Chapter 79

 

"I need evidence; substantive evidence, Rachna. Before I can even consider handing my son over to a complete stranger, I need conclusive proof..."

Rachna looked up in shock, from where she sat in the passenger seat of the car, beside her husband.

"Kabir," she began.

He interrupted her brusquely. "I am letting you know as a curtesy, but this is not up for discussion, Rachna. I do not know this woman or the validity of the story she has told you. For all we know it could be part and parcel of Sonal's scheme; perhaps devised to further extort money from us. At any rate, I have met with the lawyer and he has initiated an investigation into the matter."

She was momentarily silenced by the degree of denial that her husband was in, to have taken such steps.

"No one would rationally allow themselves to be used in such a manner to the detriment of an innocent child's welfare," Rachna calmy suggested, trying to get him to understand.

"Aacha, so why have I been financially supporting a child who allegedly is of no blood relation to me, Rachna? If this Aunty Reena is innocent, then she should have no qualms proving her story true. Until then Sanjay will remain home... where he belongs," he added curtly should his wife harbor any doubts.

 

Rachna said nothing else; what could she under the circumstances, when evidently her husband had no wish for her opinion; or anything else?  Kabir had been understandably restless the night before, and when unreceptive to accepting her comfort; Rachna had finally retreated to the far side of the bed just to escape his tossing and turning. Unsurprisingly he had soon afterwards left the room, not to return until the following morning. She suspected that he had spent the night in Sanjay's room since he had returned with the little boy in tow... And now this.

Swallowing, Rachna blinked away the sudden moisture she could feel pooling in her eyes and looked out of the window as they drove.

 

She had known that this would be hard for Kabir to take, but what she hadn't anticipated was his reaction to her for bearing this news. That she had been the one imparting this devastating information had somehow relegated her to the category of those who sought to usurp his happiness. If not exactly the enemy, she had at the least become a disparager of the truth, as he would have it, and had been treated accordingly.  His aloofness towards her was painful, but it was secondary to the turmoil Kabir presently faced.  She sniffled quietly and quickly swept away the lone drop that escaped her eye. She had no option other than to support her husband through this trial, as painful as it may be. At least his remarks had explained where he had disappeared off to this morning, after dropping Sanjay to school.

 

When they drew closer to complex, Rachna pulled out her mobile and called Rajeev to advise of their pending arrival.  Armed with the spare key that Daadi had confiscated,  just in case, she was assured that he was still awake and up to the visit, and that they should let themselves in the event his mother, who was presently there, had already taken her leave.  As she hung up from the call, Rachna's attention was drawn to the rear seat where Aryia had just awoken. She smiled at her daughter, hoping that the little girl, whom her Sir had grown so fond of, would brighten his spirits today. It was unfortunate that these were the circumstances of their first visit to Rajeev's home, but at the least they could be grateful that his swift recovery allowed one.

 

Minutes later Kabir pulled into one of the visitor's parking spaces and turned off the car. About to open the rear door to unlatch Aryia from the car seat, he was distracted by an incoming call on his mobile.

"Mohit," he indicated to Rachna, before walking away from the door. As he got involved in the conversation, Rachna took his place and released their daughter, taking her and her baby-bag into her arms. She turned in the direction of her husband to check if he was ready. He wasn't, and instead motioned for her to go ahead without him.

 

Rajeev's mother opened the door, and smiled  in welcome to Rachna and Aryia, ushering them both in and directing them to lounge where Rajeev reclined on the modern yet comfortable chaise lounge sectional sofa, that  Naomi had convinced him  to purchase. He looked quite relaxed, his long frame amply supported by the plush sofa. Rachna's smile faltered as she recalled her friend's words that she had finally convinced him by citing that there had always been one in her home, and that even today, her family would vie for this particular seat, whether it be parents or their offspring. An excellent vantage for movie watching or just for snuggling, she had suggested. Obviously Naomi had won him over with that argument. That today Rajeev was on it alone, seemed a travesty ; so wrong in so many ways.

"Namaste Rajeev."

Without doubt, Rajeev knew exactly where her thoughts had ventured, as he returned her smile with a rueful one of his own.  "Hello Rachna; has Kabir not come..."

"Taking a phone call," she answered cutting him off. "Can you direct me somewhere I can change Aryia; she just awaken, and in dire need..."

"Ji, of course...Maa?"

Savitra Agarwal motioned Rachna to come with her, escorting her to the closet guest bedroom. She waited, watching as the young mother attended her infant daughter.

"Rachna, he is being so obstinate; we have to make him see the right in contacting her and getting her to come home as soon as possible."

Rachna looked up at the older woman.

"He is more adamant than ever not to have her return; for her safety he claims, but he must understand that we have more than enough resources to protect our bahu and our grandchildren. I just don't understand why he wishes to prolong both of their suffering...especially now. I can only imagine how devastated Naomi is now that the wedding has been cancelled. Her heartache alone, not to mention the stress...none of this can be healthy for her or the babies."

"Aunty, Rachna began, "Naomi's parents; how do they feel about the situation?"

Savitra grimaced. "Her father is incensed that something such as this has happened to his daughter, and he very much wants to take her home; her brother too agrees with him. Only her mother is at least opened-minded enough at this point to understand that Naomi and Rajeev need each other more than ever right now. Not than any of them blame Rajeev in the least. Even if he had not earned their regard prior, after this... they will never forget how he protected her, and they are especially concerned about him. But still..."

"She's their baby," Rachna finished in understanding.

"He doesn't realize that if he doesn't stand for her now, that he may not be happy with their final decision for their beti," Rajeev's mother continued.

"If only she would remember; I'm certain that she would choose to return over anything else, Aunty."

"Barring that, the only other option is for him to contact her as soon as possible."

The other woman nodded.  "I suspect he knows very well what we are discussing, so perhaps it's best that we get back to him."

Rachna agreed and collected Aryia and her things.

********

Daadi sat with Naomi as she checked online for available flights back to Banaras. Her parents would be there in the next day or so, making the difficult decision to leave her young friend only slightly less problematic...but only just.  However, now that she had learnt the truth of Sanjay's parentage she realized that she had return back to her family. She could only fathom how shattered Nanhe was now...

"Is a flight this evening too soon, Daadi?  It's a connecting flight through Lucknow, but you will be back in Banaras by tomorrow."

"That would be wonderful. Sooner would definitely be better,"Daadi replied as she stared at the laptop screen. She turned slightly to reach for her handbag to get her credit card. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naomi quickly raise her hand to wipe her face.  The older woman turned with card in hand to face her.

"Come back with me, beti."

Naomi blinked twice in shock at Daadi's proposal.  "Back to what, Daadi," she finally croaked painfully. "Back to the friend whose first instinct was to accuse me of trying to ruin her marriage; or to the man who apparently wants nothing to do with me or his children?"

"Beti, things may not exactly be as they appear..."

Naomi shook her head, dismissing the possibility. "No Daadi; they are exactly as they appear."

"Your in-laws then; I am certain they will be overjoyed..."

"That's ridiculous Daadi, I'm sure that they believe their son's version of events."

"Nay Naomi, you are mistaken; at least go to them...they will keep you and the babies safe..."

 The young woman squinted her eyes in confusion, "Safe... safe from what Daadi; why would you..?

"Arrey beti, the timer on the webpage," Daadi interrupted, thankful for the distraction. She closed her eyes, lamenting her slipup.

 While Naomi concentrated on her task, Daadi's mind wandered to how they could reconcile the young woman's dilemma of not recalling before she made the drastic step of leaving for home.

"And when Rajeev realizes his error, beti; then what?"      

She would make him grovel at her feet; that's exactly what she would do Naomi thought. And he would be deserving of at least one slap; maybe even a punch or two, but she would have to watch out for his injury, as it may not have healed yet...  Unconsciously, she placed her hand on her side; folding the fabric of her shirt and began exerting the same pressure she had had to that night...It had bled so much, she recalled.  And then the flurry of thoughts left her as suddenly as they had come. Naomi raised her hand to her temple and shook her head slightly; unsure of where her mind had just led her.

"Naomi, beta what is it?"

She looked up to find Daadi, wide-eyed and looking at her expectantly.

"N-nothing Daadi," she stammered before an expression akin to confusion covered her face. She blinked slowly. "Um let me just go to Sareena's printer and get your boarding pass."

She had been trembling when she had walked out, Daadi noted.  But before that, her actions had been very much reminiscent of all she had done to aid Rajeev that night. Could she finally be remembering?

*****

 

Rachna had seen Rajeev's mother to the door, promising her to do her best to convince her son to at least consider telephoning Naomi. As she was closing the door, her mobile rang; it was Kabir.

"Rachna, I am going to Mohit's studio; he has something he wants to discuss with me. I'll probably be a while, so I will collect Sanjay from school before I return."

"Ji KT," she answered, not knowing what more to say.  She returned to the lounge and stood still for a minute, admiring as Rajeev interacted with Aryia, who had happily joined him on the sofa.

"She's not being too much of a bother is she Rajeev?"

"Never, Rachna," he answered and he held the little girl aloft.

It was the perfect opening, Rachna thought as she took a seat on the other end of the sectional.

"Your place is wonderful Rajeev. Naomi did well, particularly with this sofa," Rachna said as she ran her hands over the supple leather. "I'm not certain exactly how long that chaise will accommodate the two of you and the babies, but it's the absolute perfect cuddling spot for a family." She let that thought sink in before continuing. "Have you decided which room is to be the nursery, or are you going to wait for Naomi's return to decide?"

She watched her former coach swallow hard, and then cover his eyes with one hand.  "Perhaps you can consult someone to help; it would definitely pave the way to her forgiving you, Rajeev."

"Nay Rachna, none of this is relevant, not until I know her attacker has been apprehended."

"Rajeev, people are victimized every day and not always are the perpetrators apprehended. Do you mean to exile her forever? At least call her once...please." She was interrupted from saying anything else, by her ringing mobile. She answered it at once. "Daadi, I'm so glad you called, how are you?"

*****

Kabir leaned stone faced against the car, as the children were released from school. He watched his son scamper down the stairs his smile bright, and despite the gravity of what he had just been shown, Kabir could not help by be buoyed by his son's mood. He settled Sanjay in the car and informed him of their destination, which if anything excited the little boy further. As they pulled away from the school, Sanjay turned and waved wildly at someone at the entrance of the school, and gave a thumbs up signal. Intrigued, Kabir glanced at the rear view mirror, only to see his son's teacher at the doorway.  Kabir smiled and faced forward, not noticing when the teacher stepped aside to allow the visitor his exit.

 

"Sanjay, beta, just take one more look. Are you sure you don't know him? He isn't a friend of your mother's?"

"Nay Papa. Can I play with Aryia now?"

Kabir looked away from his son, to the other adults in the room. Something was awry, that Sanjay was so resolutely sure that the image was not the man he had seen in the park - the one he had identified as Naomi's friend who missed her so much. His attention turned to his wife who had started speaking.

"Sanjay, beta the man in this picture is not a nice man. He used to be Pari's friend, but he made her cry... a lot."

"Like Rajeev Uncle does...," the little boy replied candidly. "He makes her cry too, but then says sorry and then they are friends again."

Across the room, the coach's face heated and he turned away abashed by the child's frankness. Sanjay had not lied.

"Thik hai, beta. Come you can play in the guest room for a while," Rachna said as she smilingly held out her hand to the young boy.

 

The men watched her leave the room with the children, before turning back to the images they had studied; first those that Karan had taken in the park recently vs Mohit's professional images taken the day of the hockey photo shoot.

"I feel that we're grasping for what would be easiest; the most convenient answer, Kabir. It seemed that half of Banaras was there looking at the shoot. Abhi being there could be purely coincidental."

"Nay Rajeev, I totally disagree. I've met the man; he would not have been at the park without good reason. More importantly though is that Mohit does not know him, and only made the connection through his expertise as a photographer. He is absolutely convinced that these images are of the same man. And he is willing to attest to this to the authorities if necessary. I still think we should offer his name to the Inspector; they can determine if this angle is worth investigating."

Rajeev agreed.

"But that still doesn't explain Sanjay's response. He has completely denied him as being the one and that makes no sense at all," Rachna added to the conversation when she returned to the lounge. "Or will you also ask the Inspector to question Sonal's involvement at the same timel?"

Rajeev studied the couple, puzzled. "And how and why is Sonal connected to this?"

"Initially I thought it purely speculative," Kabir began, "But Rachna has a plausible theory behind her belief."

And she hadn't said a word, Rajeev thought. He raised an eyebrow at his former student.  "I would have thought that would be the more important conversation we should be having, instead of Naomi's return, don't you think, Rachna?"

"Well considering all that she and Naomi have been up to, I for one am not surprised that Rachna hasn't brought up the subject," Kabir responded unkindly.

Rachna paled at her husband's unwarranted harshness, and Rajeev sat up a bit straighter, as he lay witness to the couple's discord. "Guys, what exactly is going on here?"

 ****

 

 As soon as the door closed behind Rachna Aunty, Sanjay had spun around in a circle and thrown himself on the bed in glee. He had done it; he had managed to fool them just like Abhi Uncle had asked him to when he had visited the school today. Uncle had come to tell him a big secret. He had heard how sad everyone was now that Pari had left and wanted to help. He would be going to London soon and would bring Pari back home with him if Sanjay wanted. It would be a surprise for everyone. But he would only be able to do this if Sanjay pretended that he didn't know him if Papa, Rachna Aunty or Rajeev Uncle ever asked. If Sanjay did this, then Uncle would find Pari for them and bring her home. And then everyone would be happy again.

 

Sanjay had jumped off the bed and fell to the floor beside his sister, so that she wouldn't hurt herself trying to climb on the bed with him. He gave her a big hug. "Pari will be home soon Aryia. Abhi Uncle is going to bring Pari home," he told his sister happily.

"Abhi bring Pari... come home," the toddler mimicked, and giggled.

 

 And in the guest room, away from the solemn conversation now taking place, the two children playfully enjoyed themselves.

"Pari come home...Pari come home," Aryia chanted as her brother danced with her.

Sanjay had never felt so proud of himself.

[NOCOPY]

crtkelly2016-05-28 00:42:22