Sometimes Hate is Enough

Chapter 20

I felt my eyebrows scrunch as I started biting on my nails, and...

A loud sound, almost like a blast, came from where Hari Kaka and the other Kaka were working. I pushed the container to the side in a hurry before getting on my feet and running to them barefoot, with Manoj following behind.

Hari Kaka stood on a step ladder, coughing, while smoke was coming out from somewhere.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I covered my nose with the end of my dupatta. "What happened?"

"I'm fine. But I think one of the light bulbs burned out." He answered as he stepped down from the ladder and looked around before talking to the other Kaka, "Rajesh, go and check what happened. I'll manage the rest here."

"Manoj, go with him." I said that and motioned for him to go with Rajesh Kaka.

It was almost dinner by the time they finished because they had to change one of the main fuses in the house, and Hari Kaka refused to leave before fixing all the lights and making sure that every one of them was working. And thanks to him, I also found a reason not to meet them. So, I sat on the steps of the house with my dupatta wrapped around me.

"Bitiya, you don't have to keep me company. You'll catch a cold; it's windy today." Hari Kaka said as he screwed the last iron light holder on the pillar near the house and screwed a bulb on it before covering it with a glass cover.

"I'm fine, Kaka." I said as I leaned the side of my head against the wooden pillar of the house to my right, and suddenly the entire place started to light up one by one.

I blinked around the whole area as all the lights were completely turned on and looked back at Hari Kaka with wide eyes.

"Kaka..." I stopped as I stood and looked at the pond, the pillars and the whole place.

He just smiled at me while nodding and bid me goodnight before he left me alone. After some time, Jiji came out from inside the house.

"Where have you been all evening? Everyone is looking fo..." She started as she wrapped a thin shawl around her shoulders but stopped as soon as she looked around the whole place with parted lips.

I wrapped my arms around her from her left, excitedly, before asking, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is." She replied softly as she wrapped a hand over mine and turned her head to look at me. "We'll show this to Amma, Babu Ji, and Bua Ji after dinner. Now, let's go inside." I let go of her as soon as she finished and went to sit on the left side of the broken swing chair.

"I don't want to meet them." I said as I looked up at her with pleading eyes. Especially him.

She stared at me for a moment before she slowly sat down next to me on the swing and spoke without looking at me.

"You know, I have been planning to lock myself in my room ever since I heard they were coming." I looked at her with my mouth slightly open. I didn't know she was feeling that way. I thought she was better after coming here. That's why I was trying so hard to fix the house as soon as possible to arrange a place for a garden so that she could be more comfortable and at least forget about Akash Ji for the time being.

She pulled her legs to her chest, wrapped her arms around her knees, and rested her cheek on her arms before finally looking at me in the eyes and giving me a small smile that didn't reach her eyes like it always used to. I tiled my head a little to my side as I felt the back of my eyes burn. Why am I getting so emotional?

I sniffed through my nose and swallowed dryly as I turned my body to fully face her, sat with my legs crossed under me, and rewrapped my dupatta around myself.