Silent Whispers

Chapter 27: The Nightingale's Song

"Good morning!" Khushi chirpily greeted, her voice carrying across the private ward of Lilavati Hospital.

Garima stirred awake, squinting through the bright sunlight fluttering into the room.  "You are early," she said, groggily.

"You know I don't work on Fridays... how are you feeling?"

Garima shakily sat up. She was still recovering from a recent surgery, which like the last, attempted to fix what chemotherapy couldn't. "I'm fine. But what about you? How are you feeling?"

Khushi paused from tidying up the already clean room and turned to look at her mother, confused.

"I saw the news on TV," Garima explained. "I heard what happened last weekend at that party."

Khushi sighed and took a seat on the stool beside the bed. "I'm fine... I don't care for that man anymore."

"He is your fath-"

"No, he isn't," she interrupted calmly. "He never was and he never will be. I was under a misunderstanding and now it's cleared."

Garima pressed her lips, but refrained from answering.

"I know what you think of him," Khushi continued, knowing exactly what her mother wanted to say. "But you can't force him to love us and neither can you force us to forgive him. It's over. Me and Bhaiyya moved on... you should too."

"I wish it was that simple. But forget it, I don't want to ruin the morning, especially when you look so beautiful. Are you going somewhere?"

Khushi smiled. For the first time in a long time, she was wearing a traditional outfit, a white colored anarkali suit, along with matching jhumkas and choodiyan.

"I went to the temple," she explained. "The one down near our house."

Garima's eyes widened. "My twenty-first century daughter went to the temple?!"

"No need to be surprised... I just thought why not give this whole praying thing a try."

"And did it work?"

Khushi shrugged. In truth, she went to ask for her mother's health, to ask for the cure the doctors were yet to find. Only, she wasn't so sure if her prayers were heard for what received in return amidst the crowd of people, all singing in glory of the Goddess, was nothing but silence.

"Devi Maiyya sends you her regards," she finally said. Then handing her mother prasad, she added, "And so does the Panditji."

Garima simply smiled. "The evening aarti is very nice there. You should go see it once."

"I will... once you recover, we will go together."

"Khushi-"

"No! I don't want to hear it! You will leave this place, okay? At least... at least for my graduation."

A line appeared on Garima's forehead.

"I finished my MBA," Khushi explained. "The graduation ceremony is in a month. You have to be there, okay? You don't have a choice."

Garima took a moment to reply. "I'm proud of you Meeti... always remember that, okay?"

Khushi sighed in disappointment. That was not the answer she wanted to hear, but she knew well that it was best she was going to get.

"You sound like Bhaiyya," she muttered. "Would it hurt to lie and say you are coming?"

"I would if I could... you know that. Besides, why would you want an old lady like me there? All you friends will be there no?"