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“You don’t have to go visit him, but at least as a human, you can talk to him. First listen to him and then decide if you want to forgive him or not. I won’t – for that matter, none of us will force you into doing anything you are not comfortable with. But please, talk to him, just one time,” she pleaded.
Sashank listened to her.
Roshni wiped his tears. “Bhaiya, I know it is difficult to forgive somebody who has caused much grief to you, but isn’t that the beauty of life? Babuji always said this to me: We need to grow above and forgive people if their apology is sincere and they are genuinely regretting it. We don’t have to associate with them, but if forgiving gives them joy and peace, so be it. Let them be happy.”
She continued, “Deepak and I saw Satish bhaiya genuinely apologize to him. When he hugged and spoke to Deepak, it was obvious he felt relieved. Bhaiya, please help him in this healing process, both internally and physically. He needs it at this time.” Roshni rubbed his hands again and supported him.
Sashank looked at Roshni and towards Kusum and Akash. They wiped their tears and nodded their heads in agreement.
“Okay, Roshni, I will talk to him,” he said.
Roshni was relieved. She immediately hugged Sashank bhaiya and thanked him. Kusum and Akash smiled and were happy. It was 8 p.m., and Roshni asked if she could call them, and he agreed.
Nirmala picked up the phone, and Roshni conveyed to her that Sashank wanted to talk to Satish bhaiya. Nirmala was so excited she immediately took the phone to Satish.
“Hello,” Sashank said.
“Hello, Sashank,” Satish said.
There was silence at both ends; both brothers became dumb.
Sashank brought the telephone to his chest and became teary; something that he missed for a long time had come back to him with the sound of his brother’s voice. Satish had been a fatherly figure to all of them, but with Sashank, he was a brother and a close friend. He’d missed this relationship; he’d craved for it until Prashant came into his life and took that status. With Prashant gone, he had missed it, and now…it brought back the good old times to him. He could not control himself and wept quietly.
Satish held the telephone and cried. He’d missed this voice, this tone, for several years. It brought back the good and bad thoughts to him. He needed this venting; he had to lessen his burden by apologizing to Sashank. This apology was too late, but as they say, “Better late than never.” Nirmala was next to him and consoled him. Satish had not yet recovered, and this stress…she was worried.
There was no feeling any more, no sorrow, no heartache, just a dullness that lingered.
After a few minutes, Satish said, “Sashank, how are you, mere bhai? So good to hear your voice.”
Sashank was silent. He was having a hard time recovering from the shock of talking to Satish.
“Sashank…Sashank…” Satish said and vented his feelings. Most of it was his apology and repentance for what he did to his brothers.
Kusum and Akash stood next to Sashank, giving him support. He wept and listened to all that Satish said, nodding occasionally. Sashank was not talking, but Satish knew he was listening; this was the heart connection at work!
Satish talked for several minutes and then said, “Sashank, please forgive me. I am ashamed, but…but what is shame between brothers?” He continued after a pause, “Thank you for talking to me. At least I feel relieved. I don’t care what happens to me now. I wanted to do this for so long, mere bhai. Please…if you can, please forgive me.”
Roshni was at a distance, watching Sashank bhaiya. She became emotional. This was a very sensitive moment. Brothers reconnected after a long time – something that seemed unfathomable became real. Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. Sashank listened and finally opened his mouth. “Satish, how are you?”
Satish gave him a few details, and they talked for a few more minutes, and finally they hung up the phone.
Sashank wept. It felt a piece of his heart that was lost came back to him; a feeling of support and security arose in him. He was glad he talked to Satish.
It was apparent in the conversation that Satish carried a huge burden of guilt, and after this talk, he felt relieved. After the call, he wept and felt satisfied. As he gr
ew up and got married, Satish lost his identity and his roots; he became so self-centered, and he did not care for his father or brothers. Fortunately, he worked hard and did extremely well professionally, but somewhere in his heart, he felt lonely and depressed.
Nirmala never understood this loneliness, and Satish’s ego did not permit him to approach Sashank and his brothers. He lived with this guilt for so long, and the time had come that he could not take it any longer. The stress built up, his work stress he could not ignore…and all these factors played havoc with him, and he ended up having a stroke.
No one in the family asked Sashank about this conversation. It was important Satish talked and Sashank listened. Sashank was satisfied but said nothing.
~ ~ ~
A couple of months passed. Deepak called Roshni regularly and talked to her. He was updated that Sashank and Satish had talked, and he was very pleased.
In the meantime, Deepak noticed that over time their conversations got longer, and both he and Roshni spent more time talking to each other. Deepak contacted the lawyer and took care of the paperwork for Roshni’s immigration. He monitored his finances carefully, and he was confident that he could easily stay without a job for a year at least. It was the middle of August, and he hoped to talk to his boss at the end of August and give a month’s notice.
Since Deepak’s company collaborated with a company in Bangalore, a couple from Bangalore had just arrived in the US for a three-month visit to work with the US team. Coincidentally, they were looking for a place to stay, and Vivek was approached. Vivek consulted Deepak to see if he was willing to rent out his apartment to this couple, and both concurred this was a great opportunity if the couple was willing to pay the rent.
