"I'm scared."They sat on the porch, overlooking the sweltering sun high in the clouds and the grassy plains before them. Sheltered beneath a wooden roof, her bare feet twisted back and forth, their hands mere inches apart from their resting places.
"Don't be."
"It's easy for you to say. You've known her for so long."
He looked away, assuming she was expressing her disdain towards his secrecy. She glanced at his pained expression and leaned towards him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"I wouldn't blame you."
"But I don't blame you, not at all. It was my decision."
"Perhaps I shouldn't have maintained the distance, like you asked me to. I should have made more an effort. What kind of a person does that make me, one who pursues his own selfish needs?"
A silence fell over them, and a layer of tears formed in her eyes. Here he was, the man upon whom she had placed such a burden for all these years, sat beside her, supporting her like he always had. Did she deserve him? Did she deserve to be here, after her own greed had driven her away from what was always hers?
And her sister, the sister who spent days and nights worried about her. She had left without a word, akin to the way she had left her homeland behind. She never told her the entire truth, never revealed what was really going on. And she deserved to know, out of all people.
She might have been the eldest, but her sister was the grounded and mature one. From childhood there had been a recklessness inside of her, the same recklessness which spurred her to do the unthinkable. A part of her longed to return her calls and tell her everything; the other part refused, knowing what the consequence could bring.
He nudged her shoulder and pointed into the distance. She squinted her eyes to find a little girl running towards them through the fields, her curly hair billowing behind her and a paper fluttering in her hand with the wind. She stood up, spellbound by the sight and then suddenly reached for his hand and squeezed it tight.
"I can't do this," she whispered, and moved to turn back but he held her by the shoulders and whispered reassuring words into her ear.
The little girl came to a stop before them, her chubby cheeks puffy and red from the physical exertion.
"Papa, who is this lady?"
She knelt down and smiled. "You are as beautiful as your Papa described you."
The girl smiled shyly, scrutinising the woman before her and then her eyes widened and she gasped. "You have curly hair just like me!" She broke out into a set of giggles, her delicate hand covering her mouth; the small dimples protruding.
Geet gasped for air, suddenly feeling her lungs close in. She moved away and turned her back to the girl, feeling overwhelmed and nauseous.
"Are you okay?" Maan asked, stepping aside and touching her shoulder. Geet nodded, but then the little girl announced the arrival of her mother, and a tall, black haired woman stepped onto the porch - her green eyes flitting between Maan and Geet.
Seher Hone Ko Hai
Tum Se Tum Tak
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