The Way We Were

Chapter 22

(House of Cards)

Shyam Manohar Jha stood at the foyer, watching the scene downstairs. Akash, Payal, Arnav and Lavanya were playing host to a woman, Sheetal Kapoor, while Ananya was playing with a boy barely a few years older than herself.

Ananya accidently slapped the boy's hands, the childish hand slapping game misfired terribly. The boy yelped, then stood in anger.

"Aarav, calm down." Sheetal called. "I told you not to play this stupid game."

"She hit me, Mom." The boy, Aarav, complained.

"Well, play something else. Before that, show me your palm. I'm sure Ananya must have hit you very hard." Sheetal's voice dripped with sarcasm and the elders chuckled. Ananya was tiny like a doll. "Nothing to see here. Go on, different game."

Shyam saw the reluctantance of everyone as Sheetal settled back into her seat.

"That's curious."

Shyam jumped at her voice. "Khushi!"

"And you call yourself an investigative lawyer."

"I'm home." Shyam defended himself. "And what's curious?"

"I never imagined Sheetal as a single mother."

"You do know her then?"

"Arnav dated her for a year."

"A year?! Were they serious?" Shyam pressed.

"Hell if I know." Khushi muttered. "I saw them together at two farewells. The one we gave and the one we received. Yeah, I'd say they were pretty serious."

"You're sure?"

"Why would I lie?" Khushi said. "I've avoided this long enough. Here goes nothing."

She made her way downstairs, greeting the guests. As the topic shifted to Khushi, Shyam noticed that Aarav kept looking at Arnav. More so, Sheetal kept trying to get into a conversation with Arnav, when it was clear he was talking to Khushi. Well, trying to at any rate.

"Sweets!" Khushi brought out a fresh batch to the group. "Halwa for the diabetic soul." She offered to Arnav.

He accepted, while Sheetal looked caught off guard. "You're diabetic? Since when?"

"'94."

"'95."

"Right. '95." Arnav accepted Khushi's correction.

Sheetal looked confused, however. "How did you know that?"

"Well, I-"

"She knows me better than myself, Sheetal." Arnav cut Khushi off. "Anyway, you never said why you came to India?"

Shyam understood Arnav was very much done with Sheetal. He needed to know the truth, now more than ever. But not in front of everyone, like this.

"I'm trying to reconnect with his father." Sheetal spoke in Hindi. "It's time he took responsibility."

"Do we know him?" Arnav asked.

Shyam held his breath. This was make or break. He could not have Aarav leave the security of the campus, now that he was here.

"No. But once I find him, you'll do too." Sheetal spoke in a mysterious tone.

Shyam hurried down the stairs. This was something that could halt the wedding and Khushi would simply explode, this time around.

"I'll find out too?"

"Hello, who's this?" Shyam interrupted.

"Oh Jijaji. This is Sheetal, from Oxford." Akash introduced him. "Sheetal, Shyam Jha, our Jijaji."