ArShi FF: Homebound

Chapter 14: Head to Head

A few hours later, the two sisters arrive at Shantivan. They share a smile before Khushi rings the doorbell.

"Hari Prakash ji, how are you?" She greets HP with a beaming namaste, which he mirrors in response.

"I'm well, Khushi ji. How are you?" His small grin widens to see that she isn't wearing leg braces, or using crutches today.

"On my way to being fit and fine by Devi Maiyya's grace! Thank you,"

The sound of conversation catches Devyani and Manorama's attention and they make their way towards the entrance. Payal smiles and goes to greet them by touching their feet as a sign of respect, and Khushi follows suit. Devyani touches their heads in blessing, while Manorama does the same, though grudgingly and without a smile.

Payal rises and looks at her future mother in law in pleasant surprise, the feel of her hand on her head unexpected and foreign, but yearningly welcome. She chooses to stay silent, lest the moment be revoked by a snarky comment Manorama might make to invalidate her action.

"Nani ji, we came to visit Anjali ji. How is she?"

Devyani's smile dwindles slightly as she sighs. "She is grieving, bitiya, but she is strong. She's upstairs in her room,"

Payal and Khushi nod understandingly, and make their way to Anjali's room.

---

The soft knock sounds hollow and strident to her ears in the stillness of the room. She quickly wipes away tears and places the ball of wool to the side, shakily voicing her permission to the door knocker to come in.

"Anjali ji?"

Silence.

As Payal walks in and sits by the foot of the bed, she notices that Anjali isn't once shifting her steady but distant gaze from an embroidered flower on her bedsheet. Khushi stays unmoving by the door, her heart breaking for this woman who doesn't deserve a grain of the agony brought upon her.

"Anjali ji, whatever has happened, or will happen, we wanted to tell you that we are here for you," Payal reaches out to touch her hand, "As your family,"

Anjali then looks at Payal, a tear escaping to wet the linen of her saree. She raises her other hand to wordlessly touch Payal's in an action of gratitude. Payal manages a reassured smile and looks towards Khushi, who slowly starts walking towards them.

She sits next to Anjali, trying desperately to find the right words. Her gaze then falls on the ball of wool nearby and the unfinished, tiny, red sweater beside it, and she beams, happiness warming her heart.

"Is that for the little bundle of joy coming into our lives?"

Anjali looks at the sweater as well, her lips curving and for a moment, all her grief vanishes. She doesn't answer, but keeps staring at it, imagining the form of her precious baby clad in red wool. The center of her universe.

"It's... it's beautiful, Anjali ji,"

She finally meets Khushi's eyes. Fear, anguish, guilt, and sorrow, spoken by neither, understood by both.

She looks one last time at the sweater, before standing up, knowing that there is, and never will be nothing she can say to negate the trauma that that man has caused. So she turns to leave, when Anjali calls her name.

"Khushi ji,"

Khushi looks over her shoulder, then goes back to sit beside her.

"Do you think I blame you for what happened?" Anjali asks, the question genuine and unprejudiced.