A Familiar Love- A Radhakrishn Retelling

16. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞

The street where they both lived was more chaotic than Radha ever remembered. There were soft sounds of flute, loud sounds of kids and stray animals running around, and even louder sounds of Balram and Krishn fighting that echoed through the street throughout the day. Radha had noticed how Krishn had become quick friends with everyone in the street, older or younger, everyone adored him. Mothers loved feeding him like he was their own son, their children absolutely adored his company, she had witnessed many fights about whose team he would play on when they often played games outside, becoming ten years old again with no worries about their future, surprisingly even all the fathers loved to talk to him about everything from sports to the recent news topic and all the grandmothers just absolutely adored knitting clothes for him and his friends including her own, patting his head often and most importantly saving him from Yashoda kaki when she pulled his ear after another one of his mischiefs. And how can she forget all the girls of the neighbourhood, god how they fluttered around him like bees around nectar, Radha would scoff whenever she would look out her window and see him surrounded by a bunch of girls, a few of her childhood friends would always be among them. She could never catch a break from him, not at school and certainly not at home, where he was lovingly welcomed by her family. She couldn't avoid him.

There was no doubt that since the arrival of this family, this neighbourhood where everyone had been distant, had become a sort of a family, all united by their affection for this flute player, much like they had been those few millennia ago, in the beautiful village of Vrindavan, but were unaware of this. Krishn's eyes would often well up with tears after seeing these people's affection, and Balram would always notice and offer his brother a comforting smile.

Meanwhile, Balram had seamlessly filled the void of an older sibling for Radha, so when she got the role of Radha, he was one of the first people to congratulate her and take her out for her favourite ice cream, who, still in her school uniform, was happily concentrating on her ice cream when a thought occurred to her.

"Dau, do you know Krishn also got the lead role?"

Balram smiled and nodded.

"Oh? Then shouldn't you be congratulating him as well?" Radha asked, puzzled, knowing that Krishn had not yet come home as he had gone to drop off Harshali...again. Radha shook her head at the thought but she felt it unfair that his brother was here buying her ice cream before he even got a chance to be congratulated by him.

"I know what you're thinking, but don't worry, I'll congratulate him later...acche se." He muttered the last part under his breath with gritted teeth, angered that Krishn had left her alone yet again.

Radha smiled and continued eating when Balram suddenly stood up, "Radha, I need to go somewhere, you go home okay?"

She nodded, though confused, she bid him a goodbye and started walking towards her house, which wasn't far from the ice cream place.

Balram stormed towards an unknowing Krishn, who sat on a small swing in the park.

"Kanha!" He yelled, startling the beloved curly haired boy who almost tumbled off the swing. Krishn turned towards his fuming elder brother, "Dau! Kya hua? You scared me," he whined, mock anger clear on his face.

Balram gave him a look which almost made Krishn drop his act and laugh, but he powered through that urge.

"You know exactly what happened, Radha told me everything"

Krishn's eyes widened, the pain of betrayal evident in his ever dramatic eyes, "Dau! Radha tells you anything and you believe her and get angry at me. Sometimes I feel like she's your real sibling instead of me."

"Don't you try to guilt trip me Kanha. You left her alone again today and still she was thinking about how bad you would feel once you found out that I congratulated her first."