07. Scorching summer
"What is that you are playing?" Payal asked standing in doorway of Khushi's bedroom. Khushi had spread a board on her bed with white and brown beads on them.
Khushi looked up from board and the book she was reading as reference. "It's called "Go" in English and "Wei Qi" in Chinese. Chinese emperors made his army general play this game to profile their defense strategy."
"Oh?" Payal asked coming in to the room. "I always thought Chess was the game people played to judge intelligence."
"That's what I thought. But in real world Chess cannot be simply used for tactical assertion; or so it was demonstrated to me today."
"How was that done?" Payal asked, curious.
Khushi snagged a magnetic chess board with pieces already set. "Go ahead and play."
"Pawn to E4," Payal said moving her white piece. She settled to an old and popular Sicilian defense for her opening.
Khushi looked at Payal and gave her a wicked smile. "Pawn to C5." She said moving her own piece. Before Payal could say anything further she said, "I will also move my knight to C7 because I am paranoid and don't trust foul play from your militia."
"That's not in the rule." Payal said, frowning.
"If everyone followed rules, we wouldn't be where we are. If everyone was honest in their intention then the world would be a better place. Don't you think so?" Khushi asked.
Payal shrugged. "Intelligence of a person is seen when they beat their opponents who are bound by exact same set of rules."
Khushi rolled her eyes. "No one cares about intelligence Payal. That's the irony here."
Payal kept watching the Go board as Khushi cleared the chess board. "Who taught you this game?" Payal asked a moment later.
"Venkat was treating all the interns from one of the sites for late lunch yesterday. Aman, Venkat's protg and I struck up a conversation about the artifacts dug up yesterday. The conversation ended up him suggesting this game." Khushi said peering at the open page.
"Can I ask you something?" Payal asked breaking the silence that was settling around them.
Khushi looked up from her book and nodded. "Are we okay?" Payal asked, wringing her hands. It was a nervous tick that she had picked up when she was very young.
"I don't understand." Khushi said knowing what Payal really meant. But she didn't want to misunderstand their standing again.
"I mean...we spoke last week about hanging out, yeah?"
Khushi was perplexed. She had no idea what Payal was trying to tell her. "Yeah, you talked about it. What about it?"
Payal was momentarily taken aback at the blas nature of Khushi's response. "It's been a week since then and we haven't made any plans yet."
"We can make plans now if you want." Khushi offered, taking her schedule out from her purse. "We will have to work around my working days, that's all." She said turning pages to check her schedule for current week.
Payal frowned. "It's weird not to see you around the house when am around, you know? Before we could simply say Let's go' and we would. Now we have to check schedules and everything," Payal said, exasperated.
Khushi studied her sister for several moments and she was surprised at the lack of anger she felt at Payal's obliviousness. "I was sitting alone at home three weeks without doing a thing practically. I didn't have a schedule then and I didn't see you asking me to go with you or your friends. So I really don't understand where you are coming from."
Payal chuckled nervously and avoided eye contact. "I am sorry you felt that way Khushi. I was caught up in my own world and didn't realize what I was doing."
Khushi looked at Payal thoughtfully. "Do you know why I never came to you after our last week's talk?" Khushi asked. Payal shook her head. "You said when I will come to you, it will be because its important and is necessary. Do you realize how f**ked up that is?"
Payal bristled at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You reduced our relationship to a benefitting business transaction that cannot take place unless it's important to one of the parties. Which, to be honest, I still don't understand. Is me getting bored an important thing? Or going insane sitting around the house hoping that you would notice and invite me to wherever you are going that day?" Khushi was disturbingly calm. Payal looked horrified at that.
"I never meant it in that way Khushi!"
Khushi scoffed. "Come on Payal. You really cannot be this oblivious."
Payal sighed and ran her hand over her face. "I don't know what's going on anymore Khushi." She said softly.
Khushi sat down next to her and squeezed her shoulder. "It's okay." She said simply. She didn't expand on her answer.
Khushi decided to put whatever that was going on between them to rest. They were best friends, sisters and the longest disagreement they maintained was when they were 10 and the argument was about strawberry vs. grape. It had lasted an entire day and half after which they had hugged it out.
At twenty one, the resolutions came with scars and bitter words. Neither Khushi was ready to procure.
For a change she took Payal's defense and decided to ignore it. Or simply put, bow down in acceptance and let things be. In that way they would simply grow distant without any animosity between them. She would consider it as a win.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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