Not properly proofed, so please ignore any mistakes. 😊
Chapter Thirteen
As Maan disconnects his call, he instantly starts to dial another number and puts the phone to his ear, his foot tapping against the metal floor anxiously. His stiff demeanor makes me forget the slight embarrassment I feel at waking up with my head on his shoulder as I wonder what has happened to make him react like this. Ayush, who is standing before him, gripping the seat in front of ours to steady himself from the slight jerks of the moving bus, also notices Maan's sudden anxiety and becomes alert himself. As Ayush asks what is wrong, Maan doesn't respond for a moment, still trying to dial some number. On asking for the third time, we finally get to hear the reason for why he's behaving this way. 'Mom had an accident. It was a call from the hospital.' His words are rushed as he still fiddles with his phone, disconnecting and dialing a number again and again.
'Who are you trying to call?' Anaya asks as she kneels down in the alley beside Maan. 'Ranbir. He was out for some work and there's no one with Mom at the moment.' He looks out of the window and asks the professor how much time will it be before we reach the city. Luckily, not more than half an hour is left and Ayush tries to calm Maan down though all three of us too become tense on hearing the news of Mrs. Khurana's accident. He doesn't relax his rigid posture, occasionally muttering expletives between his failed attempts of trying to reach his brother. Ayush also tries to call Ranbir from his own cell phone, still standing there as Anaya sits on her knees and pats Maan's arms to soothe him. On a will of its own, my hand rests on his as a gesture of the support I feel like providing him. 'She'll be fine, Maan. She'll be fine.' He looks at me hearing me speak and I see a little film of moisture in his eyes.
Ayush's voice catches our attention as he talks to Ranbir and passes the phone to Maan. Talking to his brother in a tense voice, he inquires about his whereabouts, hurriedly telling him about their mother's accident and instructing him to be by her side as soon as possible. As soon as he gets off the phone, Ayush asks about it. 'Ranbir is on his way to the hospital...' 'What happened to Aunty?' Maan looks at Anaya and answers her. 'She was crossing a road and a car hit her.' Anaya sucks in a sharp breath and so do I as the next questions tumble out of my mouth. 'How is she? Is she fine?' Maan nods a little. 'The person who called me said it was a minor hit and she isn't very serious.' Even as Maan says these words, I can still see that he hasn't calmed down a bit by that piece of information. 'Is there more to it?' Ayush's question makes us look at him. 'I don't know, that man wouldn't tell anything beyond that. He just said he called the last dialed number in Mom's phone.'
-------------------------------------The day is almost drawing to a close with the early evening settling into a dark night when we reach the campus. With Ranbir's call from a few minutes earlier informing of Mrs. Khurana being taken home, Maan doesn't waste any time in walking with fast steps to the bus stand but Ayush stops him, taking him towards a car which is parked across the street. Ayush calls me and Anaya too, telling us that we'll be going to Maan's place in his father's car.
Before the car comes to a complete stop outside his house, Maan pushes the door open and sprints towards the main door, unlocking it with his spare keys and entering inside in a rush. All three of us follow suit, concerned enough about Aunty to forget any form of manners on entering someone else's house. Anaya leads the way to Mrs. Khurana's room and we step in to see Maan sitting beside his mother on the bed she's lying in, her hand wrapped between both of his as he questions her about the accident in an anxious and heavy voice. Mrs. Khurana reassures him weakly that she's fine when Ranbir, who just stands up from the other side of his mother, tells Maan to relax. As Maan looks up at his brother, the tight rein of emotions he has kept for almost one hour begins to slip through and a tear trickles down his cheek. For the first time since I've met and known him, I see hints of a vulnerable side to him, the face of a son who's afraid of losing his mother.
Ayush walks to Maan and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder as Ranbir tells what exactly has happened. Aunty was out for some grocery shopping when a car hit her. The hit wasn't very strong but it still made her fall on the road and hit her head on the pavement, resulting in torn skin and two stitches. The car driver was kind enough to take her to the hospital right away so the wound isn't worrisome. Apart from this, there're some scratches on her arms and a sprained ankle, but the doctor says she'll be perfectly fine within a few days. As Ranbir finishes telling the details, his phone rings and he leaves the room, excusing himself to answer the call. Anaya and I walk to the other side of the bed and she sits down beside Aunty while I stand behind her.
-------------------------------------As I see Mom trying to be normal to an extent while talking to Anaya and Geet, my fears lessen a bit and my mind starts to function again, unlike the past hour I've spent with almost nothing on my mind except my mother's well-being. I see the concerned faces of my friends and feel blessed.
Thank you God, for giving me such friends and for not letting anything happen to Mom. After some time of Anaya recalling our trip to Mom in an excited voice, with Geet - who has sat down on the chair - filling in the gaps calmly, Geet's phone rings and she steps out of the room. In the meantime, after promising to visit tomorrow, Anaya leaves, shortly followed by Ayush. I go with them to the door and see Geet standing in the living room talking on her phone, which I can figure out is her mother's call. I hear my name and a mention to my mother's accident amidst other words and I can guess that she's telling her mother about it all.
As she disconnects her call and looks at me when I come back after seeing Anaya and Ayush off, I thank her in a low voice. She appears surprised.
'Thanks for what?' I lower my eyes a little.
'For being there.' She understands because her hand softly rests on my arm.
'You don't thank your friends Maan.' I look at her and smile faintly, too overwhelmed to say anything after Anaya and Ayush's words just before they left. After a beat's silence, I tell her if she wants to go, I can drop her to her hostel but she politely refuses telling that G is coming over to meet Mom and she'll drop her back. We both walk back to Mom's room in silence where Mom smiles seeing us and calls both of us to sit by her side.
I take my earlier position and Geet sits on the other side of the bed. Mom takes one of our hands in each of hers and softly inquires about the trip, trying to lighten the mood. Geet catches up to my mother's intention and so she animatedly tells her of the hard times Jess gave me and how Geet always stepped in to save me. Mom laughs when Geet describes our late night walk when we had to run back to the hotel, afraid of having to come face to face with a beast. After almost half an hour of easy chatting between Geet and Mom with me occasionally getting in a word or two, the doorbell indicates of G's arrival. G stays for another half an hour and after promising to be back tomorrow to see Mom, she and Geet leave too. I give Mom her medicines and snuggle beside her, hugging her carefully and we both fall asleep.
-------------------------------------The next day is the first day to college after the trip but nothing seems like before. Anaya is still angry and upset with Ayush, trying her best to avoid him, Ayush is on his toes, making unsuccessful efforts of talking to her. Maan doesn't show up and although I miss his presence, I can understand why he hasn't come. The day becomes even worse when Anaya doesn't come for lunch, saying she has some work. Ayush tries to be his cheerful self when I sit with him on a table with his other friends but I can tell he isn't really into the chatting happening around the table. As the day comes towards the end, Anaya asks if I want to go to Maan's place right after college. I tell her I have to work but I'll be there in some time and so we part for the day.
-------------------------------------I open the door as the bell rings for the nth time, expecting Jess' mother to be back. She has promised to bring us dinner even when I and Mom refused. The woman is sweet but the persistence her daughter has in herself has come from her genes. To my surprise, I see Ranbir standing there with a very beautiful girl. He introduces her as Zara, his friend, saying she insisted on meeting Mom after she heard of the accident. She smiles at me and confidently brings her hand forward for a handshake. After customary introductions, Ranbir takes her to Mom's room and I follow them. Mom, as I always expect of her, welcomes the girl warmly, talking about random things and making her feel comfortable. I find out that Zara is a very sweet girl and a moderately talkative one at that. From the way Mom talks to her, I can say that the two of them are good on their way of becoming friends.
The doorbell rings again and I open the door to find Geet standing there with G coming down the walkway.
'Hi Maan!' Geet greets me.
'Hi! Come on in.' I move aside to let the two enter.
'How is Aunty?' 'She's better.' I answer Geet as I lead them to the room. Ranbir's laughter floats to our ears just as we enter and the two ladies stop. Geet leans in a bit towards me.
'Who is this?' Her whispering makes me smile a bit as I answer her telling her about Zara. She nods just when Mom notices us, calling the two girls inside. Zara stays only for a few minutes after that, barely enough to be introduced and to exchange pleasantries with Geet and G. Ranbir gets up to see her off, telling Mom that he has some work too.
G sits on the bed and Geet takes the chair while I just stand there, as G says something about Mom drinking some special soup. Within minutes, G jumps off the bed and asks me to show her things around the kitchen so she can make the soup right away. Mom tries to refuse but Geet speaks up in a soft voice, telling Mom that the soup is actually tasty and she should drink it. Mom laughs at Geet's attempt to make her agree and playfully tells her that she knows of the soup's taste. Geet's cheeks turn a bit pink and G cuts in, announcing to Mom that there's no escape from drinking the soup, after which I lead her to the kitchen, show her the required things and she tells me to go back to Mom.
-------------------------------------As Maan and G leave for the kitchen, Aunty tries to get up and I ask her if she needs anything. Continuing her efforts, she says she wants to use the washroom so I help her out of the bed, holding her around the waist and walking her to the door of the washroom. Just as the door closes, Maan comes in the room, inquiring about his mother. He leans on the wall outside the washroom door and starts talking about the day at college. I tell him about Anaya and Ayush's one-sided cold war and he sighs.
'I shouldn't have expected Anaya to calm down. She's so stubborn.' I stay silent for a while when he speaks up again.
'Should I talk to her? Maybe it'll be better...' 'No Maan. I think we should let them solve their issues themselves.' 'But-' I cut him off.
'Give them some time. I'm sure Ayush will handle it.' He still looks unconvinced.
'Fine. I will talk to Anaya. But only when I feel I should, okay?' He nods and just then Aunty comes out and we both move forward to help her. Seeing Maan supporting her, I step back a little but Aunty holds my hand and so I help her from one side, holding her arm while Maan holds her waist from the other side.
-------------------------------------Maan doesn't come to college the next day too and I feel that Anaya hasn't gotten over her anger towards Ayush yet, though it has slackened a bit. Anaya does sit with us through lunch but talks very little, especially with Ayush. I convince myself that maybe Anaya needs to get it out of her system. If she doesn't say it to Ayush, perhaps I should coax her into saying what's troubling her. Unfortunately, she has to go somewhere else after college and I don't get time before that to sit her down and talk to her.
When I reach the Khurana residence, I come to know that Ayush is also over there along with Maan, sitting with Aunty. They sit together for sometime but the boys move out of the room, telling Aunty that they'll be back. As they leave the room, Aunty turns to me with a soft smile. Her warm smile - which is just the same as Maan's - makes me feel very comfortable, and on my own accord, I begin to talk about random things, about college, about how I became friends with Anaya and the rest, about what I plan to do in the future. As I talk, I offer to apply ointment to the scratches on her arms, which are itching. She lets me do it even as she complains childishly about how she's become immobile and Maan and Ranbir wouldn't let her get out of the bed. I smile seeing her talk like that and help her off the bed to take a little walk around the terrace that attaches with her room. I support her weight all the time as we share our hobbies while walking in the fresh air. As she feels tired, I make her sit in the chair kept on the terrace and leave to bring water for her.
-------------------------------------I notice Ayush tapping his foot very quietly as he sits beside me in the living room. He's been here for almost an hour and apart from the random jokes here and there with Mom, he's been a bit silent. More than thrice, I have seen the look of indecision on his face, as if contemplating over saying something.
'Will you spit it out?' He looks up at me in surprise, his shoulders relax a little and he sighs.
'Now that you're asking so much, I'll tell it you.' I chuckle a little. Ayush being Ayush, I'd have found it odd if he'd stuck to something along the lines of
'nothing's the matter' or
'I don't know what you're talking about'. 'Now tell me why you weren't saying anything.' He scratches his head a bit and smiles sheepishly. '
I thought you were already a bit, you know, tense and all so...' I roll my eyes at him.
'Since when do you need to think twice before saying anything to me?' He looks down and I tell him to speak what's wrong.
'It's Anaya, Maan. She hasn't been herself with me at all.' With his lips down-turned like a small child's, he looks cute but I know he is genuinely worried.
'Do you think she's thinking I played a prank on her the other night? Maybe I should just apologize again and tell her that it wasn't meant to be the way I said it. Maybe I should make her believe that I don't like her...' I shake my head.
'No Ayush. That isn't going to solve anything. Now that you've accepted to her that you like her more than a friend, make her believe it. Do not back out now.' Ayush nods a bit, a frown still on his forehead. As I look up, my eyes catch the faint reflection on the glass window. Somebody's standing right at the door behind us.
Geet. I turn around but before I can say anything, she shakes her head a little and tells me she came to get the water jug refilled for Mom.
She's heard our conversation.-------------------------------------As I refill the jug, I think about what I have just heard of Ayush's feelings towards Anaya and how upset he is at how the things are going. The sound of footsteps behind me make me turn around to see Maan coming in the kitchen.
'Did you...?' I understand what he's asking and so I nod.
'I heard it.' 'Geet - ' I stop him from saying anything.
'You don't have to say anything Maan. I'm going to talk to Anaya tomorrow.' He smiles a little.
'Thanks Geet.' 'If you've forgotten, let me remind you that they're my friends too, and I wouldn't want them to be hurt and upset with each other like this.' This time, his smile is the one I like, the one that reaches his eyes and I smile back whole-heartedly before we make way out of the kitchen, me going to his mother's room and him sitting down with Ayush.
-------------------------------------The next day in college seems better. I'm determined to talk to Anaya and get my friends to be normal again. Maan also comes to college. He tells us that Ranbir is staying at home today so Maan could come to attend classes. Even Anaya's anger appears to have lessened by a greater degree as she joins in occasionally at the lunch table conversation Maan tries to keep going. I become an active participant for the meanwhile, helping Maan in his efforts. As the lunch hour ends, a basketball practice session is announced and the boys leave for the court. Left to ourselves, Anaya suggests that we do some study instead of going to watch their match and I agree.
With our books spread on the table in front of us, we begin studying but the silence that surrounds us is eerie rather than companionable. As I put my thoughts together to speak up, to get Anaya to talk, she sighs heavily. I look up to see her playing with the pencil in her hand.
'I know what you want to say Geet.' Her eyes meet mine.
'Then tell me Anaya. What is it that's disturbing you so much?' She doesn't answer so I continue.
'Do you think Ayush played a dirty prank on you?' She grits her teeth.
'Yes he did.' I open my mouth to object but she shakes her head.
'Don't try to deny Geet. He did play a prank on me. He played with my feelings. He didn't think once how it will affect me, my heart, when he says he likes me and then I realise it's all a freaking prank.' I see angry tears swimming in her eyes and rest my hand atop of hers.
'You're taking it all wrong Anaya. Did you ever consider that he might have spoken what he really feels for you? Did you never think about it?' She looks at me.
'I know it isn't true. He's a prankster and what he said was no more than just another prank for him.' 'Did you give him a chance to explain himself? How can you make assumptions. Agreed that he's a prankster and he plays pranks on everybody in his close vicinity, but haven't you seen that he wants to talk to you? Don't you think he should get a chance to explain himself?' She falls silent for a moment as I wait for her to take in my words.
'Anaya... Just talk to him once.' When she doesn't respond, I plead to her.
'Please? Will you do it for me and Maan?' With a defeated sigh, she nods and I pass her a smile. Something then strikes me and I ponder over whether to ask her or not, then decide on going ahead with it.
'Anaya... Can I ask you something?' She looks up at me.
'Sure.' I hesitate for a moment.
'Do you, I mean, Ayush... Uhh... Maan... Umm...' She cracks a smile at my fumbling but otherwise waits for me to speak.
'I thought you like Maan, uhh... you know what I'm talking about.' 'Well. Of course I like Maan, but only as a friend.' I look at her a little perplexed.
'But the other day you said that you had a -' she cuts me off in an amused voice.
'A crush on him. I had
Geet. But like every other infatuation, it faded away.' She shrugs.
'Ayush...' I let my question linger and to my amusement, her cheeks turn pink as she nods
. 'It's Ayush that I lov-' She stops as she realizes what she was about to say and I smile, really happy for the two friends.
Now all they need is a little push.-------------------------------------That evening, when I visit Mrs. Khurana, I feel happy for several reasons. For one, Anaya has promised to talk to Ayush, and even though she couldn't do it today, I'll make sure she does it tomorrow. Another reason is that Aunty's stitches have been taken off today, her sprained ankle almost back to normal and the scratches well on their way to healing. One reason which I don't admit to anyone, but try as hard as I might, I can't refuse it to myself, is that Anaya feels for Ayush and not Maan.
I'm only happy because Ayush won't have to face a heartbreak, I tell myself.
There's no other reason. Or... is there?As we - Maan, Ranbir, G, Zara and I - sit on the bed with Aunty, jokes are shared, laughter erupts at regular intervals, plans are made on how to celebrate the passing of a bad time. Zara, I discover, is a lovely girl with a crazy sense of humour and her equation with G fits in as soon as they begin to chat. Numerous times, my eyes float towards Maan, the euphoria very evident in his form, in the way he laughs and as a result, I feel lighter too, wanting a chance to talk to him and tell him about how happy I feel for Anaya and Ayush, but amidst the people we sit with, I don't get any such chance and I return to my hostel, hoping to see an even better tomorrow.
-------------------------------------'Can I help?' I ask Ranbir as I enter the kitchen. Ever since Mom has had her accident, we haven't let her enter the kitchen. Since both of us used to cook bits and pieces earlier when our mother worked, we don't have a lot of trouble managing it now. On top of that, the frequent visits of the females provide me and Ranbir some relief when they offer to help.
'Is Mom asleep?' He asks me.
'Yeah. She just slept.' I look into the pot he's stirring in and he explains that he's making one of the instant soups which Mom has stocked for us.
'I'm almost done so there's no help needed.' He smiles at me. A few moments pass in silence while he stirs and I get myself a glass of water.
'So finally I've met your common room girl.' I put the glass down and look at him only to see the teasing smile on his face.
'Of course you have. She's been in and out of our house ever since Mom's accident.' I roll my eyes at him. He chuckles and gives a pat on my back.
'Nice choice, man!' To not let my embarrassment be visible, I turn the tables on him.
'Zara isn't all that bad too. And you two seem quite comfortable with each other...'He grins shamelessly and winks.
'Well, maybe she is
the special one.' My mouth pops open at his words as he turns around and walks out of the kitchen with a mirthful gait, shouting back for me to invite whoever I want for the party we're throwing for Mom's recovery the next day.
Edited by mayyo13 - 12 years ago
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