Home is where the heart is #YourStoryIndia

Chapter 19

A blob of red. That is what Philip saw on the ledge on the terrace.
"Maina! I've been searching for you. Where were you? Have you..." Philip stopped short when Maina looked up at him with a tear streaked face, eyes red, hair open and wild, jewellery strewn around her. She didn't say a word, just watched him with sad eyes.

For a moment, Philip was spellbound. He knew how to handle an angry Maina. He had a lot of practice, but this was too much for him. Finally, he came to his senses, got on the ledge and engulfed her in a massive hug, propriety be damned.

After what seemed like hours Maina hugged him back and let go, a new wave of anguish and humiliation, washing over her, making her tears flow again. Only this time she felt much better in the comfort of his arms. Who was she kidding? She'd rather he never let her go.

Philip murmured sweet nothings to her telling her that whatever it was would be alright. He held her tight trying to absorb her pain. In that moment Maina believed him, even though he didn't know what the problem yet.

When she finally calmed down, Philip gently wiped away her tears. He kissed her on her forehead, like that was the most natural thing to do. Maina froze and stiffened. Sensing her discomfort, Philip asked her random questions like,
"How was your first day at school? "
"What's your favourite movie?"
"Since when did you learn to sing?"......... and so on. Maina was at first thrown because she had expected questions. A lot of them. Not such random ones of course.
"When was the last time you cried?" He asked.

At that Maina laughed and blushed a little. "In 3rd standard I got an A- on a Maths test and my rival got A+. I cried so hard that day. It was a long time back though." Philip wasn't surprised. Maina was not the type of girl to whine and cry over little things anymore and he was dying to know what it was that had made her cry. He didn't push it though. They sat together on the ledge, fingers intertwined staring in opposite directions for quite sometime.

"They are selling the house. "Maina said after a long time. Finally it was out in the open. She wasn't scared of Philip judging her family anymore. It hurt to say the words out loud.
"Who are?" Philip enquired.
"The elders. The decision is made. They didn't listen to me."
"How can they just sell it? Doesn't it legally belong to all of you? Doesn't everyone have to agree first?"
"No. Our trust works in the majority system. Only two thirds majority required." Maina replied in a toneless voice.
"Do they have it?"
"Oh they will. The promoter has promised each family an apartment and money. Who would give up such a golden opportunity to keep an old dilapidated house? "
Philip sighed.
"What does your father say?" He asked gently. Maina turned away. She couldn't think of her father without a renewed sense of pain everytime. It was then that Philip noticed and put two and two together. Faint pink marks on her cheek.

"Oh Maina!" He exclaimed and pulled her into his arms again. The damned tears just kept on coming.
"He's ne...never....I....ju..just..." Maina hiccuped.
"Shh...it's okay." Philip consoled her, feeling angry and confused. Angry because of how Maina was treated and confused because he knew her to be a father was a rational man.
"Why can't you buy the house?" Philip asked casually.
Maina snorted. "Are you trying to be funny?" She asked.
"No why?" Philip answered truthfully.
Maina saw the sincerity on his face and smiled to herself. He really was an idiot if he thought she, an absolute nobody was rich enough to buy the house.
"This house is situated in the heart of the city and occupies a humongous area. You don't realise how much it's going to sell for, do you?" Maina explained slowly.
"How much can it cost?" Philip asked because he truly didn't know the real estate rates of Kolkata.
"Millions of dollars if not more." Maina replied flinching when she realised she had just put a price on her childhood home. If she took a loan, she doubted whether her grandchildren would be able to repay them even.

Philip pondered over that for a few minutes.
"What if I lent you the money?" He asked.
"I couldn't accept your father's money." Maina said apalled.
"It's not my father's. " Philip replied through gritted teeth. "Honestly why would I offer you his money?" He growled angrily.
"Where else would you get so much money? " Maina tried to defend herself. She hadn't meant to offend him.
Philip ran his hands through his hair in frustration then sighed heavily after a few moments. "How much do you know about me? You really think I'm a good for nothing tramp?" Philip asked,wary of the answer.
"That's not true. I didn't mean to..." Maina protested vehemently.
Philip put his hand over her mouth, wishing it could be his lips. This woman was infuriating beyond belief. Maina shut up immediately.
"I know. I know." He said reassuringly. He removed his hand.

"I work for an international NGO, that helps to get justice to the various powerless people who get lost in the complex judiciary systems of their countries. Like recently I've been working with the Dogon tribe of Mali in Africa who refuse to give their land to the government. I do a very simple job, Maina. I give voice to the voiceless. It doesn't pay much but it's enough to keep me going. Besides, I get to travel and mix with different cultures, something that I love to do." He smiled at last. Maina was floored. Out of everything she imagined Philip doing this wasn't one of them, but, now that he said it she could see him helping people in that beloved way of his. He continued.

" When my mother died she left all her money to me on two conditions. One, I would quit smoking because she herself died of lung cancer. I refused, not because I didn't want to quit smoking but because no one could tell me how to live my life no matter how much money they offered. My free will wasn't up for sale. Till date, all that money is lying there unclaimed. Let me tell you that it's a lot of money. I could accept it for this house, for you. "He said looking directly into her brown doe eyes.

Maina's heart did the cheesiest thing possible. It skipped a beat, making her breathless. She cleared her throat, trying to get some words out. It wasn't happening.
"What's the second condition? " She whispered.
Philip grinned mischievously. "I have to settle down with a 'nice young lady'. I'm sure we can omit the 'nice' part." He winked.
Maina's eyes widened and all kinds of other bodily reactions took place. Then she chastised herself for running ahead of herself.
"That's umm...nice... I mean thoughtful. She obviously wanted the best for you but I can't take the money. You know I can't. " Maina said albeit her voice sounded a tad high pitched.

"She didn't want me to end up like her." Philip said quietly. Too quietly. In an uncharacteristically bold move Maina placed her hand on top of Philip's. Philip's eyes widened in amazement but he surely didn't protest.

"So what are you going to do?" He asked. He knew that Maina would never accept his money but one could always hope.
"About?"
"Your house? Are you going to sit back and watch it get selled?"
"No. Of course not. I've got a plan. I won't lose my home." Maina replied with conviction in her eyes.
"Good. That's the Maina Chowdhury I know." Philip said,unable to hide the pride in his voice.
************************************
Heya! Long time no chapter.... actually it's been exactly a month. I've been so damn busy and yada yada. Now it doesn't matter. To make up for it, next update is in.......2 minutes. Double updates! Yay!