Maan & Geet - Midnight Sun - Page 5

"Rajji! Rajji!" Tayyi-ji burst into Geet & Rajji's room. Rajji was finishing off her plaits.

"Ji, Maa?"

"Where's Geet?" she asked, her scrutinising gaze shifting around the room.

"In the bathroom, Maa."

"Tell her to hurry up, Brij wants his breakfast."

"Ji."

Tayyi-ji left, & Geet emerged from the bathroom, fixing her dupatta.

"Geet di, you're late, Brij Veerji is already awake."

Geet's eyes widened in panic as she realised she was late. She quickly put her slippers on & rushed downstairs to the kitchen, before anyone could see her.

Brij insisted that Geet made his food, he said it was part of her duty to her elder brother. Yet Brij was far from seeing Geet as his younger sister.

Aware of how her parents were killed & why, Brij saw Geet as a burden, a nuisance to the family who shouldn't belong. He was eager to get her married off straight away so he wouldn't have to bear the sight of her. Brij wasn't keen at all on how his younger sister, Rajji, was close to Geet. He saw her as a disease rather than a human being.

Geet began to boil the hot water for the tea & make the 2 chappatis that Brij ate every morning. Her hands were tightly clutched to the kitchen worktop as she waited for Brij's arrival, then his angry bellowing.

The sound of soft footsteps emerged and Geet began silently praying to Babaji.

"GEEETTT!"

And there it was.

She rushed out quickly, the hot tea in her hand.

"Where's my breakfast?" Brij asked angrily.

"Ji, Veerji, I'm just-"

"Just is not enough! Don't just stand there & gawk at me, go & make it, quickly! And pour that tea down the drain, I want a fresh cup now."

"Ji," she whispered quietly & went back to the kitchen. As she prepared his food, she bit her lip to prevent herself from breaking down as the images of her parents flashed back into her mind.

Every night she had dreams where her parents would appear, calling out to her. And every time she would try to reach out to them, touch them, be with them.

But then reality seeped in as they would disappear from her & she would wake up, realising they'd never come back again.

She finished making Brij's breakfast & took it through, at which point Darjee & Uncle-ji had appeared. Darjee sat at the head of the table, remininding everyone of his position of authority.

Geet placed the breakfast down slowly in front of Brij, who gave her a deathly glare. She quickly hurried off to the kitchen, & was now joined by Tayyi-ji.

"Geet, why did Brij receive his breakfast so late today?" she asked as she prepared food for everyone else.

"Ji, Tayyi-ji, I... I overslept a little."

"You know how he likes his breakfast on time. If I made it for him, I would ensure that his breakfast is placed on his seat before he came downstairs. But it's your duty to look after your elder brother. He relies on you, Geet. Don't be late with his food again."

"Ji," she whispered silently as she watched Tayyi-ji take her food out to everyone else. Rajji appeared by her side, tugging on her arm.

"Di, are you ok now?" she asked, showing nothing but concern.

Geet lovingly patted her cheek.

"Yes, Rajji, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, ok? Go and have your breakfast."

"Aren't you going to join us?"

Geet shook her head. "I'm not feeling very well today."

"If you don't eat di, I won't either."

"And if you don't eat, all hell will break loose from Brij Veerji. And we don't want that now, do we? Go."

Rajji left the kitchen, and Geet went upstairs to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her & leant against it, closing her eyes.

When she opened them again, she saw the photo frame which was placed on the dressing table that Uncle-ji had kindly given her. She walked over to it, picked it up & smiled.

The photo was of her parents, with her father picking her up. Uncle-ji told her she was 4 years old then. Her mother & father were happily smiling at the camera, while she was placing a kiss on her father's cheek.

She stroked her mother in the photo frame, then her father.

"I miss you both so much," she whispered. "But I know that you're in a better place, & Babaji is taking care of you."

And with that, she placed the photo frame back down & wiped the tear away with her dupatta that was threatening to escape from her eyes.