Since I had not booked any hotel, I agreed to Vrinda's offer of spending the night at the Chauhan's residence. I was sharing the room with the twins, which meant Vrinda had to sleep with Avi's obnoxious grandmother.

Once I was sure both Ruby and Pearl were fast asleep I Whatsapped their uncle.

Me: Are you alright?

I wasn't sure if he was still awake, but the prompt reply from his end put my doubts to rest.

Avinash: I have to be.

Me: Do you want me to come over?

Avinash: No its alright. You are probably exhausted. Get some sleep.

Knowing him well, I realized what he wrote and what he wanted were not the same.

Gently getting down from the bed and I quietly crept out of the room. Avinash's room was just opposite to the one I was in. Hesitently my knuckles knocked on his door.

I heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door, before he opened it. He didn't look surprised when he found me standing there, which meant he was probably expecting me.

I walked inside the pitch dark room allowing him to close the door behind me. Brute had decided to stay with Avinash that night. His tail wagged slowly, when I approached the bed.

Avinash sat down beside me, Brute snuggling in his lap. Minutes passed and we sat there silently. I didn't pester him to talk, neither did I give him false hope that everything was going to be alright. I wanted him to speak, only when he was willing to.

"Atleast he didn't have to suffer." Avinash finally spoke after a while, still looking at the floor. I placed my palm on the back of his hand which rested on the bed. He looked up at me, and the mask of indifference he had been wearing, shattered into pieces.

He looked frightened, angry, sad and helpless all at once.

"He will always be alive, through you and Vrinda." I placed one hand on his cheek.

"I didn't get a chance to hug him one last time," Avi's voice broke, so did his resolve, making his eyes pour. "I couldn't even say goodbye."

"There were so many things I couldn't tell him Naxi." The words were punctuated by his sobs.

"There were so many things I couldn't tell you dad." He spoke to the wall infront of us.

"I remember I didn't speak to you for a week, just because you didn't take me to watch the cricket match." I quietly watched him pour his heart.

"Dad you complained that I was always glued to my phone, and hardly spoke to you." Before I could stop him he flung his phone across the room, making it noisily crash on the floor. I didn't attempt to retrieve it as the phone lied on the floor, its battery and back cover disassembled from the impact. "See dad! I have thrown it away. I want to speak to you dad. Please speak to me. You cannot punish me like this."

"Dad I am sorry. I am sorry that I was so selfish and ungrateful." He howled in grief. "Dad remember after Vrinda's divorce, I slowly slipped into the clutches of depression, only you could bring me out of that phase. Dad I can feel myself slipping away again. Please save me dad. I need you to save me dad."

"You know Naxi my grandfather was an IPS officer." He said a little erratically, "He wanted my dad to follow his footsteps, but my dad couldn't. Dad would often lament he couldn't rise to his father's expectations," The ache in his heart, made Avinash's chest rise and fall rapidly. "DAD YOU NEVER DISAPPOINTED ANYONE." Avinash said his voice growing louder. "You were the best son, the best husband and the best father. You were a hero without a cape dad. You were my hero. You will always be my hero dad."

"I love you dad, I wish I could have told you that when you were there. I MISS YOU DAD." Avinash yelled, rocking back and forth. "COME back Dad. PLEASE COME BACK." His wails made my heart shudder. I wrapped my arms around his shoulder trying to hold him, while he plummeted into the abyss of grief.

"I can't live without you Dad. Naxi please tell him to come back." He frantically looked at me. "TELL HIM I NEED HIM. I never got a chance to thank him, for teaching me how to ride a bicycle. I never got a chance to thank him for the scoops of icecreams he would treat me to, after school. I never got a chance to thank him for staying up night after night, taking care of me, when I had chicken pox in third grade."

"I need to tell him that I am proud of him. I want to take care of him when he grows old. I want him to bless me on my wedding. I want him to play with my children. I want him to...to...to....tell me everything will be alright. I want him back Naxi."

I realized my eyes were streaming too.

"I love you Dad." He whispered, lying down on the bed, with his head on my lap. He pulled his knees to his chest, unable to bear the pain. I sat there, running my fingers through his hair, watching him fall asleep, tears still seeping out through the corners of his eyes.

*****************
A loud banging on the door woke me up. I didn't know when I had dozed off. Avinash was still fast asleep, his head lying against my bosom, arms wrapped around my waist.

"Avi." I gently nudged him. "Avi someone is there."

He groggily woke up as I opened the door, to find Mrs. Chauhan waiting for us.

"I am so sorry Mrs. Chauhan...we were just talking, and fell asleep. I know it was irresponsible..." I stammered.

"It's okay Naxi," she gave a motherly smile, "I am not judging you. I am glad that you stayed with him."

"Hey Mom!" Avinash said rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

"I came to call you two for breakfast." Mrs. Chauhan informed.

We assured her that we would be there in a minute, and she left to wake Pearl and Ruby.

We broke our fast with a platter of fruits. It is a custom amongst Hindus, not eat any garlic, onion or non vegetarian foods during the period of thirteen days mourning. Therefore, mostly people stuck to fruits or sweet meats during this time.

"There is something I need to share the two of you." Mrs. Chauhan said hesitantly once our breakfast was over, and we had settled down in the living room.

"I will wait upstairs." I didn't want to intrude in their personal space. Mrs. Chauhan may not be comfortable with me, being an audience to whatever she was about to divulge.

"No Meenakshi, please stay." Mrs. Chauhan surprised me with her request.

"She is an outsider Varsha," Avinash's grandmother snapped, from the armchair she rocked on.

"Not to us." Mrs. Chauhan replied coldly. Avinash's grandmother scowled, yet didn't raise any protest.

"Ruby, Pearl go and take your bath, and take Brute with you." Vrinda sent her daughters upstairs, before joining me, Avinash, Mrs. Chauhan and Dadi in the living room.

"Your father had taken a business loan of Rupees Seven Crore." Mrs. Chauhan said quietly.

"What?" Her two children exclaimed in unison.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Vrinda sounded angry. "What is going on Ma?"

"The dealership wasn't doing well. So he decided to infuse some capital in it." Mrs. Chauhan pursed her lips regretfully. "After his treatment started, he wasn't able to take care of the business properly, so it ran into a deeper loss."

Avinash slapped his hand on his forehead, and Vrinda gaped at her mother in horror.

"Ma he could have asked me for help if he was going through a financial crisis. "Vrinda said weakly.Mrs. Chauhan let out a hoarse laugh.

"Parents are supposed to help their children, not ask them for help." She smiled sadly. "I have already decided to sell off this house, along with my boutique and your father's dealership, to pay off the loan." Tears filled up her eyes.

"Are you JOKING?" Avinash abruptly rose from the sofa.

"Calm down Avi," Mrs. Chauhan pleaded "I don't want either of you or your sister to bear the burden of your father's mistake, since you are his legal heirs now."

"Ma, you cannot do that. This house has Dad's memories. Our memories. You cannot sell it off." Vrinda shook her head in desperation.

"You two are the best memories of your father. As long as you are happy and safe, none of these matter." Mrs. Chauhan said waving her hand around the house. "I know for a fact, your father would have wanted the same."

"Mom, where will you go? Where will you live then? What about Dadi? What will happen to her?" Avinash said jerking his head towards his grandmother.

"Ohh, suddenly they are worried about me." The elderly woman scoffed. "These things happen, when the women of the house consider themselves equal to men. The house stops being a home."

Now you know why I used the term 'obnoxious' in the beginning, for Avinash's grandmother. She always made these sexist comments, which boiled my bloods. Avinash chose to ignore them, but Vrinda always threw a smart comeback.

"You stayed at home, yet your son died prematurely," Vrinda sneered.

"My husband lived a full life, WITH ME." The obnoxious old lady sneered back. "Didn't run away with someone else."

"I feel pity for him Dadi, that throughout his life he had to suffer being married to you. Probably Grandfather was paying for the sin he had committed in his last life. Otherwise no man could have survived for so long being married to you." Vrinda's voice was filled with disgust.

"Vrinda." Mrs. Chauhan said in a reprimanding tone. "Do you think your father would have been pleased watching you speak to his mother like this?"

Vrinda crossed her arms and scowled, putting a momentary stop to her face off with her grandmother.

"As to your question Avinash. I will speak to a few brokers and purchase an apartment somewhere in Jaipur." Mrs. Chauhan had merely finished, when Vrinda interrupted.

"Absolutely not. Avinash doesn't stay here anymore. Aunt Sugandha is moving back to Delhi, Uncle Harish too will be moving out of Jaipur next year." Vrinda said sternly. "There is nothing left for you here. You will be shifting to Kolkata with me. God knows, I could do with a little help. Being a single mother and a working woman, is way more challenging than I had expected."

"Vrinda, I grew up in this city. I cannot leave this place just like that." Mrs. Chauhan argued.

Before the conversation could proceed any further, the doorbell broke it off.

"I will get that." Avinash said rising abruptly and disappearing outside the living room, to open the door.

He returned with two of the most unexpected yet familiar faces.

I gaped at the two guests standing at the entrance of the living room.

How the hell did Ba find Avinash's address, and what was Leo doing with him?

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