Chapter 4
"This situation has gone on long enough! There has been too much speculation among the villagers and that woman coming here and shamelessly asking for tofha when it's because of her betrayal that Daarji's honor is being questioned, it is too much. We have to act now, before our name is further besmirched!"
"I think you've already acted enough," Mohinder accused Brij angrily, still upset over the man's treatment of his daughter. "Instead of giving blame to others, you should consider your own part in all of this. You were so eager to see my girl married off, that whenever any of us have any doubts, you did everything you could to make us forget them."
"If we had gotten her married off to Harvinder Singh when she first turned 18 like I insisted, none of this would have happened. Sending her off to college was a useless and dangerous notion," argued Brij, clearly not wanting to accept his portion of the blame.
"That man was almost as old as me! I wasn't going to let Geet get married to him, and I certainly am not going to let you force her into anything now."
"Quiet!" ordered Daarji, wearied with the constant arguing. "This discussion is getting us nowhere. We have to face reality. The rumors about secret marriages and rejections are getting increasing every day. We have to do something before things get out of control and we can no longer face society."
Looking at his younger son, Daarji asked, "Mohinder, if we do nothing and let Geet continue going to college amidst all these rumors, what do you think will happen to her future? Will we be able to find anyone willing to marry a girl that people constantly whisper about? All the people I've met with have given various polite excuses, but I know that they don't want to take a chance that the rumors are true."
While his son looked down in defeat, Daarji turned to Brij and said, "Brij, you should not have hit Geet the way you did. Her injury only caused more problems. The few families who were interested, backed out when we wouldn't let them meet the girl. Due to your actions, we lost out on some potential risthas."
"She was being disrespectful!" Brij shouted. Then trying to give further justification, "How dare those people come into our home with their demands. They should show their respect for you and our family by accepting our word."
"Enough. I have made my decision." Daarji looked once more at the paper in his hand and announced, "There is only one way to handle Geet's situation and restore our honor in front of our neighbors."
He then showed the paper to the rest of the family and explained his thinking. Brij didn't like his idea as he felt it was too humiliating. Mohinder didn't like the idea because he felt that they could not afford to make a mistake like they did the last time. Daarji overrode all of their objections, saying he had thought very hard and spoken to a few people who could confirm the facts, before making this decision. His elder son added his support and worked to convince his brother, but they both wondered how to make Geet understand.
Brij growled that he would make her understand, but Daarji stopped him from doing anything. Turning to his younger son, he said that it was his responsibility as Geet's father to explain the situation and make her ready. Mohinder was still reluctant, but he was not strong enough to stand up to his father's insistence. With a heavy heart he walked up the stairs and towards his daughter's room.
Somehow Rano already knew about Daarji's decision and was trying to convince an unhappy Geet. Mohinder felt tears come to his eyes, seeing his little girl's condition. The bruising and swelling on her cheek had finally faded, but she was so pale and thin from the weeks of confinement and difficulty eating she was forced to endure. He remembered all the moments he had spent with her, their play, her chatter and laughter, her beautiful smile. All of those things were lost. He didn't think that she could ever gain them back, at least not if she stayed in Hoshiarpur, not now.
"Maa, I don't understand Daarji. How can he trust those people? Don't you remember how Dev Khurana betrayed us, how much lies he told? Just let me go back to school."
"Geet, that isn't going to happen. Daarji won't allow you to go to school. I know you're not happy with his decision, but you have to follow what he says. Now, don't argue and listen to me, dear. I'm worried for you, really worried. You don't understand what life will be like, how you will be treated. You don't know what..." Rano paused, clearly rethinking what she was going to say. "I want you to live, Geet. I want you to live."
"What do you mean, Maa?"
"She means that she wants you to live a new life, away from here. You will have a new chance in Delhi," explained her father as he entered the room.
"Papaji," Geet cried, "Papaji, please don't make me leave. I don't want to go away from my family, from you and Maa."
"I'm sorry, Beti," he said, brushing her hair lightly as she hugged him tight, sobbing. "I'm sorry, but it's not safe..."
Deciding to change his words, he said, "It's not good for you to stay here anymore Beti. I know you're upset, and that what happened last time has made you wary, but trust Daarji's judgement. He knows what is best for you. If you stay in Hoshiarpur, things will only get worse."
"Listen to your father, Geet," urged her mother as she cupped her face gently.
Geet winced at that soft touch, the pain caused by Brij's harsh treatment still not entirely gone. There was another, deeper pain that had no physical cause, yet hurt as badly as any physical blow. She didn't want to leave her parents, especially not now, but she also didn't like seeing them so worried. Loosing her strength to fight, she nodded reluctantly, giving up her rights on her own life in favor of her family's decision.
****
"You're sure that they haven't seen or heard from Vicky since before the trip? Did they hear anything about him from any of their friends? Alright, keep investigating and let me know if you find any information. I'm going to file a missing persons report."
Maan cut the call and began to pace. It was evident to him that despite what Vicky's mother and sister believed, he was not vacationing with friends, but had really disappeared. He really did not understand Padma at all. How could she virtually abandon her own child to an uncertain fate in favor of supporting Dev's stupid and illegal plan? Even after speaking with her yesterday, she was still in denial that anything could have happened to him. Maan was frustrated, not only with her attitude, but also that Dev's problems were negatively effecting others who should never have been involved.
Sitting down at his desk, he picked up the photograph of him, Dev and Vicky, considering how ironic the whole situation was. Dev and Vicky were much closer in age, yet Vicky had always felt closer to Maan, than Dev. Though Vicky was not a blood relation, Maan had always thought of him as his youngest brother. Yet that hadn't stopped him from worrying more about Dev, and that worry had ultimately led to him failing Vicky. When his little brother needed him the most, he had to face the distraction of Dev's deeds, and now he had lost almost all traces of Vicky.
Setting the photograph back down, Maan's eye was caught by an unexpected object. Picking it up, he asked himself, "What is this? Where did this taveez come from?"
Almost as soon as he asked the question, his eyes moved along the desk and saw what looked like a broken bangle. Seeing the bangle his mind flashed back to that day a month ago, when he rescued that crazy girl from the lake. Those memories led right back to his brother's shameful deeds, and his jaw tightened in anger.
"Whenever I try to forget about this girl, something always comes in front to remind me."
Before he could throw the taveez and bangle away, his phone rang, distracting him. Picking up the phone, he heard Munshiji greeting him. Placing the taveez back on the desk, Maan straight way asked Munshiji to update him on the land status. He was not pleased to hear that Munshiji was unable to purchase the land he was interested in. Munshiji tried to explain that the land wasn't for sale, but Maan wouldn't listen. His years in the business had taught him that everyone had a price at which they would sell. He ordered Munshiji to keep working on the problem and not call him again until he had good news.
Deciding it was time to head off to the office, Maan started picking up his files for the day when Nakul came running into the room. In words that were difficult to understand, the servant explained that there was a disturbance in the mansion that required Maan's immediate attention. Maan wanted to know why the security weren't handling it, but Nakul just insisted that he come right away. When Maan arrived in the large foyer, he saw two security guards wrestling with a man, while a small group of people stood off to the side.
"What is going on here?" questioned Maan furiously, with all the authority of the male head of the Khurana household.
Precap
Maan took the piece of paper and saw his own handwriting which read, "Along with sending back your girl's things, I am giving you the address of my Delhi residence. Contact me if you ever have any desire to reconsider your decision in this matter. Maan Singh Khurana"
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