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Chapter Thirty Eight
Naina had just arrived home from college and gotten changed into some casual clothes when there was a soft knock on the door. She opened it to find Sherry standing there looking tired and a little bit upset, but with determination in her eyes.
"Bhabhie I've made a very serious decision and I need your help for it." She announced to Naina, marching into the room.
For a moment Naina was worried, after all there were so many things going on in Sherry's life that any serious decision she made could have extreme consequences.
"What is it that you need help with?" she asked cautiously, "What decision have you made?"
Seeing Naina looking so unsure, Sherry rolled her eyes. "Don't worry Bhabhie, it's nothing that you'll get into trouble with Bhaiyya for… in fact he might even be happy. Close the door and we'll get started."
Naina had to admit, that when Sherry phrased it like that she was certainly intrigued.
**
With only a week left, preparations for Republic Day were in full swing. All of the cadets had been assigned different tasks whether it was for the decorations, the food, the accommodation for the parents or the march past. Sherry is surprised when along with Ali she is assigned part of the responsibility for the march past.
"It must be my new hair…" she remarks to Pooja half sarcastically and half humorously, trying to hide how happy it really has made her. "They now trust me more."
With Naina's help she had dyed her hair the night before, getting rid of the red streaks and now leaving it plain. Despite her friends asking many times, she still refuses to tell them the reason.
Pooja makes a face at her. "You're the lucky one," she tells Sherry, "My connection is busy with decorating the academy."
"So what's so bad about that?" Yudi asked her, "You did a great job of the decorations for Independence Day."
"There's nothing bad with it… except that it's a conference call with Major Nair." Pooja told them, "He wants me to look through his photo collection and pick out all the ones of the old Republic Day celebrations. Do you know how many photos that Mucchad actually has??? It's going to take me all week!"
"Cheer up Punjaben," Huda told her, "I'll gladly swap with you… I can't believe that they've made me a Bawarchi."
Yudi hid a grin at this, glad that this time Huda's attitude had been taken down a notch by having to help with the cooking.
"Well just make sure that you all get your accommodation forms to me and Aalekh on time," Yudi told them, "Or we're not going to be blamed when there's no rooms for your parents."
The bell rung just then, reminding all of them that they needed to go to their assigned duties. Until Republic Day, everybody would be concentrating on getting the arrangements exactly right. Sighing, Pooja bid goodbye to everyone else, giving a mournful look to Ali.
"Don't worry Pooja, it will be okay." He tried to reassure her, "Don't let Major Nair scare you, I know you'll do a wonderful job."
"Thank you mera Ranjha," Pooja told him with a sweet smile, "You've really given me a recharge right now. After all, how bad can looking through Mucchad's photos really be? He's so lazy he'll probably leave me to do it all by myself."
**
Pooja had been right. As soon as she arrived in Major Nair's room he had dumped several boxes of photos in front of her and excused himself, saying that he had some duties to attend to.
She spent a few minutes muttering about exactly how necessary his outgoing call really was before getting started on the work. It took her hours going through all the photos, opening every box. Fortunately Major Nair seemed to be somewhat organized, having separate boxes for separate occasions.
Pooja had just opened another smallish box when she noticed that it seemed like it was photos taken of a ball of KMA. She looked through them quickly, admiring the dresses of the girls when suddenly she spotted a familiar face.
That was Naina's brother… standing arm in arm with a girl holding up a mask in front of her face.
She was just about to look to see if there was more when the door opened, startling Pooja. Hurriedly she shoved the photo back into the pile and closed the lid on the box as Major Nair walked in, not wanting him to see what she was looking at.
"Have you finished yet, Cadet Ghai?" he asked her, sneeringly. "Or does it take you as long to sort through photos as it does to complete your drills?"
"No Sir! I'm finished now!" Pooja told him, too scared to say anything else. She wished she could've gotten those photos for Naina, but now that he was back…
With a sigh, Pooja took the photos that she had found and left the room as quickly as possible, feeling very nervous under Major Nair's glare.
**
Naina tried not to look self conscious as all the first year cadets filed into the classroom, glancing at her curiously. She was half amused and half nervous about what Raj had requested her to help with, never having had to help with any of his classes before.
"Good afternoon Mrs Shekawat!" Some of the cadets greeted her as she came in, Sherry gave her a bright smile, and Naina was once again struck by the difference that the new hair made on her. She looked older, more mature, and a bit softer too. Aalekh also gave Naina a small smile, standing close by to her sister-in-law.
Naina was proud of the way he had taken on the responsibility of looking after her, she knew that given the opportunity Aalekh would fulfill any responsibilities given to him, all he needed was a chance and for somebody to trust him. Pooja entered along with Ali and on seeing Naina looked like she really wanted to say something to her, but stopped herself when she glanced around seeing everybody else there. Naina wondered what it was, but she didn't have long to ponder because as soon as everybody had entered the empty classroom, Raj called them to attention.
"You must be wondering what we're all doing in this empty classroom today, and also why Naina has joined us." He told them, a small smile on his face. "Well as you all know, we're currently preparing for Republic Day. What you might not know is that a number of important dignitaries will be visiting us on the occasion and we will be holding a formal ball to as part of the celebrations to welcome them. As officers in the Indian Army you will have to attend many such occasions with your seniors as well as politicians, so it's important that you start practicing now. Naina has joined me today so that she can help me to demonstrate the proper steps for waltzing. Now I want you all to find a partner, unless you would like me to choose for you…" He raised his eyebrow with the last statement as the cadets scrambled to get to whoever they would prefer to dance with.
Pooja grabbed Ali's hand possessively while he blushed, Huda headed towards Sherry before stopping midway when he saw her nod at Aalekh, giving him a small smile. Instead, hiding a scowl, he headed towards Sonali bowing down to her charmingly. Yudi ends up partnered with Vaishali, and the rest of the cadets pair up as well.
Raj extends his hand out to Naina and she feels her heart flutter, trying to hide a smile at her own silliness. She's been married to him for such a long time now, and yet every time he looks at her with that gaze, she once again feels like a teenager on a first date.
"Alright cadets," Raj tells them, "Turn to face each other, boys, put your hand on your partner's waist, and take her other hand like so. Girls, put your free hand on your partner's shoulder."
He demonstrated, placing his hand firmly on Naina's waist while he took her other hand gently in his. Squeezing it slightly, he gave her a wink that the class couldn't see, and she once again tried to hide a smile as she put her hand on his shoulder.
Raj turned to survey the class, and sighed at what he saw. "Cadet Baig, you're meant to have your hand on Cadet Ghai's waist, not next to it." He informed Ali, and rolling her eyes, Pooja reached out and took Ali's hand, placing it firmly on her waist before returning hers to his shoulder.
Letting go of Naina, Raj walked around the room correcting everybody's stance, nodding at his sister when he saw that she had made sure she and Aalekh were in the right positions. They had both had dance lessons when they were younger, Gehlot Saheb had made sure that nothing was missing in their upbringing… Raj wondered where things had gone wrong, when the Minister had stopped paying attention to his daughter's life and only focused on his career. He had been busy even when Raj was younger, but now… something had changed, but Raj wasn't quite sure he knew what it was. Perhaps he didn't want to admit that the man he admired so much didn't care enough about his daughter.
He returned to Naina then, and seeing his serious expression she gave him an enquiring look but he just shook his head slightly to indicate that he would tell her later. For the next half hour he tried to teach the cadets to waltz, frequently hiding smiles at their mistakes. Aalekh had proved a fast learner, and both Huda and Sonali were doing well. Yudi wasn't so bad once he gained some confidence, but every time he got nervous he fell all over Vaishali's feet. Ali was probably the worst off, although he was graceful he was too shy to lead Pooja in the dance properly.
Observing them, and occasionally calling out comments and suggestions to them, Raj turned to find Naina watching him with a smile on her face.
"What is it?" he asked her quietly so that the cadets couldn't hear.
"I was just remembering when you taught me to dance." She told him, "We've come such a long way since then…"
Raj reached out to take her hand, squeezing it. For a moment he was unable to look away from her, entranced by the glow on her face, her shyness as she looked at him. He was brought back to reality by the sound of the bell, and turned to find most of the cadets watching them, looking somewhat amused. Raj struggled not to blush, telling himself it would be ridiculous to feel embarrassed in front of them.
"Alright cadets, if I'm not wrong then you have a class with Major Nair next so you had better hurry if you don't want to be in trouble!" he warned them, and the cadets filtered out of the classroom, Pooja glancing back over her shoulder as if she still wanted to say something.
"Yet again I couldn't get my call to Naina connected…" she muttered under her breath, and Aalekh paused beside her.
"What's wrong, Punjaben?" he asked her, "You need to talk to Naina?"
"Actually when I was looking through Major Nair's photos there were some pictures of her brother there…" Pooja told Aalekh, "I thought that Naina should know."
"Then why didn't you take them for her?" Aalekh asked, frustrated, "She should have them."
"As soon as I found them, Mucchad arrived back… I couldn't do anything." Pooja replied, equally as frustrated, "What should I do now?"
"Just leave that up to me." Aalekh told her, a glint in his eyes.
He knew what his responsibilities as a brother were.
He would definitely fulfill them.
**
As soon as the cadets were gone, Raj took Naina's hand in his, before placing his other hand on her waist, beginning to waltz with her properly. She laughed happily, content to sway in his arms.
"I'm looking forward to Republic Day," she told him, "It's definitely going to be a special occasion, and I can't wait to finally meet your godfather."
"Hmmm," Raj replied thoughtfully, "Well, I just hope that everything goes well… it's an important occasion for the academy."
"Are you worried?" Naina asked him quietly, "That something might…"
"There's no indication that anything will go wrong…" Raj reassured her, "I think we should have a perfectly peaceful Republic Day, not like Independence Day…" He still remembered the blast, which could easily have killed Dr Mishra…
"The ball should be fun as well," Naina says smilingly, "I wanted to take Sherry out to buy something to wear, it's her first ball at the academy after all."
"Whose idea was it to dye her hair?" Raj asked curiously, "Did you suggest it?"
"No, she came to me herself and asked me to do it." Naina informs him, as he dips her over slightly, "I can't help but think that it's important, that maybe finally she's accepted that she belongs here."
"I hope so," Raj replies, "And I hope that Lala Saheb might notice… and show her some approval. There's so many bad feelings between the two of them that I have no idea how their relationship can be repaired."
"Sometimes these things need time…" Naina told him, "In the beginning your relationship with Sherry wasn't good either… but now it's obvious to everybody how much you love each other."
"That's all because of you." Raj told Naina, leaning in to kiss her cheek, "I could never have done it without you."
He spins her out and back in suddenly, and feeling faint at the sudden movement, she presses a hand to her forehead, leaning over slightly.
"Are you alright?" Raj asked her, concerned, smoothing circles on his back.
"I think it's just been far too long since we last did this." She tells him, "I'm not used to it anymore."
"Then we'll have to practice far more in future." Raj told her, "But for now, I think we've had enough."
Stepping back and still holding her hand, he bowed to her slightly and then raised it to his lips.
"Flirt." Naina accused him playfully.
"Always." He promised her with a smile.
**
The last bell had already rung and Ali had left to meet Pooja when Sherry flopped down on the grass, determined to spend a few moments alone before returning to the hostel. She needed to prepare herself, her father was arriving in less than a week and she hadn't seen him since he dropped her off at Diwali.
She wishes that she never had to see him again.
She fights against the wave of hatred that rises in her at the thought of him. She has to control her emotions, it's better if her brother and Naina don't find out what he really is, because if they do…
She can't lose them, not now, when she's finally learnt what family really is.
Her solitude doesn't last for long however, as she spots a familiar figure approaching her and struggles to suppress the smile that rises automatically to her lips.
She has to stop this… she's told herself so many times and yet somehow her heart never listens.
She should never have fallen for him… because all she can give him is ruination.
She looks up as he approaches her, picking blades of grass absent mindedly. He smiles at her almost self consciously and she wonders what has happened. Usually he's perfectly open around her, she can guess his thoughts clearly, but today he seems almost guarded, as if he doesn't want her to know what he's feeling.
"I like your new hair." Abhimanyu tells her, sitting down beside her, "It suits you."
Against her will, Sherry smiles again, remembering their very first conversation and judging by the expression on his face, he remembers it too.
"Thanks," she replies, "I thought that it was time for a change."
"You've stopped rebelling," he remarks, "At least against the military."
She should've known that he would understand her reasons for doing it, that this was her way of declaring that she had now accepted her life in KMA, that it was what she wanted. Nobody could ever force her to change her hair but now she has chosen it for herself.
She fingers one darkened strand of hair thoughtfully, before tucking it back behind her ear. Abhi looks away from her, he's been wishing that he could have done the same thing ever since he sat down.
"When my father arrives, I hope he realizes it as well." She says quietly, "He should know that I'm serious about this, that I'm going to protect my country."
"Are you worried about what he thinks?" Abhi asks her, "Does it really matter to you?" He's curious, because before now he had always felt that Sherry hated her father, that she had no desire to see him at all.
"No, it makes no difference to me what he thinks." She says, and he can tell by her tone that it's true, "I just want him to know."
She looks down at the ground then, continuing to pick at blades of grass and he takes the opportunity to really look at her properly.
She's even more beautiful than he had ever realized, it's easier to see it now that she's changed her hair than there was before. She's not beautiful in the same way that models or actresses are but there's something in her that shines past all of the hostility and anger. Perhaps that is why he has…
"So when are you going to change your hair?" she finally asks him, when the silence has stretched on for too long.
"Why?" Abhi asks her, "Do you think I should?"
Sherry shakes her head, "No, I like your hair the way it is." She tells him seriously, "You don't need to change anything."
He stares at her for a moment, unable to respond and she looks away because the expression on his face is far too intense. If she didn't know better she would say that it was one of longing, and she can't allow that to happen, never.
"Sherry, I…" Abhi starts to say, and then stops himself because really, what can he tell her, that Huda was right? That without realizing when it happened he's fallen in love with her? That he now can't imagine his life without her in it?
"You don't need to change anything either," he finally tells her, "You've always been perfect the way you are."
And she smiles, slightly self consciously, and he falls for her all over again.
Despite the fact that he really, really shouldn't.
For so many reasons, including the ones that he doesn't know yet.
Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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