Intense Desires...

The Rush of Hormones...

We stopped kissing and looked at each other in disbelief. And then the doorbell rang again. This time, for a longer period of time.

“Ashvini! There's a knock at the door," Yamini yelled at me while I stood there as numb as I could be.

This can't possibly be my parents, let alone my mother. She can't possibly be. Alternatively, Ritvik may be at the door, pranking us in the middle of... (you know...) In my head, a lot of things were going on. For the third time, the bell rang.

"Ashvini, will you open the door or will you not?" Yamini yelled after smacking me, and I snapped back to reality.

"Yes, I'm heading down. Attach the video game here and attempt to play it. Begin with a two-player game. " At our house, I attempted to find an escape route with Yamini's presence in my room.

My mother knew Yamini, and if things went out of hand, I'd tell her that Yamini had come to say her final goodbyes before leaving. Then I served her sandwiches and juice, the rain started, and we started playing video games to pass the time. Bingo! This is a fantastic trick.

I was both startled and dismayed when I looked through the peephole. I answered the door dejectedly.

"Hello, Ashvini! You did take a long time to open the door? What were you up to, champ? " Shilpa, my maternal aunt, barraged me with questions as she entered our living room.

“I… Aunt Shilpa, I was playing video games with a friend. Please accept my apologies for the delay." I lowered my head.

"Oh, my poor baby, don't be depressed. Come in and hug me. You have matured. You were a ten-year-old munchkin peeing on his bed the last time I saw you." She kissed my left cheek as well.

Meet Shilpa, my maternal aunt. She is a 21st-century fun-loving, free-flowing, don't give a crap attitude gal. She goes around the globe from one end to the other. She can't stay anywhere for more than three weeks at a time. She is a painter pursuing her master's degree, and numerous institutions throughout the world have offered her a permanent position to work, which she accepts but as a freelancer. People from all around the world fund her excursions, pay her handsomely, and allow her to live her life to the utmost.

She's presumably in her thirties, stunning and superb at communication skills. If you are conversing with her, she will take your heart without telling you. She is a nomadic wanderer who lives alone. I had the impression that she was not from my maternal family and that my maternal grandparents must have adopted her. Her likeness to my mother's features, though, is the only reason anyone could think she is from Earth. What I always wanted was to become like her, and live my life my way. I don’t know how much time I take to live such a life.

"Your mother told me yesterday that there would be no one else in the home but you. And I'm pleased it occurred in the same way because Mom would have reprimanded me every time if it hadn't. Ashvini, you're not going to give me a lecture, are you?" She inquired as she retrieved the spaghetti and drink from the refrigerator.

"Why would I...?" I didn't finish my sentence.

“Exactly! What right do you have to lecture me? I'm twice your age and have far more life experience than you. I am the one who should be interrogating you. Why did you wait so long to open the door? Whom are you playing games with? Your mother advised me that until she returns, none of your friends should be permitted to see you at home." And she continued to speak incessantly.

"I was... I was playing..." I was on the verge of passing out. My Aunt was no less psycho than my mother.

“We were playing together.” Yamini interfered and somehow rescued me.

"Well... Well... Well... Who is this young lady?" she asked.

"Aunt Shilpa, her name is Yamini, and she is a friend of mine. She is moving back to London now that school has ended, so she was visiting every friend's house to say goodbye. Then I offered her some sandwiches and a drink, and then it started raining, so we went into my room and started playing video games." Rather than my mum, I practiced my planned speech in front of Aunt Shilpa.

"I assumed she was your girlfriend, and you were both doing things that teens your age are supposed to do." She laughed.

"No... no... we're just pals, and we never... no, we didn't" I freaked out and messed around, doing what I do best: ruining things.

Yamini shifted her gaze to me.

“Oh. What a pity. You're both intended to look attractive together," Shilpa, my aunt, yanked my leg.

"Mam, we're close friends right now, and we don't know what the future holds for us. We like each other's company, and now that I'm returning to London, I'm hoping I won't find anybody else's company to be better than his." Yamini was able to match fire with fire.

"I hope I haven't interrupted you if you were in the middle of anything important, you beauty? You are free to continue. Just act as though I'm not here." My aunt responded with a jab at Yamini.

Yamini was rendered speechless. A pin-drop stillness fell over the room. I need to step in, and I need to do it quickly.

"Aunt Shilpa, what brought you to Delhi so unexpectedly? You were in Paris the last time I heard from you, so ten days ago?" I tried to steer the conversation away from the subject.

"I was present. And the previous three days had been spent in London. And in fifteen days, I'll be in Shanghai. That's how I live." She responded.

"However, there must be some exceptional cause or event?" I inquired once more.

"Yes, here in Delhi, there is an organization for orphan children. They're holding a charity event, and I'm here to auction off my paintings to the highest bidders, with the proceeds going to the orphanage. That is the cause of the unique event." She had informed me.

Hearing this, Yamini felt a little guilty about her (Aunt Shilpa) unexpected entry into this house. She wanted to know more about her immediately, but she couldn't talk for reasons best known to her.

“That’s very appreciable, Aunt Shilpa. Have you always been in this charity thing or to it your first time?” I inquired.

"I've been doing charitable work since I was twelve years old. I used to volunteer in the community on Sundays while I was in school. Then I was joined by a couple of my buddies. It grew into a group of thirty or forty kids. Then we began collecting donations for others in our neighborhood who were in need ( elderly and widows). We also gathered money for youngsters who used to beg at traffic lights to fulfill their right to education. In college, I was elected president of the Student Union and encouraged students to participate and contribute more. My efforts were noted, and I was invited to work with the United Nations in Africa. And since then, I've seen so much in this world that has to be addressed. And I make every effort to tell others about it. That's how I live." In front of us, she encapsulated her entire existence.

Aunt Shilpa had both of us in awe. I had never seen her in such a light before. She was a free bird to me, living her life according to her own set of rules, but today I met the real Aunt Shilpa. We inquired about her travels to Africa and other countries. She took us on all of her journeys. She's more of a spell-caster; the way she described her trips was like watching a movie unfold in front of our eyes. We (Yamini and I) were dancing to her tracks because her lyrics were magical. As she was writing a novel, she got a hint for the following narrative at the conclusion of each one. It always seemed to end, but she always left us hanging on the precipice, and by going on to the next narrative, she always became our rescue. So did the clock; it was about 15 past four o'clock.

"I wish I could join you after graduation, Aunt Shilpa. Your philanthropic activities have greatly inspired me, and I, too, want to contribute to our nation in such a way that I may aid the poor without becoming greedy." Yamini talked about her plans for the future.

"There's no need to wait for graduation. You may begin with simple steps. Begin on your street, in your neighborhood, and your community. Help stray animals by providing food and animal care (first aid). People should be made aware of the situation. Organize awareness drives at least twice a month. Make sure that your cause attracts a growing number of volunteers. There are several options. Begin with a modest step; it doesn't have to be big, but it should be consistent. Then, one day, your valiant efforts will contribute to our country's and humanity's prosperity. " Aunt Shilpa gave Yamini an entire speech.

"Aunt Shilpa, may I hug you?" Yamini had made a request.

"Of course, you do!"

Aunt Shilpa murmured something in Yamini's ear as they held each other. Yamini gazed at her in surprise, then at me, before laughing. Even though I was standing so close to them, I couldn't hear what they were saying.

The clouds parted, allowing sunshine to flood the room.

“Ashvini! Don’t you two need some time together (or play video games)? It would also be fantastic if you two could make some room for me. As I've just returned after a lengthy journey. Then I'd take a bath and rest." Aunt Shilpa was the one who dragged my leg there.

“Yes… Yes, we must... We have no choice but to play video games." I became agitated once more. What the heck was going on with me? I've never panicked as much as I did today in my whole life.

We went upstairs to my room after Aunt Shilpa relocated to the guest room.

"I think I should contact my host mother to pick me up now, Ashvini," Yamini started abruptly.

"However, we were in the midst of..." I didn't finish my sentence.

"Yes, if something didn't happen today, it didn't have to happen today. I'm the type of person that believes in the power of symbols. God sends us messages; if He is preventing you from doing anything, it is because it was not His desire. Maybe he'll decide for you at a later date." Yamini's religious side was on display.

"Permit me to express my admiration for you! You're a fantastic kisser, and I had a lot of fun with you at that time. You made me feel like a princess, and I was in a different world at the time." She expressed her emotions.

I couldn't tell which way the talk was heading. I, on the other hand, was following her lead.

"I wanted to visit you again before I left, which I did today (with a whole new perspective). Until the bell sounded, one thing led to another and practically everything. I thank Aunt Shilpa for bringing me back to reality and recognizing that 'You are the love of my life.' And we were ready to wreck everything for ourselves in The Rush Of Hormones." She started to feel emotional.

"I'll keep an eye out for you. I'll wait for you. I'll remain in touch, write to you frequently, and do my best to visit you around the holidays. I don't have any expectations of you, but I hope you'll be patient with me, you will wait for me too." She concluded.

"Yeah sure," I said, and the words stuck in my mouth.

She hugged me and said goodbye.

"What was it that Aunt Shilpa murmured in your ear?" I inquired.

"She said, - play video games or wrestle about, but never let any male bite your bottom lip," Yamini answered.