Circle of Trust

Chapter 25

“Naina…” said a feeble voice as if from inside a well. “It’s Yashvi here.”

“Oh hi, wassup,” she asked conversationally attributing her voice to a bad network connection.

“Can you pick up…” she heard something crash to the floor, and she sprung up from her chair.

“Yashvi…you there? Are you okay?”

“Yeah…I’ll be. I just…” she cursed when something else fell. “I’ll be fine. I’m just not feeling too good. Vansh…”

“Don’t worry about Vansh,” said Naina immediately. “We’ll take care of him.”

Rushing into the living room, she caught her MiL’s eyes. She closed the phone with one hand and said, “Ma, pick up Vansh and bring him here. His mother is not well. I’ll just go over and see what she needs.”

“Hey, can you tell me what is it that broke?” she asked trying to keep Yashvi talking.

“Wha…? Nothing….few boxes. They hit my hand,” explained Yashvi, her voice unsteady.

They hit my hand not my hand hit them. In under a minute she was standing at her neighbor’s front door ringing the bell.

She disconnected the call and pocketed her phone. Looking through the windows, she saw Yashvi sitting on a chair hugging herself and trembling from head to toe.

Naina knew the signs. She never would have imagined finding Yashvi like this.

She banged on the door. “Open the door Yashvi, I can help,” said Naina.

“Go away, Naina. I don’t want anyone seeing me…like this,” Yashvi’s voice shook as she said that.

“I’ve seen worse, Yashvi. Trust me, I can help. And there is no one else with me. It’s just me. So, please for heaven’s sake, open the door. You are in no state to do anything without crashing it to the floor.”

After long moments of silence, the door clicked open. Naina met yashvi’s eyes that were teary and clouded with uncertainty. Her hand trembled around the knob and slid of its own volition.

Naina entered without a word, picked a blanket off the couch and placed it around Yashvi, wrapping her tight.

“Sit,” she instructed and strode to the kitchen. She had been here before when the owners stayed here so she knew where the rooms were.

Squeezing a lemon into a glass of water, she added some salt and mixed it.

“Drink it up,” she said and went around the living room clearing the place. She found a half bottle of scotch and lifted it up to Yashvi.

“You want it?” she asked, a bit harshly.

Yashvi’s eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head.

“I thought so,” Naina grumbled and threw it into the trash can in the kitchen.

She came and sat opposite Yashvi. “How long since you have been off alcohol,” she asked without preamble.

Yashvi winced slightly at her tone but she had zero tolerance for people who went on a self-destruct spree.

“Three months,” she said. “This is the first I gave in and…” she trailed off meeting Naina’s eyes.

“When did your husband…pass away?” she asked softly.

“Three months ago,” responded Yashvi, her eyes blank. “I had no choice but to sober up when he died suddenly.”

Naina nodded. “How did he…?”

“Heart attack.” She glanced off at a distance.

There remained seated, without speaking a word, in total silence for few minutes.

Yashvi’s trembling had slowly reduced.

“Do you have any family?” asked Naina, wondering how mother and son would manage on their own especially if Yashvi suffered from alcohol withdrawal.

She shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “We don’t have anyone,” she said, her voice breaking. Despite the agony, she held herself together, steadily meeting Naina’s eyes.

“We are here if you ever need anything,” said Naina, taking Yashvi’s hand in hers. “Take rest for sometime. I’ll bring something to eat a little later.”

“You don’t have to,” Yashvi protested but Naina shook her head.

“I want to,” she smiled and got up to leave.

“Naina…thank you…for everything. With Vansh…”

“Hey…it’s okay. I’ve been on the other side so I know how you feel,” she assured Yashvi and took her leave.

Her heart ached for Vansh and Yashvi. She knew all too well how it felt to be alone and helpless in this world. She promised that they wouldn’t have to go through anything alone when she and Varun were right here.

“How is she…Vansh’s mother?” asked MiL in a whisper so the kids wouldn’t hear.

“She is not feeling too well, ma. I’ll take something for her to eat after an hour or so. She is taking rest now.”

MiL nodded and turned her attention to the kids who were busy running around the place. Well, Ria was running, Vansh stood in one place, looking amused at Ria’s antics.

Hugging both the kids and listening to them talk about their day at school, she sat down at the dining table to have her lunch. She was immersed in a quiet conversation with her MiL when Ria came barreling into her from the study.

“Careful, princess. You’ll break the rest of your teeth too,” she teased, steadying her daughter whose eyes were round with excitement and trying to catch her breath from all the running.

“Mamma, mamma, Vansh says his mother’s photo is on your computer.”

Naina went into a momentary shock as Ria dragged her to her study. Even before she looked at the screen she knew her worst fear had come true.

There on the screen, glowing with happiness stood a young and stunning Yashvi Singhania with her arms around her father, Amar Veer Singhania.  

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This is the second update in four hours. Please make sure that you have not missed the previous chapter.

I have another chapter to go before I complete 50k for the NaNo challenge. So, expect a short update in the next 12 hours. And then a long break.

Please comment and vote. Thank you :)

Neeru <3