The Bias

Chapter 19

"You have become like son, grumpy!", her maami spoke patting at her face.

"Did you know about this?" ,Rita asked Romi. She had called him up asking to meet her urgently. Also the fact that her heakth hadn't been great a past few days, so Romi had left his work to meet her.

Preeti ,he and Rita were seated in her room. She had disclosed whatever had happened that night.

"You had told me ..ki woh ladki tabahi hai...did you already know about this?", Preeti asked looking at her husband.

He looked at the two women. He didn't know who stood where, but one thing was sure,none of the two women had liked the idea of Sidharth and that girl
"No! Are you crazy. Mujhe kaise maloom hoga! That day I said it, because of what I saw. Not because i knew."

"You saw something.As in?", Rita asked.

"Arey mom the way they danced."he spoke.He lied. He had said that because of the way Sidharth had looked at that girl, he had said that because of the way that girl had walked to the table that night in the club.And he for sure knew, that it should be the least of things for Rita to be concerned about the girl.Romi had sensed the dream Sidharth was going to chase.

"I dont get this son of mine! Usko samjh kyu ni aata that hes not 25 anymore.He cannot have a new girl every four weeks.Abhi this one, fir ek mahine me he will find a new one. This is how he will be conduct his marriage?",Rita said sitting on the floor.She thought and really hoped that this girl was yet another one of his many flings.

Preeti looked at her mother say this and then at Romi.She recalled the conversation with Sidharth.Though Sidharth had clearly said that he did not know the girl or love her ,yet a very powerful instinct told Preeti of the upcoming trek her brother was about to take.At that very moment she closed her eyes and prayed Take away any storms that are about to hit us.Let us all sleep peacefully at nights.She prayed for Siddharth as well.Guide him well and hold his hand throughout. She so prayed that Siddharth would not be left alone in end...

Shehnaaz moved her hand over the picture. Her and Nirmal's. Shehnaaz was the elder of the two.Though both looked exactly the same, replicas of each other and their mother.A bare minimum of light from the lamp at the backyard of the house made into the dark room.The light not powerful enough to illuminate the picture.But Shehnaaz remembered, the yellow frocks both girls were wearing in the picture.She and grown so big and so different, but Nirmal her face was yet the same.

"I am sorry!", tears trickled down her eyes."I am sorry!", she said again as her voice shook with a stronger emotion and she felt herself choke."Maaf karde mainu ( forgive me!) "

"Sidharth?", Romi walked into his room.

"Wow! Aaj bina bole. To what do I owe this surprise to?''Sidharth spoke looking up from the screen he was immersed into.

"Can i sit!",Romi asked

"Tujhe bhi suna dia?" Sidharth asked looking at Romi, knowing what his mother must have done.

"Galat bol rahi hain kya?", Romi spoke shutting off the laptop .

"Tujhe maloom hai na mom.ka,she's just over reacting!" Sidharth asnwered getting up from the bed, signaling Romi to the balcony.

He stood against the railing, while Romi sat on the swing chair placed there.

"Tu lega?", he asked Romi,passing him the cigarette, looking to thr stretched backyard with trees and greenery in the hub of Mumbai.