Chapter 57

LadyMeringue

@LadyMeringue

A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the second bonus epistle! :D :D This will be the new Epistle 12 as per the chronological order. :) :) Also, here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas eve! <3 <3

Not keeping y'all for long,

Happy Reading! :D :D

7th October, 1996:

Today was an unexpectedly good day.

Things have been steadily going calm and it's more than I can ask for. At times I do feel afraid whether my happiness is to be short lived or no, but if happiness is upon my doorstep, I'm not going to let go of it any time soon. Maybe that's why, Ranveer and I managed to patch up after our first fight yesterday. But we'll get to that later since I've droned on and on about it yesterday and have bored you out of your mind.

Never mind me, I've taken to unnecessarily ranting a lot these days.

Today, Harshad Uncle had the inauguration ceremony for the new construction company that he's opening. He already had a diamond trading company and a brokerage company (God knows what that is), and this is the third one to the list. There was a small pooja since its such an auspicious occasion, and the little ritual was a must. So Uncle took us all to his office where the work for the new work was going to begin, and got Ranveer a pair of second hand clothes that belonged to Sharman. He didn't want him to feel left out.

So, off I went to Ranveer's room at eight in the morning to see whether he was ready, only to find him struggling with the strings of his pajamas. He cannot tie a knot (or even untie it for that matter), and no matter how much he tries, it's just hopeless. I don't know why he can't though! His parents have taught him to do that so many times, but he just can't tie them up properly! They keep getting more and more entangled until it'd all become a mess and he'd have to call his mother, like Kailash Kaka put it to me one fine morning when Ranveer was being rather silly with them. And since his mother isn't even here right now, he has to rely upon Kaka for the same.

"I swear, I will save another 50 bucks and get an elastic fit into this rather than these stupid nadas," was what I heard him grumble underneath his breath as he cursed his luck for his father's absence too. And just like his luck would have it, the most unexpected person made her way to my room in that exact instance, announcing her arrival with a chuckle.

"Ishaani! What are you doing here?!" exclaimed Ranveer as his head shot in my direction, looking flabbergasted.

"Harshad Uncle asked me to call you. What are you up to?" I asked, suddenly amused with how flustered he looked. As though on cue, he turned his face away from me rather awkwardly.

"Ishaani, go away. It's bad manners to enter someone's room when they are changing," reprimanded Ranveer, but all I did was chuckle. Classic Ranveer.

"I should be the one feeling embarrassed then, not you," I shot back, but he only gave me an irritable huff in return.

"If it's the matter of my respect, obviously I'm only going to feel embarrassed no?" he retorted, and I knew that there was no point arguing with him on this anymore.

"What are you up to?" I asked him rather lamely, but what I didn't expect was his response to the same.

"I'm not telling you anything. I'm not talking to you," was what he told me and needless to say it was really lame. But I knew why he wasn't talking to me still. Yesterday's fiasco in school about copying in the test.

It's not even like anybody came to know about it or even caught me at it! I just confessed to Ranveer about it because he asked me about my Science test once we came back home. And after Baa being a real evil vulture to me the previous day when she suddenly decided to pick on me because of my dubious lineage, there was no way I could concentrate at all after everything she made me hear. And then when I told Ranveer about the fact that I had copied and got my full marks, he just seemed to get angry for no reason (well, his reason was because what I did was unethical and wrong) and we both got defensive about our perspectives and it got ugly then. It was our first argument, and considering the topic we chose to argue upon, it was definitely stupid. I was expecting something a little more worthwhile than this, but okay.

"Ranveer, I'm sorry, okay?! I promise I won't copy ever again! Please, please, please, please, please-" I began, hoping that he'd forgive me if I maintained the constant rant. Why his approval or disapproval on this matter meant so much to me has left me bewildered as well.

"I'm stuck with the knots," cut through Ranveer rather flatly, bringing my rants of please to an end.

"You really suck at this now, don't you?" I asked as I entered the room a little further, still maintaining enough distance from Ranveer, who still refused to look at me.

"I can't help it! Even at school I get late half of the times because I can't tie them up properly," grumbled Ranveer rather darkly, but I knew that if I had to get him back to talking to me, I would have to convince him to let me help him out.

"Correction - you don't let me."

"You want to pick up another fight?" shot back Ranveer rather impatiently, but I knew I had to put up with it. This was another thing about Ranveer - he got really short tempered whenever things wouldn't go his way, be it in studies or otherwise.

"I'm just correcting facts," I stated innocently and he sighed.

"How can I let you tie my shoelaces? I'm your servant. It's wrong-"

"-to keep calling yourself that. Stop it, okay?" I shot at him rather angrily. I hated it whenever he called himself that. And no matter how many times I tell him not to call himself that in front of me, it just doesn't enter his thick skull.

"Okay, I'm sorry," he mumbled quickly, knowing that I was genuinely cross with him for using the taboo word again. But this gave me the definite golden chance again, I had to admit. And so I used it rather shamelessly too.

"I'm sorry too. I won't ever copy in my life ever again, okay? Please don't be angry with me. Please?"

"Only on one condition. You've got to teach me how to untie the knots," he added, looking torn between his stand to remain angry with me unless and until I didn't truly feel sorry for my mistake and to get some real help on his pajamas.

"That's easy. Come here-"

"No!" shrieked Ranveer as he distanced himself further into the room, taking me by surprise with the strength of his voice.

"How do you expect me to help you then?" I asked, the incredulity in my tone evident.

"I don't know," replied Ranveer sheepishly, and I couldn't even blame him. His concerns were definitely valid.

"Okay, wait. It's easy. Just do as I say. First pull out the left hand string from the knot a little. Then the right hand string. Pull your stomach inside, and then strings together outside," I instructed, hoping that they worked and that Ranveer had not tied the knots too hard. Thankfully, he hadn't.

"Oh my! Thank you so much!" he exclaimed as he heaved a big sigh of relief. I chuckled.

"It's very easy to untie any knot in life, Ranveer. It all depends upon how you do it," I spoke in an uncharacteristic word of advice, and this time, Ranveer did turn around at long last.

"Wow, dialogues, eh?"

"Don't you have to tie your pajamas still?" I asked when he gave me a lopsided grin. I know that philosophy is not my cup of tea, but hey! I meant what I said!

"Oh yeah..." he replied with an embarrassed shake of head as he turned around again.

"Come here. We are already running late and Harshad Uncle is always so particular about time," I suggested quickly as I bridged the gap and made him turn around again. He looked dumbstruck and even more awkward if possible.

"But-"

"I'll shut my eyes, alright? I can tie knots in a jiffy," I added rather impatiently the moment I sensed an argument coming my way as I pulled away the strings from his hand.

And I did tie the knot in a jiffy. Judging by Ranveer's expressions, it looked like it must have been one of the most awkward moments in his life where every moment weighed like an era, and yet it was over within seconds. But honestly, I don't even see what all the fuss was about. I stuck true to my word and left the room the moment I was done, but not without a parting statement.

"Try wearing your sandals instead of your shoes or else we're never going to reach in time just like with school."

There was no need to elaborate further because both of us know that just because of his stubbornness to not let his shoelaces to be tied by anyone else (least of all me), we are late to school half of the time. And this statement was a specific reminder to our first of school where he took half an hour and still couldn't get the knots tied correctly. But back to today now, for that's in the past. Thankfully, Devarsh was running even later than Ranveer so he was saved by the time he reached the hair looked a little unkempt and when I asked him about the same, I think this was his exact response.

"I quickly combed my hair and trying to make it stay properly. Or at least how much it agreed to stay since I was already running late. Just because Mota Babuji treats me like a child of the house, it doesn't mean that I am. And trespassing upon his generosity would just be stupid."

And all I could do was smile at him sheepishly as we all took a seat in the car.

It was the first time that Ranveer was ever getting to sit in the car that he described to me as 'the extraordinary vehicle that felt even softer than the cot Baba and I took turns in sleeping upon', and he called it a 'definitely unsettling experience' as well.

"I'm not used to experiencing riches like this. First the kurta and now this..." he complained ahead, but only audible enough for me to hear. And in that moment, I think I respected him a little more for the humility he showed.

We were going to go in pairs of three, the third car just for us five children since baby Prateik would be coming with Chaitali Kaki. And for some reason, I enjoyed my evident discomfort even more, earning a couple of glares from his end. I was cautious and conscious about the way I was around him though, and I think that was evident. Both of us knew that the whole copying fiasco was still not behind us entirely.

The journey from the house to Uncle's office was an unexpectedly long one because of his temporary office being at the other end of Mumbai. More precisely, Andheri. So on the way, us kids managed to play a lot of dumsharas and antakshari rounds in turn, Sharman and Devarsh in one team and Gauri and myself in the other. I think it's for the first time that I've seen Ranveer enjoy himself so much, and the happiness he radiated made it difficult for me to remain angry at him for the lecture he gave me yesterday.

Ranveer was only keeping score at the start, but then on my insistence, he was brought into the games, soon being alternate partners to everyone in turns. I just didn't want me to be left out like always, and so I made sure to keep me involved in all the games we played. And amusing as it might be, out of all the teams made, Ranveer and I happened to have the best partnership of all. Be it guessing the movie names or singing songs, we never missed the other's hint, leaving everyone astounded.

But then again, it was no secret fact that our friendship had been growing steadily stronger, and so the telepathy and the understanding was bound to follow. I think it's the most fun I've had with the kids of the house so far apart from the silly catch and cook and hide and seek that we play otherwise. And time flew by so quickly that before we knew it, we'd already reached the venue.

The office was pretty huge, to say the least. Uncle gave us all a quick tour of the place before he took us all to the conference room where the pooja was supposed to be held. The panditji had already arrived so everything was in full throttle, the pooja beginning the moment we all were settled upon the floor. The next three quarters of an hour went by with all the mantras and rituals as we sat the entire thing in silence. The pooja was just for family and a select few employees, so it was alright. Not too many people to worry about. The moment the pooja came to an end, the panditji looked around the place and gave us kids a fond look.

"I've got some nadachadis with me that each one of you must tie upon your hands. Wards off evil eyes. Who wants to tie it to everyone?"

"Me!" replied Ranveer and myself at the same time as we stood up and rushed our way towards the panditji, taking everyone by surprise.

The rest of the kids didn't even look enthusiastic in the least, forget about even contesting for giving it to everyone. But what made all the pairs of eyes draw upon us was our enthusiasm. The two outcasts wanting to undertake the task of protecting the Parekh house. Irony at its peak. And needless to say, the looks we received in that moment were enough to tell us that what actually crossed our minds wasn't too wrong. The scorn in their eyes was enough. But there's always an exception to the crowd, and so was one over here.

Panditji, give them both half and half," came across Harshad Uncle's voice in a boom, all heads turning in his direction. The panditji nodded his head and gave the two of us half a bunch of strings to be tied, giving us his blessings alongside.

Ranveer and I were still flushing red as we walked over and tied the strings to everyone, until we both ended up near Harshad Uncle with one string remaining in our hands each. Both of us turned and gave each other a questioning look, wondering who was it that would tie the final and the most important string to Uncle. And just like that, he put his hand out and we both kind of leapt upon it, pushing and nudging each other like notorious children desperate for attention. But it was only when we were halfway through the strings being tied did we realize what we were doing.

Our eyes fell upon each other and then suddenly upon Baa who had the most formidable expression upon her face. Remembering the whip rather unpleasantly, I turned around to see Ranveer quickly retracted my hand away from Uncle's own ones. It was as though he'd remembered the same instance, a bout of perspiration now breaking upon his forehead. He did not like that whip. No one would. But before Ranveer pull off the string from upon Uncle's hand, he caught hold of his shoulder and gave him a genial look.

His eye had caught the fear in Ranveer's own ones, and yet his firm hold ensured that he was there to protect him this time.

Who were we going to protect really when Mota Babuji is our real invisible benefactor? Maybe the Parekh name. Or the Parekh legacy. Or the most prized treasure of Harshad Parekh. Who knows? Both of us tied our nadachadis and let go of Uncle's hand at the same time, flashing each other a shy smile. We could really get competitive, but how competitive, we weren't going to know till later this evening.

Well, in spite of all our lighter moments today, it was no hidden fact that Ranveer wasn't willing to let go about the whole copying thing since we lapsed into a not-so-pleasant silence once we returned back home. He was good enough to not tell Maa and Harshad Uncle about it even though he wanted to, but I could see that he was giving me a hard time about it any way.

"Ranveer, let it go, no? I promise I won't do it again. Please don't give me the silent treatment," I asked of him when I'd gone to meet him at the servants' quarters in the evening. He gave me a silent look.

"Ishaani, are you even sorry about what you've done?"

"Yes- I, uh... okay, no," I confessed, wondering why I was so incapable of even lying to him. I hate lying on principal, but I don't know. Lying to him seemed even harder than it should be.

"Why?" he asked, and I suddenly felt my patience being tested to the full now. And it was obvious with the way I replied.

"Because I needed to score those full marks, okay?! Do you even have any idea how much pressure I'm under to perform the best at school? Maa's been having a handful with that... vulture, and I don't want to stress her more."

"Then you should have studied for the test," replied Ranveer and then it was just the two of us back to square one, fighting incessantly upon whose perspective was right, neither of us willing to back down.

"Ranveer, you know very well that I couldn't after the scene Baa made the previous day."

"Ishaani, I understand what you're saying. But do you think that copying and getting a full in a test is ethical?"

"Atleast Maa was happy about that. I don't see her having the same reaction if I'd have returned home with a 3 on 10."

"Ishaani, it's wrong. Even Mota Babuji would agree with me upon this."

"I'm not saying what I did was right either. I was just not left with any choice."

"You mean, you chose to do what was easy rather than what was right."

"Well, you haven't told Maa and Harshad Uncle about it either now, have you?"

"Maybe I will right now."

"You won't."

"What if I do?" asked Ranveer, his eyes suddenly alight as though it had caught fire. And for a moment, I could actually see him telling Maa and Papa about it before my rumbling stomach reminded me of the fact that I was hungry. And that in turn led me to brain storm a little until the wackiest idea struck me.

"Let's have a pani puri eating competition."

"What?" asked Ranveer, his retort dying away upon his lips as he continued to stare at me like I'd just declared him the winner of a beauty pageant.

"Yeah, let's have one. If you win, you can go and tell Maa and Uncle about it. An extension - I'll do anything you tell me to for the next 24 hours. If I win, you do my bidding for 24 hours, but we won't tell anything to them," I egged him, and well, it caught his attention.

"That confident that you're going to win?"

"A lie spoken to make someone happy is not a lie," I spoke sagely in a second bout of philosophy. But unlike the previous time, Ranveer chose to counter me with a statement of his own.

"Happiness found in the illusion of lies is not happiness."

"Pani puri competition it is!" I exclaimed, putting a stop to the ceaseless argument.

And even before Ranveer had the time to change his mind, I took him along with me outside the house, asking Kailash Kaka to take us to the nearest pani puri stall. I did feel rather guilty for making him take us out again when he'd just brought Harshad Uncle home, but this matter had to be brought to a rest. Ranveer looked rather reluctant, but I didn't give him a chance to protest. We both wanted the matter to be brought to a rest and this was the only solution to an argument that only kept going in circles.

Kaka was kind enough to take us and he didn't even complain. And the moment we reached the stall, Ranveer and myself jumped out from the car, eyeing the stall with our mouths watering. Well, arguments aside, we were really starving! And what better dinner than to feast upon as many pani puris as we could? And since we were rather puppy-like kids with a childlike zeal, the stall owner gave us the whole meal free as well!

But that's all secondary. I'm sure that you must be wondering what happened of the competition. Getting to that. Well, it was an unlimited pani puri eating competition with Kaka keeping the scores between us. And it definitely did not help that we were ravenous. So after a little bit of trash talking and glaring and ego boosting, the competition began. Puri after puri and plate after plate with our eyes streaming and our tongues burning. But neither one of us wanted to accept defeat. We both had a point to prove and so on and on we went.

One plate went to two within five minutes, the gaps growing longer and longer until an hour later, Ranveer and I were both eight plates down with the ninth one in front of us. And that's when I knew that I'd had enough. My stomach had hit bursting point and so had Ranveer's and we were just trying to pull this off for the sake of our egos now. Became we had to win and submitting to the other would be folly. We both had even reached the point of calling it a draw and walking home as winners with our points proven, but that was until Ranveer forcefully stuffed the next puri into his mouth.

And so, I followed his lead, the 50th puri now our Everest.

By Jove, Ranveer stuffed the 50th puri at the same time I accepted defeat as my stomach cramped terrible, giving me the warning call that no more food was going to be entertained. And well, it was his victory in the end. He slammed his fist upon the table rather triumphantly as Kaka patted his head lovingly, even though he looked close to throwing up at any minute. Whatever may be the case, it was his win at the end of the day. And that meant-

"My price now, Ishaani," he asked, and I shot him a sulky look.

"What do you want me to do?" I questioned in return. But unlike the smug look I'd expected, he had a serious look upon his face instead. He took my hand into his own firmly.

"I want you to tell your parents the truth," he replied, and a gasp of protest left my lips in spite of myself.

"Ranveer, please..." I begged futilely, but his mind was already set upon the task.

"You promised that you'd do whatever I told you," he reminded, and tears automatically sprung into my eyes at the thought of what he was asking me to do.

"Anything but this..." I moaned in protest, but he shook his head. And what he spoke next is something I'll never forget for a long, long time to come.

"Ishaani, today copying may feel ethical to you under the circumstances. Tomorrow something else might be. Circumstances are never going to be in your favour, Ishaani. You have to learn to stand your ground and remain honest to yourself and to the people related to you. Ishaani, honestly tell me, can you stand in front of the mirror and meet eyes with yourself and say that you don't even feel your conscience prickle even in the slightest when you see that you've stolen someone else's hardwork and claimed that as your own? Ishaani, everything comes at a cost. If you want to make your parents happy and proud, make them so on the base of your own hardwork. Not someone else's. That's my only concern. What you do and how you do it is up to you then. If you have the courage to make a mistake, have the courage to own up to it as well."

Something just hit me sharp in my heart in that moment. Not just the fact that every word he spoke was true, but that disappointment in his eyes that I could resort to something as petty as copying. And just like that, I realized that I did not like that look in his eyes for me. He nearly traded his life against mine in the blink of an eye and without a single word of complain because that's what his morals and ethics taught him to be. Loyalty above everything else. And the fact that I had taken to such means definitely didn't make me see myself in any better a light.

And that's all my mind kept pondering upon until we finally reached home. I wordlessly made my way away from Ranveer, not even giving him so much as a backward glance. I thought that I distinctly heard him sigh, but I would only be able to meet eyes with him now after I'd set the wrong right. It's why I headed to Maa and Uncle's room instead of my own, deciding to come clean once and for all. I'm not going to get into details about what they said and how I broke the news out to them because it was as awkward and humiliating as it could get. Maa was obviously angry and disappointed but it was Uncle's reaction that intrigued me. He looked neither as he stopped Maa from scolding me as well.

"What made you confess, Ishaani?" Was all he asked, and I gave him an honest response.

"Ranveer..."

He scrutinized me in silence for a few moments before speaking at long last.

"Honesty is a virtue seldom appreciated in this world, Ishaani. People prefer the sweet, manipulative lie to the bitter, real truth. What you feel now is bitter, but with time you'll realize its importance. So there is nothing to feel guilty or humiliated about. Many have the tongues to jest, but few have the courage to stand up for what's right. You have that courage, Ishaani. I see it in your eyes."

And there was something about his smile that just went right through my soul. It was an identical look to Ranveer's, I realized. And so, my feet automatically drew me out of the room with my eyes still bent in shame, but as I made my way towards the servants' quarters, I knew that I could dare to meet eyes with Ranveer now. And so I did as I barged into his room without even bothering to knock. He and Kaka were amidst what looked like a jovial conversation when both stopped midway, looking zapped at my untimely presence. And just as Ranveer stood up in astonishment, I did something that I'd never done before. I threw myself into his arms and gave him the biggest hug I could muster.

"Thank you..." was all I whispered as we separated, tears suddenly springing into my eyes. Ranveer looked dumbfounded as though I'd smacked him across his face, his mouth slightly agape.

You told them?" he asked, looking frightened for a reason I couldn't fathom. But then again, it was obvious. Say what he might, he was always concerned about my well-being at the end of the day. He knew what I would be facing by telling the truth. But he knew it just like Harshad Uncle did that it was for the greater good. I can see that now.

There was nothing more required to be said as the bewilderment upon his face soon turned into one of understanding, his eyes growing wider and wider with every passing second. He only flashed me a proud smile that suddenly made my heart swell with joy like never before, strangely happy that Ranveer was proud of me once again. His eyes bore witness to the emotion as well. Why his pride upon me matters so much, I don't know. But it does. He makes me feel worthy.

It's funny, what Ranveer and I have in between us. Sometimes I'm his protector and sometimes he's mine. And we swore today to be the protectors of the Parekh house, but in all earnest, it was Harshad Uncle who was protecting us from the world's atrocities and tempts time and again. And yet we both jointly vowed to protect Uncle together. It's indeed intriguing, the kind of bond Ranveer and I share. Especially since its the two of us being outcasts of the Parekh family that helped us establish this friendship in the first place.

And maybe that's why, I think we can call ourselves the paradoxical protectors of the Parekh household.

Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D