'kay, what
is this??''boycott estee day/week/month/year'' or s'thing??
first
hiba. then my
mod-am bliss. *
who i make a promise to that i will check out the cintaa-whatever-pics as soon as i can-- btw, isn't that a soap? i mean, a real one??! 🤣* and now --
aashifa, why are you not talking to me??! i mean, i know i make it long winded, put more words than i ought to -- but still. 😕 i think i may become sad soon. if my demons let me, ie. 😆
mehak, i'm glad the updates found favour.
and ya, there's just a smidgeon of prem-heer in the upcoming.. uh.. update 😆 of
4 april, 2010.
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ch 75: ''ashes and diamonds''
preet heard a bustle in his room. the windows were being thrown open. drawers being discretely banged open and shut. and open and shut again. he poked his head from under the covers and opened one bleary eye. it was still dark -- even outside the window. what the heck was the commotion about?
''oh good, you're up.'' john uncle's cheery voice had a note of excitement in it that preet just couldn't understand.
''actually, technically,'' preet said in a voice that sounded thin. ''
i'm not. i'm still asleep. only one of my eyes is ope...aaah! john uncle, what are you doing??!''preet's voice had risen into a screech making john wince as he stood holding the covers that he had just pulled off preet. he sighed as he watched preet scramble for some cover. ''
relax, boy. i've been seeing you naked ever since you were two.''
''are you telling me that you can't see a difference between then and now?'' preet was snarling now like a trapped cat, no thought for his dignity, as he bounded off the bed and dashed for the washroom.
he was out in a flash, dressed in his bathrobe, as he stood towering in outrage over the short, portly figure of john uncle. the intent to intimidate was spoilt by the fact that he was shivering. john just stared at him unconcerned as he handed him his jeans and sweater.
''what is going on?!'' preet asked as he automatically got into his jeans. john uncle knew he did not wake up until much later in the morning. just now, it was barely... preet peered at his watch. ''
it's only 6:45!'' preet was horrified. the board meeting was at 11 -- he had hours before he needed to get up!
he paused in the middle of pulling on his sweater, now feeling really indignant. but in the middle of opening his mouth to shout again, preet noticed that john uncle's face was carefully composed and calm. a little too carefully composed. preet looked closely and thought he could detect an aura of excitement in john uncle's eyes. he was also swaying slightly on the balls of his feet, which always meant he was upto something.
''
john-uncle?'' preet's voice was more questioning now.
john's voice was non-committal. ''
your mother wants you in the den. right away. i suggest you get dressed.'' he left, whistling, out of tune. and even that sound had an air of suppressed excitement to it.
preet's brow was beginning to furrow when harman appeared at his door, hair spiked, rubbing at his sleepy eyes. ''
do you know what's going on? juanita just invaded my privacy and forced me to get ready for breakfast in the den.''
harman yawned hugely, making preet follow suit. ''
i swear, preet, one of these days, we are just going have to break the old house rule and get some locks put on our doors. i mean,'' he complained companionably, ''
you're going to have to do it. i'm moving out of here in three months. then you and prem-bhaiyya will be left to deal with the likes of juanita and john-uncle. and i don't care what nandita says about it, but i'm getting that darned architect to put locks on our bedroom door at the flat. as it is, she's giving out keys to her parents, her sister. i mean, even ma's getting on...''
he stopped abruptly at the sight of his mother sitting with the newpapers and a cup of tea at their father's old armchair in the den. at her quizzical look, harman smiled weakly, ''
not that you shouldn't have a key to our flat, ma. i wanted you to have one.''
''i am so glad to hear it, my son. and i'm taking up nandita's suggestion to get a copy made for john and juanita as well. i am sure that you will need them once in a while, won't you?'' gayatri smiled sweetly at the constipated look on her second son's face.
''preet, my child,'' her voice cut into preet's snorts of laughter at his brother's discomfort. ''
i think you need to take another look at the board papers today. you will be doing the presentation after all.''
that made preet stop short in his tracks and look at his mother in disbelief. he looked at harman, who was headed to the pot of coffee on the dining table. but harman lifted his shoulders and shook his head at preet -- he was as much in the dark as preet was.
''but ma,'' preet was feeling very confused. ''w
e'd agreed last night that pb would do it. '' he looked over his shoulder at the door as he continued towards her to take a newspaper off her pile. ''
we'd agreed that it would give him a greater sense of belonging to the project, no? it's important that he do it, ma.''
preet looked around again. ''
where is pb anyway? he's usually up before you.''
''i know that i had backed you up fully on this, preet. but now, i say that it's okay for him not to do it, and that you do it instead.'' gayatri's face was serene and calm. her face had that air of implacability that her sons knew from old. they knew that it was futile to argue with, or to even question her when she was like this.
''ma.'' there was a dark note in his voice. preet was not going to give up so easily this time. he had been watching his brother go through life, with a calm smile and no real engagement as a person for a long time. ever since heer had vanished into the blue. preet had watched him until he could not bear that impersonal prem bhaiyya anymore. he knew his mother and brother had seen it too. he knew that they too did what they could to engage him. but he always got the sense they were more ready to let him just be.
preet could not. he would not tell this to anyone, but he was still reeling from the sense of always being on the losing side when it came to people he loved. and he would be damned if he landed up there again.
so there was real heat in his voice when he started ''
ma.'' heat that got redirected to his brother when harman called his name, for some reason sounding like a frog croaking. preet frowned fiercely at harman's obvious diversionary tactics and refused to get diverted. ''
ma, you are not getting this one. believe me...''
harman croaked again, louder this time. ''
preet!''
preet turned on him ''
what is it with the people in this house today?? first it's john-uncle and juanita acting batty. then you, ma. but you!'' jabbing his finger at his brother, standing still at the other end of the table, ''
i expected better from you!''
''preet.'' this time, harman managed a normal sounding voice.
''what??!!'' preet roared.
''i think you should look at this.'' harman gestured at what looked like a box on the table.
preet was still fuming when he strode to look at what harman was pointing at, and got his wind knocked out of his sails. a portrait. in oils. of his mother. it had to be ... ''
heer.'' he breathed.
he looked up wildly at harman, who wore the identical shell-shocked look. ''
it's heer, isn't it? heer painted this?''
they stood looking at the painting, the loving strokes that made gayatri's face glow. the smile that lit up her eyes. that trade-mark combination of light and shade that they were so used to seeing everytime they crossed the painting of the home-of-light in the office lobby.
they looked at each other, their faces brightening as the same thoughts struck them. they turned to their mother, whose face had an indulgent look as she walked to stand next to them
they said, amost in unison, making a cacophony of questions and happy exclamations.''
does pb know? when did this come? did the trust office deliver it? is she coming home soon? does pb know??!''
without waiting for answers to the questions, they both turned to each other again, looking like they could burst out of happiness for their brother. ''
let's get him. he needs to know that she has sent us a painting!''
as they rushed out, gayatri opened her mouth to call to them. then she decided against it. they would find out soon enough.
preet and harman practically raced the short distance in the corridor to prem's door. it was preet who reached the knob first and twisted it open, but harman was so close behind that it was like they burst into the room, nearly falling over each other. and stopped short at the sight of their brother fast asleep, with his arms firmly wrapped around a girl. the girl was dark haired, and thin, with eyes that looked long even while they were closed, and looked so familiar despite the white bandaid covering one half of her forehead.
''heer.'' preet nearly sobbed out her name, wanting to fall down on his knees to thank any and every god he knew, for what he was seeing.
the sound of her name woke prem. his eyes came open to see the faces of his brothers. but before they could say anything, he brought a finger up to his lips.
''shh! she just fell asleep. not a word just now, okay?'' he whispered. when he saw his baby brothers nod silently at him, he smiled -- a smile of infinte sweetness -- even as his eyes dropped shut.
they crept out of the room obediently, leaving their eldest brother fast asleep, his chin resting on the top of her hair, looking more peaceful than they had seen in the longest time.
gayatri was still at the table, looking with awe at the painting that lay before her. she looked up when her sons walked in, looking simultaneously sheepish and thrilled.
preet asked, still sheepish, ''
when did you find out?''
gayatri said, ''
when the doctor came in to check heer's forehead a couple of hours ago. don't ask,'' she waved her hand to stop the questions, ''
it's a long story. and even i don't know the details yet.''
harman smirked, ''
when is it not a long story when it comes to pb and heer? oh, but i can't wait to find out!''
gayatri continued, smiling in agreement, ''
well, yes. prem had john call for the doctor. and apparently prem told him not to wake anyone else up. but then, john saw the painting when he passed the den. and had to wake juanita to show her. and then juanita had to wake me up to see it. that's when i found out. no, darling,'' she shook her head at preet before he could ask her, ''
i have not talked with him yet. nor with her. john told me she was completely exhausted, and that prem was just a little less. i think it is best to let them sleep.''
they stood a while contemplating the portrait. then gayatri sighed, a happy sound. ''
well, children, just because heer is back does not mean we can call off our board meeting..''
and still they remained standing contemplating the glory of the painting, each lost in their own thoughts.
harman was the first to speak, ''
you know? i never doubted that she would come back to bhaiyya. i just never...'' he stopped. ''
actually, with heer, one never really knows quite to expect.''
preet said, his eyes blindly focussed on an unknown image, ''
yes, that is quite true. she is quite unexpected. she came to us out of the blue. left us out of the blue. and then, just like that, she is back. the first time, we didn't know her at all. but then... after all that time, i thought,..'' his voice died away.
gayatri looked at him with a gentle smile. ''
no matter how she is, preet, we are just going to have to deal with it. because if there is one thing that you can place blind faith in, is that prem and heer are always going to be together -- they are one.''
harman said, as if coming out of deep thought, ''
yeah. there is no doubting that.'' then he sighed, theatrically, to diffuse the suddenly emotional atmosphere. ''
still. it would have been nice to be able to wake up prem bhaiyya and see his face when we told him heer was here.''
gayatri looked disbelievingly at him. ''
did you really think that you would be the first one to know that heer had returned? even after seeing the way she has signed the painting?''
she shook her head at the puzzled glint in their eyes. ''
such impatient young men i have brought up. did neither of you check her signature?'' she sighed as she pointed to right hand corner of the painting.
the two obediently bent to peer at the portrait again. preet said, wondering why his mother had such a glow in her eyes. ''
ya, i saw it, it says h.maa... ''
he stopped abruptly as he leaned to look closer at the bottom right hand corner of the painting. gayatri saw the smile dawning on his face at the same time that it dawned on harman's. john-uncle, who had popped his head in to ask if he should bring breakfast up or serve it down at the dining hall, quietly withdrew thinking that he had never seen such a clear family resemblence in the three of them as they had stood at the table just then.
after a long moment, harman said, feeling absurdly like he was in the presence of something other-wordly rather than mortal, ''
trust heer to find the perfect way to tell the world she loves him.''
for the signature read ''
h. prem maan.''
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