A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update. :D :D Also, an extra apology in case the typos are there since I'm updating this chapter from my phone. My laptop has crashed so it'll be a week till I get it back. So sincere apologies for any mistakes with the chapter.
Not keeping you all for long now,
Happy Reading! :D :D
December 8th, 2000:
How can a puppy get me into so much trouble, really?
I'm not complaining because I really like this little fella with me here but still. Why can't Maa and Baba let me into the room already?! It is so annoying, I swear! Who makes their kid sleep on the terrace for two whole days for one puppy, that too in the winters?! Next time Ishaani brings me a puppy, I swear I'll reject it right away without even looking at it, forget about getting lured into its puppy eyes. Or Ishaani's, for that matter. That girl just finds for more reasons to get me killed sooner, I feel at times.
Confused?
Alright, I'll give you a recap about what happened in these two days. Ishaani returned back from school a little late than usual because she had some extra-curricular activities after lectures, and I was happily spending time in my quarters. Well, my back hurt a little after the "episode" with Baa's whiplash, but I'm used to these doses anyway.
A small secret - I did throw up in the night because of the pain, okay? Now shush. Nobody else needs to know about it.
Coming back to the point, you can only imagine my chagrin when Ishaani ends up in my room amidst my nap, a small beagle dog in her hand. She gave me the most plea-filled looks as I pampered the poor soul whose leg was injured, I soon noticed.
"Where did you find this tyke?" I asked her, wondering about how best to tend for it.
"Oh the way back from school," she whispered back in response, as though afraid of being overheard. I nodded my head at her and she continued. "The poor fellow had a small accident and injured its hind leg. I didn't know what to do with it and I couldn't leave it there so I brought it home."
"He's cute," I remarked to her and she smiled benignly. "Ask Mota Babuji if we can keep him."
"Not a chance," she replied back sadly, stroking the tyke's head. "When I brought this guy in, Baa saw me. Well, apparently we have a no-dog policy at our place so we can't keep him. I certainly only just saved my life after the old woman went barking mad upon me."
I laughed at the ironic pun from her end and she joined me soon enough. However, we sobered down instantly as I inquired further.
"What are we going to do now?"
"I'm not going to abandon him until he is better again," she replied determinedly. This was certainly going to be a problem, I could see.
"But we don't have any option too, Ishaani," I tried ti reason with her but she seemed to be formulating an idea in her mind already.
"I don't, but you do. Why don't you keep him here?" she said suddenly, and I think I stared at her rather stupidly.
"Isn't the servant's quarters a part of the house?" I asked her, genuinely confused, but she hurled a pillow at me nonetheless.
"Oh come on, Ranveer! This is no time for quips!" she retorted angrily while all I did was shrug my shoulders nonchalantly.
"Maa and Baba hate dogs," I try explaining to her rather helplessly, knowing what she was going to ask of me now. "They won't let me keep it."
"Atleast try it please. For my sake," she pleaded, a harried look upon her face.
And even before I can say anything, the dog and she both give me the most miserable pairs of puppy dog eyes that I could never say no to. The dog, I could still refuse to, but how could I ever say no to Ishaani? And in spite of knowing that Maa in particular would get ballistic upon the mention of dogs, I took responsibility of the tyke.
Ishaani gave me a huge hug and pranced out from the room happily even though I looked at her retreating figure dejectedly, knowing that I had earned myself more trouble and abuses. And boy was I right. I had barely thought about how I was to convince Maa and Baba to keep the little tyke in spite of it being against the rules of the Parekh Mansion as well as my own house when both of them entered the room and saw the fellow in my arms. I sprung upon my feet as they burst into an explosion of questions, asking me instantly all about where I'd gotten the puppy from.
"Maa, Ishaani found the dog injured on the road and-" was all I could barely say before Maa did the rest.
"Let me guess, Baa didn't allow her to keep it so she came and gave it to you," completed Maa in an exasperated voice and all I gave her was a solemn look.
"Maa, it's not like that," I tell her hopelessly, praying that some miracle would swoop down upon me and let me keep the dog until it recovered.
"Ranveer, how many times have I told you not to get into trouble like this?" she reprimanded me severely, while I refused to meet eyes with her now.
"Maa, she's my friend!" I retorted defensively, but she clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"And you are just a servant at the end of the day! Don't forget that," she urged of me, as though I was forgetting my place in the quest of love. This was something I didn't want to get into an argument upon with Maa once again.
"You don't need to remind me about it, Maa, I have the remainders from yesterday," I replied back coldly and a tense silence remained for some time.
I turned my face away from Maa's for I couldn't face her anymore. Baba remained silent throughout the time sensibly, knowing that this was amongst one of those spats where no one was meant to interfere in between. And as much as it annoyed me, I think it was for the best, really. And Baba himself was still in a bit of shock after what happened yesterday - he had remained silent throughout the entire day. I only thanked the Lord that Baba hadn't actually witnessed it.
Okay, I'll say it, fine. Yesterday was a rather bad session with Baa and the whiplash. Sometimes, you go into this world where all you can find is love, and the next moment, you are brought back to the harsh reality. Baa does that for me.
No matter what Mota Babuji may say or Falguni Maa may do or Ishaani may boast, the fact will never change that at the end of the day, I'm a servant of this house. And I don't know about Ishaani but atleast I know that this is the ultimate truth in the eyes of all. And it hurts. And yes, in these four years I've made myself that thick-skinned to accept all kinds of abuses and insults but there are times when it hurts to see the truth. It's better to live in a dreamland.
Maa isn't wrong, I know. Goodness knows the amount of relief I've had since she shifted in with us. Maa still isn't that adept in accepting the insults like Baba and I do but she's coping with it. She is now my shield and helps me get away with a lot of those bad days with simply her solace - providing that presence when I sleep upon her lap and forget all my sorrows and miseries and she does the same when her pains get too overwhelming.
Like all mothers, Maa is no different. She somehow knows the way I see and care for Ishaani. But she is afraid for me - afraid that I'm already a lost cause. I can see the pain in her eyes every time she refers to me as a servant, but I know why she does that. She doesn't want me getting so attached to Ishaani; she doesn't want my heart to break.
In these three years, Maa has been warm to Ishaani even though the rumours of her illegitimacy certainly leave her uncomfortable at times. But Maa is sensible - she doesn't like commenting on things that her beyond her capacity and I thank the Lord for her practicality. There are times when Maa gets miffed with her for getting me into trouble, but when she sees the extent to which Ishaani works to repent for her mistake, her heart melts right into it.
Maa knows that Ishaani genuinely sees me as a friend and it's only why she even allows me to get away with so much. She respects Mota Babuji and Falguni Maa for being benevolent with me, but that's all.
She doesn't like the society of the cities and their low morals. She doesn't like any of this one bit. The money that flows faster than the bottles of champagne in a way captivate her mind and leave her awestruck, but she knows that the shallow hearts that live beneath the deep facade of riches isn't worth it. She doesn't want me getting involved in things that are way beyond my level; she wants me to remain safe. And keeping my heart from breaking is her prime objective.
But how do I explain it to her that my heart is no longer my own because I've already lost it to Ishaani four years ago?
"Ranveer, I don't have anything against Ishaani, okay?" she said finally, while I now stared at the wall broodingly. "I'm happy that atleast she sees you as a human being and considers you a friend. But don't live in a world of oblivion. The day your world comes crashing around your feet, you won't be able to take it," she ended with a desperate note in her voice.
"Maa, please, everything isn't always about Ishaani. Why must everything be about her?" I questioned her tiredly, but she suddenly looked at me with her eyes shrewd.
"That's an answer I was expecting you to tell me."
"Maa, don't change the topic," I retorted quickly, completely flustered at being caught so off-guard. Before she could argue further, I continued.
"And for one moment, just think about the little fellow. He's injured, I can't leave him like this and he does not even have any owners!" I added desperately, but Maa had already made up her mind by then.
"Ranveer, if you want to keep the dog, you will not stay over here."
"Maa, you can't throw me out of here for that!" I exclaim in a scandalized tone, disbelieving of what I was hearing. She shook her head resolutely.
"I'm not throwing you out. You will spend your time with the dog on the terrace," she corrected, and I stared at her agog.
"But Maa-"
"If you have taken up responsibility for this, you will have to see this through, no matter what the circumstances. On your head be it," she said with finality in her tone and I knew that the battle was lost. I looked at Baba as a last resort.
"Ranveer, I agree with your mother this time," he voiced out silently, not helping. And in that moment, I knew that I had to make the toughest choice of my life up until now - my mother or Ishaani.
"Fine!" I yelled, painfully doing what I did as I muttered darkly under my breath, cursing my luck passionately while the dog stared at me with utmost interest.
I stormed out from the room with my head held so high, I nearly hit the wall ahead. But that did not stop me from sulking. I headed straight towards the servant quarter's terrace, leaving the fellow near a shady area beside the door. I knew that the tyke was weak enough to make a dash for it, so taking maximum advantage, I returned back to the terrace fifteen minutes later to give the tyke some food after bandaging its injured leg. I could only hope to the Lord that it hadn't broken it foot.
That night, Ishaani came to visit me at the terrace with the most explicit of apologies after she found out about what happened between Maa and myself. She brought me food and some warm blankets from her room to keep me protected from the cold winds. The tyke had already shown a little life after the food and medicines administered and Ishaani and I played with it for quite some time till we began star-gazing. She headed back to her room a while later, promising to make sure that I wouldn't get into trouble for it.
And today remained the same. I barely managed to make it to school on time, having even lesser time to make amends with Maa and Baba. Throughout the day, I've only been waiting for the bells to go off so that I could rush back home and guard this little secret. I must have never prayed this hard for anything so far as much as I've prayed for the dog, really.
Ishaani and I quickly made our way back home and headed our separate ways so that people remained unsuspicious about out little friend, I ignoring lunch and heading straight for the terrace. Somehow, nobody found out about the dog tuntil now and the terrace remained the same as it was the previous night. Looks like Maa did manage to save my skin. On reaching the terrace, I noticed that the little tyke looked at me happily and welcomed me with a tiny bark. This dog barely barked and that moment was that rare occasion when he did. Maybe it knew the trouble I would get into if it did, but either way, it was okay with me.
I sat down and played with it for some time till I applied some more medicine upon it's now semi-healed leg. I quickly went down into my room and smuggled my food plate that Maa knew that I would retrieve some time or the other. I didn't know whether I should have been relieved that neither Maa nor Baba were in sight, but for now, my growling stomach was a bigger priority.
I headed back to the terrace to find Ishaani playing with the beagle and just like that, I felt all the resentment in my heart fading away. It was as though her smile made all my pain worth it; her one smile made sleeping on the icy marble of the terrace floor worth it. She looked at me, beckoning me closer as I went and sat beside her, sharing some my lunch with the beagle while Ishaani smuggled some more from the kitchen.
Evening set in and Ishaani left me again, but this time in the company of a much livelier tyke. I'm glad that the fellow is finally showing good signs of improvement. The tyke even ran about the place a bit before it tiredly fell upon the blanket in a heap, staring at me lazily. And I decided that it was time to go and apologize to my parents. I headed back to the room for dinner, something that my mother denied me unless and until I took a shower again. I wasn't in a position to argue to that so I quietly obliged to what she asked of me and returned back only when I was clean enough for my mother's standards.
We had dinner quietly after I apologized to my parents, but somehow, they kept giving me these weird looks that only irked me more. Finally once dinner was done, I decide to try my luck again and ask Maa whether I could sleep in the room for the night. Well, you can only imagine what her response was. So, with another bout of surliness, I came up to the terrace only to find the little tyke staring at me eagerly. I think it's safe to say that the dog enjoyed my company just as much as I enjoyed his.
Ishaani didn't come up tonight because she had to study for a test, but I was more than alright with it. If I was truthful with myself, I knew that the dog was fit enough to make its way on the road. But then again, I wanted it to heal completely. Ishaani had entrusted me with its responsibility and I knew that I wouldn't be able to give it away without making sure that it was completely cured. But I'm already missing the comfort of my warm room now. It's still cold in there but atleast it's warmer comparatively. The terrace is freezing at night.
But I know that Ishaani will be upset if I give it away without waiting for it to heal completely. What should I do? What's right or what's easy? I guess I'll see what to do about it tomorrow. Atleast for tonight I know that I will have to spend another night on the icy terrace where the cold penetrates the skin so quickly in spite of the blanket I sleep upon. I didn't know that a pair puppy dog eyes could cost me so much. And I swear, if I die of hypothermia tonight, I'll haunt Ishaani for life.
Ps. The only positive of sleeping on an ice-cold floor is that my back has perfectly healed from the pain. Karma is strange.
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D
Next chapter:
Epistle 24
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
