Chapter 28
"What is this nonsense? I don't know what living in Delhi has done to you, but girls in this family do not raise their voices like this!" thundered Daarji, upset with the way Geet was behaving. "And I don't want to hear any more about the shameless girl who didn't even give one thought to her family's honor before running away."
"But Daarji, you don't understand. Channi didn't just run away, she was killed. Brij veerji killed her!"
"Geet!" cried Rupinder, "how can you say such a thing about your own brother? Be quiet this instant!"
"I can't be quiet," countered Geet. "I saw her dead body. Gurvinder and I found it buried in the woods just now."
"So it was you running off with that good for nothing scum!"
The entire Handa family looked at the angry man who stood in the doorway with various levels shock and fear. Geet watched as Brij walkd toward her with slow, deliberate anger. Looking around at her family members, she couldn't understand why they were just standing there, not doing anything.
"I told them that it couldn't be you, that my sister would never be running around with a paraya mard, that you cared too much for our family honor to do such a thing. Have you no shame, girl?"
Geet fired back at him, "It is you who should be ashamed. You did the worst crime possible killing Channi and trying to kill Gurvinder, and yet you are asking me if I am ashamed?
"Oye, chup kar!"
"Nahin! I won't be quiet!" Looking around are her silent family she asked, "Why are you all so silent? Why isn't anybody doing anything? We need to call the police!"
The word police caused an immediate uproar in the family. Daarji would not even hear of such a thing, as the police had never come to their haveli before. Her parents, aunt and uncle tried to hush Geet, sure that she was under some big misunderstanding. When Geet tried to oppose them by calling the police herself, Brij almost strangled her right there in front of the entire family.
Daarji intervened, telling Brij to stop and the adults to take Geet to her room and keep her there. He stood rigid, with barely controlled fury as Geet was pulled away, still insisting that they had to call the police. Once things were quiet, he looked at his grandson for a few moments, noticing that Brij did not want to meet his eyes. After considering the situation, he motioned to Brij that he should follow him.
After locking Geet in her room, Rano came out and plead with her husband. "Please, talk to Daarji. Explain to him that she's just confused. Don't let Brij hurt her. That's why we sent her away."
"You don't worry, Rano. I will speak with Daarji," assured Mohinder.
Leaving his worried wife, Mohinder went downstairs to look for his father. He didn't see him or Brij, so he decided to take a look in the study. When he got near the door he heard a conversation that he never could have dreamed of hearing.
"Brij, tell me the truth. Did you kill Geet's saheli, Channi Singh?"
"Ji, Daarji."
"Why?"
"Because she cared more for that lowlife than her own family's izzat. We tried and tried to reason with her, telling her to leave him and come back home, but she wouldn't. And if running off with that Dalit wasn't bad enough, but she was also expecting a baby by him. We couldn't let that behavior go, Daarji. She had to be made an example to those who would flout our authority."
"Theek hai. What's done is done. It would have been better if you had found a way without resorting to bloodshed, but there is nothing that can be done now."
"Daarji, what will we do about Geet?"
"I won't allow her to bring the police into our personal family matter. She has to be made to understand what her duty is to our family."
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then you will do what you must, Brij. But be careful. We don't want the Khurana family to become involved in this."
Mohinder watched as Brij sneered at the name, before declaring, "They never wanted her anyway. I doubt they will care if they never hear from her again."
A chill washed over Mohinder as he heard his nephew speak so callously of his own daughter. Rushing back up the stairs and to his daughter's room, he ignored his wife's questions and let himself inside Geet's room. His daughter was sitting on her bed, crying, but she hurried over when she saw him enter, plying him with questions.
"Papaji, you believe me, right? You believe that I'm telling the truth, right Papaji?"
"Of course, Beti. I heard Brij just now telling Daarji that he killed your friend."
Geet had not been expecting her brother to admit to the truth, but she was happy, excitedly saying, "So, Daarji will call the police, now that he knows it's all true."
"No, he won't."
"But, Papaji, we have to call the police. Brij killed someone. That is wrong and if we don't tell the police, that will be wrong too. You will call the police, won't you, Papaji?"
Mohinder just shook his head sadly, before pulling her in to a tight hug. "Geet, I can't go against Daarji, and Brij is crazy. He can do anything. It's not safe for you here any more. Save yourself. Run, run to Maan Khurana. Brij won't try anything while you are in his protection. That's why your mother and I wanted to get you married to him."
"But, Papaji..."
"You listen to your Papaji. If you every had any trust on him, then you will run from here and save yourself. Now! Did you hear what I said? Go!"
Geet looked at her father in disbelief as he dragged her through the window onto the small terrace. She had never seen him cry, but the tears came from his eyes as he continued to urge her to flee. With no other recourse, Geet did as her father said, once again venturing out into the night, trusting her fate to Babaji.
Worried that Brij might be behind her, Geet ran as quickly as she could for a few minutes. She soon tired out as she headed along a road out of the village, her earlier running having sapped much of her energy. As she walked, she considered how her father had told her to go to Maan for help. That thought was briefly considered, and then rejected. He had never been interested in helping her, and she doubted that this time would be different.
The only other option she had was to go to the police herself. Thought the Hoshiarpur police station was a few kilometers farther that Maan's rented guest house, Geet chose that option. If she could make it there safely, they would have to do something, because this time she actually had evidence. Though she felt some comfort from that, she was still scared enough that a prayer to Babaji escaped her lips.
"Babaji, if ever there was a time when I needed your help, it is now. I only wanted to do the right thing and find the truth. Please, help me find the right way."
No sooner had she finished, than she felt her foot step on something other than pavement. Looking down, the clear light from the moon illuminated a very familiar shape. She had no idea how it was possible, other than through Babaji's blessing, but the appearance of her taveez on that lonely road sent a wave of conviction through her body. She was doing the right thing and Babaji had sent her this sign as proof.
Precap
Maan didn't believe in ghosts and he never had. He knew that what people thought were supernatural events had perfectly logical explanations. Yet, if he had been a believer, he would have sworn that he saw the ghost of a slim girl running desperately in the faint moonlight. It also could have been a hallucination, but Maan Singh Khurana did not hallucinate. When he heard a very human cry of pain, he knew that was he saw was no ghost or figment of imagination, but something very real.
Cricket
Financial markets and global economy
Ishaani
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