Heera mused...
'However, he had his own strengths too - a strong ego and an iron will, to be precise.
"When I first met you I felt like I had known you forever..."
So, when Akbar subsequently looked up at her - at those hauntingly beautiful eyes hiding behind her drape - there was no trace of delicacy in his glance..
And then, turned to leave - the music of anklets softly following her trail towards the doorway.
However, just as he heard the last echoes of those anklets, the businessman called out to her 'If I may ask, how do you manage all this...'
Heera slowly stopped in her tracks.
'despite being partially sighted?' he concluded his question.
As she stood in her spot, she gauged the attitude - it didn't sound sarcastic. Or even suspicious. It sounded inquisitive. Was Khan Sahib actually asking her a straightforward question? Initiating a conversation? It was difficult to believe, since she didn't think he was much of a conversationalist.
And, she wasn't wrong - he was an introvert, through and through.
"You have survived your life with hurt and loneliness by your side..."
But he made an exception this time, because what he'd asked was a burning question - something that had been on his mind ever since he'd learnt of her disability that night.
And because the possibility of any further personal meetings between the two was next to none, his inquiring instincts came to the unexpected decision that it wanted to seek an answer now.
'What do you want to know, Khan Sahib?' the heiress quipped, before spinning around to observe the man, making sure there was no wrong intent behind his query 'Well, most days, are good... and I can use my sight to get by... on those days that are bad, I use my senses to get by...'
"Telling you my secrets and what I didn't want ever.."
She'd summed up her life's battles in one sentence, a sentence that reflected how she was not one to let a minor handicap stop her from fulfilling all that she wanted to.
However, her reply didn't fetch her a reaction, making her wonder if there was another question to come. From across the room, she tried studying his body language - but he was not an easy man to read 'Is there something else? If not, I'll be on my way...'
'Was this...' he added 'Was this how it always was?' his tone that'd started off in its typically assertive manner, had subsided into a tone that was slightly more courteous..
Heera could almost feel a calm smile coming onto her lips as she noticed how he was trying to be sensitive to her problem 'No this wasn't how I was born... a childhood accident caused it.' she answered - the mention of which, brought back fleeting memories of the incident from many years ago. A fateful incident that had changed the life of both siblings forever.
It was a beautiful spring-summer's eve and the two sisters had been embroiled in their usual fun and games - competing in a pony race across the steep edges of their hometown valleys. Sometime during the course of one such race, jiji's competitive nature had taken over - and she had veered her pony into Heera's pathway to gain an edge.
Little had the older sister known that her action would cause the other pony to panic so terribly. For the force with which the startled animal had jolted aside thereafter, resulted in it stumbling down a steep drop, dragging an unconscious Heera down along with it.
Durga's impulsive action had snatched away their carefree days from both. Not only did the younger sibling lose part of her sight after the accident - the older one lost her childhood too, as she transformed from a sister to a protective mother overnight, compensating for a guilt that she never really got over.
"You listened to me, I bet you thought I 'd never end..
Ceasing the odd spell of stillness, he thanked her for her time and patience with a formal nod...
'Shubh ratri...'
'Jaroor, baisa... shubh ratri!'
He'd uttered those words in such a thick-and-proud native Marwari accent that it sounded as though a Rajput was wishing her from the chamber, and not a Mughal.
'Why did a stranger who'd barely uttered two words at the canal, tell her his personal opinion about helping abandoned children now? Why had a man who refused to believe her words a few nights ago, suddenly grown so intrigued by her disability? '
It was all perplexing. It was quite odd. But oddly enough, it was interesting too. If nothing else, it kept her intellect challenged in ways that she'd never experienced before. And no one apart from jiji could manage that feat. At least, not until now.
" A man so caring and gentle,with a heart so true.."
* * * * *
Seeking quick respite from the strain, Heera lifted her shoulders up and stroked the stiff stretches of her neck. Arching atop a low table for so long, poring over scroll after scroll through the small rim of her reading stone had taken its toll.
She would begin writing a message. And then discard it as being unsatisfactory. Write again. Then, discard it again. Write another. Discard that one as well. Write a bit more. Only to reject it too.
For hours had this exercise gone on - so she could polish her message. So she could design the perfect 'draft' to send out.
The truth was that she could not afford any distractions at this point, which is why she chose to do the task by herself. After all, this inexperienced player was carrying out the riskiest ( happiest?) venture of her life -
'All right...' once she'd made her final amendments, Heera dropped the soft quill back into its ink pot. Picking up the scroll, the determined heiress then went through its contents for one last time 'I think this one reads fine...' her tired eyes slowly glimpsed around 'But first... I need to check if my letter is effective enough!'...
She wrote the Epistle:
"When I first met you I felt like I had known you forever
Telling you my secrets and what I didn't want ever
You listened to me, I bet you thought I 'd never end
Who'd have thought we'd become more than just friends!
O'er a period of time I may get to know the real you,
A man so caring and gentle, with a heart so true.
You have survived your life with hurt and loneliness by your side..
I thought I'd never leave you because of the feeling I've inside.
I know you like no one I have ever known
And sometimes I wonder what I'd do if you were gone?
So I have decided time answers all.
...
I love the way we were together, you can always make me smile
Will it really be forever, I guess I will have to wait a while..
Time will reveal what lies ahead
But always remember what I've said
Meeting you has changed my life and I really love you so
The feeling I have for you I am never letting go
Remember me always and I will too.
I'll always think of me and you.."
-Karkuzhali.
* * * * * *
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