A/N - Where ever French terms are used, English translations have been provided in brackets.
Chapter 1
'Paris?!' Purvi squealed in excitement.
'Haan! Daya ne kal mujhe bataya. Tab se bas puchna hi mat! I am so excited' said Shreya in delight.
'Girls, kya baatein chal rahi hai?' asked Tarika sitting on a chair next to Purvi.
'Daya sir aur Shreya honeymoon pe kaha jaa rahe hai puch usse' said Purvi.
'Kaha?' asked Tarika.
'Paris four nights five days' said Shreya.
'Wow. Lucky you!' said Tarika enviously.
When the reached the Car park area, Purvi and Tarika both hugged her.
'Enjoy yourselves!'
'Bohot photos click karna'
'Aur hamare liye shopping karna bhoolna mat'
After what seemed like one long hour of endless chatter, Shreya finally reached home. They were supposed to leave the next day and she still hadn't packed all the things.
Daya wasn't home yet. Shreya wondered where he was.
After a quick warm shower, Shreya began to pack their bags. She double checked the list of necessary items to make sure that they hadn't forgotten anything important.
When Daya returned home about an hour later, Shreya still wasn't done. He watched her move around the room, whispering frantically to herself.
Shreya felt his arms circling around her waist and she smiled. Daya planted a kiss on her shoulder and making her shiver.
'Aaa gaye aap? Kaha the?' she asked.
'Abhijeet se milne gaya tha. Kitni packing karogi ab? Aur itna saara saaman? Hum sirf 5 din ke liye jaa rahe hai Shreya' said Daya.
'Haan mujhse sab pata hai. Aap fresh hokar aayi. Main ye sab khatam karke aati hu' said Shreya.
'Shreya waise tumne ye pack kiya hi nahi' said Daya pointing at her lacy lingerie. 'Unless you don't wish to wear it at all on our honeymoon...' he said with a naughty grin.
'Daya just get out!' Shreya said angrily and threw a pillow at his face.
He caught it with one hand and left the room howling with laughter.
Shreya blushing furiously murmured, 'Batameez insaan' under her breath and continued chucking things in the bag.
After the packing was finished, she and Daya had dinner and then they went to bed early than usual.
'Waise Daya maine aapse kaha internet se kuch dhoond nikalne ko kaha tha' said Shreya as they lay on the bed.
'Shreya tumhe French words kyu sikhne hai? Hum dono hai na ek dusre se baat karne ke liye', said Daya.
'Haan ya Na toh bolna aana chahiye na' said Shreya.
Daya passed her a small notepad on which he had scribbled something.
"Oui" is the word for "yes"
"Non" for "No"
"Le Taxi" for "Taxi"
"Bonjour" for "Good Day or Good Morning"
"Desolé" for "Sorry"
"Merci beaucoup" for "Thank you very much"
"Le Café" for "Coffee"
'Bas itne hi?' asked Shreya.
'Are toh ab kya poori dictionary saath leke chalni hai?' said Daya.
'Actually ye bohot accha idea hai. Kyun na hum French - English Translation dictionary saath leke chale?' said Shreya brightly.
'Shreya please! Tum poora din uss dictionary me ghus ke baithogi toh meri taraf kaun dhyan dega? Hum Honeymoon pe jaa rahe hai, remember?' asked Daya.
Shreya made a face. 'Okay thik hai. Par baad me kuch problem hua toh mujhe mat kehna'
'Kuch nai hoga Shreya. Relax' said Daya.
Shreya snuggled onto his chest. She couldn't contain her childlike excitement.
O -o-o-o
Their flight touched Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris, right on time.
With Christmas just two days away, the air of Celebration could be felt all over. Mistletoe's, bells, Christmas trees decorated the place. Tourists swarmed the airport, chattering and laughing.
They left the departure gate ans walked towards the conveyor belt to collect their baggage.
The Christmas decorations cast their reflections on the shiny floors. Shreya eyed the the duty free shops stocked with Chocolates, gift articles and booze.
It was very cold and windy. Both of them were wearing furry jackets to keep themselves warm.
Around them people were muttering non stop in French which neither Shreya nor Daya could understand.
'Mil gayi bag. Chalo ab taxi leke sidha hotel. Raat ke dus baj gaye' said Daya.
'Hotel ka naam kaha likha hai?' asked Shreya.
'Are haan. Main toh bhool hi gaya' said Daya.
He fumbled into his pocket and withdrew a small notepad. He flipped a few pages and said, 'Ye raha. Ab ye Taxi Driver ko dikhayenge Phir leke chalega wo hume hotel tak' said Daya.
Shreya glanced at the writing. It read -
Le Royal Parapluie
Rue de la Pompe
Paris 75009
Téléphone: 0000991111
They stood outside the airport waiting for their Cab. The Parisien street was brightly lit. It had started to empty as it was pretty late. A gust of wind hit them and Shreya shivered.
Shreya cast a look at the Taxi stand on her right. Bright yellow coloured Cabs stood in a single line with "Taxi Parisien" stamped across in big bold letters.
'Hamari Cab kyu nahi aayi?' Shreya asked.
'Wohi toh main soch raha hu. Maine toh hotel ki hi Cab book ki thi jo hume Airport se pick karke hotel le janewali thi. Pata nahi Cab abhi tak kyu nahi aayi' said Daya frowning.
Half an hour passed and still their Cab pickup had not arrived.
'Kya kare? Kahi traffic ki wajah se late toh nahi hua?' Shreya asked.
'Traffic dikhai kaha de raha hai road pe? Saara raasta khali pada hhai. Maine toh suna tha yaha ke log bohot punctual hote hai. Kaha gayi punctuality phir?' asked.
'Daya jaroor kuch problem hua hoga. Mujhe lagta hai hume ek baar hotel call karke pooch lena chaiye' suggested Shreya.
'Hmm. Tum thik keh rahi ho. Mere pass number hai hotel ka' said Daya and then he dialled the hotel's number on the cellphone.
A man's voice answered after two rings.
'Bonsoir, Le Royal Parapluie' (Good Evening Hotel "Le Royal Parapluie")
Daya held the cellphone a foot away from his ear looking slightly irritable.
'Kya hua?' asked Shreya.
'French language me baat kar raha hai. Ab kya puchu isko? Mujhe toh A, B, C, D ko French me kya bolte hai wo bhi nai aata. Sirf "Haan" ya "Na" aata hai.' said Daya.
'Allo? Je ne vous entends pas' the man on the other end of the line was getting impatient.
(Hello? I can't hear you)
Daya sighed and disconnected the call. He and Shreya stared at one another for a moment, wondering what to do next.
The street was almost empty now and passerby threw glances at them now and then.
'Ye log hume pagal samajh rahe honge' said Shreya.
'Sab iss Cab driver ki wajah se hua hai! Ek baar saamne aane do usse phir dekhta hu' said Daya angrily.
'Daya please! Aap aapna gussa control me rakhiye. Hum dusre desh me hai! Aur hum yaha honeymoon par aaye hai. Ladai ya zhagda karne nahi' said Shreya reasonably.
'Haan haan samajh gaya. Kaha reh gaya ye? Ab kab tak intejar karte rahe iska?' ssid Daya impatiently.
'Mujhe thand lag rahi hai aur bhookh bhi' ssid Shreya.
'Mujhe lagta hai yaha rukne se koi fayda nahi. Hum dusri taxi lekar hotel chalte hai. Yaha ke local taxi walo ko hotel ka address pakka pata hoga. Warna thodi der me ye taxi bhi chali jayegi' said Daya.
'Haan. Thik hai chailye' said Shreya.
They approached a Taxi stationed near the Taxi Stand. Daya showed him the address.
'Oui.' said the Taxi driver nodding. (Yes)
Daya and Shreya got in and the taxi sped off into the night. They reached their hotel in twenty minutes.
Shreya admired the grand hotel as Daya paid the taxi fare. The hotel was four storeys tall with numerous square glass windows.
'Chale?' Daya asked smiling at her.
'Haan' said Shreya returning his smile.
The lobby was grander. A huge fountain lay on one side. The colourful lights was making it look really beautiful. The Christmas decorations spanned majority of the area. They approached the reception desk.
A charming young lady greeted them. She was extremely good looking and had a dimpled smile.
'Bonsoir Madame et Monsieur! Comment je peux vous aider?' she asked them.
(Good Evening Sir/ Madam. How can I help you?)
'Er...' said Daya anxiously.
He looked at Shreya and she returned his confused look. Both of them were clueless what to speak next.
Another guy at the reception whispered something into her ear and the lady asked, 'Vous ne parlez pas la française? Ce n'est pas une problème. Est - ce que vous avez une résérvation?'
(Don't you speak French? No problem. Do you have a reservation?)
'Wo kuch "reservation" ki baat kar rahi hai' Shreya whispered.
'Oui. Oui. (Yes. Yes) Reservation' said Daya and withdrew a thin envelope from his hand bag. It contained their room booking details.
Daya handed it over and they waited. The lady at the reception desk clicked a few times on the laptop. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the booking details.
Then she turned to Daya and said, Mais, Monsieur le résévation pour le suite lune de meil est pour le vingt cinq décémbre'
(But Sir, the booking for the Honeymoon Suite is for 25th December i.e after two days as per the records.)
Daya stared at her blankly. He hadn't understood a word she had said.
She handed him the booking details and pointed at the date. It read 25th December.
'Le date est différent', she repeated.
(The booking date is different)
'Kya hua Daya?' Shreya asked.
'Aisa kaise hoga? Wo keh rahi hai ki room ki booking date do din baad ki hai' said Daya.
'Par...' said Shreya looking confused.
'Maine toh humare travel booking agent ko clearly bola tha ki mujhe 22nd December ki booking karni hai. Woh mere pehchan wala hi hai' said Daya.
'Oh no ab kya kare?' Shreya asked.
'Ruko main usse phone karke baat karta hu India me.' said Daya.
He frantically dialled the agent's number. His name was Rohan.
He picked up after after 10 rings.
'Kaun hai be? Subah subah pareshan kar raha hai!' said Rohan in a rude voice.
'Tera Baap!' Daya yelled. 'Senior Inspector Daya baat kar raha hoon!'
Shreya threw a scared look at the reception. The hotel staff was eyeing Daya with immense dislike and were looking scandalised.
'Desolée, Desolée' Shreya muttered and apology but it had no effect whatsoever.
(Sorry. Sorry)
After five more minutes of yelling, Daya handed over his cell phone to the lady at the reception.
She took it quite reluctantly and spoke to the agent in rapid French. Then she handed back his phone to Daya who spoke to the agent one more time.
Shreya could see that Daya was shaking in anger. She hoped he won't do anything stupid. She wanted this drama to end as soon as possible.
When Daya disconnected the call she asked him rather timidly, 'Kya kaha uss agent ne?'
'Sab gadbad ho gayi Shreya. Jee chahta hai uss Rohan ko abhi mere haath ke teen chaar thappad lagalu' said Daya fuming.
'Daya please...' said Shreya casting a glance in the direction of the reception.
'Usne galati se do din baad ki booking ki hai hotel room ki. Yaani ke 25th December ki' said Daya.
'Kya?' Shreya said in a loud voice.
'Haan sahi suna tumne. Uss Rohan ke gadhe ne shayad thik se suna nahi jab main usse bataya. Do din baad ki booking ki hai aur ab maafi maang raha hai mujhse! Saamne hota na toh...' said Daya.
'Lekin kya abhi koi room nahi mil sakti yaha?' asked Shreya.
'Nahi. Saari rooms booked hai. Usne baat ki reception walo se. Christmas hai toh tourists ki bheed hoti hai' said Daya.
'Toh ab?' asked Shreya in a panicky voice.
'Lagta hai aaj raat Paris ki sadko par guzarni hogi' said Daya.
