Chapter 35

Chapter 31-Jaspal

The hum of the music calmed him down as he sat with his legs crossed,letting the notes of the kirtan wash over him.Beside him,his bebe was close to tears as she listened to the harmonium solo which followed.It had taken a week of cajoling to convince her to come to the Gurudwara and it seemed his efforts had finally borne fruit.

They rose once the prayers were over and waited by the door as their fellow devotees left.He caught her eye and a flicker of surprise passed before she smiled at him.She saw bebe and suddenly became rather wary. He grimaced.Tensions had been running high since the debacle with the business with Bebe blaming Gurleen for retaliating and destroying their peace.He had decided to remain neutral in this situation,a decision which did not sit well with his mother.Gurleen had simply shrugged it off.Her nonchalance bothered him more than it ought to.

He wouldn't have minded an argument or even a demonstration of possessiveness.He watched her approach them with bated breath.

"Sat sri akaal Bebe,Jaspal ji."

She bent down to touch bebe's feet,refusing to meet his eyes.

"Jeethi raho puttar."

His bebe placed a hand on her head and gently caressed it.

"Puttar, I have no words to describe your music.It sounded simply divine."

She looked uncomfortable,

"Bebe,I don't think I can accept your praise. This is music for god.I can only play what he makes me.Please don't be offended."

"Oh puttar,how could I be offended?I now understand why my husband likes you so much."

"Bebe, it's time to serve food in the langar."he interjected.

"Of course, let's go",she headed towards the hall,leaving him alone with Gurleen.

He gently touched her elbow,"What's wrong?",he asked her softly.

She looked at him ,her eyes troubled.

"I don't think she likes me much.She had come to our house last week with Daarji.She took me aside to tell me how disappointed she was.I guess she wants to call this marriage off.She thinks I might ruin your life ."

"Bebe being upset is nothing new.She hates it when anyone opposes Daarji,even if they're her own children.You might be interested to hear that she slapped me for going along with Daarji."

His cheeks winced from the memory.

"I'm sorry,"she apologized.

He chuckled.

"You're missing my point .Bebe is quick to anger and usually easy to forgive.If I'm not mistaken,our civility, open affection and your humility has already endeared you to her."

She smiled for the first time and his heart leapt.

"I believe we have Prasad to serve.Shall we?",he asked her.She nodded happily.

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It took them longer than usual to finish serving the food.The turnout was much greater than usual,the date being the day before lohri.It wasn't long before they ran out of food.To his pleasant surprise,bebe insisted on assisting in the kitchen and bade the two to join in as well.The cooks were more than willing to welcome the extra hands.

"Look here,am I right in assuming the two of you have never cooked for a langar before?"

Both of them glanced at each other before shaking their heads in unison.

"Listen to me carefully.There are strict rules to be followed.First if all,wash your hands properly,next tie your parna properly;,it must cover your mouth and nose and finally you may not chatter.It is preferable to utter gurbani while you prepare the food.And I know shouldn't be reminding you of this,do not taste the food.I'm keeping an eye on you Jaspal."

He spluttered in indignation while Gurleen started laughing.

"I have known you for twenty seven years puttar.So obviously,I know who stole the kada Prasad from the path room on baisakhi twenty years ago."

He merely rolled his eyes.

"Let's get to work then.Bebe ,Gurleen and I will make the rotis."

She nodded and waved them off.

They washed their hands and tied their parnas.He helped her carry the sack of flour to their working area.It took them quick work to prepare the dough.He heated the tava while she meticulously rolled balls of dough and flattened them for him to cook.Once they had a considerable amount of rotis ready,the servers collected them for distribution.

They worked in companionable silence.If he strained his ears,he could hear her sing the gurbani softly as she worked.He felt a sense of calm wash over him .All his worries regarding his strained relationships with his family, the repressed anger and frustration,his confusion surrounding the nature of his relationship with Gurleen and the cynicism usually pervading him vanished,even if it was for a short while .Babaji would take care of everything,all they had to do was stick to their chosen paths with a clear conscience and everything would fall into place on its own.

He felt grateful for the life he'd been given for the first time.Despite their flaws,his parents did try to love them the best way they could.Infact the part of the reason why his daarji had engaged in this whole blackmail debacle was that in his own twisted way he'd tried to match his son with a suitable partner.One of the reasons bebe hadn't completely dismissed Gurleen was his own admiration for her.Inder veerji and Jassi di might be god awful people,but they still cared for him,enough to try to break what they'd considered an unhappy engagement.

"That's the last one Jaspal ji."

He snapped out of his reverie.It had been a beautiful day after all.