Jahnvi sought Gauri next morning at the temple. Gauri had just entered the premises, when Jahnvi caught up with her.
"Hello, beta. How are you?" she asked pleasantly.
"I'm good, Auntyji, how are you?" replied Gauri
"I am....not fine, but I'll be better soon. I didn't come here yesterday, because I had some accounts to settle, and then my daughter dropped this bomb of her wish to marry, on us, from out of nowhere." sighed Jahnvi.
"You are not happy with her choice?" asked Gauri, conscious that she might be overstepping her boundaries.
"Honestly, I don't know. I have no opinion on the man she wants to marry. He was just doing his job the last time our family confronted him, and I can't hate him for doing that. But also, he's not of our class. That fact does not bother me much, because I've brought up my daughter well to adjust in lower economic class surroundings, but what worries me is that she doesn't look happy with her own choice." said Jahnvi.
Gauri was a little offended about Jahnvi's reflection on lower economic class. "Vaise chhote gharon mein bhi insaan hi rehte hain." (In smaller/lower class houses also people manage to live) commented Gauri.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you." Jahnvi apologized genuinely. "I am so confused right now. I know I took the right step but its difficult, and I don't know how to proceed further."
"What exactly are you talking about?" Gauri asked curiously.
"I did a valuation of my assets in the family business." Jahnvi replied. Looking at Gauri's bemused face, she explained what she meant. Gauri's expression cleared up, once she understood what Jahnvi meant.
"Well I took the first step to re-establishing myself, but now I don't know how or what exactly to do." sighed Jahnvi,
"Its simple, isn't it? You have got the money, and now you need the resources to apply it on. What is it, that newsreaders scream about on tv, er, yes, eenvestmant (*investment*)" said Gauri, stumbling on the last word a little.
Jahnvi smiled. "Yes, beta, 'investment'. But I have been out of the business race so long, I dunno whether I'll be able to manage it." Jahnvi said worried.
"Sher kabhi shikaar karna nahi bhoolta. (A lion never forgets how to hunt) Actually, in this case, a lioness." Gauri chuckled as she said, making Jahnvi laugh too. "Why don't you think of a, a.....what do they call it...a 'Isstart up' (Start-up)?"
"You mean, a Start Up? But how do you know about this, Gauri?" Jahnvi was curious now.
"Arey, I and Internet chaachi often spend our free time keeping up with the national news." Gauri said, doing her signature Salman-inspired nose-flick again.
"Shankarji, look at the time! I'm running late, I'll see you later, Auntyji, namaste." shrieked Gauri looking at the time, and rushing to work.
A germ of an idea was forming in Jahnvi's brain, actually two ideas.
***********************************************
Soumya was returning from her theoretical economics class to the library. She, Rudy and Chubby had been at their common subjects since yesterday. It had been a task trying to explain the concepts to Rudy and Chubby, but she managed. Actually, they weren't bad at the subjects, especially not Rudy. Its just that they never applied their brains at work before, so much.
Soumya was about to enter the library, when she saw Rudy surrounded by his usual fan following of girls. The news that Rudy had been spending an awful lot of time studying in the library had caught the college's attention.
"We couldn't believe it. Soumya actually changed you, you are at the library?" asked one of the girls from the group.
"What happened to the cool Rudy we knew?" joined in someone else.
"Whatever happened to that Rudy, is my problem to deal with. And whether or not Soumya changed me, is none of your business, is it?" said Rudy, coolly.
The girls, shocked by his words, evaporated quickly.
Soumya smiled and joined the group, pretending she hadn't heard anything.
"Hows it going, guys?" she asked the two boys encouragingly.
"Sumo, this is ridiculous! How the hell am I supposed to pass in less than three months on my own?" said Rudy, full of anxiety, as Chubby too nodded his head.
"We'll manage. But you have to remember to keep at it, and not give up easily." said Soumya, taking out her books and putting her phone on silent, as she was in the library.
Rudy nodded his head absentmindedly, as his attention was caught by whatsapp message flashing silently on Sumo's phone.
Rehan? Soumya was still in touch with that guy?
***************************************************
Omkara threw another large pebble in the water. He had been throwing pebbles in the sea water, as soon as he came here.
Omkara was lost in a swirl of emotions: anger, guilt, worry, anxiety. He had got off the phone with Prinku a while back. Omkara was astonished that Prinku would agree to marry that Ranveer. He was sure that Ranveer was blackmailing her, and her voice gave the lie. She sounded browbeaten and exhausted. Omkara alternately shouted and pleaded with her to break the engagement and come out with the truth; he told her that he would take the entire blame of the accident on himself. But Prinku didn't relent. Omkara finally gave up trying to stop her from sacrificing herself from Ranveer's revenge. Prinku, however, said that its not because of the accident that she's marrying Ranveer, the reason is something else. But Om wondered, what else could Ranveer blackmail Prinku with?
The pebbles were now thrown with such force that a few of them splashed back, and one of them hit something. Or someone.
"Aahhh" came a slightly feminine voice behind Om. He looked behind him to see Chulbul holding his toe in pain.
"Why did your voice sound like a girl right now?" asked Om curiously.
"Uuu ka hai ki, jab humein dard hota hai toh hamaari awaaz patli ho jaati hain. Ajeeb chirote hain aap. Insaan ko lagi hai lekin aap uska haal pooche bagair, uski baal ki khaal nikaal rahe hai." (Its like that, whenever I shout in pain, my voice becomes thin. You a strange chirota. A person is wounded but you are more interested in interrogating him.) said Gauri, sitting down on the rocks and examining her foot.
"Sorry." said Omkara, peered down to get a better look at Chulbul's toe.
"You know, don't feel bad, but your feet look really....soft." said Omkara, thinking that not just Chulbul's voice, but his feet also seemed very feminine.
"Did you call me here to first throw stones at me, and then insult me?" said Gauri, trying to divert the topic.
"I'm sorry about that." said Omkara genuinely apologetic about what he had done. "I was not thinking clearly, things haven't been great lately and another bad news came today."
Gauri wanted to ask what happened, but at the end of the day this man was still a stranger to Chlulbul. So instead, she said, "Yes, its visible that you are angry about something."
"Sorry I asked you to meet up. Actually, I'm living away from my brothers and needed someone to talk to." confessed Omkara.
Omkara had been essentially friendless throughout his life, partly because of his introvert attitude and partly because people didn't really want to befriend either him or Shivaay. The last time he did try to be friends with Ishana, out of sympathy, it had backfired spectacularly.
"You can talk to me. But I can't help you until you try to help yourself." said Gauri, biting her tongue a second later, realizing she had spoken too much.
There was a very awkward pause at this.
"I don't know how to help this situation. And every time, I try to help the situation, it just seems to get worse." sighed Omkara, out of despair.
Gauri thought of how his intervention in Bareilly, saved her life. "Not every time." she replied, convincingly.
Omkara looked up curiously.
"What I meant is that, if you keep thinking pessimistic thoughts, then nothing will be fine ever. I'm not asking you to be optimistic, but maybe you should not give up so easily." Gauri said, quickly, before Omkara could ask what she meant earlier.
"Yes, but in this situation, I'm not getting any help. My sister is marrying a man, I know she doesn't like, and I'm positive he has forced her into it. I've tried my best to convince her to pull back, but she is not relenting." Omkara said in frustration.
"Then why don't you remove the sword hanging above your sister, compelling her to say yes to the marriage?" said Gauri, thinking back to how Kali forced her to get married to him, using her mother by keeping her hostage.
Omkara was still unsure whether he could confess his deeds to a total stranger like Chulbul. He had been betrayed in past. He didn't want to repeat the same mistake again.
"Look, thanks for your words, but I don't really know you, and I don't know whether I can share my problems with you." said Omkara honestly.
"Hmm...didn't you ask me to meet up here? But I get it. However, if you feel like changing your mind tell me." said Chulbul, getting up.
"Where are you going?" asked Omkara, seeing Chulbul getting up to leave.
"If you can't help me, then I can't help you either. You have to choose what you want. Until then, I see no point of this." said Gauri, gesturing their meeting place.
Gauri left and Omkara just sat there looking at Chulbul's retreating back.
He should have said something, but Omkara always thought too much before taking any action. He had always been reticent. He had always held back. Like he held back today. Omkara sighed and went back to looking at the calm sea.