Page 97 - You Only Live Once [BooksLD]

with Maria and tried to find out a lot more than I possibly can here.

‘You may choose to enjoy the journey in this moment, or wait to arrive at
the destination all the way. The choice is yours,’ Aarav replies.
‘The whole thing is about reaching the destination. I am not going back
without my mom, or an answer perhaps!’

‘That’s not the point. Try to imagine your mother being here. Spending
her childhood in those trees, sometimes hiding in the corridors.’

‘I have imagined things for a long time now. I need results.’
‘It is not going to be easy, you will need a release at some point in your
life. The choice between tears and sweat will make all the difference. Don’t
be a crybaby.’

‘Why do we need a teacher in life?’ Ricky asks all of us, but I assume
Aarav specifically.

‘To be humble,’ Aarav volunteers.
‘What would Elisha answer? Do you guys know? I will tell you. She
would say, to have some people in life one can make fun of. Don’t judge
her. We were in high school. She literally scared an entire class with a serial

killer mask. She never got caught. You all know her as the dark and intense
singer she was. But she wasn’t that always. When I look back at our
childhood, I remember her as a serious trouble maker.’

I smile. Then I smile wider. I break into laughter. I see the point. Ricky
isn’t so bad after all. He just wants to narrate his story right at the place
where it happened.
‘With our weekend performances, Elisha and I would make just enough
pocket money to be able to afford our basic college expenses. I would buy

some cigar like the British tourists for my teenage fixation to look cool and
she would buy some new dresses for her next performance. She was so
stylish and charming that people would fall for her even before listening to
her melodious voice. And once they’d been held captive by her voice they
would often return the next weekend with a couple more people. She was

equally loved among the locals and the tourists.’
Parvathi interrupts, ‘Why don’t you play the drums anymore?’ Ricky
doesn’t bother to answer, he rather takes a sip from his alcohol bottle. I
don’t really know the reason so I choose not to prod him any further.