PEREGRINATE

CHAPTER 30

"See it is still standing on its ground." 

His rush to get back was unnecessary. The last few kilometres he had galloped the horse at full speed. I will surely be sore tomorrow.  Inder dropped to the ground and helped me get down. Then without any words of farewell, he promptly rushed into the castle.

"It was nice to spend time with you too," I yelled at his receding figure. I took in the castle and saw it with fresh eyes. For the first time, I crossed the threshold without any confusion or apprehension. I knew why I was here and what I needed to do.

So of course the moment I had a hold on the situation, I had to lose control.

The concern and worry that Inder was reminding me of on the way were nowhere to be found. In place, I was greeted with glacial silence and cold shoulders. I could not find Isha and Nani just barely glanced at me as she kneaded the dough. It was true that we had arrived in the middle of the day and people were bound to be busy, but, hey, a smile takes only a couple of seconds.

Most of the days, we were handed the list of tasks for the day just after breakfast. Since I had missed that meeting, I was clueless about what to do next. Huh, it was amazing how fast that satisfaction of finally knowing something went out of the window.

"Maitri, have some food first," Nani ordered me with a stony face. Her terse shoulders and clipped words told me that it was not a suggestion I could turn down. Hence, despite, being pretty full from breakfast I swallowed a piece of roti with water. 

I gave flickering looks to Nani as she stirred a big pot of daal, trying to find the right time to talk to her. I wanted to know if I had displeased her. But she never got a moment of respite. 

Gargi passed by with a basket of clothes as I was washing my hands in the kitchen courtyard. "I can give you a hand with that." 

She nodded and directed me towards other baskets of clothes that needed to be washed.

The sun was bright and warm with the birds chirping happily. Till now, I had no issue with mingling with everyone here. A moment of silence was rare between any of us. In walks like this, we would usually fill the time talking about something or the other.

But we have already established that today was not the same as the other. Gargi made sure to always walk steps ahead of me, no matter how much I tried to catch up to her. Soon enough, I grew tired and chose to walk behind her. She gave literal meaning to the phrase cold shoulders.

I tried one more attempt once we reached the pond.

"So everyone had a good time at the fair yesterday?"

All I received was a short hum of agreement and, then she settled down quite a distance away. To hold a conversation, I would have to be loud and, that did not seem particularly appealing. And served her purpose, I guess.

I kneeled in my corner. It required a bit of maneuvering, but it was manageable. And that was yet another thing to worry about. If it has been just over seven months, was he not small for his age? Could it be possible that they had miscalculated the days?

It was not impossible to hide the small bump by wearing loose blouses and skirts with strategically placed scarves, just that I had to be extremely careful. I could let out the seams of clothes and readjust the size as I still had Maitri's sewing skills. I had also taken to eating more to provide a reason for my increase in size.

However, soon, it would be impossible to carry on like this. In almost two months when this screaming and kicking kid comes out, I would have no choice but to let the others know. However, before him, his mother would be the one crying and screaming, and I dreaded the thought of doing all of this on my own.