Meena looked confused to see Rupali at her door.

“It’s odd. I know,” Rupali spoke first, “You don’t know me. You don’t even like me. But Auntie, I was feeling lonely, and I wanted to talk to someone.”

“Come in.”

“Do you want some tea or coffee?” Meena asked despite the awkwardness.

“Do you make boiled tea? Like in India? I am sick of drinking dip tea here.”

That brought smile to the older woman’s face. “Sure,” she said, “I will make some. Sit down.”

They sipped tea in silence for a while. Then Rupali asked, “Why do you dislike me, Auntie?”

Meena flushed at the direct question, but replied, “I don’t dislike you, Rupali. Both my sons have fallen so hard for you. If anything, I think you must be an incredible girl. And lucky.”

“Lucky? I haven’t felt lucky in a long time. And I definitely do not feel lucky to be the cause of a feud between two brothers. But there is something you should know. Just because Dr. Khanna likes me, it doesn’t mean that he has stopped caring for his brother. In fact, when this entire situation came to fore, one of the first things he told me was that he would be happy if I and Aniket got together.”

“He did?”

“It made me mad, but yes – he did. There are a lot of things I would do for him, but Auntie, even he can’t make me love somebody I don’t.”

Meena sighed, “I suppose so. Girls of your generation are not like us. We were so used to listening to people and obeying…”

“You are right. We are not like that. We have a mind of our own. That is not a bad thing, Auntie.”

Meena nodded. “Your love for your children can make you do irrational things. You will not understand that today. But when you and Paritosh have your own children, both of you will understand me.”

Rupali managed to hide how startled she was. Despite her outward resentment Meena had already accepted that Rupali and Paritosh would get together and marry!

After talking for a while longer, when Rupali got up to leave, Meena asked, “You weren’t really lonely, were you?”

“Guilty as charged, Auntie,” Rupali accepted gracefully, “But I did really want to talk to you. And I am glad we talked.”

“Me too.”

“And you know who is really lucky? Not me. I lost my mother and my father doesn’t care about me. Your two sons are lucky. Aniket grew up fatherless, but he had Dr. Khanna to care for him. Like a father. More than a father. And Dr. Khanna had lost his mother. But he had you to care for him. More importantly, to protect him, when he needed the most.”

“What– What do you mean by that?”

“He told me, Auntie. How you protected him from his own father.”

“He told you?” Meena’s looked stupefied, “What did he tell you? That I protected him?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“He never… He doesn’t talk about that. I assumed he didn’t care or didn’t remember those days.”

It was Rupali’s turn to be surprised. She thought for a moment and then said, “The fact that he does not tell anyone else, but told me, tell us how important I am to him. And the fact that he did tell me, tells us how important you are to him. If you ever doubted that, you shouldn’t.”

“Thank you,” Meena spoke through choked throat.

—

Rupali walked into Paritosh’ office when it was time for him to leave, shut the door behind her and sat down across the table from him.

“Well, someone looks happy,” Paritosh said.

“I spoke to Meena ji today.”

“What!” Paritosh’ countenance changed instantly, “Why did you? I had told you, you didn’t need to…” He paused to look at her, then added, “Okay. That triumphant smile tells me it went well. What happened?”

“I found out that she doesn’t hate me.”

“I didn’t think so either. She just wants you to love Aniket.”

“No. She is just acting out, Paritosh.”

“What do you mean acting out? She is not a teenager.”

“No. She is just terrified that you don’t need her.”

Paritosh turned serious now. “What does that mean?”

“Think about her life, Paritosh. Married at a young age to a man far too old to be her husband. I don’t think she ever really connected with him. Aniket was a baby. You were all she had. You brought her here. But this place was alien to her. She accepted your lifestyle and Aniket’s. But she never found a friend here. She talks to her family and relatives back home. But her only meaningful adult relationship is with you. She loves you like a son and needs you like a friend. She must have been feeling that you are drifting away. And she is trying to assert her position in your life. That’s all.”

“Now that you say it, it sounds so obvious. I wonder why I never thought of it like that.”

“Because you always saw her the way you had seen her as a fourteen-year old boy terrified of his violent father. She was the angel of strength who protected you. You never considered that she was a regular woman with her vulnerabilities, weaknesses and needs.”

“Rupali! Have you been fooling the university?”

“Huh?”

“Are you a Computer Scientist? Doesn’t look like it. A a psychiatrist or a therapist. More likely. Or rather a psychic or a hypnotist. Or a magician? How on earth did you manage to solve the biggest puzzle of my life in a few hours?”

“I am none of those, Paritosh. I am just–”

“Rupali!” he became concerned on seeing her turn emotional.

“I am just someone who has been needy for a long time. I just managed to see that need in someone else too.”

Paritosh got up from his chair, came around the table and held her close. Then he kissed her gently and said, “Let’s go home.”

“Not today. Today I want you to go to Meena ji, ask her to cook for you, and not tell her why she is wrong in resenting our relationship. But tell her why I matter to you and why you need her to accept me.”

“Fine, Rupali. I will do all that. But when I come back home after that, I want you there. Will you come?”

“I will.”

– The End –