Silent Love Part : 28

Silent Love Part : 28

“Dev”

Dev turned and found Radhika standing with a hesitant face

 “what happened, come Radhika”

 “I cannot, I won’t be able to”

Walking near to her : Radhika, I asked you the other day too, whether you want to go see your house, but then everyone came and I couldn’t take you, but now, this is the best time, come, I am with you”

 “but Dev, the gate is locked”

 “leave that to me Radhika, come with me”

Radhika followed Dev, and nearing the fence , he took a high jump, and landed on the other side

 “I cannot Dev”

 “you can, come”

Radhika slowly lifted herself up on her toe, and tried to stretch out, and then finding a big stone , she climb on that and stretch out and easily got up and Dev held her on her both sides  and helped her to land safely and slowly on the ground.

 “see, that’s it, come now”

He went near the tap and turning it on, gave the hose in Radhika’s hand

 “today it is your turn, um, let me take  a break”

Saying that he moved back to the scooter and sat on it. Radhika followed him “my scooter”

 “ha, but now , go and water the plants first, ok”

Radhika started watering the plants, and Dev just enjoyed watching her doing it, in between he looked in that mirror and was brushing his hair with his hand, and was humming a song, as if he is enjoying his free time.

Radhika slowly started picking on the brown leaves and cleaning the base, picking few weeds and all.  Almost all the plants were saved and she looked at Dev  thankfully who was totally enjoying his own image in that mirror. She controlled her smile and went and turned the tap off.

“now , get down, let me see my scooter”

“you want to ride on it?’

“Dev!!!”

“I do have the key, here you go”

Giving the key in her hand, he moved back. Radhika sat on well, and then turned the key, the scooter made its roar sound, that she slowly moved it, it stopped with a slight jemp and a jerk

 “Radhika,  careful”

 “you get down, then it will be fine”

“see, I got everything for you, and how easily you are saying me to get down, not fair”

She felt bad for what she said  “ ok , let me try one more time”

She slowly repeated the process and  the scooter made it forward movement, she went near the gate and then came back, Dev just sat there holding onto the back seat base.

With a smile she parked the scooter, Dev got down and looked at her

“happy”

She just nodded her head with tear filled eyes.

“then why this tears for?’

She didn’t say anything , but just let it flow

His cell rang and he excused and moved to a corner

“ha, pops , tell me”

“what is this Dev, you only told me to ask your dad to come urgently and they will be here any minute, and what do I tell them”

“pops, just say something ok, please pops, “

“you give me some idea, or else, I will say it was all your game”

“pops, you cannot do it, and I know my pops very well, and don’t waste your time, think something seriously, and come to a conclusion , ok”

“Dev, I am doing all these for you, and don’t forget our agreement, ok”

“I won’t,  next time when you see me, you will see her too, but only if you can handle such situations like this”

“Oh my dear grandson, anything for you dear, but a promise is a promise”

“promise pops, and I love you”

“um um, let me think of something now”

“that’s my grandpa, love you, muwaa”

He kept the phone down and then looked at Radhika who was looking at him so surprisingly seeing his reactions on phone, Dev with a smile walked near to her “that’s my dadaji, he only called Mom and dad very urgently, so he wants to know why I didn’t go with them?’

 “that’s true, why you didn’t go Dev?’

“actually I have some work pending , didn’t  you see  my co workers coming, we need to fix few loops by this Monday, and I need to work on it”

“oh, then let’s go”

“no Radhika, the whole week I was behind it, I need a break too, so only I asked them to contact Rakesh,, or else my brain may explode soon”

RAdhika just smiled

“you want to go in”

Radhika looked at him surprisingly

“Radhika, you want to go in?, come”

“but Dev”

“come on”

He held her hand and took her to the backyard

With a thief’s smile he showed his trick and opened the back door. Radhika just watched everything with her wide eyes unable to believe it. 

Dev with a shy tone : I know RAdhika, this is your house, but what to do, your Nani locked everything na, then how can I take care of it,  come

Radhika just followed him, and as they got in, Dev closed the door and then turned the switch on

RAdhika just looked around, everything in place, in her memory everything was scattered all around before she left the place,  she thought about it as she was sitting next to Nani in that comfy seat, that l left our home in  such bad condition, and here it is, he arranged everything so well....... She walk from  the kitchen cum dining to her room, he just followed her, she looked at her table,  in a hurry she went and sat there and then simply opened those drawers and then just just felt everything in it and over it, and then with a smile said to Dev: this is my table, I used to sit here and  write, and then sometimes I sit and read, but I prefer the terrace for reading, and you know I used to listen to music too, she opened the window, and you know sometimes I used to stand behind this wall and listen to the music, and then mom asked me to close it one time as I was simply standing and listening to the music all the time, I think that  time mom was angry with you too, for keeping that music in high volume.

Suddenly she saw a small flower vase,  walking near to it: you know Dev, I actually  brought this for  her birthday  few years back,  I loved it so much , and the next day only I took it back into my cupboard and mom  used to tease me that I buy what I like on her name and take it away. Oh Dev, I missed all these, I never thought I will be able to come back here, I don’t know how to thank you Dev. Let me show you something

She went near her bed and pulled one box out, she opened that and showed her collections from her childhood, the broken pieces of her bangles, her doll collections, her favorite pencil which is almost ready to disappear, her first pen, her small small little secrets she  shared that time with him, with a smile, as if she got her treasure back to her.  Dev just touched on them, or taking in his hand just felt it with his hand, but more than anything he was feeling a big relief seeing her smile. He felt like first time he is coming to this house and his little friend is sharing the simple secrets of her, with her dearest friend. "you know what, i never shown all these to anyone till today" ....

She closed the box, and pushed back again under the bed, and she sat on her bed, and looking around she said : Dev, I really missed being here, I wish to be  back here Dev, but I can’t , right? How can it be possible, who is going to let me? I am a girl and cannot live alone as I wish, right? See how easily Nani took me away from all these, and still not letting me come in here, I know she asked Santhi madam not to send me here at all, I know she didn’t want me  to meet any of you either, not even Mahi auntie, she told me too, to keep the  distance, but Dev this is me? Why can’t she understand that? Why can’t she just let me go? She still don’t like my mom, she never ever talked anything about her, except I heard her win over my mom’s accident the other day,

Radhika tried to hide her weeping face in her knees sitting at the edge of the bed.

Dev sat next to her, and slowly touched her back, to comfort her, but then she raised her head and looking into his eyes she asked : did I ask her to take me with her? Did I ask her to come here to see my mom’s body? Who is she to take me away like that? She don’t know me, I don’t know her, how can she decide on my living?  When my mom is not allowed to enter that compound, why should she take me there? I don’t want to go there Dev, I want to live here, where my mom is there, I want to live here Dev, please tell her that, I will be just fine, tell  her that you will be there for me, Mahi auntie will there for me, I won’t be alone, just  tell her na, and bring me back here, you only helped me to join back to college saying it is my mom’s wish, then this is my wish, I am your friend, help me, I want to come back here…. please Dev…

Saying that she just hugged him tight and cried her heart out, he just rubbed over her upper back trying to comfort her,  it took her a while, but she calm down slowly, and wiping off her tears, she softly said : I am sorry

Dev looked into her eyes, still his hand was resting on her upper back, and looking into her eyes , softly he asked : sorry for what?

She didn’t say anything but tried to gaze away, but he touched her chin and slowly made her to look back into her eyes: Radhika, its true that you don’t know her, and she don’t know you... but its true that she is your Nani, and you can’t deny that. If you want to come back and live here, you have to decide on it, if you wish, it will surely happen. it is not me, it is you who have to work on it.

Radhika: But how Dev,  she won't let me, ha she is my Nani, but she don't like me either, then how?

Dev looked into her eyes and said:  who said she didn't like Padma auntie? that's what you are thinking, right? She kept herself away from Padma auntie because she might have loved her so much, she might have not shown it much, but like Padma auntie she also might have dreamed about her daughter, and all got spoiled  one day without her knowledge

Radhika’s face changed and in an angry tone she asked: so you are with Nani too,  you are saying my mom is wrong

 “no Radhika,  nobody  is wrong, and nobody is right either, who knows what is really inside her, maybe she is holding all her sankat inside and want to unburden it,  but unable to.

 “then why she brought that marriage proposal for me”

“Radhika, may be it was her way of correcting Padma auntie, you are not your mom , but maybe she might  be seeing her daughter in you, so before you leave her hand, she want to hold you back within her orders”

 “but”

“No Radhika, even you agreed with her decisions at that time, then why just questioning her,  certain things happened Radhika, and we cannot change it now, what we can do is, to be careful in not happening such things again”

“I don’t get you Dev” she looked at him curiously

“Radhika, she is your nani, maybe Padma auntie also wished inside to see her once, but didn’t get that chance’

Arching her brow: did mom  tell you that?

“Radhika”

But she got impatient : did mom tell you that ? hu? Tell me Dev

 “Radhika, its not like that, but one day I heard mom and Padma auntie talking about it,  and Padma auntie jus mentioned that she hope one day your nani will forgive her, so that she can introduce  her to you’

 “but she never ever told me about it, all the time she talked was about dad, but”

 “Radhika, it was mom and aunties talk, they knew each other, so this might have spilled from their talk and I happen to hear it, and now when you are telling me about it, I just remembered her words….”

“you know so much about my mom , right, than me”

Her voice was so heavy, and her eyes were filling up again, and holding his upper arm, she rested her head onto his side : what else you know about my mom Dev, tell me, I want to hear about it, I thought I know so much about her, she was just mine, and she  shared everything only with me, but she had a world of her own, right?. Where she might have spend time with Nani in that big mansion, where she fell in love with dad"...  a smile grow on her face ... , "and you know I know about that, because she always talked about it, you might not be knowing about it na,

He just sat there listening to her

S"he was so much in love with my papa, he was an artist, maybe that is why Nani didn’t like him, he was a poet,  when ever mom see me doing drawing or writing something ,mom tells me that it reminds her of my papa, and I got his qualities, and she loved it too, so only she made me to join so many activities , so that  she can see him in me….  She always smiled when she talked about him, she used to tease me too.. ..  you know what, that was my world Dev, a small world, where she was happy, and I was happy.. there was no space for Nani, no space for anyone, but now I can see my mom’s world was bigger than me, she had Nani, she had Mahi auntie, she had you , so I was in that little corner only , right?

Dev wiping his tears “Radhika, her world was full of you only, we were just passing by , but it was just you as all her talk was  about to bring that smile on your face,  even with that scooter purchase , I have seen her curiosity imagining your response, your reaction, that itself was giving her pleasure, she was a friend of mine but for you, she wanted to see nani for you,  it was all for you only RAdhika, her world was just you only, she wanted to connect everyone with you only”

Radhika loosened her grip on his shoulder, and then moved her head to the side and looked at him: you are crying too !!!

Seeing the trail from his eyes, which he was unable to wipe off

Trying to bring a smile with her wet eyes, lifting her hand up she wiped them off too:  now I know why you were so special to her

He tried to force a smile too, but then losing  the balance, it filled again

They tried to smile each other with that along with that wet trail, but failed that they just hit their forehead each other and tried to control it with a smile..