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“Yeah, right!” He remembered they planned on visiting Satish bhaiya.
Deepak got his hand bag ready and checked his passport and ticket. He had brought the immigration papers this time with a hope to obtain Roshni’s signatures. How could he get her to sign them? He was successful in getting her passport copy and marriage certificate, but how could he get her to sign the immigration papers?
As he pondered it, he remembered the power of attorney she had given him on their wedding day. Roshni had given it to him when he left in December, asking him to apply for divorce. He was happy he thought of this. The power of attorney was in the US, and he could use it this time.
Both Deepak and Roshni were ready, and before they left, Roshni called Nirmala and informed her that she and Deepak were coming to see Satish bhaiya.
On the way, Deepak became nervous; he had not met his brother in so many years. What was he going to say? How would he respond to him? These questions bothered him. Roshni was his strength!
~ ~ ~
They arrived at the apartment complex, and just before they got out of the car, Roshni held Deepak’s hand. He was confused and looked towards her.
“Deepak, we’re here to meet him. Let him do the talking; we will listen. This is no time for him to endure any more stress,” she said, and Deepak agreed.
Roshni rang the doorbell, and Nirmala welcomed them inside. The house décor was very refined; certainly, Satish must have been in a very senior position at his company. The apartment had marble floors, mahogany furniture with expensive cushions, and rugs spread on the floor. The walls were hung with beautiful paintings and silk curtains, and the corner tables had beautiful decorative pieces. The apartment itself was huge and spacious.
Satish waited to greet Roshni and Deepak. He had not seen Deepak in so long, he was overwhelmed. Roshni and Deepak touched his feet, and Satish, although not able to use his left arm, immediately hugged Deepak and wept. Deepak stood still, holding Satish, lost in thought.
Satish was pleased to see them. Deepak sat close to Satish, and they talked for a long time. Deepak enquired of his health, and Satish asked for details about Deepak’s life.
Nirmala interacted very little with both, and it was hard to read her mind. During the conversation, they found out that their daughter, Purvi, was in Poona, and their son, Raj, was in Chennai. Both were computer professionals and well settled professionally.
They had a good visit. After some time, Deepak and Roshni touched their feet again, took their blessings, and were about to leave, when Satish said, “Deepak, mere bhai, it was so nice to see you and talk to you.” He looked at Roshni. “So nice to meet you too, Roshni. Please take care.”
“Deepak, I feel miserable and regret all that happened in the past. Please forgive me.” Satish had tears in his eyes.
Deepak could not control his tears too. He had not seen this brother for several years, and he was touched immensely when his older brother apologized to him.
“Deepak, I want to speak with Sashank. Can you please tell him? I have to apologize to him,” Satish continued.
Deepak nodded, and they left.
On the way back, Deepak was quiet and appeared sad.
“Are you okay, Deepak?” Roshni enquired.
“Yeah, it was difficult. I did not know how to react to him when he apologized.”
“His apology was sincere. He definitely felt sad over the past events and wanted to rectify his mistakes,” she said.
“You think Sashank bhaiya will forgive him?” Deepak asked.
“Not sure, we’ll have to wait and see. He was concerned for Satish bhaiya. He may not accept it, but…” She looked at him, and Deepak understood.
They arrived home, and no sooner than they entered, Sashank started bashing them with questions. “How is he? What happened? Why was he so stressed?” Sashank was eager to know everything.
Deepak and Roshni gave him all the details. Sashank was happy to hear that his children were with him and that he was recovering. Deepak emphasized that Satish bhaiya wanted to talk to him. Sashank bhaiya ignored this statement and walked away.
~ ~ ~
It was almost lunchtime, and Deepak and Roshni were in their room. Deepak was doing a last minute inspection of his hand bag when Roshni walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair. She walked towards the dressing table, removed the towel, and gently brushed her hair. She was engrossed in thought, not paying attention to her surroundings.
Deepak watched her and was so mesmerized he stared at her without blinking. Her simplicity and unconditional love attracted him; unawares, he left his bag and papers on the sofa and walked towards her, putting his hand around her waist and pulling her towards him. Alarmed, she tried to get away, but he pulled her closer to him.
Unable to comprehend what was on his mind, Roshni had a confused expression. Her hair lay draped on her left side, and she looked absolutely gorgeous in her navy blue salwar and bluish green kameez that had intricate designs. Her dupatta fell of her shoulder when Deepak pulled her closer. Deepak was dazzled. He stared at her while she struggled to adjust her dupatta and get out of the circle of his arms. The more she struggled, the tighter he held her.
After a few seconds, she said, “What are you doing? Please let me go.”
