He took the wooden box which had my heart in it. They say giving a statue of a laughing Buddha is not a sign of love, which was why I chose to give him a symbol of good luck and well-being.
He stared at the little box with a slant smile.
His smile was like those I had heard in the fairy tales my grandma narrated.
"Laughing Buddha," he said gazing at my eyes, I turned to the other side and lend my chest on the side of the wooden boat in such a position that my hand was in the water.
"Giving Laughing Buddha as a gift is considered lucky. You might don't know, but my presence is the root cause of my beloved one's suffering" I said, It was the truth, the belief that I was believing since my grandma's funeral. June had a right to know, so I told him.
"No, You aren't," he said, he copied my posture and I turned to look at him in his eyes then he continued "Kind, you are my luck. I don't know what made you think that you are unlucky, but if you trust me then you are the cause of my happiness. And if I ever hear those words coming from you then I won't talk to you for a month" he said in a hasty manner and pouted as if he was angry. I laugh seeing him.
"Students, It's time for us to go to our next spot!!" Old man Najer who was our guide for this tour screamed from the bank of the lake. He broke the sweet moment I was having with him (June).
After having lunch at a famous restaurant in Pokhara we visited another lake, but this lake wasn't a natural lake It was made by one Malla King of ancient Nepal, yes we were enjoying ourselves in "Rani Pokhari"[Queen Lake].
"Do you know the story behind this lake?" June asked, his eyes glowed with the brightness of his knowledge.
"No"
"It's an interesting story. The then Malla King used to get horrified by a witch every night, looking at the poor condition of King the queen asked the royal priest for a solution. The royal priest suggested building a lake and letting the king visit the lake. The idea was to hold the evil spirit in that elephant" He said pointing at the statue of the elephant at the lakeside.
"The king orders his sub-orienteers to build this lake as per the queen's wish. After that when King visited this lake, he got freedom from that witch hence then the king named this lake Rani pokhari"
"Wow, June you have so deep knowledge" I was really amazed at how smart he was, he was good at singing as well as a study too.
The next day we were given permission to explore the place as it was our last day here. In the evening we had a bus to return to our reality. This was the perfect time for me to do what Benita had told me to do.
I took the envelope and reached the place where the directions took me.
"Press the bell" June who followed me all the way here whispered in my ear. I pressed the bell and a middle-aged woman opened the giant gate for us.
We went inside the mansion, there was an old lady who had gray white hair She was drinking tea sitting beneath the tree in her huge garden.
[If Benita's mum is so rich, then why is she working at a café?] I wondered in my head.
"Namaste, I was sent by Benita to give-"
"You are Kind, aren't you?" before I could even finish my words, she cut me as if she knows me.
"Yes, but how do you know me?" I was a bit surprised.
"I was your grandmother's lawyer. I helped her to name all the properties to your name. Otherwise, your evil Uncle would have taken over it"
[Properties? Uncle?] I was clueless about what she was talking about, as far as I know I don't have an uncle from my father's side.
"What are you talking about?"
"Huh? It's strange, I remember that I made a legal document after your patents passed away"
"My parents are alive," I said, trying to deny what she was telling me
"Come sit here," she said, called one of the servants, and ordered to bring tea for us. We sit down.
"You were one year old when your parents died in a car accident. Your Uncle and anti requested your grandmother to let them take care of you. Since that time your Uncle didn't have a child, so your grandmother thought that it will be good for both of you, but she was wrong."
"Why was she wrong?" June asked
"One night Meena saw seeking out of their house with Kind in her hands, she felt curious and followed Moon to park which was a kilometer away. She caught Moon.
Throwing Kind into a bin." she turned to me again and continued "She then finds out that it was Moon and Peter's plan to take over the entire property that belonged to you by killing you. Your grandmother, Meena told me to make a legal document which would name you as the hair of the entire property that belonged to your father and Meena"
"If Peter and Moon aren't my parents, then who were?"
"They are your real parents," said Benita's mom, pulling out a picture that the maid brought along with her and handing it to her a while ago
"But I don't understand how they get their name over your property?"
Her words made me wonder for a moment, all this time whom I called Mom and Dan weren't really my actual parents.
"My grandma died when I was 7" This pain in my heart was now at its worse, I could barely see or hear anything that Benita's Mom was telling. The world seemed to stop spinning around me. My heart had it enough, I was now slowly merging in my golden memories, memories with my grandmother.