"I am not helping you out of generosity, Mrs. Murthy. I believe you know that."
Nandini saw her mother sitting gazing floor. Deputy was looking unvanquished.
"There's a price for everything. Isn't there?" He further asked, "You are a lady who must be knowing this. Aren't you?"
Mother looked at him blankly and then nodded.
Nandini couldn't apprehend what the conversation was about. She hadn't seen her mother this bewildered ever. She wasn't meeting gaze of that man. She was constantly looking down.
A scary thought passed Nandini's mind about the 'price' which got mentioned there. Her mother had gone highly secretive from past few days. It wasn't like Nandini didn't try talk about what was bothering her mother. It was just they had grown this wall since she had started understanding things her mother didn't want her to get into.
"I'll take your leave then. Think about it," Deputy said, "I shall be waiting for your answer." He collected his hat from the table and walked out.
"What was it about, Mother?" Nandini asked as soon as Deputy walked out.
Her mother's face turned even paler seeing Nandini there.
"What are you doing here, Nandini?" She stood up and walked to her.
"You were supposed to rest," she added.
Holding Nandini's hand, she started walking towards her bed.
"What price that man was talking about? What mess you are into, mother?" Nandini asked instantly.
Her mother had formed these fine lines on forehead and started fidgeting while setting Nandini's bed.
"Nandini held her from forearm and asked, "what is it? "
Mrs. Murthy looked into her eyes and then that scared expression turned into helpless frustration.
"Nothing you should poke your nose into. You are not supposed to know everything I do, young lady, " she spoke.
Nandini stood even more perplexed at sudden outburst.
"Do not try to brush this off. I have right to know what my mother is going through. I know you are concealing a lot of things from me. Did I again ask about father again? I didn't. I could see helplessness in your eyes. But now hearing you talking to a moron about some price, I am worried. And I am not going to let you walk away without answering me," Nandini declared in one breath.
Frustration in her mother's eyes melted into tears and she looked at her daughter with all affection.
"What price you are thinking to pay to these cruel officers here? And for what?" She added.
"Nandini"
Her mother draped her in arms and Nandini felt warm tears escaping her own eyes.
"When did my munchkin grew that mature to understand what I do not dare to speak about," Mrs. Murthy murmured.
Nandini tightly hugged her mother and finally she could feel ice wall melting.
Moment prevailed for sometime and then mother-daughter sat on bed with an intention to have a conversation finally.
"I know I am being unfair to you... About a lot of things," Mrs. Murthy said, "you had right to know."
Nandini looked at her with all her love. She wouldn't let anger build icy wall again at any cost.
"Your father is not with us. You are his daughter more than mine. Aren't you?" she smiled a bit.
Nandini too let a chuckle escape her throat.
"There's nothing like that," she murmured.
"Believe me, he would have never left if any of it was in his control," Mrs. Murthy affirmed, "he can never see his daughter disappointed in him."
Nandini's eyes lit up as soon as she heard this. Mere mention of her father in that light was able to restore shaken belief.
"About I talking to that Deputy," her mother started talking about it.
Nandini immediately got prepared to listen whatever was coming her way. She could not let herself tremble in front of her already weary mother.
"Remember I wasn't very keen coming here in camp," she asked.
Nandini nodded in yes.
"I never wanted any of us become puppet of hand of this army," she told.
"We are standing at a place where we have no option but to balance," she added, "Citizens are miffed with us. This autocrat new order here offers them shelter which we can't, and safety to us which we need."
She looked at Nandini keenly. She looked sorted about what she was saying.
"I am trying to trade that balance, Nandini," she concluded.
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Even though, her mother had put her turmoil abstractly. Nandini understood how it might not be possible for her mother to put it more clearly. Balance, she could get what her mother was talking about. She was trading something in return of safety this army was providing them. But question still stood shamelessly, what she was paying in return of it.
She didn't grill her further seeing tiredness in her voice.
Her mother had excused herself in name of preparing food. She knew how her mother didn't want to wear guilt in front of her.
She touched the bandanna tied on her elbow. She opened it and saw dried blood beneath. Her wound did bleed. For a moment, she was taken back to morning where she had a lot of question to ask like how she got home last night. That very bandanna did answer it partially. But she wanted to ask her mother if she had seen Manik or did he talk something.
Her behaviour previous day didn't get down her own throat. How could she explain it to her mother if she would have got chance to talk about Manik or last night. She brushed off the thought of asking anything about it. She didn't have strength to explain how and why she landed somewhere from where she needed a rescue.
Bandanna smelled like pine tree. Very same scent with which she was left every time she had an encounter with Manik.
Staring bandanna, strong scent of pine and aching elbow; all of this was mocking her. They were reminding her how she behaved something she didn't know she was even capable of.
She had punched someone.
She had punched him.
She didn't even raise hand to hit an insect in her life and now she had punched a boy. Certainly, she thought all along that she didn't have it in her. Manik or situation, she had finally known how she could hold such emotion and even act upon it. She smiled a bit concluding this thought.
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Aryan was back with endless apologies. Nandini was as usual least interested in knowing how he lost the track last night and couldn't rescue her.
"By the way, how did you get home, Ms. Murthy?" He asked out of sudden.
Nandini startled a little as if he had asked about some deep secret.
"I found the way somehow. I managed," she lied and walked out of room.
She joined her mother in kitchen.
"I shall take your leave, Mrs. Murthy", he said, "as I have some business to deal with back home."
Nandini saw him gritting teeth while uttering the last bit.
"Do you want me to bring some grocery when I come tomorrow?" He asked.
Mother responded in no. Nandini asked him to say her hello to Aashi before he left.
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"At least, I am doing something for this family," Aryan spewed.
"Though, it wasn't my responsibility to take alone," He added looking at Manik.
"Please, stay quiet, Aryan. Let him have food at least. He hardly comes," Aashi pleaded Aryan to stop.
Manik stood up and walked to him.
"We are so proud of you, Aryan. After all, you are first one in family to enter the flattery business," Manik mocked him while patting his shoulder.
"You...., " Aryan fisted Manik's collar.
"Please don't fight," Aashi's weak voice went unheard.
"You are just like father, who made us suffer lifelong in order to save his broken ego," Aryan spattered, "Neither he could do anything, nor you would. Now when I am bringing some luck to this family. You can just get jealous."
Manik's eyes were spewing fire till the time Aryan ended his venomous remark. He held him from jaw.
"You worthless pet, you can bring only shame to this family. How dare you talk like this about father?" Manik uttered.
"They say truth is bitter," Aryan hit the final nail.
Manik dragged him to wall and kept pressing his throat unless Aryan started choking. Crying pleads of Aashi brought him back into sense. He looked at her while she was pleading them to stop.
Manik let go of his grip and turned to leave when Aryan pushed him to wall. Manik's head hit the wall and it got a fine cut. He turned around in anger to return the fury when she saw feared shivering Aashi.
His eyes immediately softened and he walked out of house.
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Sitting in woods, all lost in his thoughts; Manik slid his hand in pocket to find the bandanna. His head was bleeding a bit. He realized how it couldn't be with him. He closed his eyes and remembered how he draped it around Nandini's elbow last night.
She was lying unconscious there last night when he went into the woods.
He didn't let the film roll further and was about to stand up when a hand held his shoulder.
Aashi was there with a medical kit and tiffin. He looked at her smilingly.
"You didn't even have your favorite dish before leaving," she complained while cleaning his wound.
He quietly let her dress the wound. She opened the tiffin and offered him food.
He looked away.
"Won't you have what I cooked specially for you?" She asked.
He looked at her and took it saying, "how can I not when my baby sister has made it exclusively for me."
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Past midnight, Nandini was tossing in her bed deprived of sleep. Her restlessness had become companion of long nights. She stepped out of bed and walked to window. Wind was flowing strongly. Her long wisps wanted to flow along. Bandanna on table beside flew along wind when she tried to gather her mad hair. Havoc did knock when she saw it escaping window.
She untied the tant's knot and ran outside. It got stuck at dry plant. She collected it and sighed. Holding near her chest, she looked at endless view. Moon bestowing light on mountains, view was enchanting.
She looked into the woods. Darkness in forest seemed to fight the light as woods looked downright dark.
Instead of fear or anxiety, she felt a strong pull. Such call and restlessness, she wanted to wander. Controlling her urge to listen and respond, she walked inside. She couldn't let one more uncalled for adventure happen.
Tying the knot of window cloth, she saw a contour disappearing. She tried to look keenly. There was no one. She brushed off the doubt thinking it as mere mirage.
While she went to her bed and put the bandanna under pillow, someone was returning to woods which he called 'only home left'.
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