HEARTFULLY ENTANGLED - CHAPTER 7 - THE UNEXPECTED MEET

 7 - THE UNEXPECTED MEET

"Some short stories turn into an unending series unexpectedly."

Three weeks had passed. 

The railway station had become my temporary shelter. A place where people came and left, but I remained there without being able to save a few thousands in a few weeks to search for a home for myself. 

While the busy passengers rushed towards their trains in the bustling station, the announcements reached my ears, I got ready in a public washroom and walked towards the usual restaurant with my backpack where I usually had my breakfast and where I usually handed my backpack.

But when I was about to enter the restaurant, a gentle male voice reached my ears from behind. "Arun..."

Who was it, calling me with such a gentle tone?

I turned back, and then my eyes grew wider, my legs coming to an abrupt halt.

It was little Diya's dad, standing just a few feet away from me.

I didn't expect I would meet him there. 

"Sir...You?" The words stumbled out of my mouth. "How is Diya doing?" I asked as if Diya was the only one who mattered to me out of his entire family.

Perhaps, yes. She was the only one who mattered to me, not only out of his entire family, but also out of this entire universe. At that moment!

I desperately wanted to know about her physical and mental health. I tried to see her in front of her college from a distance, but to my dismay, the college didn't re-open till that day. I was waiting for her college to reopen, but the surprise meeting with her dad made me ask my questions to him instinctively. Impatiently! Without asking about his welfare even for a namesake.

He glared at me, ignoring my question. "First, tell me why did you vacate our house and are staying here? We thought you could have found a new place to stay. But I didn't expect you would be staying in public places. What happened?" He asked, his eyes flickering between my eyes and my only backpack.

My heart panged at the question.

How could I say the real reason when Diya herself didn't want her parents to know whatever happened between us?

I gulped, controlling my racing heart and I lied, "That... Sir, you have mistaken. I found a new home to stay. I am here because I am going to Coimbatore for a work."

His glare intensified on me as if he caught my lies, raising one of his eyebrows. "Don't lie, Arun. I saw you sleeping here two days ago. I saw you handing your luggage in this restaurant yesterday. When I saw you sleeping here, I was going to pick up a friend, I couldn't talk with you. I, too, thought you might be waiting for your train. But, yesterday when I came back to drop my friend, I tried to approach you, but you handed the luggage hurriedly in this restaurant and got into a local train. Also, you kept a letter in our home before your departure, stating that you feel the rent of 7000 is too much for your salary. I doubted whether you are staying in this public place without having enough money and inquired about you in the restaurant. The restaurant owner confirmed you are staying here. That's why, I came here to meet you now. Why did you vacate our house? As if we humiliated you and demanded you to pay the rent? If you felt the rent too much, you could have told it to us, right?" He stepped closer and touched my shoulder, his glaring eyes transforming empathetic. An empathy which I didn't see even in my dad!

I wondered why he was caring for me and inquired about me in the restaurant, but soon I remembered the way Diya helped me to stay in their rental house, the way Diya wanted to give her parents to me, too, the way their entire family was lovely with each other, and the way they were running a non-profitable hospital with all the facilities, in a world where the medical field was slowly turning into business. They were naturally blessed with lovely hearts, helping hands and beautiful souls. They were not just some humans. The humans I saw since my childhood had different selfish traits, including myself. But his family....They were angels. They cared even about strangers.

But how could I say the truth to him?

I lowered my eyes without being able to meet his empathetic eyes.

He took a deep breath. "Okay. Leave it. You don't need to say anything. Just come with me. Let's go to our home," He ordered as if he had all the rights to decide where I should stay and turned to go. 

But I stood there like a statue, shocked, surprised, unable to move, unable to believe. 

Our home?

What was he even saying? As if I belonged there?

I wanted to tell him it's not our home, but your home. But my lips refused to say anything.

He took a few steps and then turned back to me again, his eyes glaring. "Arun..." His voice was stern. "I told you to come with me. If you don't have enough money, no problem. You don't need to give any rent. Just come with me."

I shook my head. "N.. No, sir. I am saving some money. I will find another home soon," I replied. 

Though a part of me wished to go with him, grabbing the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Diya, the other part of me didn't want to go with him as Diya's words still echoed in my mind, 'Vacate our house. I don't want to see your filthy face again.'

When vacating their house was her punishment, how could I shift there again without her permission? It would be like disrespecting her words, disregarding her punishment. I couldn't do it, when I was at fault.

"Arun..." He gritted his teeth, raising his voice. "Do you understand or not? I feel like it's because of us you are sleeping here. I feel like we threw you out of our house and made you stay in the public places. I cannot bear that guilt of leaving someone homeless, even after knowing they are struggling. My kuttima told you, you are also our family, right? I too didn't forget how you were in the hospital for the whole day without sleeping when she fell down from the terrace. So...it means, you too see us like a family na? Just come with me. Won't you come, if your father calls you?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Won't you come if your father calls you?

The question echoed in my mind, freezing me even more in the same place with the well-known answer, I would never ever go behind my father.

"Oh god! This much stubbornness!" He exhaled frustratingly. "Okay, I can't change your mind. But I think, your friend Diya can change your mind. Because she is more stubborn than you. Speak to her." He pulled his mobile out of his pocket. 

Diya?

My heart skipped a beat and then raced, a little wish of hearing her voice at least through mobile rising in me.

Would he turn on the loudspeaker?

I couldn't see her even after trying for three weeks in front of her college. Could I at least hear her clear voice to make sure she was alright?

While my mind and heart raced, he dialled Diya.

I stared at his mobile as if Diya would step out of his mobile.

After a moment, she answered the call. I didn't know what Diya said as he didn't turn on the loudspeaker. But after a fleeting second, her dad said, "Kuttima, I told you all yesterday that Arun is staying in the railway station and we all discussed and thought of bringing him back to our home na? I met him now and called him to our home. But he is stubborn in not coming. You speak to your friend." He passed the mobile to me.

What? 

Friend?

Was she really going to speak with me? Did they really discuss and thought of giving their rental house again to me? Did she forgive me? Or did she forget whatever happened between us?

My fingers trembled as I received his mobile and I gulped. "H...Hel..."

Even before I could complete my stammering, little Diya ordered flatly, "Come to our home..." She disconnected the call, even before I could respond to anything.

Her flat tone and the way she disconnected the call conveyed she was still angry at me, but who cared about her anger? I cared about only her welfare, I cared only about meeting her and her words, 'Come to our home' brought a smile to my face.

I lowered my face and bit my lips to hide my smile, my heart fluttering to know I was finally going to meet her. In a most unexpected way!

When I was waiting for her college to reopen to see her from a distance just once, she herself called me to her home. It was a Surprise! A magic! That comes only in unexpected ways.

"Will you come now?" Her dad asked.

I blinked, raising my eyes to him, passing his mobile back to him. "Okay, sir." I smiled. "Wait here. Let me come back after buying some fruits for Diya. She was hospitalised na? She needs to add a lot of fruits to her diet. Vijay said she loves chocolates. I wish to buy chocolates, too, for her. But her health may not be suitable for eating chocolates now. Let me buy fruits." I turned to go.

But he gripped my hand, and laughed as if my care was a joke to him. "Arun, I understand you care for her, but we already have a lot of fruits in our home. You don't need to buy any fruits. Just come with me." He dragged me away.

"But I want to buy something for her. To improve her health," I said with a forced smile, refusing to move.

He shook his head with a smile and left my hand. "Okay, you buy whatever you want. But she is 90% healed. In fact, she already started eating chocolates. As a doctor, I am not stopping her." He laughed. "She will kick you, if you tell her not to eat chocolates now."

"Oh." I let out an awkward grin. "Then shall I buy her favourite dark chocolates?"

"Hmm. But she likes only home made dark chocolates. Let's buy it in a bakery on the way," he said and teased, "I was begging you to come with me. You didn't even listen to my words. But she spoke barely for a second and you are obeying her. I think she thrashed you as a friend."

I forced a smile. "No, sir. But she was the one....." I paused, gulped and added, "When I was in search of a rental house, Payal mam said your house is not for bachelors. But Diya was the reason I got your rental house. I respect her and her words. She didn't thrash me. She just said to come."

"Oh." He teased sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "So, you don't respect me or Payal? So good."

I shook my head. "No. I respect you both, too. But Diya's words hold more power." I let out an awkward grin without knowing how he would take my words.

He laughed. "True. Both Payal and Diya are the queens, not only in our home, but also to the world. Their words have more power. Vijay and I be like... As you command, your highness!"

I just smiled in response, thinking, "But in my eyes, all of you seem to be angels."

"Okay, come, let's go. You have your breakfast in our home." He stepped forward.

I nodded and followed him, a strange warmth filling my chest. 

Diya was healing. She was eating chocolates. Her voice was clear rather than feeble.

It was clear she bounced back to normal. That was all I wanted. 

I thought to meet her, to see her in front of me healthy, so that the haunting memory of the way she bled on hitting the ground would not surface in my mind again. And, I thought to apologise to her once more and to carry on my life as usual, staying in their rental house temporarily till I save enough money to search for another home. 

With no other plans in my mind, I got into his car. 

The car headed to their home. On the way, I bought her favourite chocolates, too. 

Within the next 15 minutes, we reached their home. 

I got out of the car, and asked, "Sir, can you give me the key of the rental house now? Let me place my belongings there and then I will come to meet Diya...."

"Oh god." He intervened, sighing. "Did you think I told you to stay in our rental house?" He shook his head with a gentle smile. "No. We have given that house to a family, as you vacated. It's not available for rent now. I called you to stay in our home. With us."

What. The. Hell.

It was totally unexpected. This time, the unexpected turn didn't feel like magic! It felt like a black magic!

Should I stay with them? Inside their home? Inside their family?

How will I drink then?

That was the first question that crossed my mind. Shit of my alcoholic addiction.

He added, interjecting my thoughts, "We have many guest rooms in our home. You stay in any one of the guest rooms. You can stay with us as long as you want."

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "S...Sir, don't mistake me. I am not comfortable staying inside your home."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? It's not like a regular 1bhk or 2bhk. It is practically a bungalow. You will have your privacy."

"That..." I inhaled deep. "Not like that, sir... I will come late at night often. It will be disturbing to you all. I don't want to disturb you all."

He smiled as if he didn't care about my late arrivals and held my hand. "If you bother about your late arrivals, please know that our Vijay will be awake till midnight. He will be studying. He will open the door. Even if he is not opening the door, our night watchman will be awake. You can sleep in his room temporarily. Don't worry about all this. You are also like our son," he said in a casual tone, and dragged me inside the home. Just like Diya dragged me for dinner. 

I moved behind him helplessly, unwillingly without being able to utter anything. His empathy, care and trust in me to invite me to stay inside their home stopped me from conveying my unwillingness. 

I moved, feeling as if the fate was leading me somewhere I was not prepared for. 

It was not the first time fate played a cruel game with me. But for some reason, I felt as if it was going to be the last cruel play of fate with me.

At the end of this cruel game, I would no longer be available to play or I would start winning against fate, I felt.

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With Love,
Nilah R.

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