Anu picked up a spoon to feed Kinjal the semolina kheer she'd specially made for her. Kinjal had said yes. It seemed odd that Anu was celebrating this momentous occasion because just an hour ago, she'd believed everything to have been lost. 

When Anupama returned home, GK and Kinjal were sitting in the living room playing chess. GK had started teaching Kinjal how to play the game and was so far extremely pleased with the progress and dedication of the girl.

"Come on, Kinjal, you cannot take forever," GK had nudged her as she continued to scratch her hair wondering how she could block the bishop that directly threatened to kill her queen. Anu had interrupted the play, moving the horse in between, successfully calling a check to GK's king.

"Thank you, Ma'am," Kinjal had gotten up jumping to hug her.

"Not Ma'am, Mom."

The pin-drop silence that followed momentarily made her question Anuj's advice. Kinjal was 16. She was definitely attached to her parents. She had memories of her life with them - both good and bad. While owing to her father's death, had made it easier for her to accept Anuj as a father figure, her mother, Rakhi, was still alive.

And although Kinjal had transitioned quite willingly from calling Anuj Sir to Uncle, she'd still stuck with Ma'am for Anupama. And Anu had never pushed the girl otherwise. Would she happily and willingly give the place Rakhi held in her life to Anupama?

"Kinjal..." GK gently prodded the girl. He'd grown fond of her. If Anuj had married younger, he would probably have a granddaughter Kinjal's age.

The girl looked up, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Beta, what happened?" GK moved closer to her, wiping her eyes with his fingers. "You can speak your mind. No one will say anything to you."

Anu's heart was slowly turning to lead. One part of her mind was irrationally angry at Anuj for having brought this about. Another part of her mind reasoned, better now than later. This wasn't the first time she was dealing with dejection. That feeling had made a permanent space in her life. And she'd often nursed her wounds in the tranquility of loneliness. 

Wanting to spend some alone time to come to terms with yet another quashed wish, Anu began walking away when Kinjal extended her arms - one holding onto GK and the other, Anu and began weeping profusely.

Moved by the girl's grief, Anu kneeled next to her and hugged her, gently patting her head as she cried her heart out. When the sobs begin to subside, she got up to put some much-needed distance.

"Ma..." Kinjal called out to her as Anu turned to make her way to her room. She turned again to look at the girl surprised.

"After my mother's remarriage, the first day I went missing, no one came to look for me. The next day when I came home, I heard from my cousins that grandma had told them that there was no need to waste time. That I would eventually find my way home. I did Ma. I did find my way home. I found my way to my family. You, Anuj Uncle, and GK Kaka are my family."

Anu walked back to Kinjal and hugged her, her happiness knowing no bounds. She held Kinjal's head and gently kissed her forehead. Anuj was right, as always.

"Papa and Dadaji," Anu told her.

When Kinjal looked at her quizzically, she smiled. "Start calling Anuj Papa and GK Kaka Dadaji. That's how you address family."

Kinjal nodded, and hugged Anu again, fresh tears flowing through her eyes. GK's eyes too had turned moist. He pulled his glasses off and wiped the tears that were beginning to collect within them.

"Anu, beta, this calls for a celebration. How about some semolina kheer with dinner."

Anu looked at Kaka and nodded. Indeed Kanhaji had been extremely kind to her.

*****

Anu was busy clearing the table after dinner when the doorbell rang. Anuj was still not home. Assuming the person on the door to be Anuj, Anupama asked Sheela to go open the door, while she quickly ran to the kitchen to heat up food for him.

A few minutes later, Sheela made her way to the kitchen, looking perplexed.

"What happened?"

"An old couple is waiting for you in the living room. They said they're your Baa and Bapuji."

The steel plate that Anupama held in her hand crashed to the floor. The noise startled Sheela.

"Bhabhi, is everything okay?"

Anu nodded, asking Sheela to take care of the kitchen, while she walked the living room to find out what more these people wanted.

"Anupama."

Leela Shah walked up to her to take her head in between her hands and gently kiss her forehead. "How are you doing beta?"

Once, even this fake gesture of love would have got Anupama's heart soaring. Not anymore. Moving a little away from her, Anu nodded: "I'm good Baa. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine too, the kids are also doing well.."

"I know. They came to see me here two days back."

"And?"

"And what Baa?"

"And what did you decide?"

"About what?"

Leela sighed. Anupama was purposely making it difficult for her.

"About coming back home."

"I am home, Baa. This is my house. My to-be husband's house."

Leela closed her eyes, to control her urge to lash out at Anu.

"This is not your house Anupama. This is Anuj Kapadia's house. And you both are not married, yet."

"So?"

"So, our society has a special name for women who stay with men before they get married. And what's of men. Why will Anuj marry you when he is able to avail all benefits without marriage."

Anu looked at Leela and then at Hasmukh. And she smiled. Both hadn't changed a bit. Leela still continued to taunt and Hasmukh still stayed silent. But she had. She was no longer the quiet Anupama who took everything lying down.

"That should be my problem, isn't it Baa?"

Voices that were mute were slowly gathering strength, waking up the entire household. GK, who'd just made his way to his bedroom, came to the living room to see what the commotion is all about.

"Look Anupama, I understand that we've all been extremely unfair to you. But we all realize that Beta. Come home. That house is nothing without you."

"And you realized that after a year? A year during which you didn't once come to see me? Forget coming and seeing me, you didn't once call and ask me how I was doing?"

"I'm sorry Beta. I know we have wronged you and you have suffered enough because of us. Give us one chance to make everything alright."

GK watched the scene unfolding in front of him and then looked at Hasmukh who was sitting on the sofa looking despondent. He sighed. Sometimes silence was as big a crime as abuse.

"Baa, I'm sure you're not here at 10.30 at night to apologize to me."

"You're right. I'm here to take my bahu home."

Anupama laughed. A shrilling laugh.

"Bahu? Which Bahu? I stopped being your Bahu over a year ago and from what I've heard, Kavya too will no longer be your bahu once the divorce is finalized."

Leela's dam of patience, which was already extremely small, to begin with, broke.

"Stupid fool. Despite all your mistakes, I was willing to forgive everything and take you back home. Because my son Vanraj believes he is in love with you. And you? You arrogant, spineless, characterless..."

"Mrs. Leela Shah..." GK's voice reverberated from across the hallway. And Leela stood flabbergasted for a minute. No one had ever raised their voice on her.

He walked up to the living room and stood right next to Anupama.

"Mind your tongue, this is my daughter-in-law you're talking about."

Leela, who'd momentarily lost her composure quickly regained it. "And which father-in-law allows his daughter-in-law to live with his son before marriage?"

"The one who considers his daughter-in-law, a daughter. But I don't expect you to understand. You never had space in your heart for your own daughter. What you'll love your daughter-in-law?"

"Mr Kapadia," Leela hollered. Neither Anupama nor GK bothered to correct her. "What do you know about this girl?"

"I believe much more than you."

"So tell me, she divorced my son because he cheated on her. But what about her responsibilities as a mother?"

GK laughed. "You really think you're talking sense, aren't you?"

When Leela stared at him confused, he elaborated.

"Firstly, Anupama didn't divorce your son, your son divorced her to marry Kavya. Secondly, Anu didn't break any ties with her children. Toshu and Pakhi broke ties with her because they wanted to support their father and were ashamed of their mother. She is still very much a mother to Samar who regularly visits her."

"Haan, so what's wrong with that? This woman couldn't even speak English properly. What's wrong if the kids were ashamed of their mother?"

"NO CHILD IS ALLOWED TO BE ASHAMED OF THEIR MOTHER," GK hollered. Leela momentarily lost her balance and sat down right next to Hasmukh, while Hasmukh looked at GK with a sense of respect and admiration.

"It doesn't matter who your mother is, what she does, how educated she is, how well dressed, SHE IS YOUR MOTHER. She cared for you in her womb. She nursed you. She kept you clean and disease-free. She clothed you. She fed you. She stayed hungry so you could eat. She lost sleep, so you could sleep comfortably. If you want to know the true value of a mother, ask an orphan.

"I repeat, NO CHILD IS ALLOWED TO BE ASHAMED OF THEIR MOTHER. And the ones that are, don't deserve one."

Leela had the decency to look ashamed.

"But what if they want to correct their mistakes. Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?"

"That depends on the person who will be giving that chance."

Anu turned to Kaka and touched his feet. So far in her life, no one had ever valued her, forget finding her worthy of support. And while Anuj had taught her to stand up for herself, GK had actually stood up for her.

As Hasmukh and Leela quietly got up to make their way out, she looked towards Anupama and asked: "What do I tell Vanraj?"

"Tell him that I want to meet the entire family at the AK offices tomorrow evening at 8 pm."

"Why?"

But Anupama had already turned around and begun making her way back to the kitchen. She was no longer interested in reasoning with the Shahs.