United they fall, Divided they stand (Final Part)

Continued...

[read United they fall, Divided they stand Part 1 | Part 2)

Few hours ago.

"I'm sorry uncle. It was me who suggested we get married. Siddarth was not ready for the marriage against your wish. We waited for 7 long years. We were seeing each other right from college."

Siddarth's dad looked up at Mansi for the first time. His daughter-in-law. Siddarth's mother shared a faint smile. Mansi and Siddarth kept looking at his father.

"Please leave this house. Both of you" he said politely and walked into his room.

After an-hour he walked out of his room to see Siddarth lugging two huge suitcases down the staircase. Mansi and his mother helped him carry it to the living room.

"You haven't left yet?" his father asked cynically. "I'm hungry" he told his wife.

"Varun has taken my car and I have to wait for him to get back, if that is fine with you" Siddarth said in a defensive tone. "..and all the stuff in this suitcase are mine. I'm not taking anything from this house" he said.

His father sat at the dinner table waiting for dinner to be served. Siddarth sank into the couch with a growling face. He was hungry too. Mansi sat beside him and rubbed his arms.

They heard the plate being placed on the table. Just one plate. His father began to eat.

"What is with this king-sized ego all about? How long will you continue like this?" Siddarth screamed from the living room.

There was no response to his question.

"We waited dad. Like idiots we waited for a long time not knowing when to approach you. This fear has always made me a conscious person in loving Mansi. She is the one for me and I know I can have a happy life with her. What makes you think that the girl you decide is the one who is going to keep me happy?" his voice cracked as he mustered all the courage to talk like that to his father.

His father replied, in silence.

"Ma, did you really love dad when you married him or have you lived your life so far not knowing who this man really is?" Siddarth asked his mom.

She was taken aback by his question. Her face turned pale as she looked up at her husband in his eyes.

He smiled at her and she least expected that reaction. He continued to munch on his rotis.

"Answer him. He thinks you never knew me well all these years." he said.

She did not look up to see him. Her silence hurt him and he continued munching his food as his mind was munching her silence.

“I didn’t love your dad when I married him. I didn’t love him for a very long time. It took a while for me to fall in love with him for the man he was and he is. After sometime I couldn’t live without him” she answered.

Siddarth smiled as he held Mansi’s hand.

His dad realized that he had never asked that question to her when they were married. He took it for granted that his wife was in love with him all the while. He was wrong and it had taken so long for her to break that to him when their son married a woman he loved.

“I’m sorry” she said.

“No, don’t be. I’m sorry. I feel embarrassed to talk about it after so many years. I feel ashamed too”

“Please don’t be. I didn’t intend to hurt you. I just don’t want our kids to be hurt. They love each other and I think we should be happy for them” she said assertively.

Siddarth was looking at the luggage in the hallway. In few minutes it might go back into his room and his face brightened.

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Varun sank further in his couch listening to all that had happened when he was not at home.

“So it is one happy family. Great!” he said and walked up the stairs to his room.
Siddarth knew why Varun was angry and followed him to his room. As Varun was closing the door he saw Siddarth stand outside.

“I’m sorry. I need to talk to you” Siddarth said.

Varun stood at the door not wanting to let Siddarth in his room.

“There is nothing to talk about. I least expected this from you. You broke my trust”, Varun said and slammed the door on Siddarth’s face.

As he walked to the balcony, a streak of childhood memory flashed on his mind. He was reminded of the morning when Siddarth slammed the car door. Siddarth was inside the car waving at Varun while the car was pulling out of the house. Varun stood by the door, pressing his nose against the glass, tears rolling down his cheeks. Every day he would stand by that door waiting for his brother to return from the boarding school. It had taken 4 years for Siddarth to come back to that house and to his brother.

Varun heard someone knock at his door. He did not respond to it.

“Varun!” he heard his mom call out for him from outside the door.

He let her in and sank in his beanbag.

“Siddarth told me everything” she started off the conversation as she was picking up the clothes strewn all over the room.

Varun did not respond. His eyes followed her hands as she picked each item on the floor.

“Too man things have happened tonight and your dad is an old man. He needs to take it all slowly. I just want you to stay calm and not feel sad. If it has worked for Siddarth, it will work for you too. We just need to give some space for your dad to accommodate all the changes that are happening in this house” she said.

The moment she finished her statement Varun broke down. He was cracking up with anger and dismay. He finally gave up as his mother had the voice to heal the wounds. She dumped his clothes in the laundry bag and walked to Varun. She ruffled his hair as if to comfort him and said, “Oil! You hardly have any oil on your head!” she exclaimed.

“Come on ma!” that put a faint smile on Varun’s drooping face.

“Everything will be fine. Give it some time. Please be patient” she said. He nodded his head as if to agree with her.

A week passed by and Varun took conscious effort to stay away from everyone at home. He would leave home even before anyone wakes up and get back home late in the night.

He took autorick to work and sometimes took the local train or the bus to commute between home and work. He never took calls from home or from Siddarth’s mobile. He was giving Siddarth his time to repent. Siddarth was giving Varun his time to forgive and forget. A week was too less for all that to happen.

After numerous calls, texts and emails, Megha too gave up on Varun for his nonchalance. He had shutdown his communication with family and social network. He needed time to divert his anger into channels that would help him move on.

That Saturday night, unusually, Varun stayed at home instead of spending the night with his friends. He was at the balcony working on his laptop. He saw Siddarth’s car pull into the house. He stared back into his laptop. Few minutes later there was a knock on his door. He quickly hid the wine glass behind the balcony door.

“I need to talk to you” Siddarth stood outside the door and beside him stood Mansi with a bag in her hand.

Varun did not react. He just left the door open and sat on his bean bag, his newly found favorite place in the whole house. Earlier it used to be the living room watching television with the whole family.

“We got you something” Mansi gave a box wrapped in yellow satin ribbon. Varun wasn’t surprised at the consolation act his brother and sister-in-law were throwing at him that night.

He did not receive it from her. She placed it on his lap and sat beside Siddarth on the bed.

“How long will you be angry with us? Forever? We live in the same house Varun. Tell me what I need to do to make you feel better. I feel bad and I’m sorry for what I did. I don’t have an explanation to defend myself. Maybe I was just selfish…”

Varun looked up at Siddarth. It had been more than a week since he had seen his brother face to face. The word ‘selfish’ had poured few drops of water on his fuming anger. Siddarth’s admittance of being selfish was a give away.

“I’m sorry too” Mansi said. Varun did not look at her.

“How long are you going to try to break my nonchalance?” Varun asked looking at Siddarth.

“How long do you want us to try?” he threw the dagger back at him.

“Today was your last try and unfortunately it hasn’t worked. Timeout Siddarth! Now if you would back off I can go to sleep”

Siddarth stormed out of Varun’s room not wanting to take any more of Varun’s antics.

“He is really hurt. So is everyone in this house. I take the responsibility too of what is happening in this house…” Mansi started the conversation.

Varun did not want to be rude to a stranger. He remained silent and looked at the door out of which his brother had walked away.

“Everyday he wakes up talking about you and goes to sleep repenting. Tell us what can make you feel happy and get out of this. We have tried too. Please open the pack.” She said.

Varun did not move.

Mansi stood up to leave.

“You have forgotten something” Varun said.

She knew what he meant.

“That gift is for you. You will not regret opening it. Please do it for yourself if not for us” she said and walked out of the door closing it behind.

Varun looked at the gift. He held it in his hand and unwrapped the satin ribbon. Something told his mind that opening the gift would change the decision he had already taken. On second thoughts he pushed the box under his cot.

Three days later at the dinner table, Varun joined the family for dinner taking them by surprise. His mom showed all her excitement by serving him first.

Varun looked up at his dad and said, “I’m moving to Australia for a bit.”

Siddarth looked up at Varun while his mom’s face drained.

“A bit?” his dad questioned.

“Hmm…” Varun did not want to give away any information. He thought nobody deserved to know his future plans.

“Like weeks?” his dad persisted.

“Like years” he said.

“Are you leaving tonight?” his dad asked cynically.

Varun chuckled and said, “No, in two days”

“Hmm… that is sufficient notice period for us to be prepared for your departure” his dad responded.

That was the last statement at that dining table that night and the nights to come.

Varun’s mom walked into his room later that night. This time she did not have any clothes to pick from the floor. They were all neatly packed in his suitcases. She just had broken pieces of her mind to collect and leave.

“I’m sorry mom. I just needed some time. If I continue to live in this house, I don’t see myself patching up again with this family. Something has gone wrong and I need space and time to get back to this family. Things are divided on my mind right now” Varun said as he continued to pick some CDs from the rack.

“I won’t stop you from going. I just want this family to be together again. I will wait, but please come back soon” she said.

Varun knew his mom was breaking within but her voice was clear.

“You have never been out of this home. You have always grown under our wings. I’m worried how you will survive alone.” his mom said.

“For the past two weeks, I have survived alone in this house. I don’t think it will make any difference. I will be fine.”

“I know you will be. Can I pack for you?” she said.

“No ma, I have already done that. First step to handle things myself!” he smiled at her.

She did not return his smile.

“Can I ask dad for some money?”

“No, my company will take care of my expenses initially until I settle down there”

“Did you open the gift that Siddarth and Mansi got for you?”

“You knew about it too?” he asked.

“You still want to go in spite of the gift?” she asked.

“I haven’t opened it ma. I don’t know where it is”

“I can see it under your cot” she said.

Varun did not respond. He continued ransacking his racks.

“Please open it Varun.”

“I will. I will” he said but did not head to the gift under his cot.

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The most detested evening arrived at that house with not much fanfare.

Everyone was waiting for Varun at the living room. His suitcases were already waiting at the verandah. He was on the phone as he walked down the stairs. He saw his family waiting for him and he hung up on his call.

“I will drop you off at the airport” Siddarth said.

“Your mom and I will come in my car” his dad said.

“Ayan is already waiting outside in his car. I’m good to go with him” Varun said as he walked out.

As he stood by the door, he turned around to see his mom. Then he looked at his dad and said, “Please take care of her. She has taken care of us all for a very long time”

“I will…. come back soon” his dad responded. Varun did not expect that from his dad.

He looked at Siddarth and Mansi. He couldn’t see them in their eyes. “Congratulations!”, he said.

He walked up to his mom and hugged her. “I promise to apply oil on my hair regularly” he said and patted on her back.

As he picked his baggage along with Ayan, “It is ok if you want to marry someone you like….. but bring her home so we could meet her before the wedding”, his dad said.

Varun looked back surprised at his dad’s statement.

“We want to see your wedding at least” his dad finished the statement.

It hurt Siddarth but the moment was too overwhelming that he let his dad’s statement pass.

“Even if it is Megha…” his mom threw another surprise.

Varun got into the car ignoring all of those. As the car moved, he rolled down the window but did not look back at his family fading behind him.

Siddarth stood there looking at his little brother go away from home for the first time. A streak of memory flashed on his mind. He was reminded of the morning when he slammed the car door. He was inside the car waving at Varun while the car was pulling out of the house. Varun stood by the door, pressing his nose against the glass, tears rolling down his cheeks. Every day he would hope to go back home from hostel and see his little brother sticking his nose to the glass door. It had taken 4 years for Siddarth to go back to that house and to his brother. This time, he did not know how many years he will stand by that door awaiting the day when his brother will be back in the family.

THE END

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PS: If this was a short film, I would have panned the camera to the gift under the cot and rolled the credits ;) This being a short story, am going to leave it to the reader’s imagination to decide on what was inside the gift.

What was on my mind when I wrote about the gift? Megha!