Swara was blankly looking at the lady in front of her.
Lady has bright smile on her wrinkled face, her eyes were mirroring her inner happiness. She raised her hand to call Swara.
Swara gave brief glance at Sanskar in confusion who rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Come here my child" Swara turned her gaze towards old lady who was beaming with happiness.
Hearing her heartwarming voice, Swara took a step towards her unknowingly. Her hands stretched to hold shivering hands of old lady who made her sit beside her.
"You are more pretty than the photos" saying this she caressed her hairs, "Isn't it Sanskar?"
Swara was baffled with the most unexpected situation of her life.
"Hmm. Granny" Sanskar hummed with tight smile.
"What hmm? Say she is pretty... in fact she is the prettiest." Lakshmi Maheshwari stressed not moving her gaze from her granddaughter in law.
"She is my Granny" Sanskar introduced not meeting his eyes with Swara's confused one's.
"He did not tell you about me?" Granny shifted her gaze between two.
"Finally, you are talking to me now. And yes, I have told her already" Swara looked at his convenient lie with wide open eyes.
"So what should I do if you were not bringing her here to meet me? Always busy with business" Granny rolled her eyes scrunching her nose. "Right Swara? Does he give any time to you or not? If not, then tell me."
Swara kept on looking at her with open mouth.
"Say something my child" Granny once again asked.
"Nice... Nice to meet you Mam" Swara stammered fidgeting with her fingers.
"Mam?... I am your husband's grandmother. Call me Granny" Swara snapped at Sanskar who conveniently ignored her hard glare.
'How can he disclose about our contract marriage to anyone?'
Granny picked the cordless phone from side table, "Julia, bring puja thal from house temple."
"Granny what are you doing?" Sanskar asked with narrowed eyes.
"My granddauther in law came to her home for the first time. I have to do her arati."
Swara was silent spectator, her mind was still blank about the exchanges shared between these two.
"Arati? What's that?"
"Sanskar you are Canadian but I and my granddaughter in law are Indians" Granny stressed with tight lip side smile.
"You have Canadian passport, so you are Canadian" he was stubborn in his own ways.
"But I am Indian at heart" Granny was also his grandmother when it came to stubbornness. "And now, I got one more person in my team." She grinned widely with triumph.
"May I come Mrs. Maheshwari" Julia's voice broke their moment.
Granny took puja thal from her and was checking all puja items from the plate.
"Sanskar sit beside Swara" Granny instructed.
'No Granny please no. Not beside this Rakshas'
"Granny?" Sanskar interrupted.
"I don't want to listen anything else I won't be talking to you" she had her own ways to bring him on his knees.
Sanskar got up from his knees and sat beside Swara. She shifted to her other side, making enough distance between them.
Granny did their arati blessing them for their bright future. "May Kanhaji bless you both with all happiness in this world. Stay together and be each other's shadow."
"Julia, ask butler to make something sweet" Granny instructed passing puja thal.
"Yes Mrs. Maheshwari" she bowed and left from her room.
"Now tell me Swara hows everything back in India?" Granny started asking her non-stop questions which were replied with Swara with simple nod or monosyllable, whereas Sanskar was sitting on the couch while working on his Mac.
His eyes were moving towards his contractual wife and grandmother every now and then.
"Ohh, I thought you would be talkative and chirpy, but you are also silent like him." Granny pouted, "Are you scared of something? What are you thinking my child?" her voice was laced with concern and love.
"No...Nothing Granny" Swara mumbled. 'Your grandson is giving me shock after shock and this pious lady is asking me why I am scared? Hey Kanhaji... where did you stuck me?'
Soon Julia again entered in Granny's room with trolly filled with food. Sanskar came to help Granny to move towards small dining table of the room.
"Come Swara let's have dinner together" Granny was still holding her hand in her's.
They all three sat and Julia served them dinner.
Sanskar started eating not bothering about her.
"Swara eat my child" Granny forced her when she saw her playing with food.
"Why are you eating only rice?" Swara was concentrating only on rice which was familiar to her from wide range of food items.
'Because I don't know what other food items are?' being middle class girl she was unaware of different cuisines of the world.
"You did not like the food? Should I ask butler to make something for you?" Granny asked again.
"No Granny it's fine. I am not hungry that much" Swara shook her head.
"Sanskar what are you doing? Stop touching that mobile else I will throw it in dustbin. Pay attention to your wife. She is not eating anything" Granny hit his hand.
"She said she is not hungry. So, what can I do?" he shrugged his shoulders.
"Hey Kanhaji, please give some senses to my grandson" Granny looked upwards.
Swara could not stop her chuckle looking at drama queen Granny, but she pressed her lips tightly when Sanskar gave her death glare.
"Do you like this?" Granny asked feeding spoonful of Tiramisu.
"It's good" Swara responded when sweet and coffee flavour hit her taste buds.
"If I was in good health, I would have made some Indian sweet for you but..."
"Granny you are in perfect health" Sanskar held her wrinkled hand passing couple of medicine tablets with other hand.
"You both must be tired. Go and sleep now." Granny gulped medicines with water.
"I have one meeting to join. I will be in study" Sanskar moved out of room before Granny could shower him with endless questions.
"Hey Kanhaji, what should I do with this boy?" She shook her head and asked Swara to pass cordless phone. "Julia, come to my room"
"Yes Mrs. Maheshwari?" Julia entered.
"Can you please show Swara her room. Sanskar went downstairs for his meetings" Granny instructed with warm smile.
"Sure. Please come this way Mrs. Maheshwari" Julia nodded.
Swara kept on looking at them.
"Go Swara, she called you. Good night sleep well." Swara snapped at Granny.
'Mrs. Maheshwari' sounded alien to her.
"Good night" Swara wished and followed Julia drowned in her own thoughts.
Julia opened one door. "This is your room Mrs. Maheshwari. If you need anything just buzz at 020. I will be at the door for your help."
"Please call me Swara. I am so much younger than you." she requested. 'I hate to be called by his name.'
"Good night Swara"
"Good night Julia aunty" Swara's muffled voice gained her attention.
Julia stared at her for some moments. She passed small smile with nod. 'She is different.'
Swara entered the room but her eyeballs popped out the moment her glance went at the pic above the bed. It was Sanskar's pic with his Granny.
'Is this his room? Oh Kanhaji. You don't feel single percent of pity on me? if he sees me here I will be dead. I love my life a lot' She turned to leave.
She opened door of the room and at the same time Sanskar was entering.
"What the hell are you doing in my room?" he snapped looking at scared Swara.
"Ummm...that .... actually Granny.... No Julia no... Granny" Swara baffled because of his hard cold glare.
"Get out" Sanskar whisper yelled.
Her eyes filled with tears; she took a step out of the room.
"Go inside" Sanskar ordered.
Swara did not stop, she kept on walking in corridor taking small steps.
"Don't you dare to ignore me" he held her hand and dragged her back inside room.
"What are you doing?" Swara asked being teary.
Sanskar closed their room door.
"Wh... what are you doing Sir?" Swara looked at him in horrification.
"Don't have high hopes. Even if you are the last woman on this earth, I won't even look at you." He gave glance at her from head to toe passing ridiculed smile. "I don't want anyhow Granny to know about arrangement we have with each other. Julia is loyal to her." He turned and pointed, "You can take that couch. Just don't disturb me."
"I ... I can't stay in this room" she gritted her teeth.
He stopped in his tacks and turned fumingly.
"First thing, I hate to listen No." Sanskar seethed. Looking at his fire glazing eyes and intimidating avataar Swara took a step back gulping hard.
"Second thing, I hate to share my room with commoners." He took one more step not breaking their eye lock.
"And third and most important thing, I hate when anything bothers Granny."
"Hope you have good memory because I don't like to repeat myself again" Saying Sanskar took step back and moved towards dressing room to get his cloths for shower before going to bed.
Swara kept her hand on her heart as it was running inside her ribcage on maximum speed. She was stilled at her place. Ring from her mobile captured her attention, 'Nikhil Calling'
She closed her eyes and one tear dropped from her big doe eyes as she was insulted. 'I hate you Nikhil. Because of you I had to face this. If you would have supported me then... But what is his mistake, it was my decision to save my family.'
"I am outside Nikhil. I will call you on Monday" Swara replied after taking deep breath over call.
"Outside? Where are you?"
"I ... I came... I came to Niagara Falls with my roommates."
"Niagara Falls.... Woooh... awesome. Switch on camera. I wanna see it now."
"I came back to room, it's night over here." Swara tried to cover her lie.
"Ohh... take more pictures for tomorrow. Ohh god I just can't wait to be there." Nikhil dreamed.
"I am going to sleep Nikhil. Feeling so much tired."
"Come one darling talk to me. It's been long time we talked."
True, Swara now a days was on low talking terms with him, every time she talked with him, it used to remind her about his negligence towards their relation and family for his so-called dream.
"Rohan is calling talk to you later" Swara bid bye to him while taking her brother's call.
"Hey Di, how are you?" Rohan grinned over video call.
"Shona.. how are you, my bacha?" Reva peeped from Rohan's back.
"I miss you Ma" Swara's eyes filled with tears looking at her mother's reflection.
"I miss you too" Reva became teary.
"How is Papa?" Swara asked wiping her tears.
"I am here Shona" Rohan turned camera towards his father.
They all four talked for some time.
"Di are you outside?" Rohan asked not recognising her surroundings.
"Yes, actually I came with my roommates to Niagara." Swara hated to lie again.
"See Ma how much Di is enjoying over there and you not even eating Alphonso's as Di likes them and she is not here to eat them."
"Ma why are you not eating Aphonso's. You love them" Swara dropped her shoulders.
"You also love them, Shona. And I know there you will not get them to eat so how can I eat?"
"Mother India" Rohan teased.
Swara and Reva's eyes filled once again with tears.
She felt intense gaze on her, she raised her eyelashes to see Sanskar standing other side. He rolled his eyes and turned to take out his Mac. He sat on bed keeping his Mac on his lap and started working on it.
Swara talked with her mother for some more time, but she could feel Sanskar's eyes turning towards her every now and then.
After bidding bye to her mother, Swara smiled to herself. 'At least they are happy.' She left relief filled sigh.
"Next time go out of my room if you want to talk rubbish things" Sanskar did not move his gaze from Mac screen.
Swara stared at him with extreme hatred, she lied down on couch closing her eyes.
'Why me Kanhaji?' Thought kept on lingering bringing tears in her eyes.
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