Chapter 11

Chapter 9-Gurleen

"Parjaai,the expression is ,a penny for your thoughts."

Gurleen bit back.

Her Parjaai laughed and waved it off.

"Like I care.As long as you understand what I'm saying it's fine.Are you alright?"

Gurleen's shoulders slumped, a woebegone expression on her face.

"Do you really want me to dignify that question with an answer?"

"My my ,look at how high and mighty we've become.I came to apologise and check on you. I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner and prepare you for it."

"Why ?",was the only word Gurleen could muster.

"You can get your answers only from one person.And you know who that is."

She sighed.

Her Parjaai continued.

"The two of you have to talk at some point.You can't keep dancing around each other forever."

Gurleen got up and started pacing.

"It's difficult parjaai.Everything is a mess.I don't know what to think anymore.What does she want from me?"

"She loves you, you know that's true.It's just that she has always had difficulty in expressing herself."

Gurleen felt her anger rise.

"Really parjaai?She is perfectly fine when it comes to veerji.How in the whole wide world can you still defend her?Why on earth are you hell bent on whitewashing her? Is she blackmailing you or something?"

Pammi watched her sadly.

Gurleen turned to the door,tears in her eyes.

"I used to hate her you know,for bringing me home when she clearly didn't love me.I tried so hard to please her.I tried to be quiet, kind, helpful.I did whatever she asked of me.When I got to know of my parentage,I realised nothing mattered in the end.No matter what I did,I could never measure up to Amrit veerji as I wasn't supposed to exist in the first place.

I tried to hurt her ,just as she had hurt me.Then I just stopped.I started feeling bad for her.She hadn't ill treated me.In fact I was lucky to have been adopted legally and given the Babbar name .How could I punish her for my parents' mistake?So I stayed away.Everything was fine till she decided to mother me and decide something so important without my output.

She simply can't just show up out of the blue,claim to love me and expect me to love her back.It doesn't work that way.There is a line which cannot be crossed.

"Gurleen,we need you to take over the business.Amrit and I are in no condition to do so."

"What do you mean?Both of you are qualified and have more experience than me.You'll do splendidly."

"Amrit cannot have children."

Gurleen stopped short in her tracks.

"But how is it relevant to the succession?",she asked pointedly,"Why can't you just adopt?"

"It's always been a tradition for the business to be passed within the family.If Amrit and I can't have biological children,then what's the point of the inheritance?"

"Amrit veerji was nineteen when I got adopted.They already knew,didn't they? Is that the reason why I was brought here?Otherwise I would've been left in the orphanage,the same orphanage which burnt down later,leaving no survivors."

"I'm sorry Gurleen."

"I wish I had died in that fire."

There was a shocked gasp behind them.Unknown to them,Poonam had been listening to the conversation.Before they could react,Maitri di showed up.

"Gurleen , the Granthi is on the phone asking for you."

She shot down the stairs followed by her Parjaai.

"Gurleen puttar, don't worry.Your sarangi has been returned.You can come and get it."said the Granthi.

"Thank you chacha ji,thank you so much.I'll come immediately."

"I'm not the one you're supposed to be thanking puttar.You should thank the person who returned it.If you come soon you might get to thank him personally."

Feeling relieved,she grabbed her car keys and dashed out into the yard.

"Gurleen,where are you going in such a hurry?"

Silence

In her hurry , Gurleen failed to notice her momsie, at the top of the stairs with tears in her eyes and a very stunned looking Amrit staring at the scene,mouth agape.She rushed to the and turned on the ignition.Driving at breakneck speed she managed to reach the Gurudwara in record time.

Don't think about home.

Don't think about home.

Don't think about home.

Don't think about home.

She kept on chanting to herself as tears threatened to cloud her vision.She found the granthi near the kitchen who directed her towards the sarowar.There, she saw a serious looking man,gazing at the swans in the water,lost in thought.There seemed to be an air of tranquility about him as he smiled in contentment.The smile lit up his face almost dimming the beauty around.Her sarangi had been placed on a ledge,near the step he was standing on,covered in a waterproof bag.

Descending the steps,she called out to him.Unfortunately, as he turned,slipped and toppled right into the water below.He clearly didn't know how to swim,as he flailed around before plummeting towards the bottom.She stood rooted in her spot,aghast.Without hesitation,she dived in after him.