Silent Downfall

Chapter Thirty-One

Aanvik looked up and let out a massive sigh. "The next thing I knew was that I was in her arms and she was in mine. We were too stunned to cry, too absorbed in the moment to say a word. I don't know how long we stood there, unable to stir. As we let go, I remembered at once that I was in company. I turned around, but there was no one to be seen."

"Who was with you?" asked Waseef.

"Mayank. He was at the door when he heard my mom telling me who our guest was."

"Did he hate her that badly?"

Aanvik shook his head. "I don't think so. He was just not ready to forgive her right away. But Mamma acted foolishly, Waseef. After trying once or twice, she was convinced that Mayank would not forgive her, and she decided that she indeed did not deserve to be forgiven."

"It was never her fault, was it?"

"Exactly! It wasn't. But after all these years, she began to feel that she could have tried harder. She couldn't have. She had done her best. I have no doubt about that."

"Then?"

"Mamma decided to give Mayank a little time. She left for then. Before she did, she made me promise I would look after Mayank. Mayank, on the other hand, took quite a while to process the whole thing. Her reappearance in his life was the last thing he was expecting at that moment. He was mad, no doubt, but he was also perplexed. He did not know what to make of it."

"And what did he make of her departure?"

"Mayank did not take it lightly; I can tell you that. He began to think that he didn't mean much to her. Of course, he was wrong, but it was not easy to convince him. Not in that state of mind, at least."

"Didn't she try to contact you two after that?"

"Yes, but Mayank would not hear of her. I used to talk to her at times, though. The two kept on playing that age-old game of assumption. She assumed that Mayank would not forgive her at any cost. Mayank assumed that she did not care enough."

"And perhaps we are assuming that it was all about assumptions."

Aanvik chuckled. "Well said, Waseef. Perhaps it wasn't just about assumptions. Perhaps a thousand other nameless emotions were at play too."

"Anyway, things were getting worse at Mayank's home in the meantime," he continued. "His dad was struggling financially, and he could barely tolerate him. His stepmother was no comfort, either. And then the third strange thing happened. Mamma, out of the blue, came up with a strange proposal over the phone one day."

Waseef carefully concealed an impudent smile. "What was it?"

"She found Mayank a new home. Her childhood friend wanted to adopt a boy, and for some reason he seemed to be particularly interested in Mayank. At that point, Mayank's father would have happily dumped him in a trash can if he could, and the man who wanted to have him was ready to go to great lengths. He was capable of spending a good deal. I do not know for what reason he was after Mayank that badly; I don't think getting custody of a boy from another country, especially when he is under the care of a biological parent, is that easy. Oh yes, the man we are talking about here lived in Dhaka."

"Strange indeed."

"I know, right? Mamma, however, was confident about the whole thing. All they needed was Mayank's consent. Her friend promised to manage the rest."

"So?"

"Shranav and I came up with a possible explanation. Well, he did, and I accepted it reluctantly. He suggested that Mamma was planning to marry the man, if she hadn't already. Mamma wanted to have Mayank back. I guess Mayank's dad wasn't supposed to know about Mamma's involvement in this, as it could make him refuse to give Mayank up. Pride is an ugly thing."