Silent Whispers

Chapter 21: Bared, and on Display

"Thank you so much Dr. Awasti! I can't tell you how happy we are that the surgery was successful."

It was mid-afternoon in the Gupta Lawfirm, where Shyam was found following up on his mother's surgery, having no time to personally meet Dr. Awasti. While he was both elated and relieved to hear of the surgery's success, he was far from enjoying it. With court hearings almost every day, he was having a tough time trying to balance both his work and family.

"Yes, for sure," he said.  "I will definitely get all the medicines before I leave for Mumbai. In case there is an emergency while I'm away, you can contact my sister. Thank you again, Dr. Awasti. Take care!"

He had barely ended his call, when a worried voice echoed through the room:

"Who is Dr. Awasti?"

Shyam looked up to see Anjali standing at the door, her eyes apprehensive. She was dressed in loose jeans and a plain black t-shirt, both stained heavily with different acrylic colors; She was in the middle of a paint job. 

"When did you come?" he asked, not able to believe her timing. He had thought of only her the whole day.

"Just now," she answered, walking inside. "Is everything okay? Who had a surgery?"

"It's nothing... tell me, how are the renovations going?"

"I'm serious! Are you okay?" Her eyes raked his torso, looking for signs of an injury.

Shyam was touched. Even if he wasn't a top-notch lawyer, he would still have, just as easily, realized that her anxiety was for him. It was incredible.

"Why are you quiet?" she pressed, glaring at him. "Did you have the surgery?!"

"No, I didn't. It's someone else."

She looked skeptical. "But you sounded so serious... Does this have to do with Khushi or something?"

He wasn't surprised to hear her make the connection. Even a blind man wouldn't miss the affection he had for his sister; and this was Anjali, who at times understood him better than himself.

So, deciding that it wasn't fair to keep her in the dark, and also doubting if she would believe his lies even if he tried to, he confessed:  "No, it's not Khushi... it's my mother."

Anjali stared at him, stunned to hear the news. "Y-your mother?"

Shyam stood up from his chair, expecting her surprise.  After all, he had refrained from talking about Garima in her company for so long. It was only natural for her to be caught off guard.

"Don't panic, it's fine," he said while walking around to her side.

It was then that she noticed what was in his hands. "You bought flowers?"

Sure enough, Shyam was holding a very large bouquet of bright yellow flowers, which looked nothing less than the shining sun outside.

"Not just flowers," he corrected. "They are dandelions."

She gaped at him. "You do know that dandelions are a symbol of-"

"-happiness? Yeah, I do."

Anjali now appeared to be completely puzzled. "Okay, what is going on?! Your mother had a surgery and you are buying flowers of happiness?!"

Even though there was nothing funny in the situation, Shyam couldn't help but grin. There was something in the way she was looking at him, the way her eyebrows were pulling in, lining her soft forehead... It made him want to just pull her into a tight hug.