Chapter 15: Other
End of the Line
PRESENT
As
the day ended into a tearful night in one end of the world, the day gave way to
a magnificent morning on the other side of the world. The streets of Delhi
began to buzz with activity. While
the shopkeepers set up their shops, milkmen and paperboys were rushing by the
streets delivering their goods for the people to get their daily dose of tea
with news.
Khurana
Mansion also stirred with servants and cooks hurrying around the house fixing
breakfast for the man who dictated the Khurana Empire with a mere flick of his
eyes. The man, the king, the Maan Singh Khurana, a man commanded many yet a
mere puppet at the hands of his Daadima. He was back from his regular workout
of his Tai Chi in order to get ready for his office. He walked into his room,
located in the outhouse of Khurana Mansion, bare-chested, wearing only a set of
black tracks pants with a clear view of his well-toned six-pack abs flexing
with every single body movement. He pulled his towel from the closet and strode
to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Finishing
with his shower, he walked out of the bathroom wiping his wet hair to the
dresser. He brushed his semi-wet hair with a comb and set his hair in place
before wearing a red shirt and formal black pants that was neatly set on his
bed. He adjusted black vest and his tie, wore his trademark large silver watch,
and headed out to the dining room with his boots echoing through the hallways
of the mansion.
Maan
arrived at the dining table to be greeted by his beloved grandmother, Savitri
Devi, a woman in her late sixties sat elegantly in her creamy white sari nicely
adorned with a pearl set and her hair pulled back into a neat bun. She smiled
as her favorite grandchild arrived into the dining hall to be greeted with a
curt smile that failed to reach his eyes. Daadima didn't fail to notice it and
she knew the cause of it. She had tried to reason with him, plead with him, and
shout at him to make him normal yet whatever she did he failed to concede to
her. He continued to run the business and do other necessary activities without
relishing any ounce of it. It was just a routine for him and he continued to
perform like a dedicated robot. The sense of gratitude for his life left the
day she had left him, after that day every single day was just another day in
hell.
He
took a seat opposite to Daadima while she served him his favorite cheese
sandwich and black coffee just the way he liked it. Although a few years ago he
would have preferred cheese omelet along with it, he had left it for her. She
never forced him to give up eating meat for her but he wanted to as a gesture
of his love towards her. She had given her love and her life to him and the
least he could do was giving eating things that she doesn't like.
Maan silently ate his breakfast
while Daadima tried her best to bring up a conversation with him about the
conference that he was set to attend in a few days in New York. Only Daadima
knew how much she had to persuade him to get him to go to the conference that
he had out rightly denied to even consider to attend. She knew that place would
give him the much-needed solace that he was seeking currently in his life. When
she came to know about the conference through Adhi and Sasha while she went to
pay a visit to Maan in his office, she instantly knew that event was the
catalyst she was looking for all this while. Although Maan had brushed away
even the idea of attending the conference initially, a lot of crying and
emotional blackmail finally got the job done. He reluctantly agreed to attend
the conference provided she stops nagging him continuously to come back to live
in the mansion. Daadima's joys knew no bounds when he finally agreed to
concede; afterall, she knew that this trip would definitely change his life
again for the better.
"Maan bete," she called to gain
Maan's attention. He looked up to see his grandmother looking intently at him.
"Hum aapse pooch rahe the ki aapke trip ke liye sab tayyariyan hogayi ya nahi?"
"Ji Daadima tickets and visas have
been taken care of bus packing baaki hain," he said wiping his mouth of the few
breadcrumbs that were struck in the corner of his mouth.
"Kya main Nakul ko buladun packing
karvane ke liye?" she asked.
"Nahi Daadima I myself shall take
care of it. Mujhe kuch zaroori cheezein leni hai so main khud kar loongi," he
said getting ready to leave for the office.
"Teekhai beta, jaise aapki marzi,"
she said with a quick shake of her head.
Maan left for his office but not
before giving a quick peck to the photo on his study. He arrived surrounded by
a set of bodyguards dressed in black and walked along with him keeping at a
close distance to him. At his arrival the office staff rushed to get back to
their work fearing his wrath and Pinky rushed to his cabin to fill in the day's
schedule of meetings for him. After Geet had left the job, he didn't trust
anyone after her, but he needed someone to keep up with his meetings and
schedules on a regular basis, none of the people he interviewed were even able
to fill Geet's shoes, therefore he was left only with Pinky as his last choice.
Although she was better than the people he interviewed, she could never
completely replace his Geet.
He looked at the schedule and saw
that he just had 2 meetings before he was done for the day. He decided to
quickly get them over with so that he could head home to pack his stuff for the
trip. He had decided to leave a few days before the actual conference at the
insistence of his Daadima again! He asked Pinky to leave once he told her bring
a few files for the meeting and set up the conference room. She fled out of his
cabin as soon as possible fearing he would blow a fuse any minute. Pinky too
knew the reason behind Maan's cold and stern behavior towards everyone. The
smile and the warmth in his eyes died the day when the angels in his life
abandoned him. In order to forget the pain he had immersed himself in work and
had turned into a cold and heartless man whom people even feared to make eye
contact with.
The meetings went by without a
hitch to the relief of Pinky for one wrong move would be an invitation for his
wrath. Maan strode out of the office, asking Pinky to take any messages for him
for the rest of the day as he was heading back home, retiring for the day. He
reminded her about his trip and as a consequence his absence for the next week
or so. She carefully noted everything down and assured him to take care of
everything.
Maan arrived back at the mansion by
three in the afternoon and found out that Daadima had headed out to meet her
friend from Nakul. He headed straight to his room and changed into his black
tracks and vest after freshening up a bit. He brought his suitcase in order to
start packing for the trip he dreaded to go to. A few weeks ago he got an
invitation to guest lecture at some annual conference but he had flatly refused
it. But somehow Daadima had come to know about it and before he knew it, she
had insistently persuaded him to attend it. He didn't feel the need to attend a
mere conference but Daadima had insisted it was the best opportunity and much
needed exposure for him. After she left, he had didn't want to travel anywhere and
had sulked away his life living like a zombie. He placed a few shirts and pants
in the suitcase and few other necessary items needed for the trip.
After getting a few other
things, he wanted to pack the most necessary item for the trip. He walked to
the study table to get the photo of his beloved smiling warmly at him, the woman
who promised to stay with him forever yet had walked away mercilessly letting
him die a slow death. He picked the photo frame and kissed it as a tiny tear
escaped from his eyes. He wanted to safely tuck it in with his dress when he
noticed another photo fall off from it. He was surprised by the presence of
another photo that had stuck to it. He looked at both photos that smiled at him
as though mocking his current miserable condition. Two of his precious gifts
from heaven had decided to abandon him in hell. He held both of his angels
close to his heart before carefully placing them with his clothes and closing
the suitcase.
ALIGHT PEOPLE HERE IS THE NEXT UPDATE AS PROMISED. I AM LITERALLY DEAD AFTER WRITING THIS SO PLZ IGNORE ANY MISTAKES! ALTHOUGH THE PAST AND THE PRESENT IS COLOR AND FONT CODED SOME PEOPLE HAVE FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. THEREFORE UNTIL U GUYS GET USED TO THE DIFFERENCE I SHALL DECLARE PAST OR PRESENT ON THE TOP. 😉
PLZZZZZ DO COMMENT OR AT LEAST CARE TO HIT THE LIKE BUTTON. ITS THE LEAST A WRITER CAN ASK FOR AFTER PUTTING HER HEART AND SOUL INTO WRITING THIS....😕
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