Shaan—Nishaan—rushed out of the farm office and got on his cycle to pedal away fast towards his cottage, even as he listened to his mother.
“Aadarsh has had a heart attack. It was mild, says the doctor. But he needs to undergo treatment. I’ve admitted him in Rajat Singhania’s private nursing home.” Dr. Singhania was a family friend.
Nishaan stopped for a few seconds to draw deep breaths, calming down when he heard that the situation wasn’t life threatening. His mother had given him the shock of his life. It looked like it was time to go home.
“Can I speak to Rajat Uncle, Mom?”
“Here, talk to Rajat.”
“Hello, Rajat Uncle, Nishaan here. How’s Pop?”
“Hello beta. Where have you disappeared?” The doctor didn’t wait for Nishaan’s reply before continuing, “Aadarsh is completely out of danger, though he needs to take things easy. It’s a good thing that he’s a fitness freak. But yes, he did suffer a heart attack. I’m getting a few more tests done. When do you think you can get here?”
“By late night, uncle. You think Mom will be okay till then?” Shaan quickly packed his backpack as he spoke on the phone.
“Yeah, yeah. No worries there. She’s just shaken and one can’t really blame her for that.”
“True, uncle. I’ll be seeing you then. May I speak to Mom, please?” Once the phone exchanged hands, Nishaan said, “Listen Mom. I’ll reach there tonight. Pop is fine. You have to promise me that you won’t worry. Please Mom! And no crying, there’s a good girl. Pop needs your strength now, Mom, and all your love.”
Nalini cleared her throat before replying to her son. “You’re right, Nishaan. You come fast. I’ll be fine once I have you here with me.”
“I love you, Mom. Give Pop a kiss from me. I’ll see you tonight. I’m disconnecting because I need to book tickets. Will you be alright? I’ll call you again soon.”
“I will.” Nalini’s voice was firmer now, as she took heart from the fact that her son was going to get back home that same night. “I’ll see you then.”
Nishaan reached the entrance to Dev’s home, still on his cycle, just as the latter stepped out of his SUV.
“Hey Shaan. Just the man I wanted to see. Chaa…”
“Sorry to interrupt, Dev. Something urgent has come up, a family emergency. I need to go.”
Dev was startled by the serious expression on the other man’s face, all the more so as his manager was always cheerful. “What happened?” Dev asked, a hand on the other man’s shoulder.
“My Pop’s taken ill, a heart attack.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch like this, Dev. But I’d like to leave immediately.”
“Don’t be silly, Shaan, of course you have to go. Or should I say Nishaan?”
Nishaan gave his boss-cum-friend a startled look that soon transformed into a grin. “You know. Since when?”
“The past few months. No worries, your secret’s safe with me. But tell me something, I was under the impression that your father’s quite young, just fifty-two. Are you saying that he has suffered from a heart attack?” Dev gently pushed Nishaan into the waiting SUV, instructing the driver to take them to the helipad.
“Yeah. And he works hard at keeping fit too. The doctor says that it was pretty mild and he should be okay. But, Dev, I think it’s time that I stopped running away and take my responsibilities more seriously. I think Pop will need my help to run his construction company now.”
Dev nodded. “I suppose. You carry on then. Let me give you a lift till Mumbai airport. You go on and check for flights to Delhi.”
“Thanks a ton, Dev. That’d be a great help indeed. I’ll be back for a couple of days as soon as I can. I need to say ‘bye’ to everyone. I hope they won’t think too badly of me for duping them all this long.”
“But you didn’t dupe anyone. And all the workers think too highly of you, Nishaan.” Dev hesitated but for a second before using Shaan’s given name, as the two men strapped themselves into their seats in the helicopter.
“Please say ‘bye’ to Daadima and Anya. I’m going to miss you all. And bye Dev. Thank you for trusting me with an amazing job when I so needed one, without asking too many questions,” said Nishaan when he got off at the helipad at Mumbai airport.
“Not as much as we’ll miss you, Nishaan. And I’m glad I went with my instincts. It’s going to be hard to replace you as my farm manager.” Dev grinned. “You take care and do be in touch.” He bit his tongue, stopping himself from mentioning Chaahat’s name. No, it’d be best if she dealt directly with Nishaan. She had been clear that she didn’t want her bro to pass on her messages to a man who was probably her boyfriend.
Nishaan paused on his way, straightening his shoulders before turning back to Dev. “Er…your sister Chaahat. I didn’t get a chance to speak to her. Can you do me a favour, please?” When Dev nodded, he continued, “I’m sending you my Delhi number to your WhatsApp as we talk. Please share the number with Chaahat only if she asks for me.” He still wasn’t sure if it had been a one-night-stand for Chaahat or if she wanted to take their relationship further. Oh yeah, they had made plans to meet for lunch. But all that had changed now. He would rather wait to see if she wanted to get in touch with him. Dev would be the one with the answer if his manager had disappeared without a trace. It would be logical for Chaahat to ask her brother about the missing Shaan.
Dev looked into Nishaan’s eyes, seeing only honesty there, and nodded, saying, “Got it!”
Nishaan waved to him one more time before walking away to the air terminal, having already booked himself on a flight from Mumbai to Delhi that was to leave in an hour.
When Chaahat didn’t contact him even after two weeks, Nishaan decided that they probably weren’t meant to be.
10
On an impulse, Dev’s took the permissions necessary to leave his helicopter at an empty hangar at Mumbai airport for a few hours, to visit his parents at their row house in Vashi. It was five in the evening and he knew that his mother would reach home by the time he got there. He also had a key to the house that he rarely used.
Getting into a cab, Dev speed-dialled Anya’s cell. “Hey sweetheart!”
“Dev! Where are you? I thought you would have got back from the resort by now. Is Chaahat okay?”
Dev grimaced. “I hope so. It’s a major change in lifestyle. But I think she’ll survive since she’s too keen to pursue her dreams and this is a step in the right direction. Okay, listen, that isn’t why I called. I’m in Mumbai. I…”
“What? You drove down…”
Dev laughed. “Listen, my impatient queen. I got back to the farm just when Shaan…” He told her the whole story, before continuing, “I thought I’ll visit my parents and convince them to get off Chaahat’s case.” He grimaced again, not really looking forward to the battle of wills.
“Oh, okay. I’m sure you’ll handle that well, Dev. I only hope you’re getting back home tonight.”
“You bet. I want to get back to you as soon as I can. And then there is the extra work with Shaan needing to leave so suddenly. Oh, by the way, can you put a word around our social media network for a new manager?”
“Will do that. But, Dev, I remember Jai showing interest in helping on the farm. Why don’t I ask him?”
“Are you sure? Right now, I’m going to get Chaahat out of my parents’ clutches. Do you think it’s a good idea to bring Jai out at this particular time?” Dev could well imagine his father’s ire. Neither Durgesh nor Karishma Wadhwa had a clue as to what their younger son wanted to do. They were under the impression that Jai was working for an MNC somewhere in North India. Dev had stopped counting the number of tales Jai had spun to their parents, while he hid in Shimla, writing a spy thriller. He insisted that he had always dreamt of being a writer, probably also the reason why he was good at spinning such tall tales. Dev grinned to himself. “Okay, I’ll talk to Mom and Dad about Chaahat today. You go ahead and get in touch with Jai. We’ll spread
word on social media only if he refuses.”
“I love you, Dev. You’re the best.” Anya adored her husband of less than a year. He was so caring and protective of his siblings and treated his grandmother so lovingly. Anya was mighty thrilled to be the love of Dev’s life.
“I love you too, sweetheart. Hold that thought and I’ll get back ASAP. See you later.”
Dev got out of the cab after paying the driver, pushing open the gate to his childhood home. His mother had already got back from work, just as he had guessed. He rang the bell and entered when she opened the door.
“Hello, Mom.” Dev gave her a perfunctory hug. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. But where’s Chaahat? I thought you’ll bring her home.” There was irritation in Karishma’s voice.
Dev sighed. “I want to have some tea. Would you like some?” He walked into the kitchen, not keen to chat with his mother and listen to her latest list of complaints. He planned to address both his parents at one go. He kept a pan of water on the gas, adding ginger and cloves to it, along with sugar.
“Dev! Did you even hear me?” Karishma’s irritation had blown into a temper by now.
“I did, Mom. Can’t we wait for Dad to get back home? I don’t want to discuss the same thing twice.” He turned to add tea leaves to the simmering water. “So, when is he expected home?”
“In an hour. But what’s there to discuss? Chaahat wanted a break after her MBA results and she went to your farm. Ten days are over. I’ve never taken more than a week’s break in the forty years of my career. I can’t understand the youngsters of today. They just want to have fun and don’t want to do work of any kind. We have set up three interviews for her this week. Chaahat has to get back to Mumbai. She…”
Dev raised a hand to stop her mid-lecture. “Will you please calm down, Mom? I’m young.” He pinned her with his steel grey gaze. “And for your information, I work all days of the week.” He turned back to pour the tea into two mugs, before carrying them back to the living room on a tray.
Karishma gave a nervous laugh. While she and her husband had tried their best to find fault with Dev’s career, they couldn’t argue with the kind of success he had become. He had taken a risk and come up an absolute winner. “You, Dev, are in a different league altogether. You are one of those few people with the Midas touch. You…”
“And how do you think I got there in the first place?” He sat back on a sofa to cross his legs, sipping his tea. “Listen Mom.” He handed her the other mug once she settled down on an adjacent sofa. “Times have changed. You and Dad have wonderful jobs that you love. You guys also make a lot of money and that’s great. You feel secure since you are getting a big chunk of income month after month without taking any risks. All that is fine. But our generation, we want to explore things. We want to take risks. The whole world has opened up and is teeming with opportunities, with alternate careers, new formulae. I think…”
“What are you saying, Dev?” Karishma kept her tea mug on a side table with a thud as she glared at her eldest born. “Are you saying that Chaahat wants to do something different? Is that what this is all about?”
Dev sighed deeply, keeping his mug away too, only he was gentle with it. “Do you guys ever listen to what your children tell you?”
“As elders, we know best.” Karishma snarled at her son, her grey eyes spitting fire. “How dare you speak to me without respect? Just because you are a big man, it doesn’t mean you insult your parents. How…”
“What? When did I insult you? Are you crazy, Mom? I asked you a simple question. Why can’t you give me a straightforward answer to that?”
Karishma was on her feet now, pointing a shaking forefinger at him, determined to make him bend to her will. “You just mind your own business, Dev. I don’t care that you are a hotshot billionaire. You are still my son. And moreover, you don’t have a say in your siblings’ lives. They are my children, mine and Durgesh’s. I don’t care what you do with your life. But you’d better not interfere with theirs.” She was yelling by now.
Durgesh walked in just then, looking first at his wife and then at Dev. “Hello Dev. Good to see you, son. How have you been?”
Dev got up to hug his father, saying, “I’ve been good, Dad. How about you?”
“Getting older.” Durgesh shrugged his heavy shoulders, before sitting back on a sofa after pulling off his suit jacket and tie.
“Let me get you some tea.” Dev went away to get a mug of tea for his father, unable to help but hear his mother’s loud voice as she complained to her husband.
“Dev has come alone, without Chaahat. I can’t understand the game the two are playing. You have to tell him, Durgesh, to stop interfering in our children’s lives.”
“Mom, I’m sorry to interrupt. But you need to admit that Chaahat and Jai aren’t exactly children. They are twenty-three.”
“Exactly. It’s high time that they settled down with proper careers. I don’t much like the idea of Jai working in some unheard of MNC up there in the north. He’d be much better off in a city like Mumbai or Delhi or maybe even Bengaluru. He’ll have better exposure in the metros. I don’t really understand his fascination with the hills. And Chaahat, she’s been fooling around for too long. She…”
“Mom, Chaahat does not want to take up a job. She wants to…”
“Dev!” Durgesh finally joined the conversation. There was a time when he wouldn’t have thought twice before ripping his eldest born to shreds with his harsh words. But not anymore. Durgesh couldn’t deny that Dev had carved a path for himself and had become too successful. People kept coming up to Durgesh, congratulating him on his son’s success almost every other day. He looked at his son now and said softly, “Dev, listen, you don’t know Chaahat like we do. She’s too lazy to do any work. We even thought of getting her married, but then, nowadays, girls with no job don’t have much value even in the marriage market. If I don’t push her, she…”
“Dad! Chaahat isn’t lazy. If she was, she wouldn’t have done so well in her studies. Do you agree?” He looked at his father and then at his mother, a thick eyebrow up in query.
Durgesh gave a hesitant nod, unable to argue with Dev’s logic. He raised his hand to stop his wife from talking as he waited for his son to continue.
Dev took encouragement from that. It looked like both his parents were listening for a change. “She wants to do something else. She…”
“If you are talking about that modelling nonsense, I don’t want to hear anymore.” Durgesh’s expression was stern now. “Chaahat is totally unfit for all that. From what I know, that’s not a career for family people. And for another, there may be no success or money even after putting in a lot of effort. Forget this nonsense, Dev. Send her home and let us deal with her.”
“Are you aware it’s a human being we are discussing here?” Dev’s temper had gone up too and his voice rose by a few decibels. “I don’t understand what you mean by dealing with her. Chaahat’s an adult, for God’s sake. Okay, you believe she’s making a mistake. So, let her. But how will she know if she never gets a chance to try? I think you are both extremely unfair, Dad, Mom. You guys have a fixed idea of what success is. It’s different for different people…”
Durgesh raised a hand to stop his son in mid-sentence. “Just because you took a blind risk and succeeded doesn’t mean…”
“Excuse me, Dad. I didn’t take a blind risk as you call it. I took a calculated risk after studying all the pros and cons. I think you both just need to get off your high horse that just because you both are older, you know best. That’s just not true. Yes, I agree that you both want the best for your children. But I think you need to let them be. Jai doesn’t want to lead a busy life in a metro. He wants to write. That’s why he’s taken a job in Shimla. He’s liking the laidback lifestyle since it gives him time to write. He already has a publisher who likes his story idea and they have promised to back him. He…”
“What the hell are you saying?” Karish
ma jumped up to scream at Dev. “Are you saying that Jai is doing time pass and doesn’t have a proper job?” She turned to Durgesh with tears in her eyes. “See, see. This is what happens when you allow one son to do what he wants. Now everyone wants to rebel. I…”
“Mom, hello! You guys didn’t allow me to do anything. I left home of my own volition to chase my dreams, or have you forgotten?” Dev’s gaze was steely as he got up to tower over his parents, looking at them piercingly. “Okay, let me tell you what I came to say. I didn’t choose to interfere in your other children’s lives. But I refuse to show my brother and sister the door if they come to me for help. Chaahat knocked on my door and I’m going to give it my best shot to help her become a fashion model, whether you guys approve or not. Do what you can!”
“How dare you? Just how dare you, Dev? Have you become too big to…” Karishma caught hold of Dev’s shirt in both her fists and shook him, only he didn’t budge.
“Never, Mom. I’ll never grow too big for my parents. I’ll always treat you with respect. But forgive me if I say that you guys are not the best career counsellors in the world. I’ll take your leave. I need to get back home.”
“So late? It’ll take you a long time to reach Karjat. Why don’t you spend the night here at home?” Durgesh tried to stop his son from leaving. He had decided by now to attack Chaahat directly and hence had become calm.
Dev laughed. “Not in my helicopter, no.” He left them standing there in the living room, a stunned expression on both their faces.
He decided then and there to give Jai the farm manager’s job if he was still interested. Might as well be hung for a sheep than for a lamb!
Chaahat fretted and fumed every moment of her time spent at Raheja Health Resort. At the end of three days, she had decided that she hated the treatment programme; she hated the resort, and she hated Dr. Sindhu Raheja—not necessarily in that order, and all from the depth of her heart.
Every single day had been horrendous, the worst she had ever experienced in her whole life. What kind of devilish treatment was this?! They made her eat and drink stuff that was positively vile. Then they made her do such tough exercises in the name of yoga. She could have tolerated everything if they didn’t make her eat regular meals. Okay, even that wouldn’t matter so much if they let her drink something decent. The water boiled with herbs that was on offer was fit for pigs.
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