AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Daadi,” Maahi embraces her, offering solace. “Your intentions were not wrong. I will be happy to look after Devki Estate with my husband's support, just like you did with Grandfather. There will be someone out there who will respect that place just like you and I do. When I find such a man, I will marry him. I have no regrets about cutting ties with Shyam. He truly didn't deserve me.”
Though I take pride in Cub's unwavering convictions, the notion of her finding an ideal man to share her life with churns my stomach. Without a word, I turn and walk away, unable to bear that thought.
***************
I am driving on the streets, alone, in the dark, thinking about which direction I need to move—not physically, but mentally. Devki Estate is still my concern but not my focus anymore. Three days have passed since Maahi broke her engagement with Shyam. I thought she would be upset for too long, but I am glad she is back to her normal life. She and Daadi are both too strong to need my help. They are enough for each other, but somehow, I want to be a part of their group. I want to do something for them, which is why I have arranged a Holi party for them tomorrow at Ratna Mahal. I want to color their lives on this day of Holi. I have hardly celebrated any festivals all these years. Now that I am here, I don’t want to miss it.
My phone rings again. It’s Dad, and I cannot afford to ignore him anymore. I have to handle this.
“Hi, Dad,” I answer, parking the vehicle at the side.
“Thank God you answered,” he shouts. “I was practically mad here. Why are you ignoring my calls?”
My fingers fist. If I tell him why I was ignoring, he will freak out. But there is no point in hiding this for long.
“I needed some time to fix things here.”
It’s not a lie. I was fixing things, at least related to Cub’s future.
“What else has caught your focus other than our business, Vikram? I hope Maa is well.”
“Daadi is absolutely fine.”
“I spoke to her three days back,” Dad replies. “She told me Maahi’s engagement broke. I wonder if that’s what you meant by fixing things.”
I’m glad I don’t have to explain in detail. He knows it briefly.
“Yes. I was busy breaking her engagement,” I declare.
Dad is quiet for a few seconds, and so am I.
“What’s going on, Son?” He isn’t asking, he’s demanding. “This is the first time you are not thinking about work. I don’t see any movement in the Devki Estate matter either. What are you doing there?”
“Don’t worry,” I snarl. “I am not on vacation here. I know what I am doing and why.”
“Vikram? This is not you. I have never heard you like this before. You are scaring me, boy.”
I am scaring myself. I don’t know what I might do next. I have no clue.
“Daadi has other plans for Devki Estate,” I come straight to the point.
“Other plans? Maa? What plans?”
I had expected him to lose his mind, and I am right.
“Did you speak to her? What did she say?”
“That land is not for our inheritance. That’s what she said, and I don’t want to force her.”
“Not for our inheritance?” Dad shouts at the other end. “What does she mean by that? I am her son, and you are her grandson. How can she separate us?”
“She didn’t separate us, Dad. We did. All these years, we kept her away.”
“No, don’t say that. You are accusing me of something I never wished to do. I had asked her many times to come to the US and stay with us. She denied. She never wanted to leave Ratna Mahal because she has my father’s memories there. And also Maahi’s responsibilities. She was happy in that world.”
“And so, you stopped asking?” I snap. “Not just asking, you stopped caring for her, Dad. We all did. That’s why she doesn’t trust us anymore.”
Dad goes quiet again. I exhale. I cannot extend this conversation.
