Tale of Silent Longing

41 | Ice-cream at the beach

While everyone else was asking Tanya  to reveal the truth, Tanya  remained quiet.

After a brief pause, Tanya  finally decided to speak about the entire episode that occurred.
"Actually when you and Illahi  went on the bike and I started going back to join everyone, Anika  and Reeva  came to me. They said that jahaan  had called me alone in the Aquarium Room to talk about something important. At first, I thought they were lying, but when I looked around I thought they were conveying the real thing. So I believed their words and went inside the aquarium. But inside, I saw that jahaan  was not there & quickly realized that both of them had lied to me. When I started coming back, I saw that the door was closed. I kept calling out for help, but no one answered," Tanya  narrated.

"Reeva is rude, disrespectful & egoistic, but this time what she did is something really lousy. Mrs. Mehta  let's put a complaint against her," Jordan  said angrily to Mrs. Mehta .

"No! You should not make any complaint against anyone," Tanya  interrupted. "If we can talk to her personally and make her realize her mistake, what's the need to go to the cops?", she added.

"First, call up Illahi ; tell her that we have found Tanya , and she is safe and sound. That poor girl is very stressed," Mrs. Mehta  instructed Jordan .

He started making the call while Mrs. Mehta  went to Tanya  and said, "Don't worry, I will talk to Reeva  and her Mom. She must realize her mistake. You and jahaan  go on one bike. I will come with Jordan . Jahaan  seems a little angry, his anger has to be pacified a little."

" jahaan , take Tanya  back to the hotel," she told jahaan .

Tanya and jahaan  got on the bike and left.
Tanya could tell just by looking at his face that jahaan  was very angry because of Reeva's actions and his mood was very bad. Along the way, they both didn't say anything.  To cut the silence, Tanya  spoke, "jahaan , I want to eat ice cream"

Jahaan did not answer her and kept riding the bike. "Did he not listen to me or did he deliberately ignore me?" Tanya  thought.

Jahaan kept going straight for about five minutes and then suddenly he turned the bike to the left side and took it towards the beach.

He stopped it in front of an ice-cream stall and asked, "Give 2 ice cream cones please." He handed both the  ice-creams to Tanya  and drove towards the beach.

He then stopped the bike. When the bike stopped Tanya  got off the bike and went in front of jahaan .

"Don't you want one? Why did you give me both the ice creams?" Tanya  asked. "No you eat, I don't mind," jahaan  replied, looking at the sea.

Seeing jahaan 's bad mood, Tanya  also stood next to him with the help of the bike and said, "Everyone got upset because of me, you all had to come back from so far and the matter even reached the cops, you are angry with me. I'm really sorry, it's all because of me......."

Tanya was speaking when jahaan  interrupted her and said, "No". He took ice cream from tanya's hand and started opening it. "It's not your fault, whatever Reeva  did, it was wrong. She is not a little girl, who does not know right from wrong. She should thank her stars that you are safe if anything happened..." Jahaan   stopped speaking.

"So? So what would happen?" Tanya asked again.
Jahaan  thought for a while and then said

"Then all our vacation plans would have got spoiled". They both were talking while eating ice cream standing on the beach.

Suddenly, Tanya  asked, "jahaan , may I ask you something? How did you know that I was in the Aquarium Room?"

Jahaan seemed to be thinking about how to reply to her question and then said, "We were checking the entire park, so the Aquarium Room is also part of the park. Also, I told you young children should not roam alone, they get  lost. You  did not take my words seriously."  Jahaan  said.
"I am not a child", pouted Tanya , hitting Jahaan on his shoulder.

Back at the hotel, Anika , Reeva , and reeva's mom were having a discussion sitting in Reeva's  room. "Was it really your plan? This act of yours is going to spoil all your hard work of so many years. You didn't even think that when she'll be found, that your name will be revealed?" Reeva's mom asked angrily.

"I did not think anything, nor am I able to think anymore. Since the time this Tanya  has come in my life, my life has become hell. Wherever you look, wherever you go, just Tanya Tanya Tanya . That jahaan , who never talks directly to anyone, seems to have a soft corner for her. Jahaan's Mom, who never spoke directly to me, keeps walking behind Tanya  like a dog wagging her tail. Do you want me to wait until the two get married?" Reeva  spoke in rage.

"I told you to do something about Tanya , but I didn't tell you to do something where you onlv get trapped . Now vou better be prepared to face Mrs. Mehta  and jahaan . And if that Tanya  goes on to sue you both, then just face the music ", said Reeva's mom.

Jordan and Mrs. Mehta  reached the hotel first. Jordan 's mom and Illahi  were waiting for them outside. "Where is Tanya ?" Illahi  asked.

" Tanya and jahaan  haven't arrived yet?" Jordan  asked.

Just then jahaan  and Tanya  walked in behind them. As soon as Tanya  got off the bike, Illahi  ran towards her and hugged her.

"Where did you disappear like this, you know how upset I was", Illahi  said.

"Are you alright? Did you get injured?" Jordan 's Mom asked. "Aunty! I am fine, don't you worry", said Tanya .

Jordan and jahaan  parked the bike and returned, " Illahi , it was all Reeva 's handiwork. She had sent Tanya  to the Aquarium Room inside by lying, and she got locked inside by mistake. If we didn't go there looking for her, she would have spent the entire night there alone"Jordan said . 

"When Reeva  was praising Tanya  this morning, I knew something was wrong, but I did not think that she would do such a horrible thing," Illahi  said.

"Come on, let's talk to her", muttered Jordan  while walking.

"No!, there is no need for that," Tanya  said from behind.

"Please! None of us will say anything to her, I do not want any of you to forget her family's status; it will not be good to fight here".

After listening to Tanya , Mrs. Mehta  looked at her with pride and also asserted, " Tanya is absolutely right. Jordan , you know how her mom is, she will ruin anyone's career, just to satisfy her ego. I know that you are very angry and so am I. But now, you all go to your rooms, jahaan  and I will go and talk to Reeva  and her mom".

"Yes, Mrs. Mehta  will talk to them accordingly, we should go to our rooms", said Tanya , pulling both of them towards the elevator. All three of them went to Tanya 's room to discuss further on everything.