RaBir FF -A Cast of Characters chapter 97/98 & Epilogue pg121/2 (4 - Page 90

Chapter #87

Oh gosh, I can't believe that two weeks slipped by like that. I had committed to, at the maximum, no longer than a week between updates, and just don't know how time got away from me. Apologies to those who have been patiently waiting.

The trouble began at breakfast when Sareena had informed the little boy that she would not be able to visit his school today either; answering what had now become a daily request.

"But why Aunty Reena? I want you to meet my teacher and..."

Until things had been set in place for Sareena to re-take legal custody, everyone had agreed that the lower profile the physician kept the better. At such a critical time, the last thing they wanted to do was to tip Sonal off, but of course this wasn't something that they could explain to Sanjay. All Sareena could to was to appease him with the vow that she would soon.

"In a few days, Sanjay, I promise," she had replied feeling increasingly remorseful for having to reject the little boy again.

"You said that before, and you still haven't come," Sanjay replied sulkily.

"I'm sorry Sanjay, but as soon as I can, I will come and meet your teacher and your friends too, okay?" They had all continued with their morning meal, as they did every morning, with no indication of the belligerent behavior that the young boy would display soon after.

 At first he had pulled away when Sareena had gone to wipe his hands and face before he left for school.

"Nay, I want Rachna Aunty to do it," he complained.

Sareena had smiled. "Sanjay, Rachna Aunty is tending to Aryia right now. Let me..." She stopped when the little boy darted away and headed for the busy mother. Sareena had followed him and made another overture to her nephew.

"No! I don't want you Aunty Reena...I want..."

"Sanjay, please..."

 He pushed her away. "No, you don't want to come with me so I don't want you!"

 Everyone had stopped what they were doing; the uncharacteristic temper that the little boy displayed, shocking them all. Even he seemed to realize the extent of wrong-doing after his explosive outburst; or had once his Papa had addressed him.

"Sanjay," he called him firmly, but not unkindly.

Sareena was about to speak out, when Rachna grasped her arm and shook her head when she got her houseguest's attention. Instead the two women listened as Kabir spoke calmly to the little boy, explaining to him the error of his behavior before sending the child in their direction.

"I'm sorry Aunt Reena."

She responded to him with a nod, and then cleaned his face and hands without any further objection on his end. She then collected his school bag and sent him off hand in hand with his Papa before Sareena, a tight smile on her face, made her excuses to the two women and returned upstairs under the pretext of collecting her hand bag.

Now, hours later, she stilled wrestled with her ever growing doubts, despite the distraction of the impromptu shopping trip she had taken with Rachna this morning. Completely unprepared for the upcoming wedding events, Sareena had taken advantage of her host's expertise on the best places where she could seek out a few pieces that she would need over the coming days. They had been semi-successful in their quest, but in the end Sareena had reluctantly accepted the Tripathis' offer of checking their in-stock collection for something special.  Sareena had insisted that she be treated as a normal client - although she hadn't quite believed the couple when they had agreed to this - they were just too perfect for her to believe that they would live up to this arrangement.   Inwardly sighing, she nodded to Rachna when she arranged for them to all meet in the studio a little later today, once Kabir returned from his business meeting.

"Aacha Sareena, beta, you are back - good. Here perhaps you can settle the matter."

The young woman looked at the telephone that was being thrust in her direction. "Daadi," she questioned in confusion.

"You will understand," Daadi whispered to her as she pressed the phone into her hand.

"Hello... oh Namaste Rajeev, how are you this morning?" She listened to the coach who was somewhat disconcerted over the fact that his fiance was still abed; so much so that he was ready to request a house-visit from Naomi's obstetrician. This she could handle, Sareena thought, as she went about allaying the man's concern.  Walking away she reassured the worried father-to-be that everything was probably okay with Naomi, and that she was sensibly taking the extra rest her body was craving after both the recent stress and the festivities of the previous night. However to relieve his worry, she would check on her and advise him of her condition.

Daadi remained with her bahu, and both women observed Sareena acting in her professional capacity.

"The two of you returned just in time, beta.  How was your shopping," Daadi asked Rachna. Her beti had clearly retreated to her own thoughts, as she did not immediately answer, and when she finally responded, had moved slightly off topic.

"Her confidence definitely shines through when she's on familiar territory, doesn't it Daadi?"

The older woman thought about Rachna's question and then agreed.

Rachna nodded. "It will be difficult for her, making the transition from favorite aunt to guardian and having to balance her love for Sanjay over the need of disciplining him." She pursed her lips, "And there is no doubt that he was in need of correcting this morning Daadi."

"I'm certain that she will rise the occasion," Daadi responded, "And if not she will have support in the form of Naomi."

"I can't believe after last night that this option will pan out, Daadi. Can you really expect that Naomi will wish to leave so soon after their wedding?"

Daadi shrugged, "She's not one to renege on a commitment, but you do have a point, Beti."

********

"Stop searching - that is definitely the outfit you want."

The two designers turned from their fitting at the sound of the newcomer to the studio. Their visitor smiled in acknowledgment to the husband and wife, but his true attention rest on their client. For Vihaan's part, the relief he saw in her eyes, apparent when she finally raised her head to meet his gaze was as good as a greeting; he was nothing if not encouraged by her reaction. He held out his hand in salutation to Kabir, before turning to greet Rachna.

"Aacha, minutes before we break for lunch, and you appear, Vihaan," Rachna teased her old friend. "Let me guess; you are doing reconnaissance on behalf of your bhai and are checking up on your bhabhi? Don't worry; I will make sure that there is another place set for you at the table."

Vihaan called out his thanks to her as she left, never taking his eyes off of Sareena.

Because she had left the studio soon after Vihaan's arrival, between herself and Kabir, Rachna was the more surprised one when Vihaan excused himself and Sareena from the dining table and departed for their pre-arranged outing. It was strange as the pair had been most subtle in their interactions over lunch, she thought. In hindsight even his visit with Naomi had seemed cursory at best; not at all what she would have expected from the normally devoted Devar. Finding herself suddenly alone with her husband at the dining table, Rachna turned to him in question.

"Was I mistaken in believing that Sareena and Vihaan didn't get along; I mean that's the impression both Daadi and Naomi gave us..."

"Nay, you're not my love, but somehow, some way they have reached an accord."

Rachna looked up the stairs towards the bedrooms. "I would ask Naomi, but as evident by her inattention at lunch she is completely preoccupied."

"And rightly so, especially with her shaadi a few days away," Kabir said, finishing his wife's train of thought. He reached across the table for his wife's hand and grasped it in his.

"I'm so happy for her; for both of them, but especially since there won't be any delay; they will get married on their original date. And the fact that it will be held at home just makes it even more perfect in my estimation, Kabir."

"I couldn't agree more, so much that I was actually thinking that we should put everything on the back-burner for a few days and enjoy the festivities before we send our sister off to her husband's home. We will have enough time to worry about everything afterwards." He nodded in the direction Vihaan and Sareena had just disappeared. "It will be good for everyone, I think."

Rachna nodded.

He leaned over closer. "So Mrs. Tripathi, that being said, what do you think about us heading upstairs to make sure we have our own outfits ready for the upcoming events," he whispered in her ear. She laughed at him due to the fact that he knew full well that everything was in perfect order already. It was one of the first things she had done after Naomi had shown them the new wedding card. "Mr. Kabir Tripathi, are you looking for an excuse to take me to our bedroom in the middle of the day," she teased. He took her playful tone as her agreement of his plan, and never releasing her hand, stood and began leading her towards the staircase. He stopped and turned back, when she resisted. "What is it Beautiful?"

"Aacha; you do forget that I have work, and an assistant waiting for me. Will you not at least let me give her the news of that she may take the afternoon off now, Kabir Tripathi?"

His expression became the height of mischief before he answered. "Already done Beautiful. Arpita will be leaving as soon as she finishes taking Jack's measurements for me. He has decided that he would prefer not to be dressed, in his words like the 'hired gun' for the entirety of the wedding events."

"Aacha, I see, but doesn't that just mean that you have even more reason to be working, Kabir?"

"Nay my love. Jack is quite willing to work with what I have in already done or in progress. If anything it will be mostly alterations." He came closer to his wife and kissed her forehead. "Therefore Mrs. Tripathi, that takes care of Arpita. Jack we need not worry about, but if I might add, our darling daughter is with her grandmother for the afternoon, and our bride-to-be is in her own fantasy world with her own agenda." He looked at his watch, "Shall I tell you how many hours it will be until Sanjay returns from school as well, Love; just so we can ensure that I've covered all of the bases?" Rachna responded by placing both of her palms flat on his chest. She smiled coyly and shook her head. "Nay Kabir, that won't be necessary. But...if you don't mind, there is one thing you can do for me."

"And that is," he asked lowering his head to hers. The world tilted for a second when she pushed him off balance and darted around him, and up the stairs. "Catch me if you can," she called over her shoulder.

He went up after her, caught between two minds of either scolding her for being foolhardy as to run up the staircase in her condition or to reward her for her enthusiasm. Once she reached the top of the stairs safely, his mind definitely swiftly swayed to the latter, but as her husband he knew he would have to gently remind her of her need to take care. And he would, but much later, he thought as she waited for him breathlessly at their bedroom door.

*******

Back from an extended lunch hour, Sonal was just returning to her office adjacent to Mr. Patel's when her employer's cabin door open and he escorted a visitor out. She swallowed and quickly moved to open her own to avoid the pair. She thought her escape complete until she heard her name being called in greeting.

"Namaste Sonal."

Her hand on the door knob, she hesitated for a second before turning around. "Namaste Sarla, how are you?"

"Very, very well thank you; do you have a minute to spare?"

Aware of the possibility of an audience, the smile on Sonal's face widened, as she swung her door open. "Of course; please come in."

It was the longest ten minutes of her life, but finally with a promise to get together before Sarla returned back to London- an appointment Sonal had no intention of keeping- the two women parted ways.  Reflecting on their conversation, Sonal had to admit that the visiting business owner had said all the right things: thanking Sonal for the unanticipated referral to Patel Industries, and detailing the success she had already attained with some of the designers she had expressed interest in. But then she had made the point of expressing her anxiousness for the final decision; that the designer she was most interested in had yet to select a distributer. At first Sonal imagined that the woman would then subtly seek her assistance, as an insider to the process, but it hadn't happened.  Instead, she had left the comment up in the air, which made Sonal question why she had even brought it up. But then Sarla mentioned that she was convinced after today's meeting that she would at least have an equal chance with Banaras Beauty after some unforeseen glitch had waylaid her proposal. Sonal had, had to hold herself in check, not to betray the panic that immediately rose inside of her, especially with the Londoner's gaze directly on her. Did she somehow suspect her involvement in this? It was then that Sonal realized that she had to get her to leave, so that she could do the necessary damage control should she be pinpointed.  However, just when she was about to announce her busy schedule, her visitor beat her to the draw, and made her own excuses to leave. In hindsight it was clear that Sarla had been just as insincere in her final promise to keep in touch as she had been, but this was neither here nor there now, when Sonal noticed that Laksh was passing her office accompanied by the administrative assistant who had replaced her while she was on her sick leave. With only one other office suite in the vicinity, their destination was obvious. And depending on how their conference with Mr. Patel went, Sonal knew she had to be ready with an explanation.

*********

Sanjay raised his head and looked hopefully at the door when the doorbell rang again. People had come all afternoon and it was Rajeev Uncle this time, which was nice, but still not who he wanted it to be. He watched Uncle come in and look up the stairs at Pari who had been practicing walking down the stairs with her headphones on for a while now. Rajeev Uncle shook his head with a smile and then looked his way. Someone must have told Rajeev Uncle how naughty he had been this morning, because Uncle had stopped smiling and was now walking over to him.

 He crouched down to him "Sanjay Beta, are you okay?"

The little boy shrugged and then wiped his eyes when tears began to stream down his face.

"Beta..."

"Auntie Reena is gone 'cause I was rude to her this morning," he sputtered.

 "Nay Beta, your Auntie wouldn't do that; she loves you very much."

"But I got mad when she said that she wouldn't come to my school today and now she's gone."

"Did you apologize to her, beta?" Rajeev lips curved into a smile when the little boy nodded. "And you meant it right?"

His nod was more animated then. "Well if that is the case, then I am certain that Aunty Reena has not left. Remember, you should always try to be good, but when you do make mistakes it is just as important that you apologize and mean it. That will usually make everything better, and I should know right? Don't you remember all the mistakes I've made and upset Pari."

"You made a lot Uncle."

Rajeev laughed in response; Sanjay was right-no doubt. "Ha Beta, I made a lot, but every time I made a mistake, I made sure I apologized as soon as possible, and now we're getting married."

Sanjay got a confused look on his face. "But I don't want to marry Aunt Reena..."

 Just then Pari interrupted him. Her headphones were out of her ears and she had crouched beside Rajeev. "Jajay, I think what Rajeev Uncle is trying to say is that if I still wanted to be his friend after all those mistakes he made, that the one mistake you made this morning, won't matter at all because you have already apologized to Aunty Reena. She will not like for you to repeat your mistake, but I doubt she has stopped loving you because of it. But, just in case you don't believe me, you can always ask her yourself," she added before she spun him around.  He darted away so quickly that Naomi lost her balance. Thankfully Rajeev's quick reflexes save her from landing on her bottom, and the look of horror on his face had her in hysterics. "I'm sorry, really I am, but you have to settle down Mr. Agarwal...Rajeev," she protested when he picked her up and sat on the sofa with her on his lap.

"Sweetheart I didn't find anything sincere about that apology. You really need to try better."

"Can I help it if I don't have as much practice at apologizing as you do Rajeev? Now let me up; we're not in the privacy of our own home yet..."

Vihaan, who had returned with Sareena, came and sat on the sofa beside them shaking his head. "Aacha bhai; save it for the honeymoon already," laughing at his brother's look of irritation.

*******

"Sanjay, do you remember that just before you left home that your mommy and I weren't very happy with each other and sometimes she didn't want you to spend time with me?"

Sareena waited for her nephew to respond, which he did with a nod of his head.

"I didn't like when she did that Auntie Reena."

"Well, neither did I, and since mommy doesn't know that I am here yet I don't want to risk her getting mad again because I'm scared that she will take you away again. And until your mommy and I have the opportunity to meet and talk, It won't be good for me to visit you school; because she may find out about it."

Because she had chosen to have this conversation in the living room, she knew that it was open for criticism from the others who were all keenly listening, but she had come to believe that being frank, at a level that Sanjay could understand would the best way to handle the situation.

"Okay Auntie Reena."

Sareena smiled at him and then peeked at Vihaan who sat on the sofa opposite her. He nodded to her in encouragement.

"And one more thing, Sanjay; I may need your help. For now your mommy cannot know that I am here. It's very important that you don't let her know."

It troubled her to ask the child to be deliberately deceptive, but she could not risk losing him again through a slip of the tongue.

"You mean like Abhi Uncle asked me to, right?"

Sareena thought she had misheard him. "What did you say, Sanjay?"

"You need me to pretend like Abhi Uncle asked me to before," the little boy repeated.

"Oh my God," Naomi lamented from across the room.

Sareena looked around the room at a bevy of shocked expressions. She turned back to Sanjay.

"Sanjay, what  exactly did Abhi Uncle ask you to do?"

"To keep a secret Auntie; he told me that he would make Pari come home if I didn't tell Papa and Rachna Aunty that he is her friend. I didn't and now Pari is home, so it worked."

Vihaan suddenly spoke up. "Sanjay is Abhi the friend who has her picture on his phone?"

"Yes and he misses her a lot, he told me that too. That's why he said that he would visit her at Rajeev Uncle's house when the furniture came. Did you see him Pari?"

Across the room Naomi had moved as close as she could to Rajeev. Any of them could see how much this information had affected her. "What is he talking about," she asked in a panicked voice.

"Calm down sweetheart; remember you're safe, thik hai?"

 All of their suspicions were falling into place, but a final confirmation was still needed.

"Sanjay beta, is Abhi Uncle a friend of your mother's," his Papa asked.

"Yes Papa, he's mama's friend, he came home to see her, but I still think he likes Pari the most."

Everyone stayed for dinner after that. There was much to discuss.