Chapter 31:
"Okay. Stop it." Nayantara threw the fork on her plate and sighed loudly. Geet, who was sitting in opposite chair looked up at the sudden outburst from her sister.
"What?" Geet asked, confused.
"To start with you can stop being a total bitch," Tara didn't hold back and put it out quite bluntly. Geet blanched.
"What do you mean?" Geet asked, fully knowing what Tara was hinting at. She walked away from dining table and into living room and stood by the window. It was her way of avoiding confrontation.
Geet had completely cut off any sort of communications with Maya which was straining relationship amongst three of them. Tara had seen the coldness Geet seemed to emit every time Maya was in the room and plain indifference with her.
Tara walked and stood in front of Geet. "You are hurting mom Geet, can't you see that?" She asked, annoyed.
"I hurt her? Really?" Geet asked, surprise covering her features. Tara just nodded.
"Do you know what has she done Tara?" Geet asked.
"No. I don't. Why don't you tell me?" Tara challenged.
"She is responsible for my father's suicide," Geet said flatly. Tara flinched at the noncommittal way Geet responded. She could be a true ice queen when she wanted to.
"How did you arrive at this decision?" Tara asked.
"When he wanted her the most, she didn't support him. Isn't that enough of betrayal?"
"So she should have supported father irrespective of the fact that his decision could potentially ruin all of us?" Tara asked raising an eyebrow. Geet looked at her sharply. "Oh, don't look so surprised Geet. I spoke to Maan asking about your moodiness. He told me what happened at Dileep uncle's house." She replied. Geet didn't reply immediately.
"Everyone was aware of the fact that my father was a changed man when he came from overseas. He was feeling pressurized when he was questioned by someone regarding their operations."
"But Geet, wasn't all that his plan in the first place?"
"It was. But I guess guilt weighed him down in the end. So he wanted to come clean."
"Come clean, as in, tell the world that he and Dileep uncle had illegally injected cash into Khurana Capital and probably procured the capital illegally too, right?" Tara asked.
Geet frowned. "Yes. That's what my father wanted."
"And mom stopped him from doing that, correct? Instead of saving him and her family, she should have allowed him to continue with his plan and go to jail." Tara's voice was hard.
"At least he wouldn't be dead," Geet said her voice deadly.
"Are you sure?" Tara asked a moment later. Geet felt her chest constrict at that question.
"Don't you dare talk about my father like that Tara," Geet's voice didn't hold back on any threats. "Don't think that you know him more than I do."
"Then why did he do it Geet? Have you ever thought about it without blaming the whole thing on mom all the time?"
"I have thought about it and no matter how many times I think the thought always stops at her betrayal." Geet's voice was harsh. Tara winced at that and Geet's thought process rendered her speechless.
"Do you love dad so much that you cannot accept that fact he had a flawed personality and keep blaming mom for his choice?" Tara asked softly.
"Your mom betrayed my father. That's the truth," Geet said tonelessly.
Tara's jaw hung in shock and before she realized what she was doing she slapped Geet hard making Geet recoil in shock.
She and Geet may not have been the best of sisters but she always accepted Geet as her sister wholeheartedly. Sure she was mean to her, passed snide remarks and mocked her relentlessly but she had always seen her as her mother's daughter.
Geet had finally uttered the words which Tara always knew Geet had harbored them in her heart.
"You are truly amazing Geet. You managed to alienate the woman who has loved you as her own daughter for past two decades for the man, your father, who didn't care two hoots about his twelve year old daughter when he killed himself." Tara heaved as she struggled to keep her emotions and primarily her anger in check.
"Go to hell Geet." Tara turned and ran to her room. The slamming of her door reverberated in the house a moment later.
Geet collapsed on the floor in Tara's wake. She realized that in the entire conversation Tara had never once said "my father" or "my mother" unlike her. She had accepted Pratap as her father completely. Had she truly alienated her family in heart all along and the final revelation of truth was the trigger for it to finally come out in open? Maya had never differentiated between her and Tara but she had always maintained a distance from Maya hoping that by being that way she could she wouldn't betray her father. It was childish and juvenile but that had been her decision and she had stuck to it for all these years. And the words she exchanged with Tara had brought in a truth she herself was scared to acknowledge.
What have I done?
-- o00o --
"Are you okay?" Emily asked as soon as she set her eyes on Geet.
"I am not okay Emily. And I don't know what's wrong with me either," Geet burst out. Geet had called Emily to talk to her about the mess that was going on in her head before it was too late to repair the relationship with her family.
She explained everything to Emily in one shot – her hearing about her father's suicide, conversation with Tara, her apprehension, the betrayal she felt when her father died and Maya easy acceptance.
"I must be some sort of a horrible person to feel like that to the woman who loved me for past eighteen years. And I know that I hurt Tara much worse. She doesn't deserve this." Geet hiccupped.
"You are not a horrible person Geet but a mere human. Get that through your thick scull, okay?" Emily said handing her tissue.
"While I was walking to your place now I was thinking about the fight I had with Tara. She was right you know?" Geet said slowly after she wiped her face and hands clean.
"Which part?" Emily asked and frowned. "Wait. You walked from your house all the way to my apartment now?"
"Yes." Geet said, confused.
"All of eleven kilometers?" Emily asked slack jawed. Geet nodded.
"Why?" Geet asked.
"Never mind. Go ahead," Emily motioned to continue.
"I didn't want to believe that dad was capable of killing himself. Back then I was just losing people in my life and dad was the only one who was around. He was both my father and mother till he married mom and he was my hero; he was Maan's hero too. And when he left me so abruptly, I didn't know what to do. When I got older I came to know about Dileep uncle and mom's involvement in the whole thing and I guess I just blamed it on her. It was easier to deal that way you know?" Geet said.
"Listen Geet. Don't beat yourself on this. I think it's best to talk to your mom once," Emily said.
"I don't think she wants to talk to me Emily. Especially after the way I have been giving her the cold shoulder at every possible moment," Geet shook her head.
"She is your mother Geet. Don't be an idiot and insult the nurturing she has given to you all these years. Really, talk to her." Emily gently scolded Geet. "By the way, how are you planning to go home? It's late," Emily asked a moment later after checking her watch.
Geet smiled looking at her wanly.
"I am driving?" Emily asked. Geet nodded happily.
"Fine," Emily sighed and walked out of the apartment along with Geet.
"Emily, should I call and tell mom that I will be on my way?" Geet asked hesitantly. Emily smiled at her friend.
"I think that's a wonderful idea. Wait here till I get the car," said Emily and walked to the garage.
Geet looked at her cellphone for half a minute and finally made that call. Geet's voice shook when Maya picked the call right at the end of first ring.
She was waiting by the phone.
"Mom?" Geet asked hesitantly.
"Are you alright Geet?" Maya's voice was ever the same – calm and collected.
"I am coming home now," she said, swallowing.
"I will be waiting," Maya said a moment later. Geet hung up without adding on anything further.
Maybe her father was wrong. Maybe her mother was wrong. Or maybe all the circumstances that lead to her father suicide were wrong. Her father dealt with the situation in the way he deemed correct irrespective of the complication that was inflicted upon the family by his choice.
In the end he wasn't there for her.
But her mother was. And for now, it was enough.
To be continued.
Music companion for the day: Insomniac by Billy Pilgrim
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