CHAPTER 41
For Dilsher time had suddenly gone backwards to the day they
realised Mala was gone for good. He was standing at the same threshold with his
son who was in shock. He stood still, with an ashen face, stunned by his
mother's actions. She is never coming back, he had forced him to accept
all those years back. He had forced him to forget all about that woman. He had
dragged him away were her memories wouldn't torment him. He hated it when she
was mentioned. He had hated it when he looked into his son's eyes and saw her.
Her chapter in their lives was supposed to be over. No one expected her to be
brought back by innocent Paro. The unassuming young woman was only trying to do
the right thing, even if it would make things hard for the rest of them.
Paro could see her husband's eyes harden as he got a good
look at their guest. She scolded herself for not telling him sooner. With
everything that had happened, it hadn't seemed important. "Rudra, I forgot to
tell you," she apologised. Instantly his head snapped towards her, anger
swirling in his eyes. He took a step towards his wife but felt a hand on his
shoulder. "Rudra, I need to talk to you
privately. Come to my room," Dilsher said softly. His son followed his lead
wordlessly for once.
Mohini held Paro back, preventing her from following her
husband. "Kakisa, it was my decision. I should be the one explaining things. He
is furious," Paro said anxiously worried about her hot headed husband's
reaction. She had seen his fury unleashed first-hand. And now Bapusa had to
face his ire alone. "Beendini, he is Rudra banna's father. They managed 17
years without any of us. Bhaisa knows how to take care of his Rudradev in all
his glorious rage. Don't worry," Mohini replied coolly. Paro knew there was
truth in their aunt said. She nodded, silently praying that neither of them
loose their temper.
Mohini saw Mala try to approach them. "Why don't you get
unpacked? Rudra will come find you soon," she suggested. Her newest daughter-in-law
pointed out that her friend needed rest from the trip. "Beendini, we have tons
of work to do. Now that your friend is back we can get started on the post
wedding rituals. I had big plans for my Sumer's wedding and I would like some
of them come to fruition. But you are right, Paro must be tired so you can make
it easier on her and give her a hand. As it is you are no good in the kitchen,
there must be something you can do," Mohini dismissed them. Her sons carried
the luggage to their cousins' room.
Maithil mouthed Go! to her sisters before being told
off again. She giggled as she saw the room clear off. Her mother-in-law had
calmed down so much in the last few months still they were scared when the
weather would change in their haveli. "Did your mother send you jewellery
beendini that your eyes are twinkling so brightly?" her mother-in-law quipped. She
replied that she was happy that their entire family is together again. She
looked down nervously holding her lehenga. But Mohini could see the young
woman's heart. The heart which was feeling elated due to her sister's return.
Over her shoulder she saw her own sister. Mala had never given her this kind of
pleasure. "Come, give me a hand in the kitchen", she instructed tugging her pallu
as she walked out.
As soon as he placed the bags, Sumer approached his sister-in-law,
"Does he know that I shouted at you, the day you left?" Paro shook her head.
She had so much to tell her husband about finding Thakurainsa. But between Nandu
jeeja's accident and Shatabdi's kidnapping, everything else slipped from her
mind. "Good! Don't tell him. He will come looking for a punching bag to take out
his frustration pretty soon. I don't want it to be me. I just got married. What
will my wife think, if I'm bruised like a rotten tomato? She won't love me" he
ranted. Shatabdi who stood behind him smacked his head and his brother just
rolled his eyes before walking out. Paro
shook her head. "You were just watching out for him. I can't hold that against
you. And now after rescuing my best friend, you have become very dear to me."
Sumer blushed not being used to honest praise from his family members.
"Shatabdi, now that everything is settled. Tell me in detail
what happened to you? How did you get kidnapped? How bhaisa heroically rescued
you?" her friend asked once her husband left the room. She laughed gaily of Sumer on a white horse
coming to rescue her. Her Sumer was a wonderful man. He was kind, sweet, and
dependable and funny, everything she wanted in a life partner. And even though
he managed to save her, hero' is not a label she would ever associate with
him. "Not everyone's love story is as filmy as yours, Paro," she remarked
thoughtfully. Her friend forced to recount her tale as they unpacked.
"After lunch with Sumer, I was driving back when I saw a tree
fallen across the road. I turned in the direction of the detour sign. After a
while I realised I was lost. There were no boards and even the roads were badly
maintained. I wanted to call Sumer for help but there was no signal. I just
kept driving when a saw a small shack. I got out of the car and knocked on the
door. A voice said they were waiting for me and a heavy net fell on me. Then
everything became black," Shatabdi paused. The next little detail was not for
Paro. The man had called Rudra and left a voicemail for him. We have your
greatest treasure with us. Come and get her. The trap was for Paro, her
friend. The motive was to make Rudra vulnerable. All she had to do was be brave
until help arrived. She smiled as she felt Paro embrace her. She was glad that
those horrid men didn't get hold of her friend. She would have been terrified.
Mala caught up with Danveer in the corridor, "Bhaisa, is my
son still angry with me? He is older now. Surely he must know the truth by now.
Or has Dilsher lied to him to make himself a hero in Rudra's eyes?" Danveer
sighed. It was a complicated situation. One, he had avoided getting involved in
years ago and one he didn't want to be a part of now. "You should talk to
Rudra," he replied simply. How could she approach him? The whole universe
seemed to be conspiring to keep him away from her. Was that the price for her
freedom? Would she able always watch him from a distance, never to be a part of
his life? No, she shook herself. She will not let Fate keep him away.
Dilsher held his breathe as his son opened his whiskey
bottle and took a swig. He waited. Crash!
The bottle was on the floor with the amber colored liquid splashed
across the dark tiles. His only comfort and companion through the last few
years when his son was away. He sighed. R u draw grabbed him roughly and forced
him on his rocking chair. He held it steady with his left leg. His father
tensed as he placed his hands on the armrest and bent down. "Are you happy now
Ranavat? You're beloved wife is back?" asked an icy whisper. Whack! He
fell down as father hit him with his crutch.
"Watch your mouth? Has you anger clouded your mind?" Dilsher
shouted. He pulled himself up and stood straight. Rudra recognized the stance
from all the times he was notorious as a child. The strict soldier for whom
disciple and protocol mattered above all else. The hardened man who took him
away from the only home he had ever known to leave behind the memory of the
woman who left them. He felt like a confused child again.
Samrat saw his father pacing outside his uncle's room,
"Bapusa, what are you doing here?" Danveer replied that he might need to intervene
when the two hot heads come to blows. Samrat smiled and repeated his mother's
words about them being able to handle each other. "Don't be nave. Your mother
lied to pacify Paro baisa. But I know my brother, at his prime his temper was
just as bad as Rudra's if not worse. Atleast he makes an effort to stay calm
for his wife's sake. But bhaisa is uncontrollable when enraged. But those days
Rudra was wary. Now he won't hold back.
Dilsher saw the sliver of fear that crossed his son's face.
He sat down on his chair slowly. He hated that look on face of his only child. Rudra
knelt in front of him and said, "She is using you Ranavat. When things were
tough here, she left us for Tejawat. And
now when gallows lie in his future she has come back. She is an evil woman who
just wants to be comfortable." His father tenderly kissed his forehead. His
Rudradev was the only reason he could forgive his estranged wife. She gave him
his greatest treasure and went they went away she didn't reach out to him. It
was a clean break. A good chance to make a fresh start, even if they didn't
take advantage of it. "Paro, the gentle dove that you married, was the one who
healed us. She was the one who made our family whole. For her, we can put up
with this small inconvenience," he admitted.
Rudra was surprised. What Parodies have to this? How was she
involved? "What does she have to do with that woman presence? She doesn't know
about her past," he mumbled. He never liked to discuss this anyone and his wife
never pressed him to share. They both had their own scars from the past and
preferred to look forward. "Natwarlal, Paro's driver hit her in the market.
Parole took her to the hospital. Since there was no one to take care of her,
she brought her home" Dilsher explained.
Rudra was angry that there was an accident and neither his wife nor her driver bothered
to tell her. Then it struck him, Natwarlal is an expert driver. He can handle any terrain, any weather
condition. He doesn't loose control. "That's not possible. Someone is lying,"
he told his father. Dilsher merely shrugged. Maybe she just forced herself onto
the moving jeep. She did bear signs of injury when she first arrived.
"She is upto something. We can all see that she is trying to
take advantage of Paro's kindness. But no one is blind to her tricks. I just
wanted to make sure she doesn't make your case harder," Dilsher admitted. Rudra
nodded and got up to leave. "Wait! I
want to tell you two things before you go," he stopped his son. "First, tell VK
about her. If she opens her mouth, the press will have a field day. And the
most important case you have handled will be at jeopardy," he continued. Rudra tensed, he didn't want to
mention that she had been a part of his life once upon a time. "Your CO is an
wise man. He will not doubt your allegiance," his father assured him.
"I'll talk to him when I go to headquarters in a bit. What's
the second thing?" he asked. Dilsher was a little disappointed that he was so
eager to go to work than spend the evening with him. But he didn't mention it.
"You knew that she was Tejawat's wife. You knew for months but never mentioned
it," he held his hand before his son defended his decision. "It doesn't matter.
You did what was right as a BSD officer and as a Ranavat. I won't even ask why
you didn't tell us when you arrested her. I trust your judgement when it comes
to protecting us all. That's what you're best at. And your wife is best as
nuturing, taking care of the ones around her. That's why she showed kindness to
your enemy's wife. It is the noblest and best in her. So don't harass her for
her choice just like I am not harassing you," he advised. Rudra nodded. His
father was just voicing out his own feelings. He still wished he was told
before hand who was waiting for him at home. But with everything else going on,
Parole can't be faulted for this. "What do I tell her? About... ?" he left the question hanging in the
air. His father replied, "Tell her how you feel. The girl loves you. She will
listen to you rant and rave and help you do the right thing." As he left his
father's room, he mused, this wasn't a demon he wanted to face. But he couldn't
avoid her anymore.
He wasn't surprised when he saw her hiding in the shadows. "Rudra?"
she called out but the feet which used to race to clutch her skirts were firmly
planted on the floor. Mala was a little disappointed but she walked up to him.
He seemed more approachable. The last time she saw him was when he was in
uniform. He had refused to acknowledge her as his mother. Maybe today, in the
privacy of his home, he could afford to be affectionate towards the one who
raised him.
He took a deep breath and schooled his face to remain
impassive. "How are you? Shouldn't you be resting? I heard about your accident.
I feel terrible about it," he said in courteous voice. Her heart soared at his
caring words. She was right in coming back here. "If Paro's driver is not
careful, she could get hurt. I will have to take him to task," he continued,
confusing her. Paro could get hurt? Didn't he care about his mother's injuries?
"I... I came...wanted to... see you," she said reaching out to touch his cheek. He
lifted his hand to twirl his moustache, blocking her fingers effectively. "See
me? Why? ... Oh, I remember for the case, right?" he asked. She had no idea why
he was talking about the blasted case which was keeping the two people who
cared about her at odds. Then her eyes lit up, maybe he would let Thakursa go
now that she had come to him. "I can't do anything about it. It's not in my hands
anymore. The court will announce its verdict tomorrow. I'll ask Paro to talk to
the doctor to see if you go meet him." But she was his mother. Sons are supposed
to help their mothers. Not dismiss their needs so casually. "I... I'm your mother,"
she stuttered. He wanted to slap her face for saying those words. They meant
more to him than it did to her and to him it didn't matter at all. He laughed
bitterly, "I think you forgot what my brother said that day. My mother ran
away."
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