My sky searches for your earth
For you are necessary to all my shortcomings.
Come, meet me in the sky if I can't be let
Onto your earth
For to live without you, my love,
Is not within my means.

"Guess the song, I translated it"

Arundhati's POV - A few days later

"And how is it going?" bhaiyya spoke with difficulty, but his eyes shone with mirth.

I rolled my eyes; as if bhabhi had not let him into every secret and scandal till now.

"How's the kid taking it?" He clarified.

"He's...on his way" I said. "He went into shock...Bhabhi must've told you..."

"You tell me anyway" he urged me to continue.

"He was...I don't know how to say it" I stopped for a bit, at a loss for words, "He...withdrew, you know? He would physically cringe when I reached for him. Nobody could get through to him. That evening, he finally broke down and screamed at Shantanu, saying that...that everyone knew...but nobody told him. He...He lost faith in all of us."

"And then?" my brother asked again as I fell silent.

"Aaah, why do you want me to repeat when bhabhi has already told you?" a smile crept onto my face as I eyed my brother.

"Oh it sounds better when you say it." He smiled back cryptically.

I would have laughed hard at our scenario if I could. A man, plastered on all limbs and bedridden, was happily commanding me to continue on my mad story. At least he was in a general room now.

"So...Neil's Ma wanted to see me, because...you know..." I could feel my face grow hot.

"No," He chuckled, "Tell me."

"You..." I narrowed my eyes to look menacing, but probably looked foolish.

"Come on, you're no fun" he teased again.

"Alright"  I sighed, "So yeah, she kinda was pissed that...get this-I was keeping her boys hostage. So...yeah. She called up the morning after all this, saying she and Uncle wanted to visit, and drag the boys back home for some proper rest, and of course, to discuss about what to do about the engagement."

"You keep stopping every two minutes!" Bhaiyya was starting to lose his patience.

"You really want a blow-by-blow account of it all, don't you?"

"Of course! I don't have much entertainment options like this, now do I? Come on, wench, entertain me!"

I sighed, and began.

***

I hadn't slept the entire night. I don't think anyone had, and nobody felt like talking to one another. Or maybe no one really wanted to talk to me. No one had realised till then that Michael and I had never told George about this birth-mother.

After a solemn dinner, which George refused to eat, everyone went their separate ways. Mum and Papa went to sleep, bhabhi came here. Shantanu and Neil sat on the terrace for the longest time, talking in hushed tones. George locked himself within the guest room, and I sat outside, crying softly, telling him that I had never once seen the need to tell him the truth.

I fell asleep there itself, and woke up in Neil's arms as he picked me up and took me to bed. He held me close as I cried some more, and Lord knows I was close to hysteria by that point.

Morning came, and so did Neil's Ma. I didn't know what to do,really. I had bigger things on my mind, and she seemed to sense my preoccupation. To my surprise, she took me aside to question me about what was going on.

Neil came after us, thinking the situation needed defusing, but she smartly sent him away, ensuring it was just the two of us.

"What is going on?" she asked point-blank, "What is this mess that neither of my boys refuse to tell me about? And what is with these tear-marks? You can't possibly still be crying over your brother!"

I stared at her for a while, not quite understanding what to do, till it struck me that I had nothing to do. I stared at her stoic face till the tears crept back again, and there I was, at the dining table, crying one more time. She said nothing, waiting for me to finish. In broken sentences, I told her about George and how...how he was taking it. She seemed to mull it over for a while before, to my surprise, she reached out and rested a hand on my own.

"Giving birth is the least of what makes a mother" she said softly, so quietly that I almost missed it, "And donating sperm is the least of what makes a father."

I simply stared at her, dumbly, waiting her for her words to seep in.

I saw her smile a bit, and then she stood up and left. I stayed there, repeating her words again and again...that giving birth was the least of what made a mother. I don't know how long I was there, till Neil's voice broke my reverie.

There he was, standing behind me, his eyes glistening with excitement.

"What?" I asked, figuring that his mother must have talked to him.

"What did you even say to her?" his voice was barely above a whisper as he took the seat his mother had vacated and clasped my hands.

"Why... why would you ask?"

"Because she caught hold of me outside and told me to never, ever let go of you."  He must've seen my shocked expression, for he grinned, "She doesn't just approve, Dhati, she loves you."

***

"So...yeah" I finished.

Bhaiyya was grinning.

"I knew it" he smirked conspiratorially, "Who can hate my sister?"

"I would hit your hand if it wasn't already in a cast." I giggled.

"So now?" his grin sobered to a smile.

"So now, Shantanu and Neil have taken George out for some 'male bonding', they said. And we are thinking of a small court marriage soon."

"Naww" Bhaiyya scrunched up his nose, "One life, Dhati...you have to live it!"

"It really doesn't matter to me, Bhaiyya, as long as we're together."

"Oh bullshit" he narrowed his eyes, "Don't feed me your mills and boons theories on love. Years later, you will regret not making a spectacle out of it."

"Spectacle, really?" a smile inched onto my face.

"Debacle, really" he tried to laugh, "But whatever it is, if you want a court marriage now, do it, but you better get your ass back here when I'm all fine and have that big, fat wedding that you know you want and deserve."

I laughed.

"Maybe" I said, "Someday."

***

The boys had returned by the time I came back home. Bhabhi and Mom had taken the hospital shift after me, and I had returned, thinking the house would be unoccupied, but the scene at home was something else.

Not only were the boys back, but Shantanu and George were crouched outside my father's study, trying their hardest to listen.

"What's going on?" I asked, joining in, which caused them both to jump.

"Mom, quietly!" George whisper-ordered, and I forgot where I was for a moment - it had been days since he called me mom.

I practically jumped on him in joy, "My baby" I hugged him tight, "I missed youuuuu!"

"Mom!...Breathe...can't breathe!"

Before Shantanu could pry my off the poor kid, the door opened, and out came my dad, followed by Neil. I think they were shell-shocked for a bit, and then the moment passed.

"I hope you wait till kids are eight years old before you strangle them like that." dad muttered as he walked past us to the kitchen, but I swear I saw him smiling.

"What was that?" Shantanu asked before I could.

Neil looked directly at me, "How does next Friday sound to you?"

"For?" I asked, idiot that I am.

Silently, he took out a ring box from his pocket and flung it to me. I already knew what it held, and hence didn't open it. Instead, I felt a wide grin take hold as he leaned on the doorframe and watched me.

"How about next Friday, Mrs. Sachdev?" he grinned.

***

Whew, so glad I could put another one up!

Till the next one, I rest,

Ellanie:)