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She opened the jewelry gifts first and was completely astounded. He’d given her those gifts that he had purchased for his ‘wife’.
How could he do this? Why did he do this? I am not his wife. He purchased such expensive gifts for ‘his wife’ and gave them to me. No, this is not acceptable!
Then she opened the bag with the dresses and had the same reaction. The dresses he’d bought for ‘his wife’ were given to her. What was he thinking? Why did he do this?
She stared at him with several questions, and he enjoyed watching her puzzled reaction. As this thought process went on in her mind, everybody around admired the jewelry and dresses.
Deepak was so overjoyed that she’d let him feed her the cake twice that day and allowed him to touch her and hug her, and he knew there was some hope to bring her back. He definitely made the right moves to flirt with her. He imagined the beautiful hug he gave her, her beautiful silky body against his, her shyness, her gentle movement…everything about her was making him want her, want her more!
Everybody had a good time at the party. Deepak made Roshni comfortable, and occasionally, both of them exchanged glances and smiled.
It was 8 p.m. when Roshni received a call from Ravi, who was hired to clean Babuji’s house. Ravi had called to inform Roshni that he and his wife had to attend a family ceremony, so they would come early to clean. Roshni agreed to meet them the next day, and they hung up.
Deepak overheard the conversation and wondered who Roshni had talked to and where she was going the next day? He had to leave at 11 or 11:30 a.m.; would she be back by then? He looked at Roshni and asked her if all was well, and she briefly indicated to him that she would discuss it later after everybody left.
~ ~ ~
All the guests left at 10 p.m. Roshni and Deepak went to their room, and she left the gifts Deepak had given her on the top shelf of the closet. She had made room on this shelf for Deepak to use while he was there. Both changed into their night clothes.
Roshni came to Deepak and thanked him for the birthday party. She was overwhelmed – the affection from everybody, the party, and the gifts – she had not expected any of this, and her conscience prompted her that Deepak was behind all this celebration. She turned away not to show her tears to Deepak, but he noticed and asked her if she was okay. She just nodded her head, her back towards him, but he was not satisfied with her answer.
He came to her, held her hand, and turned her around to face him. She tried to hide her tears, but Deepak held her chin and raised her head gently and asked her, “Roshni, are you okay? You seem upset.”
Roshni wiped her tears. “Yes, I’m all right.” She wanted to turn away, but he stopped her.
“Roshni, you don’t look good. Please tell me, is anything bothering you?”
“Nothing. I was thinking of Babuji,” she replied.
Wiping her tears, she looked into his face. “Thank you, Deepak, thanks for the party. It was good.”
“It’s my pleasure. I hope you enjoyed it.”
She gently nodded and moved away.
There was a lot of pain hidden in her. Their marriage had taken a toll on her, and now with her babuji’s death, she felt very lonely and broken. She appeared to be happy, but she struggled internally. She felt burdened; her chest was heavy! Only he saw it, and it was very unfortunate nobody else in the house noticed this.
She was very close to Kusum didi, but now that she was a member of this family, Roshni felt distanced from her too. Oh, how Deepak wished she would confide in him, how he wished she found him trustworthy enough to share her feelings and pain. She probably needed a shoulder to rest on, a friend and a confidant who she could rely on and download all her pain and sorrow, and he was not able to provide this yet. He was disheartened for not providing this solace. What could he do to have her believe him? What could he do for her to respect him?
Roshni, too, remembered Deepak holding her, hugging her and other romantic moments. His gaze, his smile, his physical proximity, she could not lie to herself; she certainly enjoyed those moments, but doubt haunted her. Did he do all this to show other people, or was this all genuine? There was no way she knew the answers to these questions at this time; she had to wait and watch.
The few days he spent with her were not sufficient for her to observe him closely or believe that these feelings he exhibited were genuine.
~ ~ ~
The next morning was Sunday, and they all discussed the party the previous night as they had chai at the dining table. It was about 7 a.m., and Roshni was ready to leave with Rahim chacha when Deepak asked her if he could accompany her. Roshni informed him that she was going to Babuji’s house and that he should relax at home because of his flight later that day. Deepak insisted, and Roshni had no choice but to agree.
They arrived at Babuji’s house, and Ravi and Geeta were waiting for her. They got to their job of cleaning with directions from Rahim chacha, and Roshni went to her babuji’s room and came closer to his picture that rested on the table next to the bed. She stared at his picture and conversed with him mentally, tears in her eyes. How she missed him only she could tell.
Deepak watched her but did not want to disturb her; it was important for her to download and make her chest lighter. He was there if she needed him. He respected her feelings, and she certainly appreciated this quality in Deepak.
After a few minutes, she felt his presence behind her. She turned around, “Deepak, I had to come here.” She looked at Babuji’s picture. “Especially after my birthday yesterday.” She faced him again. “Deepak, I miss him a lot; he was everything for me.” She could not control her tears and wept.
Deepak came closer and gently pulled her towards him and hugged her, giving her the comfort she needed. She was lost for some time in his embrace; she rested her head on hi
s chest and cried. She needed this, and Deepak patiently comforted her.
She came to her senses after a few minutes and noticed she was in his embrace. She wiped her tears and moved away. “I was taken away with Babuji’s memories. I’m really sorry!”
