Dark Secrets

6

Shrestha had never seen anyone looking as furious as Mahendra seemed at that moment. He looked like he could wring Yuvansh's scrawny neck.

"Go upstairs, Shreshtha ," he snapped and looked at his wife  meaningfully. Mrs Thakur took Shreshtha's arm and gently coaxed her up stairs.

As soon as the ladies had left the room, Thakur turned to Yuvansh, "Shuklaji  found this bottle behind our house," Mahendra said; dangling the incriminating evidence , a coke bottle, before Yuvansh's alarmed face. The Shuklas lived next door.

"I don't think I need to tell you why he brought this bottle to me!"

Yuvansh was silent .

"Did you bring alcohol home?" Mahendra's tone was fierce.A few seconds later,Yuvansh nodded a "Yes".

"I don't believe this. What has happened to you? First that dangerous prank and now this? How dare you bring alcohol inside the house or even think of touching it?" Mahendra roared and slapped Yuvansh so hard across his cheek that the boy tottered back a few steps to stay upright.

"Do I need to sit with you every single day and tell you why it's wrong?" Another slap with just as much force as the first met Yuvansh's terrified face and he nearly lost his balance. Yuvansh shook his head quietly as if to say "no".

"Then why did you do it? Who's teaching you all this?" Each question was punctuated with an infuriated slap."If I find you indulging in such activities again, I warn you.....!" he slapped him even harder the final time.

Yuvansh stood his ground.

"Now get lost," Mahendra snapped.

Yuvansh turned to leave.He stopped . Turned around ."I'm sorry, papaji. It won't happen again", he murmured.

Mahendra raised his voice to summon his wife- and retired to his room.

Yuvansh remained seated at his study table in his make-shift room ever since he had come in a few hours ago. Only the table light on his study table was switched on. It was very late. He heard a soft knock on the door. He opened the door. Asmile flashed across his face.

"Ranisa!" he said.

Shreshtha laid a finger on her lips, hushing him as she came in, and closed the door behind her. Holding Yuvansh's hand, she led him to the bed and sat him down, while she sat on the chair that he had just vacated.

"What happened? Did uncle beat you?" Shreshtha's eyes were on his.

"Let me switch on the light," he stood up. Shreshtha made him sit down again.

"It's okay. I asked you something."

"Yeah. He said."

"Why? Auntie says he has never hit you before."

"Perhaps I gave him a reason to do so."

"What did you do now?"

Yuvansh averted his eyes,"There was something....."

"Look at me," she commanded . He obeyed . And knew he could never lie looking into those eyes.

"The coke bottle that you had thrown from the terrace.Our neighbour found it and understood what it had contained. Papaji thought it was mine."

Shreshtha face-palmed herself with guilt. "All because of me," she moamned ."I shouldn't have chucked it there, what was I thinking!"

"What was in it?"

"Rum. Old Monk." She removed her hand from her face and said,"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Yuvansh said. I didn't mind the slaps, he thought.

" Why not ? You can slap and avenge yourself", Shreshtha said raising his hand to her cheek . Yuvansh instantly jerked his hand away.

"Ranisa , please."
"Your Darsh bhaiya would have slapped me."

"Well I'm not Darsh bhaiya."

"I know . You don't seem like someone who can hit anyone. But I'm really sorry."

Yuvansh gave her a quiet smile with an intense look.

"I think you'll be one helluva desirable dude in a few years from now on. You have that thing in your eyes."

"What thing ?"

"That thing which is the perfect bait for every girl's emotions."

Feeling slightly awkward ,Yuvansh decided to digress.

"Don't  you miss your parents, Ranisa?"

Shreshtha  twirled away on the swivel chair. With her back to him she remained quiet for some time. When she eventually spoke, he could sense her voice was choked with remorse,"I miss them. A lot. Especially papa. He was always very proud of me and never discouraged me from doing anything. He was coercing me into getting married urgently only because he was under heavy pressure from the other members of my family. I'm sure he would never forced me to do anything against my will. I know I've compromised his position in the family by elopoing."

Yuvansh didn't know whether he should speak up or not .

"Now...... as soon as Darsh and I get married, I'll go right back and apologize to him. I'm sure that when sees my choice everything will be right."

"I'm sure," Yuvansh agreed. She was casually examining his stuff on the study table.

"So, this is where the genius of the family shapes up," she flipped open his books and diaries.

Yuvansh couldn't hold back his smile.

"Tomorrow ,I'll treat you to your favourite thing. Tell me what you like."

Yuvansh thought for a few moments and then said, "Perhaps a kachoda or saakhe with kadi. But it's really not necessary."

"You know what they say?"

"What?"

" When you take pain for someone, you start belonging to that person. So, you have to obey me."

Yuvansh took me a few seconds to responds, "As you say Ranisa," he conceded.

"By the way , what's a kachoda? Big brother of kachodi?" she giggled endearingly.

"Perhaps someone who is in love with kachodi. You"ll know tomorrow."

"Yeah right. Anyway , sleep now. I'm off ," Sreshtha said. She stopped at the door and turned around, "Tell me something, Thakur sahab. You got a good pasting from your father through no fault of your own but for something that I had done. Didn't yoy feel like telling me not to drinking?"

"I think we do what we feel like doing. If you want to drink,who am I to stop you?But yes, whenever you drink, I'll make sure the bottle disappears without a trace from now on."

Shreshtha smiled,"You're quite mature for your age. Goodnight, Thakur sahab".

"Goodnight, Ranisa."

As the door clicked shut behind her, Yuvansh drew the table lamp and mirror close to his face and examined the red weals left behind by the slaps.

When you take pain for someone, you start belonging to that person.

Yuvansh beamed from ear to ear.