Inevitable (Variation) – Part 6
When she woke up she realized that the doorbell must have been ringing for a while. The sound had become a part of the dream she was having. She couldn’t recall what it was though. She looked at the clock. It wasn’t yet time for her brothers to be back. Who could it be? She patted her hair and rubbed her sleepy eyes to prepare them for the awoken world, then went to the door and opened it.
“Mamma… Mamma…” Meenal rocked standing beside Paritosh. Rupali blinked her eyes a few times wondering if she was still dreaming.
“Did I wake you up… again?” Paritosh asked, looking contrite.
“No. It’s fine. It’s too late anyway.” But she was so astonished that she didn’t remember to invite them in.
After waiting for a moment, Paritosh had to ask, “Can we come in?”
“Oh! Yes. Sorry–” she stepped aside. As they walked in she nervously surveyed her surroundings and it did not assure her. The faded bedsheet was crumpled from her lying down. And as much as she tried to keep the house tidy, she had only so much time in hands. In the middle of the week it looked like someone had ransacked it. Twins’ clothes, books and other possessions were scattered all over. One corner of the floor was taken up by the dirty clothes that would be washed on Saturday. The condition of the house itself was shabby with the plaster falling down from some places and the paint stained at many others. She threw a quick glance at the tiny bathroom and was relieved the find it shut. She hoped he wouldn’t want to use the bathroom. He wouldn’t know how to turn around in that tiny space.
When she looked back at him after surveying the house, he had taken up the only chair that was there in the hall. And if he had noticed the state of the house, he didn’t show it.
“Would you like a cup of tea, Dr. Khanna?” she asked. She hadn’t had lunch and her stomach grumbled. She could do with a cup of tea herself.
He opened his mouth as if to say no, but closed it after taking a look at her. “That would be great,” he said finally. It felt like he had figured out that she needed tea. And also knew that if he refused, she wouldn’t have made it just for herself.
Meenal followed Rupali to the kitchen. Neither she, nor Paritosh objected.
“Thank you,” he said when she handed him an old, but clean steel cup. “And sorry,” he added immediately. Her breath caught in her throat. “How I behaved this morning is inexcusable–”
“It was my fault,” she interrupted hastily.
He shook his head and continued, “I took out my frustrations on you. That was uncalled for. When Meenal woke up, she brought me to my senses. She hasn’t stopped asking for you since.”
Rupali sat on the edge of the bed and stayed silent.
“Will you come back?” he asked.
She nodded, “Happily. And I promise you it won’t happen again. It was just today–”
“Were you unwell?”
“I hadn’t slept well. I will take care in future.”
“It can happen to anyone. I over-reacted. I’m sorry once again.”
“How did you know where I live?” she asked to change the subject.
“The clinic had sent me your details. It had the address. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have barged in. But I had behaved so outrageously, I wasn’t sure I could talk to you on phone.”
“It’s all right.”
“Also, I was hoping to talk to your parents and assure them that you job is a safe one. You stay with your parents, I assume. You aren’t married, right?”
She bit her lips. After getting her job back and his apologies, she had hoped that she would not have to tell him her sob story. But he would know now. She couldn’t produce her parents out of thin air.
“My parents are no longer – I mean – they are dead,” she said in one breath.
His face paled on hearing that. She saw him patting Meenal’s head instinctively.
“I live with my younger brothers,” she added.
“I… I’m sorry.”
“It has been a long time.”
“How long?”
“Seven years.”
“Seven years! How—How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
He gasped. She was seventeen then.
“How old are your brothers?”
“Twins. Fourteen-years old.”
“Fourteen!”
“They are ten-years younger than me.”
“They must have been really young when…”
She nodded.
“It has just been the three of you?”
She nodded.
He sighed and slumped back, “So it wasn’t because of your parents that you refused to come for the vacation. It was because of your brothers?”
“Partly.”
“What else? Were you scared? Perhaps I freaked you out by bringing it up suddenly.”
It was her turn to sigh. She rubbed her temple and then spoke, “Before you give me the job back, I must confess. I should have told you in the very beginning. But I was greedy, I guess. I have another job. A night shift. At a 24-hours pharmacy.”
“Another job?”
“I know that you would, perhaps, not like it. But I–”
“You are the only bread-winner in your family.”
She nodded.
He stood up, abruptly, “I will see you tomorrow at 8.30, then.”
She had her job back, after all. Relief washed over her. She could do without sleeping for years just then.
She bent down to talk to Meenal. “Meenu will go with Papa now. Okay? Mamma will come tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow. Mamma.”
“Yes. Tomorrow, sweetheart. Good night.”
“Tomorrow, sweetheart. Good night.”
Meenal had this eerie habit of repeating what someone said word by word. She even responded to Paritosh’ “Bye, Meenu” in the morning with “Bye, Meenu”, instead of addressing him as Papa. Over time, though, Rupali had gotten used to it. This was something autistic children were known to do.
Soumitra and Sugata came when Paritosh was at the door. Rupali introduced them.
“What was he doing here?” Sugata asked after Paritosh left.
“He had fired me from the job this morning. He had come to take me back.”
“Huh?” The brothers responded in chorus.
“Never mind,” she grinned at them, “You will have tea, right? And I am yet to have your khichdi. It tasted delicious though. I had a bite in the morning.” She hadn’t felt this light-hearted in a long time. Paritosh knew everything there was to know about her. He didn’t look dissatisfied. Perhaps her job, and her brothers’ futures, were secure for a while.
Her brothers didn’t spare her though. She had to tell them the story of the day. As she had expected, Sugata grew enraged that Paritosh should have scolded her so, while Soumitra became somber with the worry that she was over-exerting herself. She had to reassure them both.
—
To be continued