Nandini

I halted at the doorstep.

It had taken immense strength in me to walk out of there, in such normal spirits. The shock hadn't seemed to have reverberated within. Manik was several metres behind me, I just knew.

I dropped the heels from the hooks of my fingers on the front porch with a couple more pairs of fancy sandals. My feet felt as cold on the flooring as my heart had felt within. The house that was swarming with guests before our departure now felt close to empty, the life of the party and the joy had been sucked out. Manik's father, who had been meditating in the harmony of a religious practice that just took place, had bent to blow out a lamp at a distance. Fire died, merely symbolic to the last twenty tormenting minutes.

Not wanting to cause any more intrusions into the Malhotras' lives, I tiptoed behind him and towards the room upstairs where my bag and the rest of my belongings was kept. Two teenage boys were on the bed that was Manik's, passed out. Six exhausted women were lying by the furthest edge, napping with their toddlers that had caused a ruckus in the family gathering and could only be pacified by filling their bellies and patting them to sleep in an air-conditioned room.

Ananya was nowhere to be found.

I gathered my belongings carefully. For someone who hadn't slept that way in the longest time, I knew the calming feeling that came with it, and in no way did I want to disturb that.

As I began zipping my bag, one of my lipsticks slipped from my purse and knocked on the floor with a clang. I knelt to grab it when it just happened that I glanced at the mirror. What looked back at me was that of a vicious witch on steroids, with emphasised dark circles and skin so pale and dull. Lifeless.

With every passing second, that image grew rather demonic. The boulders that weighed my feet down were beginning to surrender me into a tragic blackhole. What had I just done, on such an auspicious day? At least for him, this was a good closure and the beginning of a fresh chapter, in a new country with new people. Rest assured, when he would return he would not as much as bat an eyelash at me. And I had to be alright with that.

I had to let go of this feeling, of possession... of selfishly wanting to be around him unless I could explain myself... and this was one thing I had promised to not disclose to Manik.

That was what love meant, being happy for one another even if they aren't together.

A gentle curve appeared. An unknown power multiplied, making this self-loathe much more bearable. After all, I was doing this for him. I stood up moments later on stabler feet before the jangling of my bangles with every stride marked my departure from the room.

Downstairs, Manik's father had just lifted Naina into his fragile arms. Judging by the solitude of the surroundings, a deduction was made that Manik hadn't made the announcement. Perhaps he needed some time to think it over and come to terms with it.

Despite everything, a part of me wished he wouldn't go.

***

Manik

My little one was bundled in her soft blanket on the floor, almost immobile but serene as she observed me sitting at a distance twice her arm length, and leaning. Ananya was hustling around with a broomstick in her hand, clearing up all the flower petals and turmeric coated rice that were sprinkled as offerings in the ceremony.

My old man was going back and forth between his room and the hall, stowing away the puja supplies until it was needed the next time. I had been waiting patiently for him to finish, as I had been instructed... or rather insulted, that I don't keep things in the exact spots that they were meant to be in, and was refrained from helping in any way. Ananya had also decided that I was terrible at household work with no solid evidence.

The project proposal came as a bit of a shocker to me. Out of all the directions in which I expected the conversation from earlier that day to go in, I was not anticipating this. Since Mr. Senior Malhotra did not want to give up on 'being busy', I had to resort to a childish approach that involved, nagging. "Dad, do you have a moment?" His body pivoted in mild alarm. Since when did his son become so demanding, he wondered. "Come, sit."

"Wait, I'll just keep this," I sulked, as Naina cackled before polishing her knuckles with saliva.

Finally, he had appeared and relaxed on one of the couches. His hands were interlocked, implying he was ready to listen. "You know how you always say everything happens for a reason," He nodded, trying to assess the direction in which the conversation was heading. "What if... that reason isn't... necessarily good?"

I might be very mistaken about this conclusion, but I wasn't feeling really well since the last few days–emotionally. It seemed as if whatever played off was a series of correlated events, and taking a step away from the drama and focusing on the big picture gave me many more reasons to believe so.

If I had to pin-point a certain event in the timeline since things had been off, it would have to be the sudden confession... about Aryamann and Nandini happening in the workspace. Until earlier that day, the Nandini I knew was a different person... someone I had a chance of reconciling with. Something happened that day... or the day we had dinner with Navya and Vinod... and intuition told me they were all connected.

Partly intuition, and partly Nandini's remorse. The last time we had separated was because she believed I had wronged her, and that I hadn't trusted her enough to tell her about my financial problems. She had dumped me without an ounce of regret.

This afternoon, I didn't see any form of guilt in taking the stance she did. It seemed as though there was a superior, well-intentioned reason backing her. And woman who thought of my act as a sign of betrayal would definitely not practice the same. There was more to it than what I could decipher from the superficial layer.

"I am telling you Manik,"

I nodded, unaware of what he was referring to.

"...good karma always comes back... not when you want it to, but when you least expect it,"

"It all works out in the end."

End. Project.

The project I was given was in exchange of something.

In exchange of protecting a relationship.

By masking herself into another one.

***

Sneha

A mild violin tune played in a distant crevice of the room in which she sat, on a desk with a table lamp on. Her mind wasn't there, only fingers flicked the soft yellow light on... off... and on, again...

I was repinning my saree, that resembled the uniform of the other house staff, when I spotted a dispersion of light from the corridor leading to the deserted room. I sighed.

Nandini Didi had not stepped out of there for two whole days. When I asked around, to the other staff that work different shifts, nobody else knew why. The last Karan Bhaiyya had seen her was when she was cheerful and dressed in an elegant white saree to go out somewhere.

Now, she looked like a traumatised princess abducted from her home and starved, with her untamed hair tied up in a loose bun, her makeup from the last time she wore it smeared all over and clogging her poor pores, and in loose pajamas and an oversized black T-shirt that was probably her husband's. Separated husband's.

Her state was just devastating to look at, much worse than that of the room that had her wedding lehenga and accessories scattered all over. On the walls were pages of scribbles, elaborately filled... that if I had a closer look, I would've thought it was the first draft of an impromptu manuscript.

Understandably so... If anyone was alone with their thoughts for long enough in this house, they would drive themselves insane. I could endorse that. The mansion seemed like a lonely graveyard without any interactions with Nandini Didi. I would also be lying if I said I so much as smiled at least once the last forty eight hours in her absence. I would never tell this to her though.

To compensate for the feeling of being left in the dark, I would pay a visit at least six times a day to check up on her and remind her to have her meals, to exercise or to fill the jug of water by her bedside table. This was one of those visits. 

"Dinner is ready, Didi," I called politely, expecting a cold response as I had received the past day or worse before... none at all.

But Didi had stopped playing with the switch. The light was left turned on, and she slowly spun around in her chair, halting when she faced me. I was four inches tallen than her and in the shadow of her own, that darkened my face, she drowsily stared at my fallen cheekbones. My gaze instantly dropped to my feet, remembering that even in sheer sympathy, I was not to make direct eye-contact with the vulnerable.

As the news had been conveyed, I pivoted towards the corridor but in my peripheral vision, I saw Nandini shift. "Wait..." came the meek plea, that wrenched my heart.  

Standing still, I did as I was told. Less than a minute later, a much more fresh looking Nandini emerged. The minuscule change in Didi's appearance eased a heavy ache I didn't know I had been walking around with. This Nandini Didi seemed much more approachable, much more like the bubbly Didi I knew.

Pulling up a strained smile, Didi grasped my hand and led the way down the stairs. That unexpected gesture warmed me further as much as it did floor me. When we reached the dining table, Didi gestured me to sit first and then offered to serve me, when it should have been the other way around.

"Didi, this isn't..."

I was getting paid for doing this.

"Arre... I have nobody else left to do these things with," She uttered with some unusual joy, that seemed unreal in contrast to the Nandini Didi she had been only moments ago, playing with darkness upstairs. "Let me?" It had set of a fearful chain reaction.

I hesitantly touched one of Nandini's hands. "Didi, if I may say so... please look after yourself," I clasped her unengaged palm reassuringly, although my unconcealed yet tensed forehead lines gave the impression that she could not be trusted with that task.

Didi blinked, and then grinned before continuing to serve. She sat down beside ,e, slipping out cutlery to eat the chicken curry with rice. Her eyes closed in a short prayer, and she scooped some onto her spoon.

"I love it!" She sparked with significant gratitude.

"Thanks, Didi."

This might sound very selfish of me, but even though I was convinced that she wasn't truly okay, I truly appreciated her for putting in the effort to mingle and ease some of my worries during this difficult time.

I sure couldn't decipher what caused the separation between her and her husband; I wasn't employed during that time but whatever the reason was, I could bet on my life that Nandini Didi still cared... a lot.

I had seen Manik Baba around the house occasionally. He would visit on and off, with their baby girl who I had instantly become fond of from the minute I laid my eyes on her. Naina, as her name suggested, had the brightest eyes I've seen on a baby. He too was a real gentleman, and deducing his personality from merely his appearance, I could see why Nandini Didi would've picked him as a life partner. At one point, I even believed they were back together for good.

Things had gone downhill only recently. 

"Mmm... after this, I need you to do me a tiny favour," Didi interrupted my thoughts as she bit into a piece of juicy chicken and chewed. I diligently nodded in response. "I need your help in cleaning my room,"

"It won't be a problem,"

"Sweet! Thank you."

Didi's hand impulsively reached around the table for something, then stopped. Once I noticed, it occurred to me that it was her first day not checking her phone at all. Nobody she had stalked, no messages she reread, and no phone calls that she had picked... not even work-related.

It was a day exclusively for herself.

And she chose to share that day with me.

---

Next update: Wednesday <3

Manik truly seems to be understanding Nandini on a different level now, which is what I wanted to highlight in this part.

Really looking forward to complete this book in the next couple of parts!! Thanks for sticking by, if you're still reading!