Chapter 41:
Relations
Rano asked Maan to leave the room and he obliged with reluctance. He wondered what had happened to Rano. He didn't go away though.
"Geetu, chal yaha se. Hum yaha nahin reh sakte." Rano slowly got off the bed, supporting her self on Geet.
"Lekin kyun? Maan sir ki mamma se aap ko kya?" Rano just shook her head. She hoped no one had seen her here. She recalled what Geet had told her and a fresh waves of tears threatened to spill. Enough pain was going through this house; she didn't want to add to everyone's misery. Geet helped her mother out of the room leaving her luggage behind. She would come back to get it, yet she didn't understand her mother's strange behaviour. Maan had been standing behind a pillar and saw both ladies move out.
"Geet, where do you think you taking MY mamma?" Maan asked loudly.
"Woh, mamma said'" Rano kept walking.
"Mamma, you can't just go, tell me what the matter is. Is it me? Did I do something, please don't go" Maan pleaded, trying to stop her but Rano still kept walking. The drama in the main hall had alerted Dev, Vicky and Annie. Dadi and Nani came down, too.
"Maan, Geet. What is going on here?" Rano walked as quickly as her feet would allow.
"Who is this lady?" Dadi asked again.
"This is my mamma" Geet answered.
"Mamma stop! Meet Dadi, she is really nice. Please mamma" Everyone rushed down.
"Rukye please." Everyone tried. Maan then held her and blocked her way. He lifted her chin and asked:
"Kya baat hain mamma? Kyun jarahin ho apne bete se door?" Rano kept silent. There was only one way to make her talk.
"Mamma, aap ko Geet ke Babaji ki kasam, kya baat hai?"
"Babaji?" Nani had reached the bottom of the stairs and walked towards them.
"Beti, zara yaha dekho" Nani turned Rano to face her and was devastated.
"Rano. Tum yaha?" Nani had a closer look at Rano. Her heart ached at the sight. She clutched her heart and gave a small moan.
Dev and Vicky rushed to her and an ambulance was called.
At the hospital Maan held Rano in his arms. He had a slight idea about what was going on but didn't want to say as long as he wasn't sure. Geet, Vicky, Annie, Dev and Dadi sat on the bench and Naintara and Nisha were still at home to inform Sonia. Half an hour later the three were rushing to the ward.
"Mummyji, meri maa kaisi hain?" Sonia asked Dadi. Dadi told her that doctors are still having a look. Dev and Annie tried to calm her down that is when she became aware of Rano who was buried in Maan's chest.
"Maan, yeh kaun hain?" Rano released herself and showed Sonia her tear stained and pale face.
"Ra..Rano?" Both sisters fell into each others arms. It had been years since they had seen each other.
"Sonia didi, kaisi hain aap?" Rano tried to smile and be happy.
"Meri Rano ke baghair kaisi ho sakti hu?" Sonia replied. She saw that all these years had not been merciful on her sister.
"Dekhye, Naniji ab khatre se bahar hain. Just let her rest for another day then you can take her home. She was asking for her daughter, if she could please go and meet her." Rano and Sonia gave each other a look and locked their hands together. They went into their mother's room.
Two days later Nani was home again. Maan had after years met Dev and Naintara and also Nisha. His meeting with Annie was very emotional for both of them as they always shared a special bond. One evening Nani was sitting with Rano on one and Sonia on the other side on the bed. The other Khurana's had taken up a seat or were standing in Maan's big room.
"Ok, let me put everything together" Vicky said.
"Geet's mother is my mother's sister making her my mausi? And Geet is my cousin?" Sonia nodded.
"And why have we never heard of her before? I mean you never mentioned having a sister to us. We vaguely knew about Nani but why not Mamma?" Maan asked his mother accusingly. Geet nudged him shooting him a look which said: Dusht Daanav kahi ke, aise koi apni maa se baat karta hai kya.
"Meri wajha se Maan beta" Nani said sadly.
"I got both my daughters married off at a very young age. I never believed in girls doing something with their life, their life belonged to their husband and his family. How wrong I was. Sonia I got married to your father. I was lucky there as Savirty didi and her husband were very kind and kept Sonia as their own daughter. But I never knew in what a pit I had pushed Rano. She had never complaint to me."
"I kept contact with Didi over most of the years, giving her brief news about me. I knew she had married into a big family. I never wanted her to get troubled with my worries. What could she have done anyways? Then one day I stopped receiving replies from her" Rano said. Sonia was silent.
"Mom, what do you have to say?" Dev asked.
"I'" She didn't know how to put it.
"I never told Rano much about me either. I did tell her about my children and life in general and when I left from here I broke contact with her, too."
"And why did you never tell me about my mausi and cousins?" Geet asked her mamma. Rano looked at Sonia.
"I asked her not to tell." Sonia was ashamed.
"Why not mom? It would have been great having her and Geet around." Annie wondered. Again Sonia paused. She feared her children might not believe her and that is just what happened.
"Come on, I am not going to believe this. What interest did dad have to keep your family away from us?" Dev was a little angry now. He loved his mother but his father had always been a little bit more important for him. Especially since she had left, his bond to his dad had grown much stronger.
"We both were not from rich families, this had bothered your father since the day I had married him. For you all he was a great father and we were perfect parents but there are things about us you don't know. He held much importance on his name and my sister's in-laws'" Rano encouraged her to continue.
"Well you can guess what sort of people they were. Rajeev had forbidden me to mention any of my relations to you and so I ended up secretly writing to Rano, asking her not to tell her family about us either. I was very much ashamed you can believe me on this. I was the older one and should have cared more. But I don't know what would have happened if she or anyone from Handa family would have turned up on our door step. After I broke contact with Rano I even lied to maa about her and said she lives in Australia and hence she never visited or wrote. I was just trying to hide my mistakes."
"Yes you are right. It surely was your entire mistake. There is no point in blaming dad for all this." Maan said spitting fire.
"Maan" Dadi yelled.
"Is this the way you talk to your mother?" Maan just looked away.
"You don't know in what state mamma was when I found her. I couldn't even show her to Geet. I kept her at the apartment for sometime to recover. Mom, you broke all links to us, but what was her fault in all this? She is your sister, your responsibility.
Do you remember how you made me promise to take care of Vicky and Dev. Why did you never take care of your sister?" Maan crossed his arms over his chest. Sonia had no answer to that. She knew no explanation would be good enough to justify her actions. He was right, she had always known. She was wife of a very influential man and she could have helped her sister without anyone knowing. But the fear of her family breaking had been far too great.
Maan just left. Dev went, too and slowly Vicky and Annie left, too. Naintara was more sensible than Dev at times. She wouldn't agree with her mother-in-law but she was sure that her intentions would never have been bad.
Dadi understood Sonia. She knew her son and his modern outlook had created many problems previously, too. When it came to trusting Rajeev or Sonia, her bet would always go to her. Geet hugged Sonia. She didn't understand much of married life issues nor did she know what sort of person her mausa was to judge him. All she knew was that she was happy to have not only her mamma back but also her mausi and Nani.
"Hey Babaji, meri mamma aur mausi aur Nani se milwane ke liye, thank you." She said looking up. The three ladies laughed under their tears.
"Maa, yeh haina, bilkul aap pe gayi hain" Rano explained her mother. Nani inspected Geet closer.
"Haan, bato se shayad, lekin iski naak to Sonia ki hi hain." Geet giggled.
"Main aap ko kya bulau?" Geet asked Sonia.
"Ab to maa hi kehna padega. Maan ke girlfriend jo ho" Geet felt shy and ran out.
Annie had called Arjun to talk to him. He was restless since he hadn't seen Anvesha for days now. When she finished the call, she saw Geet and called her in.
"Tum Geet ho na?" It was a stupid question but she had to start somewhere.
"Aur tum Annie, Maan sir ki princess behen."
"Maan sir? Tum apne boyfriend ko sir kehti ho?" Annie laughed and Geet joined in.
"Kya haina, office mein sir kheneki itni aadat kogayi hain ke ab wohin bulati hu."
"Accha." Annie said.
"Lekin main tumheri test lungi. Akhir mere bhai ki pasand ho to mujhe bhi to dekhna hai ke tum unke layak ho ke nahin." Geet got nervous. Before Annie could go on, Vicky was on her door. He showed her the phone and smiled at Geet. Annie understood.
"Geet, tum bhai ke paas jao na. He might be looking for you."
Annie quickly left.
PRECAP:
...Maan knew he had to make up to her. He had done one mistake in the past, now he was doing it again...
