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She was very disturbed by these thoughts, and she could not rest. Finally she decided to get up and get to work with Deepak.
She walked into the kitchen, and Deepak saw her.
“Roshni, what are you doing up again?”
“I will make chai for us.”
“No, you’re not doing anything in the kitchen. Come and sit here. I’ll make chai.” He went into the kitchen and forcefully dragged her to the dining table. “You should be resting. Why did you get up?”
Roshni looked at him intently. “I could not sleep. I might as well do some work; otherwise, you know…”
Deepak finished, “… an idle man’s brain is the devil’s workshop?” and shook his head.
Roshni agreed.
“Let’s have chai and then continue with where we stopped yesterday. I’ll start showing you more of the software and its capabilities, okay?”
Roshni nodded. They had chai with biscuits, and then they started to work together on the project.
~ ~ ~
It was Tuesday, Dashera day, the tenth day of the festival, also referred to as Vijaya Dasami. This day marks the end of the celebration, the victory of good over evil. The festival also celebrates the death of the ten-headed demon king, Ravana, by Lord Rama, Vishnu incarnate, who descended in human form to kill Ravana.
Roshni and Deepak woke up early, and Roshni again cooked a big meal. This time Deepak helped her so she would not stress her foot and arm. With her guidance, Deepak again performed all the rituals and offerings to the Gods. Great satisfaction was evident in their eyes. They had lunch, and Deepak thoroughly enjoyed every dish Roshni made.
After lunch, they called Sashank bhaiya, Kusum didi and Akash bhaiya and wished them well for Dashera. They talked about what each of them did and what dishes were cooked for Ashtami and Dashera. It was a festive mood, and everyone was happy.
“Sashank bhaiya, did you call Satish bhaiya for Dashera?” Roshni asked Sashank.
Sashank replied that he had not called Satish, and it had been a few weeks since they’d spoken. Roshni took him to task and asked him to talk to Satish and Nirmala.
Roshni and Deepak called Satish bhaiya and Nirmala bhabhi and conveyed their Dashera wishes to them. Satish was so elated to hear from his little brother and his wife; his joy knew no bounds. She urged Satish and Nirmala to call Sashank bhaiya, and Satish agreed instantly.
That evening Roshni and Deepak received calls from Sashank and Satish that they’d talked to each other, and it was a nice telephone visit. Both thanked Roshni and Deepak, and Deepak thanked Roshni for initiating this conversation to bridge the gap between his older brothers.
“Deepak, we need to get them to meet in person,” Roshni said.
“Yes, but this isn’t possible if we’re here. We’ll work on it when we get back to Mumbai,” he said and smiled at her.
“It would make me so happy to see the entire Verma family together.” She smiled; the happiness was evident on her face.
Deepak came to her and hugged her. “Roshni, you are a blessing to this family. You certainly brought in a lot of realizations amongst all family members.” He whispered in her ear, “Thank you.”
She rested her head on his chest – a great feeling of satisfaction for her.
Sheetal called with wishes for Dashera. She also conveyed that her stay in Poona was very relaxing. She was happy to hear from Deepak that this ‘alone’ time was working in their favor.
Vivek and Vaishali also called. They chatted for a few minutes, and Deepak was so elated. He spoke of the rituals he’d performed under Roshni’s guidance and the various foods she cooked. He was in very high spirits.
Roshni overheard him and smiled to herself. It was evident Deepak enjoyed these rituals with her, but she could not deny – she’d had a great time celebrating Dashera with Deepak.
Thus they celebrated the rest of Dashera festival with each other’s company, performing all the rituals as a family. Deepak was excited and happy to be celebrating this major festival in India with Roshni, and so was Roshni. Of course, the moments she’d spent with Babuji came to her, but with Deepak around, she still enjoyed herself.
Chapter 30
Deepak and Roshni celebrate Diwali
Two weeks passed. Roshni learnt a lot from Deepak, and during this time, they really bonded well with each other. Working as a team worked out to their benefit; they talked, laughed, teased and worked together. Definitely there was compatibility between them. Roshni’s condition also improved. She could take more steps with little support of the crutches, and her arm cooperated more. They went out together for shopping, walking and dinners. This ‘alone’ time was absolutely necessary for both of them to explore each other, their likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses.
