Sheriff Satyen
“Some things” Satyen grunted “I don’t need to be told” he knotted his tie. A help stood on the side praying he doesn’t fall off without his stick
Smrita was in the shower
Raanav was summoned
“I don’t want you moving out. I am not saying this so you can stick around and care for a broken old man” Satyen laughed
Raanav squirmed
“I am saying this because I want o assure you I will deal with this”
“I am fine I can too”
“My disappointment with you was because of what you believed in, or what I understood as your value system”
Raanav did not respond a word
“I am in many ways responsible for how dysfunctional this family is
“Umm”
“Ek second beta… I continued allowed Mum to hold on to her… I could have had a million squabbles with her, one I didn’t have the time, two, you two were born close together almost like twins, she did not get much help from her parents as you know because of the way she abandoned her education to get married. I decided I am going to be easy about this. I wasn’t going to sit around and trash her and delight in her failures. I decided to support her”
Satyen paused turning away from the mirror and facing his son
“Whatever she was telling herself along the way, however she decided to conduct herself was all NOT invisible to me Raanav. I saw it heard it and read about it” he sighed
Raanav leaned on the tall window sipping his coffee
“I should have cared, I should have intervened I did not. Now we have Viveka on the verge of leaving this house”
“She.. is not she doesn’t… I mean”
He raised his hand to shush Raanav
“But you brought it up
Raanav sipped again trying not to make eye contact
“You waited 30 years to stand up to your Mum. Only when it meant you were going to lose Viveka Mathur”
“Actually… Viveka knows what I feel about her”
“Phir to zyaada galat baat hai beta, you allowed your mother to influence you while you wooed your lady love”
“So my timing of rebellion is a big deal now?”
“Sure be angry… but somethings I heard at the Srivastav Satyanarayan Katha last June were NOT OK”
“Did u talk to Mum about it?” Raanav was gleeful
“Did u think I have not?” Satyen was not happy
“Umm”
“Tum dono yeh sochte ho the opinion you hold is something to be proud of… MA ki baat samajh aati hai mujhe…. YOU? U were not homeless, or undergoing any trauma of any sort, I am not sure why or how things came to be this way, where Mum decided she was going to tell you what to like and who to like”
Satyen sat down wobbly and reached for his socks
“Sire breakfast laga doon?”
“Yahin le aayen aap” he smiled at the help
“Will u eat?”
“Viveka is asleep with her?”
“SONEY do usko” “Sheesh” Satyen scolded his son
“Jesus!” “Chill” Raanav was irriated
“If u are anything like how I used to be then u must be pretty needy”
“I am NOT… my wife does too many things I hardly see her Dad” Raanav was hurt
“My wife was unemployed and I saw her all the time?” Satyen laughed out loud
“I did not say that”
“Don’t worry that’s not the issue here, the issue is, Viveka has been humiliated and what part you played in it?”
“Since you froze me off Ive attempted to… umm.. whats the word”
“Cleaned up your act”
“Viveka’s social status never bothered me”
“Only Naina’s did?” Satyen mocked his son and winked
Raanav hated that
He knew his Dad was right
“I am on board with you guys moving out… you are both young, I want you to be adventurous and have a good time and not be shackled, and travel the world. I just don’t want it to stem from a degraded precedent, u are a lawyer u understand what I mean”
“Its not”
“Aapko bahut logon se maafi maangni hai beta… probably all the Mathurs, while you are at it the Shrivastavs too”
“I”
“If you have an argument for that statement then obviously I have failed in making my point” Satyen leaned forward as the aroma wafted through the giant tray placed before him with many bowls in it
“Sir, Ma’am ke bhaisaab pooch rahe hain aap ke saath kar lein kya breakfast”
“Aap unko kahen, Ma’am karengi unke saath breakfast, hum yaha Raanav ke saath hain”
“Jee sir”
“How is Cleo?” Jet lagged?”
“Not really, his eyes lit up
“Bring her upstairs before I head out to work” Satyen whiled away time as the help set up his and raanav’s breakfast on a large side table and served the first portions and left
Raanav ambled toward his Dad
“You don’t have to make the apology formal if it shames you, but express to them what you think of them in a really nice way” Satyen chewed on the omelette, relishing the veggies and spices
“Umm…” Raanav was not at all on board with the idea
He didn’t care for Naina… or he cared for her as much or as little as he cared for Inder
This was going to be tricky for sure
He wondered why his Mum was taking so long
She was taking a bath and not a shower
When u are wealthy and don’t have to make breakfast for your brood you can take a hour long bath at 8 AM
Raanav ate quietly
“Under no circumstances should Viveka or her siblings or her family feel they are out of their league, its basic human courtesy. It would be like me shutting my lunch plate with a lid when Rajiv Syal walks into the room, samajh gaye na baat?” Or turn away from Chachu when I pull out my wallet, or ensure Viren Dhamija is not around when I make a land deal”
Raanav stared at him quietly
“If you cannot bring yourself to treat her like an equal, AND her FAMILY as your equal you have no business being married to her”
Satyen ate quietly afterwards
Smrita came out looking ravishing
“Without meeeeee? SATYAAA” she cooed
He pecked her on the lips
“Join me”
“Private breakfast date Huh?” she hugged Raanav
“Umm..” Raanav mumbled
“Whats the scoop”
“I said he could go live with Viveka under certain conditions” Satyen smiled satisfied
Book Talk
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
