Prerna was clapping excitedly after all the performances were over; Jiya had danced wonderfully, her moves were so swift it felt like dance came to her naturally, again another Anurag like feature she had, thought Prerna, rolling her eyes. As she got up from her seat to finally meet Jiya backstage to hug and congratulate her, she saw her run past her in excitement towards someone else. Jiya ran towards the garden and hugged a man from behind, for a moment Prerna almost felt jealous, who was Jiya hugging before her, after all she was her best friend! Prerna knew Jiya's guardian wasn't making it and a friend was coming to cheer her, but she imagined a friend of her age, not a fully grown man – as she walked towards the duo she heard Jiya excitedly chatting with the man as he slowly turned around to pick her up in his lap – Prerna froze for a moment, it was like time had stopped. Holding Jiya close to his chest and laughing animatedly was Anurag Basu. He was kissing her cheek, congratulating her and cheering her like it was his sole mission in life – to keep Jiya happy.
Before Prerna could react, Jiya turned around and saw her; she called out to her from Anurag's lap, "Arre, Prerna aunty!! Come here meet my best friend Anurag uncle". At the mention of her name, Prerna saw Anurag's head shot up towards her and his expression froze. Neither could tell for how long they stood there stupefied before Jiya shook them out of their state.
"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time but before either could answer, a friend called Jiya and she excitedly took off to greet her friend.
"How do you know Jiya?" Prerna asked Anurag
"She stays close to where I stay" he replied looking down, in a matter of minutes his happy excitement was gone and his face looked dark, hollow and eyes extremely dry, he seemed guilty to be happy, Prerna wondered why, Anurag's actions and behaviours recently were really beyond her comprehension.
"You moved to North Calcutta now?" she asked again, to which he just nodded looking away.
"What are you doing here?" he asked after a moment of awkward silence.
"I am sponsoring this event and also one of the committee members to this charitable foundation now" Prerna replied quietly.
"Here, in India?" he asked looking up surprised.
"Yes, I am here for the last five months now, here to withdraw the partnership with your company, still in negotiations with your wife on that"
"Not my company, Komolika's" he responded
"Yes, I am aware you have abandoned ship. I stay in the same mansion" replied Prerna urging him to respond, she could sense it something was wrong, she needed answers. As expected his head shot up again, "You are staying at Basu Bari?"
"Yes, there. Also, not that it's my place to say, but Diya misses you"
"Diya. Yes, Diya. She has Baba and Ma, they will handle her for a while" he answered lost in his own thought.
"A while, so this MIA thing is temporary?" Prerna pushed further.
"I don't know, I haven't quite figured it out. Why are you so invested in this committee, board and all, your stay in India is also temporary right?" he asked trying to change subject.
"My stay is, but this place isn't..so" replied Prerna gulping the lump that had formed in her throat at the mention of the place, it suddenly struck her, ever since the fire incidence of that fateful night, it was the first time she and Anurag both were here together, both Sneha's parents, at the place where Sneha breathed her last. It was such an overwhelming thought, that it brought tears in her eye, and much to her dismay, Anurag noticed.
"Prerna, why are you.." but his voice trailed off, and he looked surprised. His surprise and indifference and reluctance to acknowledge this place would have fuelled Prerna's wrath, but not today, she didn't have the courage to fight at that moment, too much she had lost already at this place.
"Were you always this hard hearted Anurag, do really not know why..why whis place, why this these tears, you really want me to re-live it? Are you really so cruel? Were you always this cruel?" she whispered softly wiping off the tears that were now coming out slowly. Anurag first looked confused, then looked pained seeing her tears, slowly a film of tears formed in his eyes too, but he held on to it.
"Re-live what? What about this place?" he asked looking so genuine that even Prerna was taken aback for the moment; could there be a possibility that he really didn't know what this place was? Maybe he just planned the murder but Komolika executed it? Did that make him guilt free, no it didn't but maybe his confusion is real, she thought.
"What do I not know, please tell me Prerna" his voice broke her train of thought.
"Anurag if you genuinely don't know, then let me tell you, this is the same venue where it happened, the fire. The fire that..Sneha.." but her voice was choking so bad that she couldn't continue. She just pointed towards the next plot, the plot of the orphanage.
Anurag suddenly felt like someone had dropped a heavy rock on his chest and he couldn't push it away – he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he staggered, tears that he was controlling so far flew out of his eyes as he followed the direction Prerna's finger was pointing towards, then he blindly ran towards the orphanage as a shocked Prerna followed him in instinct. Anurag reached the lawn and thankfully this plot was completely empty, everyone was in the school for the event. He stood there staring at the immense structure, the lawn, the ground breathing heavily. He had no control over his tears, all his charade to protect Prerna so long had fallen, as he crashed onto the ground and howled out loud. Prerna stood there watching in dismay – isn't this how he had reacted the other night when she had handed him the mall papers? Was there a connection? Could it be that he really didn't plan the murder of Sneha, but that wasn't possible, if he didn't plan it and Komolika did, then he would have surely punished her when he found out – he didn't do that either – Prerna's head pounded in the lack of possibilities that were playing in her head, all pointing towards one and only possible conclusion – did Anurag really not know about Sneha's death?
Prerna crashed next to Anurag on the lawn as she stared at him with silent tears rolling down her eyes. Was this real? Was this agony really for Sneha? No, she thought to herself, this was Anurag, he was a master actor, all this was an act, she wasn't falling for this. But what if this was real, her heart fought back. Hence with all the courage she could muster, she asked him the most dreaded question.
"Anurag, when did you find out about Sneha's demise?"
"The day Diya and I came to you with the cookies I made for her" he replied in between sniffs, now rubbing his eyes to stop his tears, Prerna's voice had finally snapped him back to his senses.
"You didn't know, where did you think she was?" Prerna asked in disbelief and shock. It all made sense now, Anurag's reaction that day when she handed him the paper, he had indeed kneeled before her, but it was not for Diya, it was for Sneha, his reluctance towards business, him spiralling, withdrawing from family, running away, finding respite in an eight year old, it all made sense.
"All this while I thought she was with you" he replied quietly. But it didn't make sense either, thought Prerna. Anurag had pushed her off the bridge to die, how could he think she was with him unless he knew she was alive. If he knew she was alive, why didn't he try to kill her again? What was going on, was she living a lie for eight whole years, there were so many questions and so few answers. Her head reeled and she needed answers – today she was sure there were many answers to find – was she trusting Anurag again, she didn't know, it was too early to say.
Anurag looked distant, lost in thought, as he got up on his feet, he extended a hand out to Prerna, she took his hand and stood up too, but before she could ask more questions, they heard Jiya calling them from the school lawn, she had spotted them and was running towards them. Both Anurag and Prerna quickly rubbed their eyes and cleaned their faces, they both looked at each other to make sure the other person looked okay; it was their Jiya's special day they weren't ruining it. As they turned around Jiya came running to them with a trophy in her hand looking jubilant.
"There you both are, I finally got you back, that to here, now stay with me always!" she shouted happily as she came and hugged Anurag and Prerna together. That moment was a silent moment lost to bliss, both Anurag and Prerna felt connected somehow, connected enough to share a divine moment – both silently looked at little Jiya and realised maybe all was not lost. In that moment Anurag looked at Jiya and saw a mini Prerna in her, his little Sneha; Prerna lovingly caressed Jiya's hair and saw a mini Anurag in her, her little Sneha – both felt, maybe in that moment under the stars on a clear cloud free night in Calcutta in the venue where they lost one Sneha, they found one back.
There were a lot of questions that still remaining unanswered, there were still walls, there still remained battles to fight, truth to seek, but all could wait – that was a night to heal in togetherness as a family.