Sometimes Hate is Enough

Chapter 16

Khushi

Yesterday, I hired a contractor and made sure that they'd start working today. I had also talked to everyone about what kind of changes they wanted in the house, but they told me to do whatever I wanted. But after a lot of arguments and emotional blackmail later, Jiji had said that she would like a garden, Bua Ji wanted a beautiful mandir, and Amma, she just asked me to keep the pond adjacent to the back of the house because Maa used to like that place a lot and would sit there every afternoon.

Thank you, Devi Maiya. Because of you, everything was going very smoothly.

Since I had already planned out some of the work that needed to be done as soon as possible, there wasn't much for me to do today. Also, the workers were on time this morning and had already started tearing off some doors and windows that were completely wasted. We were all very happy that there weren't any big problems with the house, and Jiji, Bua Ji, and I had encouraged Amma with Babu Ji's treatment. But she told us that she has already talked to a doctor and will take Babu Ji for an appointment tomorrow. And we all became more happy.

After lunch, Jiji and I went to the third and final floor of the house, apart from the roof, to open doors from the backside of the house with workers working on the ground floor while Amma, Babu Ji, and Bua Ji went back to their rooms.

"Let's start with this one." Jiji said while pointing at a heavy set of double doors at the end of a wide hallway on her left.

I nodded and started trying on the keys. After a while, the lock finally clicked, but the door didn't open.

"Let's push it together, okay?" I said this to Jiji before she nodded in agreement, and we both started pushing it. On our third attempt, the door finally opened with a loud groan, and we stumbled inside.

The room was dark since all the windows and doors were closed, but I could tell that this was a bedroom. A very big one.

"Another bedroom?" Jiji voiced my thoughts and looked around the room before walking to the door straight ahead of us and trying to open it. But I didn't wait there with her; I went to the left wall as I noticed some pictures hanging.

"Khushi... Come here." Jiji called from behind. But her voice sounded distant.

I glanced around the room again before following behind her voice and entering through the door that she had opened.

It was a big balcony with more sets of very dusty chairs and some empty planters, with Jiji standing by the concrete handrail, looking at the open rolling fields ahead. But as I stepped closer to her and the handrail, I actually understood what she wanted me to see—the pond.

Although it might be dry now, it was still the pond. The one Amma talked about, the one Maa used to sit by.

But as I looked down around the dry pond, I realized that the back of the house was a lot bigger than the front. There were four intertwined small cases leading down to the pond from all four corners from the ground floor. But that wasn't the only thing; encircling over the borders of the pond was a half-circle balcony from the second floor. And from the third floor, it looked like a border to the pond.

"It's beautiful." Jiji said as she turned to look at me.

I nodded my head before motioning Jiji inside to look at the photos hanging on the wall.

"I think it was Masi's room." She said this after looking around the room for some time.

Could it really be Maa and Baba's room? Was I literally standing where they once stood?

"Let's go ask Amma." I said and ran downstairs without waiting for Jiji, and I found Amma and Bua Ji in the kitchen making tea.

"Arre, don't run around like this, Sanka Devi, or you will break something." Bua said as soon as I barged inside while breathing heavily.

"Do you want to dri...." Amma started as she turned but stopped as she saw me breathing heavily. "Is everything alright?.. Are you hurt?" She held me by my arms before I could answer and started to search for injuries.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine." I said while taking hold of both Amma and Bua Ji's arms before dragging them out of the kitchen to the staircase. "I want you to confirm something."

"But Chai.." Amma tried, but I cut in as I saw Jiji coming down with Hari Kaka following behind.

I paused and looked at Jiji. "Jiji, upstairs." Then I turned to Hari Kaka and said, "Kaka, Do you all want some tea?"

He nodded brightly at the question.

"Then go to the kitchen, make some tea for all the workers, and also make some for us, okay? We'll be back before you finish." I said, then dragged Amma and Bua Ji upstairs and encouraged Jiji to follow behind without waiting for Hari Kaka's answer.

Amma and Bua Ji were both yelling at me the whole way, but as soon as we entered that bedroom, Amma fell completely silent.

"This..." She started but didn't continue as she looked around the room with a hand over her lips and eyes glittering with tears. So, this really is Maa and Baba's room.

Bua Ji walked up to the wall where pictures were hanging and turned to Amma before saying, "Garima, look."

Amma walked up to her, and a sob broke through her mouth as she took down a picture from the wall and hugged it to her chest.

We stayed in Maa and Baba's room for some time before returning downstairs, and we found Jiji giving Hari Kaka a tray full of tea cups. Then she came to the living room with another four cups and placed them on the center table while slowly whispering, "It was, wasn't it?"

I nodded with a smile and handed everyone their cups when Bua Ji's phone started ringing.

She answered it without looking at the caller ID, and soon she had a look on her face that she only gives when I irritate her too much. I wonder who else can irritate her like this. We all stared at her eagerly while waiting to know who the caller was.

After some time, she finally hung up and looked at all of us with a long sigh.

"What happened?" Amma asked from next to Bua Ji.

"The Raizada's wants to meet."

Lo... lag gayi humari khushiyo ko aag.