CHAPTER 1
TREASURED MEMORIES
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"Take that down... That one also... Shh, don't make any noise... Be careful..."

Gayatri could hear muffled voices in her sleep. Slowly she adjusted her eyes into the brightness of the sunny morning. Stretching her arms, she found Arjun guiding some workers in hushed voice.

She tried to figure out what he was doing in her room so early in the morning and when she did figure out, she was horrified.

"Bhai-sa!"

He spun around in horror hearing her yell. Seeing her sitting on the bed, gasping with widened eyes, he hurried towards her.

"Gayu, what happened?" He held her shoulders to calm her down, "Do you need anything? Should I call the doctor?"

She jerked his hands off her shoulders and rushed to where he was standing a while ago.

"Stop!" She yelled at the workers Arjun was guiding a few moments ago. "Keep everything back as it was! Not even a single thread should be misplaced!"

The workers exchanged glances, unsure of what they should do.

"Stop staring at each other's faces and do what I said!" She yelled again.

This time one of them dared to look up but to the figure now standing beside her. All of them hurried out of them as soon as they got the signal from the man beside her. It was her brother and their dearest Raja-sa, Arjun.

"I told them to throw all these away," he spoke but his gentle tone had changed to harsh.

"And who do you think you are to give out such orders?" Her tone matched his.

She never wished to yell at her loving brother like that but that day, he hadn't left her with any other option. He was shocked at her tone as well, it was evident from his expression.

"These photos, gifts... All these will always remind you of that treacherous man! I don't want his memories to haunt you..." his tone was back to gentle.

"You really think by throwing all these non-living things out of my room you will succeed in erasing his memories from my life?" She mocked a laugh, "Then what do you plan on doing to the two living proofs of my relationship with him?"

He was silent because he knew she was referring to their kids. He turned his face away from her but instead he faced the sleeping figure of the little Vanshika snuggled into her cot.

"What will you do about your wife who is also his sister?" She continued while her eyes became teary.

He closed his eyes to let the emotions settle in. He knew that someday this would definitely be questioned. He composed himself and looked at her again.

"I will never let even the shadow of that man on my family! No matter how deeply he is related to them."

She sighed and wiped her tears, "Bhai-sa, trust me... I had tried to burn down everything which reminds me of him but failed... Because I might have left him but I can never let go his memories... And honestly, I don't even want to do that! Because every moment spent with him is a treasure for me. I want to cherish those...forever!"

She paused to calm herself, "Neither do I have any problem with Bhabhi-sa. I know what she went through and I completely understand and respect her point of view. Like she chose to forgive him, I chose to leave him. It was solely my decision and it is also my decision to live with his memories if not him."

She went by the door to hold it and concluded, "I hope I made myself clear and I hope you to abide by my wish.

He exhaled heavily and nodded. "Sorry..." he muttered under his breath while leaving.

She closed the door shut and exhaled the breath she had been holding. Her eyes landed on a medium sized photo frame on the pile of things Arjun had created. 

She picked it up. It was a candid photo from their childhood where they were all laughing. It had hers, Tejaswini's, Praneet's parents as well as Jai's father with them. They were so happy back then.

"The summer where everything began..." she thought with a sad smile.

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《 GLOSSARY 》

1. Bhai-sa - "Bhai" means brother and "sa" is a suffix used in Rajasthani culture to express respect
2. Raja-sa - "Raja" means King and "sa" is a suffix used in Rajasthani culture to express respect
3. Bhabhi-sa - "Bhabhi" means sister-in-law and "sa" is a suffix used in Rajasthani culture to express respect

《 REPUBLISHED ON 29th Sept'19 》