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‘Who was her favourite person in the whole world?’ Mansha asked, sitting up in her bed. She was, Koyal noted, already looking many times better today.
‘You, of course,’ Atharv said and Mansha smiled shyly.
‘Did she like me even though she fell ill because of me?’ Her large eyes looked expectantly at her father.
What?
Surely this was just Mansha’s fertile imagination playing up, but one look at the stunned expression on Atharv’s face and Koyal knew there was a lot more to it.
‘I should leave,’ she mumbled, feeling like an outsider. And, truth be told, her heart was thumping in her ribcage, already afraid of Atharv’s reply.
A large warm hand on her knee, gently asking her to remain seated, took her by surprise.
Koyal’s eyes flew to Atharv’s face. He was not looking at her – his eyes were focused on his daughter, but he was asking her to stay. Koyal stared at his hand, spotlessly clean, large and oddly kind-looking. She closed her eyes, these were hands she had, at one point in time, trusted the most in the world.
‘Oh gosh, no,’ Atharv was saying, ‘she didn’t get ill because of you, darling. Whoever fed you that rubbish?’
‘I’ve heard a lot of people say that, when they think I am not listening.’
‘She found out about her illness when you were in her tummy, but you were not the reason for it in any way.’
‘What did she do when she found out about it?’
‘She lived long enough to bring you safely into the world, which was what she wanted to do the most.’
Mansha stared at her father, thinking.
‘Do you dislike me, Daddy?’
Atharv eyes grew bigger and instantly wet at the question.
‘Why would you say that, Mansha? Whatever makes you think I don’t love you?’
‘Because you never celebrate my birthday. You don’t want to celebrate my coming into this world.’
Atharv stared at his daughter, unable to think o
f a reply.
Say something, Atharv, Koyal pleaded with him silently, rooted in place. Atharv turned to look at Koyal, who immediately read the helplessness in his eyes. She knew, just like old times, that Atharv needed her help. Desperately.
‘You know what,’ she said in a fake chirpy voice that she hoped did not give away her real feelings. ‘Atharv, if you are okay with it, why don’t we celebrate Mansha’s birthday today? With you?’
‘What? In the hospital?’ Mansha asked, incredulous and successfully distracted from the question, but her eyes were already shining.
‘Two birthday celebrations in one year? How cool is that?’ asked Koyal excitedly and Mansha nodded vigorously.
‘Should we, Atharv?’ Koyal asked, looking tentatively at Atharv.
Atharv looked at Mansha and then at Koyal.
‘Yes, let’s have a birthday party!’ he shouted.
It was later in the day, when the birthday celebrations were done, that Koyal found herself walking out of the hospital after over thirty-six hours. Surya Aunty, who had hurriedly flown back and had reunited with her granddaughter, was with Mansha now. Atharv was back on duty, but still in the hospital. The birthday celebrations had been a big hit and were in a way a fresh start for father and daughter – Mansha had cut a cake and had taken six pictures with her father.
‘One for each year,’ she had said primly and Koyal felt her heart break all over again.
Koyal was lost in these thoughts when she heard the sound of running feet, and much to her surprise, Atharv materialized by her side.
