Malaal-Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

Rashi woke up after a peaceful sleep. She looked around dazed when she remembered the previous night’s events. She smiled.

“Now I hope that they give up on me and leave.”, she thought, but avoided the pain she felt while saying it. What she couldn’t deny was the lightheadedness, the carefree joy, the real smiles that she had had in the last two days with Jigar. He was making her fall for him again; only the fact that she was always in love with him.

She brushed the uncertain feeling aside and took a deep breath.

“Hmm.”, she said in her characteristic kalakari tone. It was something that was inherent.

“I have one more day before Ishan arrives. One more day with you Mr Modi, and then it would be show time.”, she thought and got ready for breakfast.

The breakfast table was quieter than usual. Ahem and Gopi weren’t there, as they didn’t want to be around Jigar at all. Even Jigar didn’t want to be around the Modis, but he knew that Rashi would come there, so he was sitting at his place.

Rashi pretended a slightly angry face and sat. Jigar looked at her with hope. That one look of Jigar was making it hard for Rashi. She managed to pretend anyway.

“Gaayu, get me food quickly. I have to leave.”, she said in an angry tone. Jigar’s jaw dropped.

“Where are you going?”, he asked. Rashi didn’t look at him.

“Office. Got to stay away from the family that has forcefully lodged in my house.”, she said and ate.

“Rashi please, your health isn’t hundred percent fine yet. It’s your house Rashi, you don’t need to go anywhere, take rest here.”, he said with desperation. He could see Rashi move away from him yet again. Rashi knew that this was the moment.

“This is my home. And I won’t tolerate getting insulted and shouted upon by random strangers here.”, she said and looked at Kokila, “so I want an apology Mr Modi. Only then I will forget yesterday’s incident.”, she said and looked at Kokila.

“Rashi. I said sorry yesterday no? See, I am saying sorry again.”, Jigar said quickly.

“Not from you Mr Modi. You didn’t do anything wrong. I want an apology from Mrs Kokila Modi.”, Rashi declared.

Everything slowed down. Kokila looked at Hetal and then at Rashi. She swallowed her anger. 

“What are you saying Rashi?”, Hetal asked angrily.

Rashi turned to Jigar.

“Is it happening Mr Modi?”, Rashi asked.

Jigar looked at Kokila. And then at Rashi. It was his last chance to get his love back. He would do anything for it.

“Yes.”, he said slowly and looked at Kokila. Rashi smiled.

Kokila felt every piece of her pride fall apart. She couldn’t believe that Jigar had done this to her. That he wanted her to apologise. Moreover, she was shocked that Rashi hated her so much. What was her crime? Coming here forcefully to get Jigar and Rashi reconciled? Or was there something more in Rashi’s mind? These questions, along with heartbreak and disappointment for Jigar and Rashi made her close her eyes.

“I am sorry Rashi. Sorry for shouting on you yesterday.”, she said sternly.

Rashi smirked. “Better.”, she said and looked at Jigar’s face.

“Umm, I am sorry Mr Modi. I behaved rudely with you because of something that your family did. I have to show you something in my room. Would you join me later?”, she asked and Kokila looked at her sharply.

“What more does she want to do?”, she thought.

Jigar felt as if he got his life back. As if blood had started to flow in his body again. As if he existed, yet again. He smiled with teary eyes, Rashi tried hard to ignore those tears.

“Yeah, thanks Rashi.”, he said with such purity that Rashi felt guilty. She felt like stopping all her plans there and then. But as usual, she remembered what he had done to her. How much she had struggled. How much she had cried.

She smiled. “Great.”

                       **********************

Jigar entered her room and saw a mountain of clothes on the bed, and some lying on the floor. Rashi was nowhere to be seen.

“Ra-“, he began to say as he tripped on a dress and fell straight into the unending mountain of clothes on the bed. He literally camouflaged with it.

Rashi walked out of the washroom.

“Yes Mr Modi?”, she asked, and looked around. She was confused.

“Mr Modi?”, she asked, uncertain this time.

“Yes.”, a muffled voice came from the bed. Rashi looked at the bed and started to laugh hysterically.

“Damn, Mr Modi what’s this?!”, she continued to laugh.

With all his strength Jigar stood up to argue and ask why she was laughing, but the moment he looked at her, he paused. 

Rashi’s laughter was the only sound that he heard, everything else was quiet as a dead night. Her hair moving while she was shaking her head with laughter, as if they danced on the tunes of her voice. Her eyes closed, her hand on her tummy; it was the purest and definitely the rarest laughter that he had ever seen. He just smiled softly.

Rashi gradually stopped laughing.

“Mr Modi, come, I have to show you a LOT of outfits and you decide which one I wear when I rejoin office. They’re having a party to celebrate the success of my last project that day and my outfit would be the most important thing. Come.”, she said, and smiled.

“Yeah.”, Jigar carefully went to her. They both sat on the edge of the bed. Rashi began to fish out dresses from the huge collection, while Jigar kept on looking at her in deep thought.

“Rashi.”, he said with seriousness. Rashi paused and looked at him. She saw something passionate in his eyes. Something close to love. Something very emotional.

“Hmm?”, she asked, avoiding his eyes.

“I am sorry for whatever happened.”, Jigar said in a low voice.

“I told you it wasn’t your mistake. It was Kakiji-“, she was replying casually, when she realised that he wasn’t talking about yesterday’s incident. He was talking about that two years memory. The incident that had changed her forever.

Rashi kept silent. She looked the other way, trying to avoid tears. Trying to avoid the urge to shout on him, hit him and ask him why did he destroy both of their lives like that.

“Rashi. A day after you left the house, we found out that it was Radha who had created the misunderstanding between me and you, she deliberately had planted that guy called Varun, and made me see and think things that I shouldn’t have. I am really very sorry for what I did that day Rashi. I know I am a very very bad person Rashi, but I love you, and that’s the truest thing that I have ever said.”, he said desperately.

Rashi closed her eyes and kept quiet with a huge effort. She would answer everything to him. She would ask questions too. But when the time would be right. The fact that Radha had created misunderstandings between her and Jigar, surprisingly didn’t affect Rashi at all. Probably because for her, Radha’s loyalty wasn’t anything, but Jigar’s trust was. She expected Jigar to trust her in any situation. She expected him to respect her. She expected him to love her. No matter what. And how could she forget the fact that he, in his anger, in his misunderstanding, had sent goons to get her raped?

The last phrase in her mind made her clench her fists. She wanted to slap Jigar right there and then, but she controlled.

“Rashi, just one more day. Please control your anger till then. You would hurt him like he hurt you; although it would only be to drive them out of your life.”, she thought.

She smiled a bit, trying to give Jigar the indication that she wasn’t that much upset with him after all.

“Mr Modi, time isn’t running away somewhere, neither I am. So shall we concentrate on the moments that we have to live right now?”, she asked and smiled.

Jigar’s heart smiled. He could see love in Rashi’s face. In her words. It was just a matter of time before she accepts him back. He had no doubts about it. 

“Yes.”, he said, and picked out a red dress.

“This seems pretty glamorous. Would suit you, I suggest you should wear this one.”, he said and smiled.

Rashi nodded her head and smiled. “Thanks, I will. It’s beautiful.”, she replied.

“Not more than you.”, he said and slowly looked away.

Rashi rolled her eyes. “Yeah, as if I believe you.”, she thought, but said, “Thanks Mr Modi, some compliments mean a lot.”

              *************************