Lightening the Sky (Sloth Updates)

Chapter 2

It is quite late... Did she safely reach her home?

Allowing the fresh breeze from the window to let go of the stress caused by drama of family members when he returned with drunk Lakshya, his mind inadvertently turned to the person no one knew Lakshya's drama had involved, although it revolved around her.

Sanskar dropped her two messages at intervals of ten minutes, then called her which went to voicemail. Worried, he contacted Swara's mother who revealed Swara wasn't at home. Picking up car keys, Sanskar hurried downstairs while retrying the call. He was inside his car when Swara answered.

"Sanskar..."

Her voice relieved Sanskar's tense shoulders, "Where are you? Your mother and Dida are so worried about you. I should have dropped you home instead of Lakshya."

"But he would have been jailed."

He shook his head, "Still better than the havoc in the house, Maa almost fainted and Bade Papa almost disowned him... Where are you?"

.

.

On the verge of tears, Sharmishtha's eyes landed on her daughter entering the Baadi.

"Shona, where were you?" Embracing her precious child for a moment, she moved back to assure herself of Swara's presence and safety.

In the Maheshwari Mansion, Sanskar walked to his room with a frown. What was Swara doing there? She didn't answer anything, once again left it at thank you.

The food reheated by Mom was cold once again on the table of his room. Finishing the dessert, Sanskar decided he would get Swara to answer tomorrow either by hook or crook. Only after that, he would proceed with what he was thinking for his ex-accomplice, present sister-in-law. Not for more than forty-eight hours.

That night he slept, unaware in another corner of the city, Swara was packing her bags to get away from everything.

Convincing Maa and Dida to let her leave wasn't a hard task, given the preceding events they brought the idea of moving back to Kakababu on the table. Except they wanted to leave with her, and Swara put her foot down debating tooth and nails against the idea.

At last, Sharmistha didn't have it in her to keep sleepy Shona awake the whole night, she gave in when Shona brought up how Dida couldn't travel as her body was still recovering while Sharmistha needed to stay back and look after her.

Aware, the debate could go on all night after surrendering herself she signalled her Maa to stop arguing with Shona. In turn she was glared, but the fluent Bengali chidings directed towards Swara stopped with an unsaid promise to deal with her later.

True to her promise, Shobha refused to let Sumi leave. How could she when her Sumi was staring at her with an exhausted face?

"You too should go with Shoru, Sumi. Not only does she need someone to look after her in such a state, you need to get away from this place."

If only I could run Maa, if only Shekhar trusted me half as much as he loves me... If only fate chose me to be the only candidate for having a broken heart between Shona and me. Sharmishtha held her mother's both hands sitting adjacent to her, "But you just woke up Maa, I can't possibly leave you alone to look after the store and house."

"And what about Shoru?" Her Maa was angry, Sharmishtha could feel the resentment towards her weakening health she held when it hindered the interests of her family.

"Did you see her face after returning? She was lost. Completely, utterly lost. Also, Shoru should be on the bed resting for at least a half a week instead of thinking about travelling. No, she said she wanted to be on the next train to Kakababu and her darling mother couldn't disagree. If Shoru could travel, so, could I but again no..."

Sharmishtha followed her Maa's glistening eyes moving away from her face, "Why don't you see it, Sumi? I am afraid she would crumble alone like you did, at least you had Shoru to make you smile but she has nothing except us and she is locking everyone out."

Unable to see her mother in despair, she forced a smile on her lips, "No, Maa everything would be fine. Our Shona is such a sweet soul, God would never let her suffer. She would stay away for a while, get over her broken alliance and then would come back to us."

Maa, unlike Sharmishtha didn't feign she had the strength to let life have its unfair ways and tears rolled down her cheeks, "God wouldn't let her suffer, I agree, but what about the cruel world? You were innocent, yet the world made you suffer and now the same is happening with our Shoru."

Embracing her mother, Sharmishtha failed to console her mother as the reined emotions betrayed her. It doesn't matter what comes over me, but God, keep Shona safe. She might not think so, but she is still just a child unaware of the extent people can suffer as well as torment. Keep her safe.

Swara had just finished packing, exhaustion from the day's event finally tied her to the bed with an aching head, slightly off vision of the fan on her ceiling and tears in her eyes. God, bring happiness back in everyone's life. Give me strength to go away. Leave and do the right thing. I would let Baba know about it on the way, so he can call Maa back.

***

I didn't remember the starting chapters were so small, it's nothing near what I have been writing for the upcoming chapters. I am surprised... So, what do you think of it? The Bose ladies are suffering, the compassionate souls don't deserve it.

Since, the two chapters are small let me make an exception and publish the third chapter. Afterwards, we will see each other next week, whenever. I am also working on a mishbir fic and unlike the Swasan one, it is difficult to write because of various reasons. 

It's the wrong place to be complaining about it but *ranting time aka you can leave it's not an author's note anymore* there are not many places I find from where I can just pick up pre-curated work. No! Even if I stand by the characters as they are, I have to create an alternative universe even if I don't because I literally only love mishbir in YRHPK, and I love everything to do with them, their background scores, the poetry, their appearances, but it went off air early and it makes sense. For me Abir post the first leap lost its essence. Crazy. I love the PTSD track of it and yet... *incoherently* I guess, I am not over the lost shouldr length hairs.

Whatever it was, I want to create my version of their 'fairytale' which is going to take time and so one more chapter and then we will meet next week. 

Bye.