Reaching home, swiftly Janani parked her scooty in middle of her house entrance and rushed to her room on the first floor. Locking her room doors, she took her mobile and sat on her bed instantly looking for the mysterious message. But she couldn’t find it. It got disappeared. She was both confused and curious, how come the question that Sean asked was same as the one she got on the message except for the context. She tried recalling the mysterious question –

“There’s a 5% chance we’ll cross paths in the next few days. If we do, there’s a 60% chance I’ll get to celebrate your next 12 birthdays with you — and let’s be honest, people usually celebrate 12 birthdays in a row only with their soulmate.“

That’s all she could remember.

“Who is the mysterious person whom I would meet in the next few days”, Janani questioned herself. Suddenly her phone rang. It was kept upside down in the bed. This time she was excited and curious, expecting a mysterious call to get answers to her questions. She took and slowly tuned it to see the called id. It was her Manager.

“Hey Janani… Great news! Sean and his team is leaving to California tomorrow and they have asked you to join with them for a 1 week deputation for re-iterating with the AI projects… They were impressed by your quirky answer today and particularly asked whether you can take up this..”, her Manager exclaimed in hurry voice. She got excited for a moment but hearing that she needs to leave tomorrow she got worried about getting ready, packing stuffs, etc. She already got an active US visa, so that’s not a problem.

“It’s a sudden surprise..But sir, shall we plan this after a week so that I’ll get prepared for this trip”, she asked in feeble tone. “There is a high possibility that, if Sean discussed on outsourcing AI algo development to India, their US management would resist it. So, we have to be there and get things done”, her manager explained her. Before she could reply, “I’ll book and send tickets to San Francisco in the same flight that Sean team is taking…Go get ready..”, her manager spoke and cut the call.

Now she got a lot of things to process. “Just 9 hours before I was rushing through the traffic roads of Bangalore. On taking a mysterious lift at a mysterious time, I got an opportunity to visit Silicon Valley..”, the thought got struck up in her mind.

She informed her mom, dad and colleagues about this sudden trip to US and started packing her bag pack. Her Manager sent her the flight tickets in whatsapp. She had a glance at the airline and flight timings. It was Lufthansa scheduled to departure from Bangalore at 4pm. “No one would believe if I say my company had sponsored tickets for me in Lufthansa”, she thought with a subtle smile on her face.

It was around 9pm, her mother called Janani for dinner from the ground floor stairs. She wore her night dress and slowly came down stairs and tried jumping over her parked scooty, since it remain parked at house entrance.

“Don’t break your bones doing this…. That too a day before your trip to US. You should have parked it properly..”, her mom shouted at her.

“I was in a hurry”, she replied successfully jumping over the scooty. “If you are in the same hurry about your life, you would have got married already…”, her mom said to her sarcastically expressing her concern on her marriage getting late.

“If I’d been in the same hurry for my marriage, I would be stepping into the on the marriage stage as a pregnant woman. Is it ok for you..?”, Janani commented back to her mother’s concern. “Your chatty mouth is what delaying the marriage… Shut up and eat well. Your foodie tongue will die out once you start eating the Burgers in US…”, her mom shouted with concern.

She finished her dinner and informed her mother that she needs to be at airport at 12noon the next day. To overcome the bangalore traffic at peak hours, she planned to leave for airport around 10:30am. Then, she went back to her room in the first floor to sleep.

The Next day – Nov 19,2028 – 7am

The alarm tone started playing the classic song from the movie – The Sound of the Music

” I am 16 going on 17
Innocent as a rose
Bachelors dandies, drinkers of brandies
What do I know of those? “

Janani woke up in half sleep and murmured in a sarcastic tone “I know a lot about those….”

The song kept on playing –

“… I need someone older and wiser
Telling me what to do
You are 17 going on 18
I’ll depend on you…”

Suddenly Janani woke up from her half sleep remembering about her mysterious message. The song verse made her to remember about the mysterious message. This time she got more excited and curious about the incident.

“Oh god. My head will burst if I can’t comprehend the message”, she told herself out of curiosity and frustration.

Seeing the time she quickly started getting ready for her trip. She checked her phone continuously while getting ready and packing stuffs – expecting a message from the same mysterious number. She went to bath and turned on the shower. She closed her eyes and let the water droplets hit her face – In the realm of darkness, her mind started thinking about the mysterious message again and again. She took a quick bath and started dressing up.

“If I am really going to meet my soulmate in next few days, should I cancel this trip and wait for him to appear out of no where”, she questioned herself.

She finished dressing up and went down to the ground floor where her mom had kept the breakfast ready. She sat to eat her breakfast but her mom interrupted saying, “Go to the Pooja room and Pray before eating.”.

Janani stood up and went to the Pooja room and closed her eyes to pray.

“I am really confused. Is it YOU sending one of your Love Cupids to hit me with the mysterious message? Are you testing me to choose between my career and love life?”, she questioned the deity instead of praying.

She came back to the dining table and started eating her breakfast. Her mom was adding Indian snacks to her already clothes filled baggage. Seeing it Janani quickly jumped and stopped her and said, “Mom, It’s an international flight and they won’t allow me all these precooked foods”.

After arguing to and fro – at last Janani made her mom understand the flight rules. Then she started booking cab to the airport. Her mom was giving all the safety advises and about all the racist attacks happening in US that she saw in the news.

“Forget all these. I will be fine. It’s just a business trip.”, Janani consoled her.

The cab arrived to her house entrance.

“Ok say this – If I have to choose between my career and my marital life – What should I do?” , Janani asked her mom.

“Obviously your marital life. You’re already 27, idiot”, her mom shouter. “And why are you asking at this moment?” – her mom asked her back.

“I had a chance of meeting my love of my life in next few days but I am ditching it for my career”, Janani replied. “What are you blabbering. If you love someone let us know. Don’t elope with him to US”, her mom said.

Loading her bags to the car, Janani replied – “No. I haven’t met him. If anyone mysteriously comes home searching for me, ask him to wait for a week till I return back from US”, she said – And it further confused her mom.

At last she got into the car and said bye to her mom and comforted her saying that she was just joking.

As the cab started moving, she made up her mind saying – “Between a mysterious spouse and an obvious career – It’s always the career” and started listening music in her airpords.

– To be Continued