Chapter 30
Geet stared at Daarji in disbelief, responding to his request by echoing, "Puttar. When Brij veerji was after my blood and you did nothing to stop him, did you remember then that I was your puttar? You lost the right to call me puttar that day, Daarji."
Daarji tried to convince Geet to come inside the haveli, but she wouldn't agree. "Why should I go inside?" she asked. "If I talk in front of everyone, will you feel ashamed? You're afraid, and you don't want the truth to come before everyone. Well, it will. Today I will tell the truth. The truth that the girl, whose brother tried to kill her, was not his first victim. When this girl tried to bring out the truth, this brother tried to take her life, and you all did nothing!"
Geet continued to bring out every truth from the time that Dev came with his proposal, even when Brij and Daarji tried to stop her. The villagers were shocked, but Geet could tell when they started questioning Daarji, that they believed what she said. Their questions angered Brij so much that eventually he admitted to not only trying to kill her, but to also killing Channi.
At that point, Gurvinder arrived with the police, who were there to arrest Brij. Geet was glad to see that he was alive, but her focus was more on seeing that the police took her brother away. Repeating what she had said to the crowd, she handed over his talwar as proof. To the shock of the Handa family, their eldest son was shamefully dragged away by the police, prompting Daarji to declare that their family's door was closed from that day on to Geet. He declared that she was dead to them.
"Nahin, Daarji," replied Geet calmly. "From today you, this family, this haveli, is nothing to me. This place where I gave my first smiles, will never see my presence again."
"Geet, what are you saying?" cried Rano in distress. "So easily you can refuse all relations. I'm your mother, your mother!"
"It is as easy for me to say we have no relation as it was for you to stand by and do nothing while Brij veerji did whatever he wanted."
"What were we supposed to do, Geet?" questioned her aunt. "We thought you were dead. He told us you were dead!"
Geet looked each one of her former family members in the eye. "So? You thought I was dead, then what did you do? Did you try to punish my culprit? Did you go to the police and tell them everything so that I could have justice? No, you did nothing. Today, I am finished with all relations. From today I am no longer Geet Handa, but only Geet. From today I will stand on my own and take my own life decisions."
****
"That stupid girl! If she was just going to go back to that pathetic excuse for a family, then why didn't she just say so at the beginning. How much time have I waisted because I was taking her to the police. I could have just packed up my camping equipment then, instead of leaving it all in a rush for that idiot. Had to go back and get everything when I could have just come right back and been on my way to Delhi hours early."
Maan continued to rage as he packed up the jeep with the last of his things from the guest house. Among his self dialogues were several curses aimed at Geet, as well as several firm statements that he should never have bothered to save her. It wasn't like his heroics would keep her from dying, not with the kind of family she had. The only thing he really worried about was his dadi. He knew that in just one short week she had grown quite fond of Geet, and it was going to hurt her to know what Geet had chosen in the name of "love".
"Whatever, Maan, don't think about that now. Don't think about that girl, period. She made her choices, she can bare the consequences. Better for you to just get her out of your mind completely."
That was easier said than done, for when he went to sit back in the jeep, his eyes glanced to the passenger seat, where a small, familiar object rested. Reaching over to pick it up, he took what he was sure was his one millionth look at Geet's taveez. The sight of that small object sent such a wave of anger through him that he was literally shaking in fury.
"This taveez!" he exclaimed. "I don't know why it won't stop following me! Ever since I met that girl, it has been everywhere, troubling me with it's presence!"
Maan moved his hand with every intention of throwing the offending object away, when Munshiji came forward to stop him. "Saabji, don't do that! This taveez is pulling you in a good direction, I am sure. You should treat it with respect."
"Respect!" repeated Maan in shock. "Munshiji, do you know..."
"Geet madamji!" cried Munshiji happily, totally ignoring his employer's annoyed response, happy to see the young lady again.
Maan too forgot what he was saying as he looked at the gate of the guest house to see Geet slowly walking toward them. She had changed clothes and was lugging both of her bags in a somewhat awkward way. In the surprise of seeing her there, the taveez slipped from Maan's fingers onto the jeep's floor, totally forgotten. He watched as she silently came near to him, almost no expression on her face.
"So, you are still alive," he muttered, earning him a silent look. "With the kind of family you have, I was sure that I would be reading the news of your demise any day soon."
Geet didn't bother to respond to that taunting comment. When he did nothing to help her, she picked up her bags and placed them carefully in the back. Then she walked around to the passenger side of the jeep, getting in to the seat that she had been occupying only a few hours previously.
Frowning at her actions, Maan asked, "What do you think you are doing?"
"Going to Delhi," was her quiet response.
Maan waited before Munshiji left, before demanding, "You think that I am going to take you back to Delhi after what you did? Do you have any brain at all, that you think I would just forget everything that happened and take you home as if nothing had changed?"
Geet didn't give him any reply, other than to reach for the seatbelt and pulling it around her carefully, before locking it in place. Maan couldn't believe her nerve to act like she was. He was on the verge of forcibly removing her from the jeep when Munshiji came out of the house, saying that he had forgotten his phone.
"Saabji, Madamji called and wanted to know when you and Geet madam are going to reach Delhi. She thought that you would have left already, and she said you should come soon, because it won't be good for Geet madam to be out too late."
Maan grabbed the phone that Munshiji held out to him, upset at the entire situation. His frustration was only increased when, without looking at him, Geet quietly reminded that his grandmother was waiting for them. With an angry frown at Geet, Maan moved to sit in the driver's seat. With Savitri waiting, he knew there was nothing he could do at that moment. After all, he could hardly call her back and try to explain everything on the phone. He would have to wait until he was home and could tell it all to her in person.
Precap
Her methods might be different than Naintara, but she was just as much of a manipulator as his sister-in-law. Clearly, Maan was going to have to watch her closely, to make sure that she did not do anything to harm his family.
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