Dhruv observed his brother. Indrajeet was busy on his laptop, claiming to work, but the forceful keystrokes he made in frustration suggested otherwise.
Turning to his wife, Dhruv noticed her sitting with her back to Indrajeet, seemingly pretending to ignore both him and Dhruv.
Earlier, Raina had confided in Dhruv during a call, saying, "Indrajeet has become unbearable. I can't tolerate him anymore."
Since then, she has been avoiding speaking to Indrajeet.
"Basically, I was absent for two weeks and my brother, you're back to square one? From 'I like Vara' to 'there is no future for us'..." Dhruv sat down dramatically. "I think my hair will turn white sooner because of your stress."
"I don't want to talk about it," Indrajeet glared at him.
"Indra," Dhruv took a deep breath and began, "Are you sure... I mean, what you heard is true? Don't you think maybe... it could be a misunderstanding..."
"There is no misunderstanding... I know what I heard, what I saw, and it is true," Indrajeet clenched his teeth. Whenever he thought about it...
"And I believe maybe it's for the better. I know no one wants to hear my opinion on this matter, but still, I want to say. Dadisa was also not too excited with... you know... she thought it would be bad for our home."
Indrajeet and Dhruv looked at her in shock.
"What do you mean?" Dhruv asked.
"Well, after the attack... I had a little chat with Dadisa..." Raina began and told them all about their discussion. "So you see, it's for the better. We saw how immature Daksh and Tarini behaved on her birthday..."
"You prat, have you been talking about me behind my back now?" Indrajeet sneered.
"I... What? Indra, I... just told you what Dadisa thinks. She called me in the first place..." Raina was hurt now. He has been shouting at her at any given point since Vara's rejection. "I can't take this anymore. I am leaving. I just want to know if your behavior is going to stay the same. If you are going to behave like this before my parents then I will tell them not to come here." Raina left.
"Not done, Indra... this was uncalled for..." Dhruv began.
"Great, so go after your wife. Leave me the hell alone," Indrajeet shouted at him.
Dhruv looked at him in amazement before leaving him alone. Now he knows what Raina meant when she said he had become unbearable. But he also noticed something that Raina failed to see...
His brother is in pain. Pain of heartbreak... Dhruv can very well understand it. There was a time when Raina and his relationship had hit a snag, things had gone as far as divorce... That time it was Indra who had become the middleman for them.
Now he will have to do something for his friend. But what he didn't understand is when and how come Indra has started feeling so strongly for Vara? They knew each other for hardly a few months...
Then there is also the matter of Dadisa... If she is against it then...
*****
Tarini and Daksh were sitting on their bed. Between them lay a bundle of 10,000 rupees.
"I can't do it," Daksh refused. "Already Indra Dada's mood is so off nowadays. He was going to oust us from this home. Now if I return him this cash..."
"Then keep it in your wallet. Whenever you have enough guts... you hand over the cash," Tarini went to the balcony...
She couldn't believe her sister was insulted in this home. The place where she wanted to make her sister so comfortable that she should never hesitate to visit...
<><><><><><><><><><>
That day when she went to her home, her father had already left for the office. Sayli Kaku gave them privacy.
Vaara looked pale but felt better. The first thing Vara did as soon as she saw her was returning the dress that Tarini brought for her, along with 10k cash.
Then crying, Vara told her about the problems she had been facing since the project got scrapped, how she had come to Chauhan Bhawan, and how the guard spoke to her... Vara also told Tarini that she had told their father everything, and he had asked her to return the cash...
Tarini was livid. She was about to call Daksh, but Vara stopped her.
"Tai... I don't want you to fight with your family. Please, mazya mule naka bhandu tu tya lokan shi."
(Please don't fight with them because of me)
"But Varu, what happened with you, they didn't let you enter the house....how dare they...we have to find out who did it..." Tarini cried out, feeling outraged.
"Nahi, kahi find out karaychi garaj nahi. He bagh Tai, Tula hava hota manun me tuza sobat khota bolun tya trip la ale. Mala mahit ahe ki tula tuzha new family and aplya family madhe changle relations thevayche ahet. Pan ata khup zale. Khup try kela apan. Ata apan jara reality madhe yeu. Tumcha ani aplya family madhe khup differences ahet Financially, culturally. Te kadhich easily bharun nighnar nahit. Pan jiju is a very nice person. Ani tumhi dogha happy ahat ekatra. Baghta baghta tumcha lagnala ata 7 mahine zale. Please tyancha sobat raha. Tu tuzha marzi ne lagna kela ahes. Jiju na tu and tyanchi family ya madhe choose karayla lavu nakos... Ani me tr ahech na tuzhi bahin. Nehmi apan bahinich rahnar. Just because me tuzhya ghari yet nahi yacha artha asa nahi na ki aplyat distance yeil..." Vara told her firmly.
(No. There is no need to find anything. Listen sister, just because you wanted I accompanied you on that trip by lying to our parents. I know you want to keep good relations between us and your in-laws. But now it's enough. We have tried enough. Now let's face the reality. Our families have a lot of differences, financially and culturally. We can never easily bridge them. But jiju is a very nice person. Both of you are happy together. Look, it's already been 7 months since your marriage. Please stay with him. You married him of your own will. Don't make jiju choose between you or his family. We will always be sisters. No one can change that. Just because I won't visit your house doesn't mean we will be distanced...)
Tarini had cried and asked her to at least keep the dress.
"Did anyone say something to you because I gave you this dress?" Tarini asked again and again, but Vara was not forthcoming. Tarini knew she was hiding something... At certain things, Vara has always been more mature than her... Tarini could not control her tears... but she knew there was no point in trying to change Vara's mind. Vara rarely gets angry, but once she does, it's very difficult to calm her down...
Instead, Tarini verbally abused Kiara and Pushkar, which brought a smile to her face.
While leaving, Vara took a promise: "You won't fight or create a scene because of this... let's finish this matter here..."
Tarini promised and left.
<><><><><><><><><><>
But how could she? She felt guilty when Vara was waiting outside their mansion for more than half an hour. She was busy having a bath and then a quicky sex with her husband... They had even shared a laugh, wondering how horrified Vara would be if she realized what Tarini was doing when she called...
Tarini needed to find the truth. She told Daksh. She had promised Vara that she wouldn't create a scene but that didn't mean she can't investigate the matter...
At first, Daksh was in denial that anyone from his family would give orders like these... Vara must have misunderstood.
But then they inquired at the security desk and saw the CCTV footage. They saw the list. The list was given by Raina. All of Daksh's friends were included in the second list, including Vara.
The main security guard told them that it is with Indrajeet's orders that the security has tightened considerably...
Daksh wanted to confront his Bhabhisa... but Tarini stopped him. "I promised Vara. I won't fight. She is right. I am the only mad person who wanted to bridge this gap. Because of me, my sister got hurt both times. Now I will never force her to come here."
*****
Two weeks later:
"I will miss you, Vara. Please stay in touch," Sarika smiled at her new friend.
"Definitely," Vara grinned back.
"So, did you get a new opportunity?" Bhushan asked her.
"Umm.. No, actually, I will start looking after Ganpati is over... We have a huge celebration in our village home," Vara replied.
She had resigned before her company could remove her due to bad performance. They immediately accepted her resignation with a 15-day notice period instead of the standard one month. Who cares! She was not complaining.
She was not going to tell anyone in this office that she has already got another opportunity. Her father has told her strictly not to share the details until she joins her new job and even a few days after that. And she agrees with him, she doesn't trust anyone from this organization except maybe Sarika... She was shifting to Pune after a week. Today is her farewell... only a select few were sitting with her on her last day.
It's not that she didn't get the opportunity in Mumbai; in fact, it was with a bigger organization... but she liked the other company's job profile, plus she wanted to try living alone on her own... practice for her future stay abroad... she was hell scared. She has a habit of living alone whenever her parents go to their village for many days, but still, she is in her home... this time she will be living with one other girl in a rented apartment. The only relief was her brother Nikhil will be nearby. Plus, her aunt stays in Pune and one of her father's friends..
Nikhil, Sayli Kaku's second son, worked in an MNC in Pune...
Tarini was miffed. "What is the need to shift to Pune? That too near that idiot..."
Tarini and Sayli Kaku's sons still shared a sour relationship. They barely tolerated each other during functions, but with Vara, it was another case. They actually considered Vara their sister...
*****
"Maa sa kya lagta hai? Aaj kaisa hai humare Maharaja ka mood?" Narmada whispered in her mother's ear.
(Mother, what do you think? How is our High King's mood today?)
"Kuch khaas to nahi lag raha. Kaam se kaam kisi ko daat ya chilla toh nahi rahe hai," Dadisa replied seriously. "Aur ab aap aise baat mat kijiye. Raina ke parents ko ajeeb lagega. Jara call karke pata lagaye Tarini aur Daksh kaha tak pahuche."
(It doesn't seem like his mood has improved, but at least he is not scolding or shouting at anyone.) (Don't whisper like this. Raina's parents may feel weird. Call and ask till where Tarini and Daksh have reached.)
Dadisa looked at Indrajeet. He was sitting stoically, only replying when questioned. He had never been talkative, but right now his sitting actually seemed forced. He still looked angry about something...
Where did her forever calm and mature grandson go? He has been missing for more than two weeks now...
There had been drastic changes in the behavior of two people over the past two weeks... one was her grandson, Indrajeet, and the other was Tarini. God knows what is wrong with her or who she thinks she is. At first, she used to argue with them at any given point, and now she has literally started ignoring all of them. With lesser pocket money, their trips to clubs and restaurants have reduced, but she rarely ventures out of her room. And if someone asks something, she replies in one word, or Daksh gives answers on her behalf...
Indrajeet's anger is on another level. The other day when Savitri Devi simply asked him about his work, he rudely asked her, "why don't you ask your informants..." He had never spoken to her like this... Savitri Devi had sensed the tension between Indrajeet and Raina and knew Dhruv was trying to patch things up while keeping things from family members as usual.
Then one day when Narmada brought a photo of a new girl as marriage prospects, Indrajeet's reaction was almost violent. "Bua sa aap ek kaam kyu nahi karti. Ek marriage buero khol lijiye aur pure duniya ki shaadi karate rahiye. Dadisa bhi aapko madat karange. Aur aap dono ka waqt bhi nikal jayega. Par ab hum aapke samne haath jodte hai..." He harshly slapped his hands together in a gesture of namaste. "hume ek bhi ladki se nahi milna..."
Then he proceeded to snatch the picture from Narmada's hand and tore it into many small pieces before stomping away...
(Aunty, why don't you do one thing? Open a marriage bureau and get the whole world married. Even Dadisa will help you. It will be a nice timepass for you. But now I am folding my hands before you.) (I don't want to meet any single girl.)
Savitri Devi was actually quite enjoying Indrajeet's behavior. He reminded her of a teen boy who acts out thinking the whole world has wronged him or is out to get him, everyone is at fault except him. Indrajeet never got to experience this stage due to his parents. Until she realized he was skipping meals and sleep for days... Yes, she knows due to his extra strength he can manage to survive without food and sleep for longer periods than a normal human being, but she was his Dadisa, she is bound to get worried... She had tried to ask Dhruv and Raina, but whatever tension was going on between them, it prevented Raina from saying anything. Dhruv never discusses Indrajeet's matters with her... What has been bothering him??? The girl that Indrajeet brought to the party turned out to be a criminal, so that can't be the reason... Was it because of...
"Tarini aur Daksh ko aane me abhi waqt hai kya? Humari flight hai thodi der me?" Raina's father asked.
(Is it going to take long for Daksh and Tarini's return? We have a plane to catch in sometime)
"Ji, abhi aa hi rahe hain," Narmada replied.
(They are on the way.)
Raina's parents stayed in London. They came to India for one of their relative's wedding. Raina's mother wanted to stay in Chauhan Bhawan and spend time with her daughter, but Raina, scared of Indrajeet's recent mood fluctuations, asked them to stay in a hotel arranged by their relatives. To spend time with her, Raina moved to a hotel with Dhruv for a week...
Today is their last day in India. They wanted to meet Daksh and Tarini as they could not attend their wedding.
Raina's parents were supposed to come in the morning, but due to some issues, their visit got delayed, and they arrived in the afternoon.
Tarini was supposed to leave for her village for the Ganpati celebration, and her last-minute shopping was pending. Waiting for Raina's parents for some time, Tarini left with Daksh against Dadisa's wishes...
Just as Raina's parents were about to leave, Daksh and Tarini arrived. They touched their feet.
"Wish we had more time..." Raina's mother smiled at Tarini, "but you have to go to some village, right? Wish you could have come home sooner." It was a sort of taunt from Raina's mother.
"Yeah, I wish you could have made it on time. We were even waiting for you in the morning," Tarini returned with a sarcastic smile.
Raina gritted her teeth in anger. Raina's mother turned serious...
Her parents gave them wedding gifts and some shagun and left.
Tarini left for her room to pack her last-minute shopping and bring her luggage down.
Indrajeet left to attend a call...
The Meghwal family, with Dadisa, accompanied Raina's parents till the door and bid them farewell as they left in the car.
*****
"Tarini, one minute," Raina's firm voice reached her ears just as one of the staff carried her suitcase to the car.
"My parents came here today to meet you, because they could not attend your wedding. Can't you stay at home for a day? And the way you spoke to my parents. Don't you have any manners?" Raina was almost breathing fire.
"We were waiting for your parents this morning... they came late, not my fault," Tarini snapped at her.
"They got delayed due to some work, and then they were stuck in traffic," Raina argued.
"Sahi keh rahi hai Raina. Humne aapse kaha tha sirf aaj ke din ghar pe rehne ke liye. Aur ye kaisi baat ki aapne unki maa se? Tarini se toh hume kuch ummeed nahi, par Daksh aap bhi?" Dadisa looked at him in disappointment.
(Raina is right. I asked you to stay at home just for today. And how did you speak to Raina's mother? I don't have any expectations from Tarini, but Daksh, you too?)
"All I know is that today you have insulted my parents. I will never forget this," Raina glared at her.
"Believe it or not, neither will I ever forget the way you insulted my family," Tarini replied with fire in her eyes.
"Yo... what?" Raina frowned. "When have I ever insulted your family?"
Tarini opened her mouth to berate her, then remembering her promise, she kept quiet. "Let it be. I have to leave. I don't want to spoil my mood with unnecessary arguments."
"Bye Daksh..." Tarini said before leaving the home without talking to anyone. Daksh followed her to see her off till the door. He wouldn't be meeting his wife for the next 5 days.
*****
"Daksh..." Dhruv called him as he returned.
"Ji Bhai sa?" Daksh stopped.
(Yes, brother?)
"Till now we have been tolerating your and your wife's tantrums. Both of you are not children anymore. What you did today was unacceptable. You have hurt your Bhabhisa..." Dhruv admonished his brother.
"I said sorry... What more do you want me to do?" Daksh asked frustrated.
"Daksh!" His father's raised voice reached his ears. "Ye kaise tone mein baat kar rahe hain aap apne bade Bhai se? Voh sirf aapko samjha rahe hain. Aaj aapne aur Tarini ne sirf Raina ke parents ki insult hi nahi ki balki humara sir sharm jhuka diya hai..."
(What kind of tone are you using while speaking with your elder brother? He is just trying to make you understand. Today you and Tarini have not only insulted Raina's parents, but you have made us bow our heads in embarrassment.)
"Shant ho jaiye," Narmada tried to calm her husband.
(Please calm down.)
"Insult? What insult? Just because we were a little late? What about the time we spent waiting for them? And if we are talking about Tarini disrespecting Bhabhisa's family...then we should also speak about Bhabhisa disrespecting and insulting Tarini's family," Daksh snapped back.
Everyone went quiet for a minute. Never has Daksh talked to them like this. Raina has always been one of the favorite people in the family after Indrajeet; she is the only one who hid some of his mistakes.
Indrajeet had just finished his call. Ignoring the commotion, he started going to his room. This was bound to happen. Indrajeet knew with Tarini in the picture, Daksh will either divorce her due to constant arguments with the family or he may distance himself from the family. This fight was long overdue. His Dadisa has always feared this outcome. It seems Daksh has chosen option two...
It was Raina who broke the silence. "When did I ever insult or disrespect Tarini's family?"
"That day when Vara came to our house. You asked guards not to let her in. She stood out of our home for more than 45 minutes," Daksh accused.
Indrajeet stopped dead in his tracks...
"What nonsense? I did nothing of this sort," Raina began.
"I checked the list, given by bhabhisa at the security desks. It has Vara's name," Daksh told them.
"What list?" This time it was Indrajeet who questioned, making Daksh go quiet.
"I asked what list, Daksh? When did we ever stop Tarini's sister from entering this home?" Indrajeet asked a bit impatiently.
"Dada, voh..." Then Daksh told him how Vara had come to the house after Tarini's birthday, but the guards would not let her in. How he and Tarini made inquiries...
"And you know Dada...now her parents are upset, and they have sent back the money we spent on Vara during the trip plus the dress that Tarini gifted her..."
"Call the guards..." Indrajeet thundered.
Dadisa regarded Indrajeet in silence with narrowed eyes. Her grandson, who usually ignored all the family fights and arguments, now showed a sudden interest in the matter as soon as he heard Vara's name...
All the guards were standing, telling their own version of the story.
Finally, the main guard on duty forwarded the list. "Boss... this is the list..."
The list contained all the printed names of Daksh and Tarini's friends, plus a few other people. At the end, one handwritten name was included: Vara. It was Raina's handwriting... Dhruv and Indra recognized it.
Dhruv passed the list to Raina in disbelief... She closed her eyes in regret as she remembered... that day she was angry with Indrajeet. The guard had come to her to verify the list. Usually, it was Dhruv and Bajrang's duty, but that particular day both were not available, so she verified and at the end, in anger, she added Vara's name...
*****
Once again, they were gathered in Indrajeet's study.
"Bajrang, inform all the guards who were on duty that day that they are fired," Indrajeet ordered.
"Why? Because they did their duty?" Dhruv raised his brows...
"Didn't you hear what they did with Vara and Raina? This is all your fault..." Indrajeet glared at Raina.
"Indra, calm down," Dhruv told him silently.
"Don't fucking tell me what to do!" Indra flared at him.
"Someone needs to tell you what to do. Because right now, you are behaving as if you have lost your mind. Do you even realize how you have been behaving for the past few weeks? You are behaving like a young boy who has no control over his emotions..." Dhruv told him firmly.
Indra glared at him but kept quiet.
Dhruv then turned to Raina and asked her, "Raina, what were you thinking? Why did you do this? How could you do this?"
Raina spoke, directing her words to Indra, "I am sorry. I really, really am sorry. I was just so angry because you blamed me for the attack... I... I shouldn't have... I will apologize to Vara."
"You should," nodding his head in approval, Dhruv turned to Indra. "Now you tell us. What is wrong with you? You have problems with how guards and others treated Vara, but you didn't think once before calling her a charity case? Bajrang told me." Dhruv replied despite Indra's sharp look. "What did she do to you, Indrajeet, that makes you so angry?" Dhruv frowned at him.
"You already know... she... she..." Indra hurled his laptop at the door.
"Right, you are angry because she is dating someone and probably kissed some boy..." Dhruv began to say.
"Don't..." Indrajeet bit out darkly.
"Why does it make you angry?" Dhruv asked, ignoring Indrajeet's tantrums.
"What do you mean? The day I proposed to her... She... and you are asking me?"
"Indra..." Dhruv sighed. "Agreed, maybe she is wrong where she hid or lied about her dating someone. But still, you guys were never in a relationship. Why are you behaving as if she has cheated on you?"
"Because she did," Indrajeet screamed.
"How come? When were you ever in a relationship for her to cheat on you? What relationship do you have with her?" Dhruv asked in exasperation.
"She is my..." Indrajeet began in anger, only to stop talking suddenly. And then, before their eyes, they saw his anger deflate like a balloon as sudden despair gripped him. "I want to stay alone."
"She is your what?" Dhruv asked.
"Nothing..." Indrajeet replied gloomily.
Bajrang, Dhruv, and Raina glanced at one another, bewildered.
"Indra, at least tell us what is going on? Maybe we can help... From day one, since we met Vara, your behavior has been so out of character. Usually, the Indrajeet that I know never takes decisions without getting the full facts. You are behaving as if you have lost your mind for the past few weeks... And most importantly, when and how did you fall in love with her so deeply and so quickly?"
"I don't want anyone's help," Indrajeet replied gloomily.
"Right, because alone you are handling it all so well..." Dhruv rolled his eyes.
Raina neared Indra and said in a gentle voice, "Indra... without you, me, and Dhruv, we never would have survived the most difficult patch of our relationship. We owe you this and so much more. Let us help..."
Everyone was quiet, waiting for Indra to say something... Finally, Dhruv said, "Indra, come, let's go."
With a lot of persuasion, Indrajeet got up to go with him...
"Why are we going to the outhouse?" Indrajeet asked, looking in the direction Bajrang had taken.
"Because me and Bajrang have brought a gift for you..." Dhruv replied, his eyes twinkling.
"What the fuck..." Indrajeet exclaimed as he saw two people tied to a chair, gag in their mouths. One of them was Bhushan and the other was Neel...
*****
Note:
Hope you like the update.
Here is the update. This chapter was quite difficult to write. I wrote it three times before finalizing it. As you can see the chapter has the majority of family interactions.
I just wanted to write this part with a touch of reality. Usually people take decisions and act based on their past experiences, insecurities, anger, prejudice, or what they see... It doesn't make them bad...just human...I hope I have managed to portray it correctly without overdoing the drama...
Let me know your thoughts...