Here is a new update my fellow Arylie-ans. I look forward to your thoughts, feedback, critique. In this chapter and the next, Malini has a lot to say to Imlie. The dialogues are a tad bit long, so I apologize in advance. There is a purpose though to her diatribe and it needs to be this way.
Chapter 2:
“Damn you Aditya Kumar Tripathi”, Aryan cursed silently. He sighed and dropped a kiss on Imlie’s hair. Inhaling its clean scent, he steadied his temper. Gently tipping her chin with his fingers, “Talk about it?” he asked. She nodded. “Come let’s eat while we talk”. Aryan pulled her towards their bed.
“I really have no appetite, Aryan.” Imlie made a feeble protest.
“You’ve got to eat, Imlie. If I am guessing right you’ve probably had nothing since breakfast.” He reminded her firmly.
They sat on their bed, a tray of food between them. She stared at her plate, pushing her food around with her spoon. He watched her for a few minutes. Imlie was a natural empath and whatever had happened today must have really shaken her to the core. His normally bubbly sweetheart was too pensive. “Imlie?” She looked up at him. “Sorry, were you saying something?” Aryan put his spoon down and picked hers up, mixing some dal, chawal and sabji, he lifted a spoonful to her lips. “Khao”. She opened her mouth like an obedient child, her eyes wistful. He filled another spoonful and was about to lift it when she layed her hand on his. “Hum khud kha lenge. (I’ll eat)” She said with a small sad smile. They ate in silence for a few minutes, before he broached the elephant in the room.
“What happened?” He asked quietly.
She took a deep breath. This was them. From the very beginning, her life had been an open book for Aryan. He had stormed in to her life when she was at a crucial crossroad. She had just voluntarily left her husband, her Babusaheb, the man she had worshipped. Babusaheb had been her entire universe but his repeated demonstration of complete lack of faith in her had pushed her to the edge. An unimaginable cliff. Babusaheb knew well that to her, trust probably trumped love in a relationship. Nevertheless he battered her spirit over and over again by dismissing her, doubting her. While it took Aryan a while to open up about his own torments, she had, despite his outward arrogance, always been able to open her heart to him knowing instinctively that he would not judge her.
“You know Aparna maa and Papa are out of town, right?” She asked. He nodded, remembering that Imlie and Neel had had to skip their nightly rendezvous last night.
“I have not seen Didi for many months. When I got there, the door was locked and Neel didn’t know how to work the deadbolt. My poor baby was so scared. The security guard helped though. We found her on the floor, barely breathing, unconsciousness.” She lifted her lashes and looked at him again, tears glistening, “She has changed so much, Aryan. Her face is rounder, her left arm is terribly swollen and looked to be bleeding. With the help of security I managed to get her and Neel in the car and drive to the hospital. Initially they wouldn't admit her unless her family was present. I somehow convinced them to let me sign consents as her sister.”
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Imlie waited outside the intensive care unit, with a tired Neel sitting on her lap with his head on her chest.
“Is mamma going to be okay, maasi?” His little voice wobbly with tears.
She nodded encouragingly, “Of course, sweetheart! You see all these doctors, they are working hard to make sure she is going to be fine again.”
In addition to a multitude of medical complications, Malini had overdosed on pain medications, the nurse had said. She looked at the door with trepidation. “She will be okay, right, Sita maiyya?” She sent up a silent prayer to her special friend and confidante.
Nearly an hour later, a kind looking, distinguished elderly man walked out. “Mrs. Rathore?” He called out. Imlie walked over to him, with Neel hitched on her hip. “That’s me. Please, you can call me Imlie.” She said.
“Dr. Shrikant Chitale. I am the Director of Oncology.” He introduced himself. Oncology= cancer specialist, her mind quickly processed.
The doctor looked at the sleepy little boy on her hip. Neel laid his head on her shoulder.
“I”ll be right back.” He came back a few minutes later with a friendly, smiling young woman.
“This is Priyanka Iyengar, our ICU social worker.” He introduced her.
Priyanka laid a gentle hand on Neel’s back “Hey friend! Ooh” she widened her eyes in mock surprise, “Is that a baby elephant in your stomach I hear? “
That seemed to get Neel’s attention. He looked at Imlie who smiled at him encouragingly and looked back at the sweet faced lady. He grinned at her, “No you don’t! It’s a baby lion.” He announced.
“What?? No way!” Priyanka said as Imlie quietly slid Neel’s feet to the ground. Priyanka bent down to face him. “You know what? Dr. Chitale has a bunny rabbit and a turtle in his office. Would you like to meet them?” Dr. Chitale and Imlie smiled at Priyanka’s obvious comfort with kids.
Neel looked up to his maasi for permission. Imlie smiled and nodded in assent. As she saw her precious nephew disappear, she turned her attention to the kind faced doctor.
“How is she?” She asked him.
“She is out of danger……for now. But her cancer…” he shook his head sadly. “She wants to see you, Imlie. I think now is as good a time as any.” Imlie looked uncertainly down the way Neel had left.
“It’s okay, he will be fine with Priyanka. As you can see she is really good with children.” Dr. Chitale reassured her. Imlie nodded. She wiped her damp hands on her dress and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. With a deep breath she steeled herself and opened the door to the ICU. “She is in bed 8,” she heard the doctor murmur softly behind her.
She walked over to bed 8 and drew back the curtain. Malini lay propped up on pillows, her swollen left arm, freshly bandaged was elevated with a cushion as well. She closed the curtain and looked back at the doctor. "Why is she on oxygen?" she asked him, worry evident on her face.
"The cancer has affected her lungs such that she has multiple masses in there that are now causing fluid to build up around her lungs. So, she is unable to maintain her oxygen levels. She is getting by on the oxygen but later today, we will likely have to remove some of that fluid."
Imlie winced. "That sounds painful."
"I won't lie, its not comfortable." he said.
"Her arm? Why was it bleeding?"
"She has extensive wounds. I have been caring for her all along, but this is the first time that they have bled so profusely." Imlie, closed her eyes with sadness, she could only imagine what Malini Didi was going through. She tuned back towards her cubicle, mustered courage and opened the curtain again.
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Sensing Imlie’s presence, Malini opened her eyes. Imlie’s breath caught. The same eyes that always spewed fire at her were red rimmed, swollen and anxious.
Imlie slowly extended a shaky hand and laid it gently on Malini’s good arm. “You wanted to talk to me?” She asked her hesitantly.
Malini nodded and looked away. A few moments later she looked back at Imlie. She took a deep breath and began, “I have envied you since the moment I laid eyes on you, Imlie." she looked at her "Aditya brought home a fresh faced 18 year old servant girl from some village” Imlie frowned at that, but Malini continued, seemingly oblivious to her, “and within a few days you had charmed everyone in the household. I could see how awkward he was around you and he hid that by being rude to you. I always wondered why….why instead of just ignoring you if he didn’t like you, why did he choose to go out of his way to be mean to you?” Malini paused for a few breaths.
“Malini didi, we don’t need to…” Imlie began protesting, but Malini held up her hand.
Regaining her breath she continued “My suspicions grew and became reality when he left me for you. YOU, an average looking, 19 year old, who could not speak one straight sentence in English. What did he see in you? I wondered. I mean I had invested 7 years of my youth courting Aditya but at the end of the day he chose you over me.” Imlie closed her eyes and just shook her head. How many time was Malini going to relive this? She wondered.
Malini had paused again. “And what twist of fate, the very girl I detested for wrecking my marriage, was my very own little sister. Could fate be more cruel? We had nothing in common except a biological father. I was beautiful, well educated, well mannered, cultured and you? Barely out of high school, you were an illegitimate child, your mannerisms uncultured and yet, you had it all. I was furious and oh how I hated you. But then…..” her eyes narrowed as though seeing a distant past, “ then, I managed to win Aditya back…”
Trying not to roll her eyes, Imlie just diverted her gaze. “Here we go again” she thought.
Malini continued, her eyes shining, smiling at her own fantasy, “He was mine again. I was carrying his child. We had history together and now we would have a child together. We would be a complete, happy family. I thought surely he would learn to love me, adore me again like he used to.”
Imlie bent her head and stared at a spot on the floor near her feet. .
“But he didn’t, Imlie. He never did.” Imlie heard the bitterness in Malini's voice. “And you know why…..don’t you, Imlie?" She said accusatorily, “You know exactly why. He simply could never get over you."
She pursed her lips and winced as she readjusted her back. “No matter how much I poisoned his mind against you, he still was forever lost in your memories.”
Imlie shuffled her feet uncomfortably, “Why in the world am I listening to this?” She thought and quietly began withdrawing her hand from Malini’s arm. But Malini was quick in grabbing it.
“Wait! It’s time we talk about it. I don’t have much …..time,” she panted. ”And I just cannot carry this burden alone anymore.” Imlie looked up alarmed. “Not much time?” She repeated.
Malini shook her head and looked away.
“Is that why you…..is that why you….” Why you overdosed, Imlie could not finish her question.
Malini shook her head vehemently and looked back at her. “No! I am many things, Imlie, but I am NOT a bad mother. I would never do that to Neel.”
“ But the cancer….. it’s eating away at me, my bones, my liver, my lungs and now my brain. Every time I breathe I feel like there are shards of glass in my chest, this arm…..Some days I hurt so bad, I…..” she drifted off, pausing again to take a few breaths, she continued “But no matter what I would not do that to Neel. He does not deserve that.”
“Aditya and I have not been able to provide him with a stable home.” Malini admitted grudgingly. “I tried hard to win Aditya over, to be the perfect wife, perfect bahu, perfect mother. “ Tears rolled down her cheeks. Imlie quickly reached in to her bag for a tissue. Malini accepted it and dabbed at them. She sniffled, “Yet even after marrying Aryan, you were a constant presence between us, Imlie.” They both looked looked away. Where was she taking this? Imlie wondered. Several moments passed in silence.
“I know you and Neel talk every night.” Malini said quietly. Imlie looked back at her, surprised. “I hated it. Hated that he looked forward to bedtime not because he wanted cuddles with me but because that was his time with you.” She smilled a sad smile, “The look of delight on his face when he talks about you with his Dada-Dadi,” the smile disappeared, it was as if her emotions were swinging like a pendulum, a toubled Imlie observed.
Eyes flashing Malini turned to Imlie. “So tell me, Imlie, how much….how much more will you snatch from me?”
Imlie bit back her retort and took in a deep breath. Slowly she began rising to her feet, slipping her hand out of Malini’s grasp.
“No, wait!” The pendulum swung again. “Wait! Please don’t go.” Malini pleaded tearfully. “I…….I…..I need you, Imlie. Please, stay.”
Imlie sat back down, perplexed by the volatility of her mood. Despite herself, she grasped Malini's hand again.
Coming up: Is Malini looking for a truce?
Edited by mltr16 - 3 years ago
Shiv Shakti
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
