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“I am disappointed. You never wore any of the dresses or jewelry that I gave you for your birthday. Why not?”
“You bought those for your wife, and I am not your wife. It is that simple,” she replied.
Deepak sighed. “Roshni, I took you with me intentionally so I could buy something you like, and you start this whole thing again.”
“How can I forget everything, Deepak? It may be easy for you, but not for me. Anyway, let’s not discuss this now. We’ve already discussed it enough and agreed on a few things. Let’s not go back there again.” She did not want to talk about it.
Deepak thought, What can I do for her to talk about it? Every time I initiate this topic, she ignores it… I have to come up with a better idea!
~ ~ ~
Everybody at home had had their dinner and was relaxing in the family room, watching TV. Deepak and Roshni joined them. It was a family time together. Deepak had never experienced this before. He was so pleased to see this, and he gestured to Roshni and thanked her.
The phone rang, and Roshni picked it up. “Hello?”
The other voice, a female voice, said, “Hello, this is Nirmala.”
Roshni had heard this name before but did not place her immediately. “Nirmala who?”
Sashank, Akash and Deepak recognized the name, and their eyes widened in shock.
Nirmala continued, “This is Satish’s wife.”
Roshni recognized her: Satish, the oldest brother, and Nirmala, his wife.
“Hello, bhabhi, this is Roshni, Deepak’s wife,” Roshni introduced herself.
Deepak smiled; it felt good to hear her say ‘Deepak’s wife’.
Sashank was all red and angry. “Why did she have to call here? What does she think she’s doing?” Akash and Deepak tried to calm him down.
Nirmala continued, “Roshni, can I speak with Sashank, please?”
Roshni turned towards Sashank bhaiya, and she noticed he was upset and angry. Without uttering a word, she gestured to Sashank bhaiya that Nirmala wanted to talk to him, and Sashank shook his head ‘no’.
Roshni understood that Sashank was not interested in talking to her. “Nirmala bhabhi, Sashank bhaiya is busy. Do you want to leave a message for him?” she asked.
Nirmala understood; she continued, “Roshni, Satish had a stroke last week.”
“A stroke!” Roshni exclaimed with a shocked tone.
Sashank, Akash and Deepak stood up, dismayed.
“Yes, he had a stroke last week, and we brought him home a couple of days ago. He is recovering but needs to rest. He has been thinking of Sashank and asked to talk to him, so I called,” she said.
Roshni asked for a few more details and found out that his left arm and leg were paralyzed as a result of the stroke, but fortunately, he’d received medical attention promptly and the impact was not that severe. With further treatment, physical therapy and rest, he should be able to recover well. She collected the address and telephone number and agreed to communicate this message to Sashank bhaiya, and they hung up. Roshni turned around, and everybody waited eagerly for her to update them. She told them of Satish bhaiya’s stroke and his desire to speak to Sashank bhaiya. All three brothers took a deep breath and settled back in their chairs.
Sashank was fuming. His face was red, and he started clenching his fingers.
Roshni came to Sashank bhaiya and knelt in front of him. She held his hands and tried to calm him down. “Bhaiya, Satish bhaiya wanted to talk to you.”
Sashank did not respond; instead, he stood up and walked away to his room. He was concerned for Satish, but his ego was so strong he did not want to accept it. Roshni indicated to Kusum didi to calm him down.
“He is so young and…a stroke,” said Deepak.
“Haan, what must have happened?” responded Akash.
This news was heartbreaking to all three brothers. Agreed, they’d had some unforgettable experiences with Satish and his wife, but this was not the time to hold a grudge against him. After all, he was their blood relation; how could they not do anything!
