UNCONDITIONAL

VIII

Harleen had still been struggling to accept what she saw and heard in the morning when a new scene of trauma was added to her mind. Unable to help herself, she broke down. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she leaned over the sofa in front of her. She had never witnessed so much suffering in one place and absolutely no idea how to deal with it.

Noor's Bhuji witnessed Harleen breakdown and managed to get her seated on the sofa next to her. She was offered some water in response to which she simply shook her head and stared blankly ahead.

"Are you okay?" Bhuji asked in her usual gentle voice.

The frozen Harleen continued staring ahead. Bhuji leaned over and touched her shoulder, startling her back to the painful reality. "Are you okay?" She asked again.

"I'm not." Harleen's voice broke as tears continued flowing out of her eyes. "Am I supposed to be okay? How can any of you guys be okay after witnessing this almost on a daily basis?" She looked at Bhuji and then the staff members walking around the house. "How am I supposed to witness this and not have any questions?

Bhuji scooted closer to Harleen and patted her on the back as she listened to her cry her feelings out. "What questions do you have?"

"It would be easier to list the questions I don't have!" Harleen sniffled.

"Ask any one of them." Bhuji allowed after a small pause.

"What is going on?" Harleen shook her head. "How can a woman as powerful and as influential as Noor Dhaliwal, who terrorizes people with a single look, be allowing this to happen to her?"

"She loves him." Bhuji answered.

"What kind of a love is this? What kind of a love allows you to suffer silently every single day and accept any and every kind of evil and torturous treatment given to you with a smile?" Harleen was shocked.

"Unconditional love." Bhuji smiled.

"Unconditional love?" Harleen furrowed her eyebrows as she repeated the words.

"Yeah, a love in which there are no conditions. The highest, the most selfless, the most pure and divine form of love, unconditional love. The love Noor has for Prem. She simply and selflessly just loves him without expecting anything in return. She's only concerned with her side of the love, the giving side, and she gives all of it to him, at all times. What he does in return, she believes is none of her business. She doesn't love him on the condition that he will love her back, or on the condition that he will respect and honor her, or even on the condition that he will not hurt her. She simply loves him, and it doesn't matter what he does or says in return, her love for him will never be impacted." Bhuji explained to a deeply intrigued Harleen, who pondered upon the answer in silence for a few moments before speaking up again.

"Is that what this is?" She looked over at Bhuji who nodded her head in confirmation. "How did this happen in the first place? A cold, tough woman like Noor, who doesn't even smile without thinking it through, how did she fall so deeply in love with a monster as evil as Prem, who cannot stand a single sight of her?"

Bhuji sighed. "Your cold, tough boss who doesn't even smile without analyzing the situation wasn't always a cold, tough boss. There was a time this house buzzed with her incredible energy, her beautiful laughter rang through these enormous walls and they danced with the sound of her ghungroos(dancing bells) every evening – she's one of the best dancers in the state." Bhuji had a proud look on her face. "And Prem, he was farthest thing from the evil beast you see today. In those days, he wouldn't miss a single opportunity make to make Noor laugh, to love her, to live each moment to the fullest with her. They both grew up orphans, spent their lives in boarding schools in two separate parts of the world, Noor here, and Prem in England, but when they met, love erupted between them like it never had between two individuals. It was as if written by god himself, their story was so deep, so pure, so passionate. Never had intelligence, beauty, and kindness balanced out so well between two people. They were two of the greatest humans anyone could ever meet. And then two years ago, in this month of October," horror filled Bhuji's face and tears streamed down her cheeks as she choked on her words, "a cold, dark night fell on this house and the morning never came. It took away the peace, the love, the happiness, and the livelihood of both my precious children and turned them into cold-hearted lifeless robots. Robots who rise each morning, make money and go to sleep, then rise again, make more money, and go to sleep, each and every day." She wiped her tears.

"What happened that October, two years ago?" Harleen was so immersed in the conversation, she didn't realize the question she had asked.

The horror returned to Bhuji's face when she waived her shivering hand at Harleen. "I've forbidden this house to even think of that night, speaking of it is a far fetched thought." Bhuji readjusted her shawl as if to get up and leave.