sweetness melted in their mouths, so did the bitterness between them, and the group came together in a warm hug.
Sometimes it is warmth wrapped in love
Ratan returned home from work as he usually did—late, exhausted, and irritable. He asked for dinner, freshened up, finished his meal in silence, and headed straight to bed.
Parama seemed unusually quiet that evening. She looked at him several times with her big, innocent eyes, as though trying to say something. Ratan barely looked up from his mobile phone before casually asking if there was anything important she wanted to discuss. She simply shook her head, ate a small portion of her dinner, and quietly finished the kitchen chores before joining him in bed.
Just as sleep began to overtake him, Ratan sensed Parama silently sobbing with her face turned away. Alarmed, he suddenly remembered what he had completely forgotten—her birthday.
They were in the third year of their marriage. The previous two years, his mother-in-law had reminded him. That morning, however, he had missed her phone call.
The next afternoon, the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Parama hurried to the door. As she opened it, she was greeted by an enormous bouquet made entirely of chocolates. It was so large that it completely hid the person standing behind it.
She held the beautiful arrangement close. The rich aroma of chocolate filled the air as she looked up to find Ratan smiling sheepishly, silently mouthing one word—“Sorry.”
Looking into Parama’s tear-filled eyes and the faint blush on her face, Ratan knew he had been forgiven.
“Thank you, chocolates,” he thought with relief. “You just saved my love.”
Sometimes it is a little sweetness to remind you that you are not alone
They were seven close friends—Sharmila, Lena, Nalini, Nilesh, Darsh, Nupur and Bela.
After endless discussions and spirited arguments, they finally agreed on a destination for a day trip—Bhangarh Fort. The next challenge was fixing the date. After much debate, the last Sunday of the month suited everyone… except Bela.
Her parents were travelling that weekend, and she had promised to stay home and look after her younger brother. Though she had been looking forward to this outing for months, she quietly accepted the situation and encouraged everyone else to go ahead with the plan.
Still, she couldn’t help feeling disappointed. As her friends excitedly discussed every detail of the picnic over the next few days, Bela gradually withdrew from the conversations.
Finally, the much-awaited Sunday arrived. Bela settled in at home with her little brother, planning to spend the day curled up with her favourite books.
Around noon, the doorbell rang.
She looked through the peephole but found no one outside. After waiting for a while and hearing footsteps fading down the staircase, she cautiously opened the door just a little.
A gift box sat on the doorstep.
Before she could bend down to pick it up, six cheerful voices shouted together, “Hi!”
Startled beyond words, Bela let out a loud shriek as six familiar faces burst into laughter, holding out a large box of chocolates. “We missed you,” one of them said. “We couldn’t imagine going on the picnic without you.” A little later, eight happy hearts were sharing chocolate bars, cubes and truffles while laughing their way through Monsters, Inc., watching the adorable monsters create mayhem in Monstropolis.
Victories achieved, wrapped in sweetness, become even more precious
Rima was always the class topper. Siya was a close second. Healthy competition had existed between them for years, but this academic session Siya had outperformed everyone.
Rima was determined to reclaim the top position.
That year, their science teacher announced that the best project would represent the school at an international competition. It was a prestigious opportunity and every student dreamed of winning it. Rima spent weeks building an ambitious robotic model that promised innovative, technology-driven solutions for the future.
On the day of submission, disaster struck.
As she entered the classroom carrying her carefully crafted project, she failed to notice an extended leg in her path. She stumbled and fell. In a matter of seconds, weeks of hard work lay shattered across the floor. She herself was bruised and shaken.
Nilanjana rushed forward to help her and quietly whispered a single name into her ear.
“Siya.”
Back home, Rima was granted an additional five days to rebuild the project because of her excellent academic record. But how could something that had taken nearly a month to create be completed in just five days? She sat in her room surrounded by broken pieces, overwhelmed, angry and unsure where to begin.
Just then, the doorbell rang. A few moments later, her mother walked in and signalled that someone had come to see her.
It was Siya.
Without a word, Siya sat beside her, placed a large box of Rima’s favourite imported chocolates on the table, and looked her in the eye.
“It wasn’t me, Rima. I promise.” After a brief pause, she smiled gently. “Let me help you rebuild this. We’ll finish it together.” Then she added softly, “We shall win.”
Two brilliant young minds came together over a shared box of chocolates, choosing friendship over rivalry, and proving that the sweetest victories are often the ones achieved together.
By Bidisha Dutta
An avid traveller and a lover of literature, Bidisha Dutta works as an Editor with a renowned publishing firm. . Writing and reading is her second nature, and she just cannot sit in peace without these. She can be reached at bidishadutta2000@gmail.com.
