Slavedrivers you lot are, carrying on about 'short chapter', short chapter'.
Warning: This chapter has no YuvAni except a tiny bit at the end. It is to set up the events that will follow later, but is also meant to be a separation--metaphorical, not actual. And short of time now, so will update links tomorrow.
Links to all chapters here.
The party had lost its appeal. Yuvraj sat near the pool, not wanting to see Gautam with his arm around Suhani, strolling in the distance. He had been so circumspect, so respectful, so careful to stay within the boundaries that actually shouldn't even exist between them. Seeing her so openly affectionate with another man, so physically comfortable with him, with so much vibe, didn't just make him jealous or angry. It troubled him deeply.
The thing was this: his old Suhani would not have behaved this way. She had been very conventional, traditional about such things. First, that Suhani would have followed up the slap with a lecture about his behavior and kept him at a distance. He had definitely felt her respond to him on Thursday night--though she ignored it later, how had she even allowed such a situation to arise? It wasn't that anything wild had gone on, and he couldn't explain the significance, but she had not being saying no to him, but to them letting down Bhavna.
Which all would be fine if it weren't for Gautam. If there was someone else, if she could act so uninhibited with that someone, if they too shared a bond as he thought he and Suhani did, then why had she let him so much as touch her, leave alone turning him to mush with the way she looked at him sometimes? Was he being an MCP? Yeah, he was a bit, but he too was conventional, and he would not stand in line for a Suhani who once again didn't put him first.
Sharad came and sat down beside him. "What's the matter? And who's that guy with bhabhi?"
"I told you not to call her that!" His anger spilled over at poor Sharad, and he felt bad immediately. "Sorry. Sharad, I think this is all hopeless. I should pack my bags and return home. And that guy? He's her boyfriend, looks like. Or one of them. Apparently your Suhani bhabhi is collecting candidates for a swayamvar," he said bitterly.
"What! Kya ulta seedha kahe jaa rahe ho, Guru! What has upset you so much? You know she doesn't remember. . ."
There was no way he was telling Sharad about those pathetically few moments that had sent his hopes soaring at times and the thud with which he landed after seeing her jumping into Gautam's arms. But why wasn't Sharad more indignant about Gautam? Not to forget the doctor, who wasn't looking too happy either.
Just then Amit came up to them, telling Yuvraj it was a great party and chatting about things he could barely pay any attention to. When Amit wandered away, he turned back to Sharad and told him again that he felt he should return to Birla House.
"Giving up so soon? What all did Suhani bhabhi put up with for you, Guru? Shall I run through the list? I should be done by tomorrow morning."
Sharad was right, but he didn't know about his disturbing thoughts. And he wasn't going to explain. "I'll think about it," he said, and they left it at that.
Everyone was quiet on the way home, tired and wound down, so no one particularly noticed Yuvraj's silence. Sharad was staying over that night, and he tried talking to Yuvraj in the room he was sharing with him, aware he was upset, but his cousin told him to let him be.
He was still quiet the next morning, and Suhani tried to cheer him up, puzzled at his change of mood, change in attitude. Maybe he'd had some bad news, she thought, and finally left him alone. Bhavna understood his silence, of course, and didn't know what to do or say.
Around lunchtime Sharad came running to Yuvraj, panting out, "Guru, phone off hai kya tumhara? Mausi gir gayi, hospital mein hain."
"Kaunsi mausi?" He was barely listening.
"Mausi! Mausi--tumhari maa," Sharad said, almost incoherent in his panic.
Yuvraj ran to pack his clothes, collect his things, anxious to get to his mother. Bhavna, Suhani, and Amit expressed sympathy and offered to go with them, but that would be stupid, Sharad said. There was no need. Guru and he would manage.
It turned out that dadi had shouted at his mother about something that hadn't been done and his mother had tried to hurry to go to attend to it, had slipped and fallen and lost consciousness. When Yuvraj and Sharad reached, Saurabh and Anuj told them that maa had a dislocated shoulder the ER doctor had tried to pop back but couldn't, so they would do it under anaesthesia the following day. She had twisted her knee, but there seemed no broken bones. Thankfully, the CAT scan showed no bleeding or swelling in the brain, but she had lost consciousness, so she would be under observation. Sharad and Yuvraj met her, though she was pretty groggy with painkillers, and they went out to decide how they would arrange hospital shifts.
Yuvraj felt a revival of his rage at dadi. This was too bloody much. He should have done something a lot earlier, but it was too late to regret that now. Dadi had caused this. And he hadn't forgotten the Machiavellian games she had played in the past. He suddenly made a decision and told his brothers, "I'm getting a house and moving out. Maa will come with me, and Sharad, of course. I'm sorry you guys are stuck with dadi and your wives, but I've had enough."
Yuvraj and Sharad both stayed at the hospital when Saurabh and Anuj went home. From tomorrow they would take turns at the hospital, but neither Yuvraj nor Sharad felt much like going to Birla House and seeing dadi's face. As the day progressed, they realized that while their presence was useful when something was needed, what Pratima really required was a woman there. And neither Ragini bhabhi nor Menka was going to volunteer, nor would either be any good at looking after anyone, leave alone a sick or injured person.
"I'll hire a nurse," Yuvraj said to his mother when she was more alert that evening. "Two nurses, one for the day and one for the night." She would have restricted mobility for at least a couple of weeks, the visiting doctor told them, and maybe longer. He suggested they hire ward helpers rather than nurses, and that would do, along with a family member to help.
As they were discussing what they would do, Amit and Bhavna walked in with Suhani. The girls had decided to come to town with Amit, visit Pratima Aunty. All of them noted that there was no sign of the women of the house; that these two guys looked harried and unsure of what to do. Sharad explained the circumstances, ignoring the fact that they were really 'outsiders', ranting about dadi, Ragini, and Menka. Bhavna, forgetting the immediate circumstances, turned to her sister and said, "Can't you help?"
Suhani looked at Bhavna, tongue-tied. Why was this her problem? How could she say that hello, Yuvraj was her friend, yes, and his mother was very sweet and she felt very sorry for their situation, but how did that make Bhavna suggest she take on the care of this lady? "Me? But Aunty needs someone from her family. And I can't leave you alone in Bhandwargaon."
Bhavna bit her tongue, realizing she had forgotten that Suhani didn't see Pratima as her mother-in-law, her 'maa', and she'd made things awkward by her suggestion, but before she could try to retract her words, Amit spoke. "Actually, Suhani, I want Bhavna to come back home, so you don't have to worry about that." Unmindful of the undercurrents, all Amit thought of was that Yuvraj wanted Suhani back and this would give them some more time together and pave the way for Bhavna to return home.
Pratima's eyes lit up. "Beta, would you? Would you stay with me?"
What could Suhani say? Get me out of this, she thought, then felt ashamed of herself. Look at these poor guys--they looked clueless. Maybe she could help out for a bit, until they found some relative who could take over.
And so it was decided. Suhani would stay with Pratima and Sharad and Yuvraj would spend as much time at the hospital as they could, plus come whenever needed. Yuvraj had no choice but to tell his brothers about Suhani, her accident and the amnesia, and what had been happening these past weeks. They were bound to meet Suhani. And if Ragini, Menka, or dadi ever visited maa, he would need Saurabh or Anuj to either warn Sharad to get Suhani away or ensure that no one said anything to her that would shock her. As it happened, the three visited Pratima once, and Yuvraj made sure Suhani was not there when they came.
Pratima's shoulder was fixed and simple physio started. Her knee was painful still, and that would take time to heal. Suhani was not as confined as she'd thought she would be, because one or more of the guys relieved her frequently, someone was always there when anything clerical needed to be done or errands run, and often they just gave her company. She was free to go out when she wanted. In the five days Pratima was in the hospital, Suhani became quite fond of her, and Pratima seemed to dote on her.
In spite of her reluctance, Suhani enjoyed being useful, busy. Saurabh and Anuj treated her like an old friend, and were really nice guys. In fact, Anuj and Sharad slipped up and addressed her as 'Suhani bhabhi', which Sharad told her was because they were so used to calling Saurabh's wife by that tag, plus she was kind of their bhabhi, being their cousin's wife's sister. (Yuvraj rolled his eyes in the background, shaking his head, a rare smile appearing at Sharad's nonsense.) Yuvraj was preoccupied these days, but Suhani presumed he was worried about his mother. It was kind of sweet to see a guy so concerned about his maa.
Meanwhile Yuvraj, true to his decision, had managed to find a house to rent, moved in, and when Pratima was discharged, he brought them all to the new place, Suhani included, because Pratima begged her to stay with her a couple of weeks more. It wasn't a very large house, but pretty, a stand-alone cottage surrounded by greenery. There had been a bit of a blow-up at Birla House when dadi heard of Yuvraj's decision to leave, but he really couldn't care less.
So, once again, Suhani would be living in a home with the people she had once thought of as close family. She felt like this was a time out of time, not her real life.
She was admiring the surroundings outside the evening of the day they'd moved Pratima home when Yuvraj came up to her. "I know I've said 'thank you' many times, but I will say it again. Thank you. I don't know what we would've done without you."
She looked at him; he looked so tired and careworn these days, nothing like the old Sadu, that argumentative, flirty, amusing, maddening Yuvraj she'd gotten used to. She reached out to him, wanting to make him feel better, bring him back, so to speak, and as she touched his shoulder, he made a funny sound and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back, stroking his head, until he backed away, mumbled, "Sorry," and vanished inside. She stared after him, telling herself that she only wanted to comfort him, nothing more, of course not.
Cricket
Bhabhi Ji Ghar Pe Hain?
