Holding a tightly clenched fist against her chest, Nandini lay coiled up on the mattress, hopelessly re-experiencing four instants of time that were flowing continuously one after another in a close loop...

The first was the heart-stopping instant when she had known instinctively that he was about to move towards her.

It was followed by the glorious moment in which she had imagined capitulating to the forceful pull of the longing that had afflicted her from the time they had met at the stepwell, and even more so since she had seen him sleeping peacefully in the morning.

She had imagined walking to him...curling her arms around him tightly and burying her face in his chest, and feeling the warmth of his arms around her, holding her close...silently promising each other that they would never part again. Then she would touch his face, and reach up to kiss him softly...

It was a dream that had been shattered by the third instant, when she'd made a torturous return to the brutal reality of the situation.

And the final instant....

Nandini pressed her knuckles hard against her quivering mouth.

Cruel and agonising as it was, she knew she had done the right thing. She could not act upon the cravings of her heart, regardless of painfully strong they were.

It was difficult to believe that, long ago, she had struggled pathetically to gather the mental strength to express her love through physical gestures. Tonight, she had needed to exert a thousand times of that effort to stop herself from doing the same thing...

********************************

Prithvi awakened with a start, and propping himself on his elbows, surveyed the room with a drowsy confusion. Someone had been talking to him. But there was no one around.

A dream, he thought irately. 

He lay back down and looked at the watch lying near the pillow. It was going to be six in the morning.

Prithvi closed his eyes again. There was serenity for a second, and then memories of the previous day – and night – came back to him in a rush.

He sat up abruptly, swinging his feet to the floor. But he remained seated on the bed for a while, wearily recalling the ferocious inner battle he'd fought to suppress the blackest thoughts and emotions, and to reclaim a smidgen of equanimity.

It had taken all of his mental strength to slowly blot out atrocious memories that still held tremendous destructive power. But he had managed to overpower them, and the cold fury and scalding pain had subsided at last. And then he'd only had to tackle a stark, desolate barrenness, and a virulent disgust and loathing for himself...for the weakness that seemed determined to drag him back to the depths of an icy despair.

He would not have slept a wink if not for utter physical exhaustion. Even then, he'd slept only for about two hours. But it had been a deep, restful sleep, and physically, he was restored. But the emptiness within him had intensified during his nap instead of showing him the courtesy of disappearing quietly...

It was an insufferable, suffocating sensation, and felt enmeshed with his insides. He wished he could fall asleep again so he could become oblivious to it for a while. There didn't seem to any other way of getting rid of it...

An image glimmered before his eyes.

He erased it immediately, feeling extremely disturbed.

He had made a massive mistake in coming to Shamli. He should not have returned to the town. He had obviously not been prepared for it. Perhaps, he never would be, he mulled jadedly.

He had a miniscule amount of calmness in his life as it was. He could not lose it because of the weak, juvenile part of him that was still stranded in the past, trapped in the clutches of the most devastating episode of his life so far.

A brief evaluation told him that he didn't really have to stay back in Shamli beyond two or three days.

His mother had understood the extent to which he could go if she stirred up any more trouble. She would not create any issues for a while at least. And Rajeshwari...it had been unrealistic of him to expect that she would speak to him about such a sensitive issue. And it was too delicate a matter for him to broach. He would wait for her to be ready to talk to him, and for that, he wasn't going to hang around indefinitely in Shamli. He would meet Bhoothnath and Sankatmochan, spend a day or two with them, and then he would leave.

He needed to get back to the humdrum routine of his life and dive back into managing the stupid, gargantuan business that his caring mother had ordered him to handle. There was no better remedy to make other issues seem trivial. And anyway, he'd overcome these sorts of minor emotional setbacks before, and he could easily do it again.

He just had to get through the next couple of days somehow without increasing his disgust for himself, and then he would leave. He could try to come up with rational explanations and justifications for his behaviour later, though it was unlikely that he could come up with anything that could soothe his bruised arrogance.

Temporary insanity...that was the only cause he could think of at the moment. And he had a disturbing feeling that he would remain susceptible to it until he was in Shamli...

Monday, he decided grimly. He would leave on Monday.

The feeling that was invading the void within him was relief.

Bloody, f****** relief.

****************************

Sarojini pushed the door slightly and looked exasperatedly at the sleeping figure on the mattress.

She walked into the room and knelt beside her daughter.

"Nandini, wake up, do you have any idea about the time?" she scolded

The beautiful young woman gave an incoherent response, and then huddled up further under the blankets.

"It's going to be eight. Don't you have to go to the temple," Sarojini hissed.

There was no reaction for some moments, then Nandini sat up slowly.

"Why didn't you call me before?" she said croakily.

"This is the third time I've called you since morning," Sarojini snapped in a low voice while leaving the room. "You slept late because you were watching a movie, weren't you?"

Nandini waited until she was sure her mother had left. Then she rummaged underneath the pillow until she found a chocolate. Her fingers closed over it tightly. Nandini rose blearily to her feet and walked to the table. She placed the chocolate inside one of the inner pockets of her office handbag.

She hadn't slept until four in the morning, and now her eyelids seemed to sewed shut. But she coaxed herself to get going. She had to take a bath and hurry to the temple. But there was one thing she needed to do before beginning her day...

*************************

Sarojini placed the folded saree on the bed, and took up a kurta from the pile on her bed.

Hair wrapped in a towel and clad in a short lavender kurti and cream leggings, Nandini entered her mother's room tentatively and started to help her mother fold the clothes.

"Maa, I'm sorry about...yesterday," she said uncomfortably, picking up a t-shirt. "It won't happen again."

Sarojini looked at her daughter sceptically. "You rarely behaved well with Prithvi when he used to stay here years ago. But that could be tolerated somehow because you were very young. But you cannot behave childishly anymore. You are a woman of marriageable age who – "

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Nandini said quickly, dreading a repeat of the 'you have to go to another house someday' speech.

"I know you find it difficult to let go of your prejudices and judgments. But you must not allow them to overpower you," Sarojini advised more gently.

"Okay, okay," Nandini mumbled.

"Prakash must have told you I didn't give the items you had cooked to Prithvi," Sarojini shared primly. "He got angry with me, and distributed most of it among our neighbours, and he and Rajeshwari ate the rest."

"Yes, he told me about that last night."

"Hmm...I got a few calls later. Everyone liked the items very much," Sarojini said coolly.

Nandini smiled amusedly at her mother, then said, "I'll help you with breakfast before going to the temple."

"I've told you before...you can help me with cooking on Saturdays after you stop observing such a tough fast."

"But Maa, I've told you it's not that difficult as - ,"

"Don't argue with me over this," Sarojini told her daughter firmly. "And anyway, both Prithvi and Rajeshwari told me yesterday that they want a very simple breakfast. I don't need help for that."

"Fine," Nandini murmured. Then she asked, "What time will grandpa and Mochi bhaiya reach?" They had initially planned to return by train or bus. But one of the wealthier inhabitants of the village, for whom her grandfather had conducted a major ceremony in the local shrine, had offered the use of his jeep and driver for the trip to Shamli.

Sarojini said, "They left from the village at around six. Your grandfather said they might reach before one in the afternoon. Oh...also...once your grandfather returns, you should be even more careful about the way you behave with Prithvi," she cautioned her daughter. "You know how fond he is of the boy."

"I know, I know," Nandini said with a smile.

After they had finished folding all the clothes and placed the stacks in the respective cupboards, Sarojini said, "I'm going downstairs now. Dry your hair well before leaving. You might catch a cold otherwise..."

Nandini nodded in response. Sitting down on her mother's bed, she removed the towel and began drying her hair absentmindedly, mulling that she had to leave before Prithvi came to the house for breakfast.

She could not face him or go near him again, no matter how painful and difficult it was for her to stay away.

The step he'd taken last night had been an impulse driven by powerful memories. It had to be, she insisted to herself fiercely. But he still wouldn't have taken that step if she hadn't made it so clear to him that she had not moved on in the least, Nandini castigated herself bitterly.

To exhibit a love that couldn't be offered...could there a more inexcusably selfish and heartless act than that...

*******************************

Rajeshwari looked up from the newspaper to see Nandini walking into the house.

Nandini smiled at her, then looking around the room, she concernedly asked, "Why are you sitting all alone?"

"Your mother went upstairs just a minute ago," Rajeshwari said. "And Prakash has gone to play cricket with his friends. I wasn't getting bored. I like reading these nonsensical news items," she chuckled while displaying the entertainment section of the newspaper.

"So do I," Nandini confessed with a laugh, sitting down near Rajeshwari. "But my favourite part is the comics section."

"I love that too," Rajeshwari said eagerly.

"So, what have you been up to since morning, pretty princess?" Nandini asked light-heartedly, removing her stole and hairclip and placing both on the centre table.

Rajeshwari giggled. "That sounds adorable. Well, after I woke up, I went to meet Prithvi, and then I came back to have breakfast."

"Oh...okay. How is he?" Nandini asked offhandedly.

"Cute and funny as always," Rajeshwari said affectionately. "But he's also preoccupied because of work."

"I didn't see his car outside," Nandini commented with a careless air.

"He has parked it somewhere else so that your grandfather and Sankatmochan don't suspect anything until they actually see him."

Nandini didn't show the powerful relief that had washed over her, and good-humouredly said, "That was smart." He was obviously not going to leave Shamli abruptly like that. She had been very foolish to consider the possibility.

"Prithvi is great at giving surprises," Rajeshwari said proudly. Then she seemed to recall something, and inquisitively asked Nandini, "I was talking to your mother while having breakfast and she said you're fasting today. You were fasting on that day too when you came to Nikumbh."

"Yes, I'm...yes. I fast on all Ekadashis and Saturdays," Nandini said awkwardly.

"Mrs Bharadwaj said you also walk barefoot to a temple that is about an hour away every Friday morning," Rajeshwari said, wide-eyed. "And it's all for a vow you had taken in college because you were worried about your results. But why did you take such a tough vow? Were you afraid you were going to fail?"

No...I took the vow because I had failed, Nandini thought cynically. "Yes, I'd not studied well, and I'd found some papers to be really hard," she muttered.

"But you topped the college that year," Rajeshwari said admiringly. Then a dim uncertainty showed on her features. She was not religious. No one in the family was. She wasn't even sure if she believed in god. There were shrines in all the palaces but they were handled by the staff mostly.

"Don't be impressed. To this day, I believe there was a mix up with the answer sheets," Nandini announced confidently.

Rajeshwari giggled, shaking her head. Then she timidly asked, "Do you think vows work?"

"I don't know," Nandini said, subdued. "But they give me some peace of mind." Then she looked compassionately at Rajeshwari, and placed a comforting hand on her cheek.

"You don't have to do anything," she said gently. "I will pray for you... I will pray that whatever is the best for you should happen."

"Thank you," Rajeshwari said, too moved to say anything else. Most people said perfunctory things like that all the time to please others...but she had no doubt that Nandini meant every word...

Nandini smiled at her. "Okay, I have to water the plants now. I'll be back soon, okay?".

**********************************

Nandini filled up the watering can, and debated briefly if she ought to water the plants in Ayodhya or Vrindavan first.

She did not want to face Prithvi at any cost, but she did need to water the plants in Ayodhya. And the longer she postponed the task, the harder it would seem and the more her stress would increase...

It was better to get it over with quickly, so she could feel slightly more relaxed.

Nandini cautiously opened the gate between the houses and looked at the door. It was shut firmly. She hurried into the yard with the watering can. Glancing behind at the house frequently, she quickly completed the work in the front yard. Then, taking the can with her so as to avoid leaving behind any evidence, she hastened to Ayodhya's backyard. She usually lingered for a while and conversed with the plants, but today, she would concentrate on only ensuring that every plant in the abundant, flourishing garden received its share of water.

A long pipe lay coiled up against the wall of the house. Nandini placed the watering can beside it, and picked up the pipe. Attaching it to a tap, she commenced one of her favourite activities of the day while attributing the coldness of her limbs to the low temperature....

**********************************

Lounged in an armchair, Prithvi stared disinterestedly at the screen of the laptop, which he had carried in his luggage only to be prepared for any possible work-related emergencies.

He had opened it in the morning and gone through insufferably dull emails and documents but had not responded to anyone.

Now he was not in the mood to continue doing that too.

Prithvi picked up his phone and went to the call list. His looked indecisively at a contact named 'Sumer Baba'.

If Sumer Singh had heard he was in Shamli, he would have called immediately. If Sumer Singh didn't know it yet, it was because his mother had not shared the news, which was puzzling, since his mother usually cherished any opportunity to let Sumer Singh and Kadambari know that she had a better idea of what was happening in her son's life.

It was highly suspicious that his mother was keeping her silence, Prithvi brooded.

But he still felt reluctant to call up Sumer Singh...who was the only one who would know precisely how difficult it was for him to be in Shamli...

He didn't want to hear the shock in Sumer Singh's voice. And when he would lie blatantly that he was perfectly fine, he didn't want to sense the compassionate understanding and concern in the older man's response...

Slamming down the screen, Prithvi rose from the chair and started to pace impatiently across his bedroom.

He was angry and restless for no reason. No, he did have a reason actually . He couldn't tolerate the idea that Nandini might have misunderstood him and accorded some significance to his behaviour last night. He would feel regain some peace once he put those doubts of hers to rest.

But he hadn't seen her since morning. When he had gone to Vrindavan for breakfast, he had not mentioned her and neither had the others. Then, when Rajeshwari had visited him, he'd casually elicited the information that Nandini was in the temple. Possibly praying for a celestial chariot to take her to another country so that she wouldn't have to face him, he contemplated irritably.

Prithvi stopped pacing. A long walk would clear his head, though he would probably have to walk to either of the poles for it to really help, he thought grumpily.

When he stepped out of the house after about two minutes, the beautiful fragrance of damp earth greeted him. With a creased forehead, he walked to the flower beds that had been watered very recently...

*********************************

Nandini did not pause when her skin prickled. She only bit the soft inside of her lower lip painfully as a coat of red started to appear on her cheeks.

Then the water stopped pouring out of the pipe.

She shut her eyes for a split-second, with her forehead crinkling, as if in pain. But her face was composed as she turned to look at the man strolling towards her.

Prithvi wasn't looking at her. He was gazing around the beautiful green yard with interest. The stubble was gone, and so was the coat. In a green shirt and faded blue jeans, he didn't look much different from the person with whom she had walked down the road to their college...

Nandini glanced away, seeking a moment to veil the severely strong, tempestuous emotions that she knew would be visible on her face. And when she looked at him again, her features were as calm as his.

Her heart seemed to take a break from its duties as his eyes finally fell on her, and she could feel her skin grow warmer.

He did not smile, but nothing about him suggested that any...unusual event had taken place between them last night. He was wholly calm and relaxed...

Nandini felt sick without warning.

She knew what he was about to talk about, and she didn't want to listen to him casually discuss those moments that were still persecuting her...just as he had easily spoken about the memories that were sacrosanct for her...

She dropped the pipe to the grass, and folded her arms.

"Sorry for turning off the water," Prithvi apologised, pausing a little away from her. "I wanted to talk to you about Rajeshwari, and didn't want to be water-cannoned because of any misunderstanding in light of what happened last night...you know, in case you thought I had some impure intentions."

"I didn't think anything of that sort," she muttered.

"Thank you, that's a huge relief," he admitted. "So, can we go past that weird moment and have a normal conversation?"

"Weird moment," she repeated emotionlessly, as her heart flailed about in her chest in a frenzy of pain.

Prithvi quizzically said, "That's all it was, right?"

Nandini held his gaze steadily. "Yes, that's all it was," she said quietly.

"I'm glad you agree," he said sincerely. "I mean...as you might remember, we have a slightly complicated history. Odd moments are bound to come up now and then," he dismissed. "Not talking about it just makes it seem more meaningful than it was."

She had endured a boundless anguish last night, Nandini thought numbly. But it had been more bearable than what she was feeling right now...

"You're right. Thanks for the talk. But if you don't mind, can we discuss Rajeshwari later?" she asked civilly.

For the gap of a moment, Prithvi remained silent and regarded the almost unnatural perfection of the features, the tell-tale angry shade on the cheeks, and the wealth of damp-looking hair lying heavily on her delicate shoulders. But it was large black eyes that were the most fascinating...as always. He had nearly forgotten they could resemble the burning embers of a fire at times...

His quiet appraisal of her face caused a strange, acute flutter in the pit of her stomach. And the reaction angered her. "Did you hear me?" she asked in a sharper tone.  

"It won't take more than a few minutes," he said calmly.

"I need to go home," she said tonelessly, beginning to walk away. "I have some work to do."

"What did you want me to say?"

Nandini halted instantaneously, startled by the radical change in his tone. Feeling confused and slightly afraid, she turned to him uncertainly.

The person who had strode into the garden had vanished. In his place was another man who appeared frighteningly cold and unapproachable...

"I'm curious...Did you want me to make a big deal of what happened last night?" Prithvi enquired with a polite interest. "Would you like to sit down and have a detailed chat about it? If that's what you want, let's go ahead and talk about it."

Nandini tried to speak, but her voice died as she encountered the coldness of the eyes that were studying her. Unable to meet his gaze, she looked away. 

The questions remained suspended in the atmosphere for a long time.

"Okay...so, you don't want to talk about what happened, and you don't want to let go of it," Prithvi said thoughtfully. "So....do you want me to behave the same way? If not, could you tell me how to deal with it? Should I take a pledge to avoid you like the plague until I'm in Shamli? Which is what I'm sure you've done," he commented mockingly.

She winced and hugged herself tighter, debilitated by an intolerable heartache.

Intense frustration flashed across Prithvi's face, and his jaw clenched.

He remembered the unrelenting darkness that had dwelled in him for years and had resurfaced in its full force last night. He thought of the irreversible damage that had been caused...and the irreplaceable losses that had been endured. He felt the presence of the dense, vicious shadows that were too close at hand. He reflected upon the pain he could inflict with a few words...

And then he realised, only for this moment perhaps, all he wanted was to erase the unhappiness from her face.

With a roughened edge to his voice, he muttered, "Look, none of this is easy for you or me. But I'm going to be staying here for a very short time, and I want to keep the awkwardness to a minimum till I leave. I can't do that by myself, so I'd appreciate some help," he added gruffly.

Nandini's head shot up. She had only heard four words out of what he had said.

"What do you mean by...a very short time?" she asked in shock, too distraught to conceal her feelings.

Prithvi gazed down at the entrancingly lovely face that was showcasing utter distress and panic.

"I will have to leave after a few days," he murmured. Monday, he reminded himself icily. He was leaving on Monday...

The answer did not do much to stop her insides from shivering feverishly. But the knot in her chest loosened a bit. She had been terrified that he would tell her he was about to leave in a day or two. There was an ambiguity about 'a few days' ...she could hold on to it for support...

He looked away and started to walk along the perimeter of the yard. She quickly fell into step with him.

They strolled in silence for some time, both unaware that they were walking as slowly as possible.

Then Nandini diffidently asked, "You'll be going back to the hills?"

Prithvi shook his head. "I want to meet my great-uncle and Sumer baba and spend some time with them," he said. "I met Baba only for a short time after landing in India, and I haven't seen the thakur in months."

She looked at his profile with a much softer gaze.

"You call Uday grandpa 'thakur'? Why?" Nandini asked with a tentative smile.

"My father used to call him that."

The surprising admission and the sweetness of it brought a lump to her throat. When the ache reduced, she gently asked "How are they doing?"

"The thakur is a little slower than before but female employees are still not permitted to go near him," Prithvi said dryly. "I think that answers one half of your question."

Nandini placed two fingers against her twitching lips. "And how is Sumer uncle? And Choti maa?"

"Both are fine."

"Where are they right now?" she asked tentatively.

"Choti maa is in Devgarh. Thakur and Sumer Baba are at a place called Taravan." 

A powerful hope ignited within Nandini, making her feel better. She had heard of Taravan. It was not too far from Shamli. Maybe...

"Can I talk to you about Rajeshwari now?"

Lost in her thoughts, it took Nandini a moment to remember that he had come to speak to her for a specific reason.

She nodded quickly.

"This issue...Rajeshwari won't feel comfortable to discuss it with me or anyone else in the family," Prithvi murmured. "She will not talk about it with Disha or any of her staff members too, and she doesn't really have any friends. But Rajeshwari cannot bottle up her feelings for long. She will need to talk about it. And you...you're not part of the family or an employee. At the same time, you know what happened, and you helped her, which must have made you a messiah in her eyes," he said, giving her a faintly wry smile. "I don't know how much she has told you yet, but from whatever I know about her and you, I can guarantee she will spill the truth – or at least most of it - to you within the next three or four days. And after that, she will start considering you to be her closest friend and confidante."

"That will be fine as long as she's here. But she's soon going to miss the comforts that she's used to," he said bluntly. "Then she will want to leave, and she will want you to be with her. But that won't be possible. And even after she's back with the family, if she faces any... problems that seem huge to her, she might expect you to continue to help. And if you can't - for whatever reasons...she will feel hurt. And there is one other aspect..."

Prithvi paused and turned to look at her. "Rajeshwari will not intentionally do anything to trouble you. But she will take everything you say at face value," he said pointedly. "And that could lead to some...inconveniences for you at some point in the future."

Nandini hesitated for some seconds, then she nervously said, "You naturally know her much better than I do. But even if you're right about all this...I can't do what you've asked."

"If that's your decision, then - alright," he said with a shrug, walking again. "I just hope we won't have to discuss this again."

"That sounds a little like a threat," she said lightly, strolling beside him.

"It's not. Just offering a word of caution in return for another," he said drolly.

He was referring to the funny conversation they'd had about poisoned meals, she realised.

She gave him an impudent smile. "That wasn't a word of caution. That really was a threat."

He glanced at her amusedly, then looked around at the garden. "This place looks good now...very different from how it was earlier. The front yard too," he mulled. "All your work, I assume."

Extraordinary pleased, she shyly said, "Yes."

"It's nice of you to take so much care of someone else's house," he said solemnly.

The remark flustered Nandini, putting her on her guard instantly. "I wasn't doing anyone a favour," she retorted, trying to sound cool and unconcerned. "This house has been given on rent but it still belongs to my family."

"And it's admirable how you've never let the tenants know that's how you feel," he appreciated gravely, a glimmer of mischief in his gaze.

Turning pinker, she paused and looked at him with a sweet smile. "You're right. I should give you the chance to feel like this house is yours too," she said pleasantly. "So, I will leave now and you can water the rest of the plants."

"Sure, just introduce me to them before you leave," Prithvi said promptly.

"What?" she asked bemusedly.

"It's a matter of my personal code of ethics. I don't water a plant until I've been introduced to it by a third party," he explained seriously. "So all you have to do is introduce me to each one of these plants before you leave. Or suffer from knowing that you're the reason they did not get food today."

Nandini gaped at him, and then she chuckled.

But the hilarity faded in seconds, and the silence abruptly grew strained and uneasy.

For some minutes, the huge chasm had nearly been forgotten...and it had almost seemed as if a conversation from long ago had simply been resumed after a gap...

Nandini looked down at her hands. "I'll leave now," she mumbled.

"Any update from your grandfather and Mochi?" he asked briefly. "About when they might arrive?"

"Mochi bhaiya had called some time back," she replied. "He confirmed that they should be here by around one."

"Okay, thanks."

Nandini nodded. Without looking at him, she walked to the watering can, picked it up and hurried away.

Prithvi gazed at the corner around which she had vanished.

The instant he had seen her, the ebb and flow of opposing emotions had ceased for a span of time, and everything within him had quietened down. The conflicts had resumed soon, of course, but by then, he had forgotten most of the analytical theories he had come up with to explain what had happened last night. In truth, almost nothing of what he had thought until then had remained on his mind. Most of what he had thought and spoken subsequently had come from another man...someone he did not recognise...

The thoughts troubled him immensely, but after some minutes, a calmness settled over him.

Nothing had slipped out of his control yet. He did not need to think excessively about or take any measures against the lunacy that had seized him post the meeting at the stepwell. Even if it reached its zenith, its ultimate significance in his life would be... nothing. There was a line beyond which the lunacy would quietly stop by itself, without requiring any struggle from his end. That line wasn't far now. And until he reached it, there was no harm in going along with the moments that were helping to reacquaint him with the true meaning of peace. Or in allowing some small drops of an untainted sweetness to fall upon his desert-like existence. Or to permit his eyes to absorb the exquisiteness that didn't seem to be of this earth but stolen from a secret source forbidden to the rest of mankind...

Absorbed in thought, Prithvi began to head to the house, then paused indecisively. Muttering an abuse, he strode to the tap...

*************************

Sankatmochan looked at his phone. They would reach half an hour earlier than expected, which was great because he was starving.

He heard a sigh and glanced at the elderly man beside him

He leaned towards Bhoothnath and consolingly said, "Babaji, Sarojini maa will understand why you had to help that family. And if Nandini and Prakash knew, they would be proud of you."

Bhoothnath smiled at him. "I know. I'm not worried about that. I was thinking about something else."

"Is there a problem? You just have to tell me what it is. I will take care of it," Sankatmochan said vehemently.

"No, no," Bhoothnath said soothingly. "You don't have to do anything, Sankatmochan. It's a minor issue. I can handle it myself."

Sankatmochan wavered, then cautiously asked, "Is it about Nandini? Is someone pestering you again?"

He knew it was the kind old man's greatest worry. And it was only his adoration for his grandchild that stopped him from pressurising her into marriage.

Bhoothnath fidgeted for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. "But it's not a serious problem. Simply an annoying one," he assured Sankatmochan, who was not mollified by the response but decided to let go of the subject temporarily.

That was partially true, Bhoothnath thought. It was annoying, for certain. It was also a tiny bit serious. But Sankatmochan wouldn't be able to help him. Much as he disliked asking anyone for favours, he would have to approach someone among the eminent friends of the family to get rid of the idiots who were badgering him this time.

As the jeep neared the house, he took the gold-rimmed glasses from his cotton bag and wore them hurriedly.

The jeep halted before Vrindavan. Bhoothnath opened the door and got down carefully. He adjusted his clothes and patted down his hair.

He spotted a man approaching him at a sedate pace. He stared blankly at first. Then he removed his glasses, wiped them frantically and wore them again.

"Prithvi," he gasped. Then with an ecstatic joy, he boisterously yelled, "Prithvi!"

Prithvi stopped and gaped at Bhoothnath in amazement. "You can see me? So you really are good with ghosts," he said, impressed.

"What?" Bhoothnath yelped, clutching his chest.

Alarmed by the strong reaction, Prithvi strode swiftly to him. "It was a joke. I'm not dead," he explained hastily.

Bhoothnath almost sagged with relief. Then he cackled loudly. "You frightened me, you mischievous boy."

Prithvi grinned, and then enveloped the elderly man in a bear hug.

Delighted beyond words, Bhoothnath thumped his back with a joyful exuberance. Then, laughing with happiness, he pat Prithvi's face and his broad shoulders with unrestrained affection and warmth

There was a shrill inarticulate yell. Sankatmochan who had finally emerged from a shell-shocked state.

"You're here. You're here!"

Forgetting his damaged leg, Sankatmochan ran to Prithvi. He staggered and almost fell but was caught instantly and then he was hugging his best friend.

Prithvi grabbed his friend's round head and shook it with a rough affection.

"Look at what life has done to me, Mochi," he said sorrowfully. "I'm actually delighted to see you again."

He grinned as Sankatmochan laughed shakily, and then quietly wiped the tears from the plump face.

Sankatmochan caught his friend tightly by the shoulders. "I knew it! I knew you would come to Shamli," he said hoarsely. "Didn't I tell you he would visit us, Babaji?"

Bhoothnath nodded with a warm smile.

"Why is that, Mochi?" Prithvi asked with interest. "Did your horoscope say it's time for you to get beaten up again?"

Both Sankatmochan and Bhoothnath chortled.

Bhoothnath saw his daughter-in-law and grandchildren hurrying towards him.

Nandini was at the forefront. There was a sunny smile on his precious granddaughter's face but her eyes seemed moist, just as his own were.

He missed her the most when he was away from the house. And it was terribly painful to think of the day when she would leave them and go to another house. But he could put up with the sorrow if he could find a man who was worthy of her...

Bhoothnath's eyes moved of their volition to the tall young man beside him who was ribbing Sankatmochan good-naturedly. 

He was transfixed by a thought for a moment, but then a sadness fell over his face. He sighed again.

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