𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔

𝟯𝟳. 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Barrier To Belonging

The two-hour ride to Sierre felt like two decades to Shubman—long and torturous. His legs were often bouncing, his eyes squinting, and his lips pouting as the wheels rolled along the streets of Switzerland. His rhythmic and nervous leg movements eventually distracted the driver, who had to ask him to stop. "We'll reach soon, calm down. Also, I can't drive any faster—rules, you see," said the driver, making Shubman nod and stop. However, his other body part had to bear the pain of waiting. Unfortunately, it was his nails, which were already chewed down to half due to his nervousness during the match. Luckily, his skin was spared when Anushka, sitting behind him, scolded, "Stop it, Shubhi. You'll make yourself bleed."

Virat handed Vamika's plush toy to Shubman, saying, "Squeeze its leg, but not too hard, please." Vamika wanted to protest, but seeing that it helped calm Shubman down, she held back. However, she kept glancing over to make sure the toy was okay. She understood how torturous the wait seemed because she felt the same way. Even with her seatbelt on, Virat had to hold her back as she frequently tried to peek out the windows or ask the driver if they had arrived yet.

They had entered the Valais region and were now heading towards the town of Sierre, home to Nehmat, the world's top wine brand owner. As they passed through the lush green forest, the scenery was so pleasing that everyone had their eyes glued to the window, momentarily forgetting they were on their way to meet Nehmat. Each of them was mesmerized by the beauty of the town and didn't realize the car had come to a halt until the driver announced, "Sir, we have reached."

On the right, a big board read "Les vignobles de Buri Buri" (The Yards of Buri Buri). Excitedly, each of them unbuckled their seat belts, but Vamika made sure to take her soft toy from Shubman first. They all rushed towards the gate, forgetting to pay the driver.

"Sir, my money?" asked the driver. Virat made a big "O" face and smiled sheepishly before paying and thanking the driver, who sighed in relief. This family was so excited to meet the owner, unlike any other he had driven to this place before. Rolling his eyes, he reversed and drove away, happy to be rid of the weirdly enthusiastic group.

A big gate with two security guards stood as a barrier between them. One of the guards stood up and asked, "Who are you guys?"

Virat, holding the iron gates and looking past them to catch a glimpse of Nehmat, said excitedly, "We are here to meet Nehmat. Nehmat Kohli."

The guard nodded and extended his hand. "Your appointment letter, please?"

Shubman's face turned to confusion. "Appointment? Why do we need an appointment to meet our own girl?"

The security guard looked at the younger man and answered, "I don't know what you're talking about, but everyone who comes here needs to have an appointment letter, or else no one passes the gate."

Virat, impatient, banged on the gate. "Sir, we are here to meet my sister. Please let us in."

The guard, now frustrated, looked at the older man. "Sorry, Sir, but we are instructed not to let anyone inside without an appointment letter."

Anushka patiently held Virat's shoulders and addressed the guard, "Sir, we are the family of Nehmat Kohli. She is my sister-in-law."

The guard replied again, this time politely looking at the lady. "Ma'am, we are instructed not to let anyone in without a letter, no matter who it might be."

Meanwhile, Vamika had tears in her eyes, scared that all these obstacles would prevent them from seeing Nini.

Shubman, angrily kicking the gate, shouted, "I am Shubman Gill, and he is Virat Kohli. Let us in! You don't know who we are!"

The other guard sitting on the chair hit his stick on the ground and pointed it towards Shubman. "Excuse me, mister, whoever you might be, you don't pay us. Ma'am does, so we're going to listen to her, not you."

At that moment, the sound of footsteps approached from the other side of the gate. A middle-aged woman with an air of authority walked up.

"What seems to be the problem here?" she asked, looking at the tense faces of the family and the resolute expressions of the guards.

"Ma'am, these people claim to be the family of Nehmat Maam, but they don't have an appointment letter," one of the guards explained.

The woman scrutinized the group for a moment. She knew who they were but didn't want to let them in and risk breaking the girl once again, who had become someone no one could have imagined. Her eyes glared at the males but softened when she looked at the females. She wanted to let the women in but couldn't because the men would eventually follow. Gathering a deep breath, she answered in a stern voice, "Sorry, no appointment, no entry."

Virat's face fell. "Please, we've come so far. Nehmat is our family."

Vamika's tears began to flow freely, her soft toy clutched tightly to her chest. "Please, ma'am," she pleaded softly.

The woman's expression softened for a moment, then hardened again. "I'm truly sorry," she said, her voice carrying a hint of genuine regret. "But I cannot let you in without an appointment."

Shubman's anger flared again. "This is ridiculous! We are her family. We have every right to see her!"

The middle-aged woman's anger flared at Shubman's words. How dare he say that after everything that happened? How dare he! Throwing her clipboard into one of the guard's hands, she opened the gate halfway and stood between it, pointing a finger at Shubman. "Mister, dare you call her your family because family doesn't throw you out when they want."

She finished, her gaze shifting to Virat, who had his eyes fixed on the ground, sobbing with hiccups as Anushka rubbed his back.

The tension in the air was palpable, and the woman's words hung heavy between them. For a moment, there was silence, only broken by Virat's quiet sobs. Vamika clung to her soft toy, looking up at the woman with wide, tear-filled eyes.

Anushka stepped forward, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "We made mistakes. We know that. But we are here to make amends. Please, just let us see her. She deserves to know we are here for her."

Raising her palm in front of Anushka, she answered politely yet sternly, "I am sorry, ma'am. I cannot comply with your request. I cannot bear to see her crumble into pain once again, and I am sorry you have to pay for someone else's deed. I am sorry," she said, looking between Virat and Shubman.

"Have a nice day, thank you," Mrs. Rose said, swallowing her anger. She was about to move inside when Vamika fiercely wiped her tears, clutching the Kiwi plush toy, praying for strength to Rabji. With a deep breath, she squeezed between the middle-aged woman and the gates, dashing straight inside, shouting the only name she knew would respond, no matter where it was.