I Am Guilty

35. Laid Back Life

Mitra walked out of the room with her expensive handbag hanging on her forearm, followed by Arjun with a large travel bag.
She halted in her tracks as she saw Bansi rushed towards her with a handful of white roses.

"Good Morning, Bhabhi!" The young girl chirped happily.

Mitra graced her greeting with a wide smile. Arjun too, was surprised to see his sister early in the morning. Bansi looked at him and beamed, which he reciprocated with one of his own.

"Can I talk to you for a moment, if you are not getting late?" Bansi asked Mitra, eyeing Arjun, not to offend him.

Arjun blinked and walked away quietly. Bansi looked at his retreating figure and licked her lips.

"Why are you up so early?" Mitra asked to gain her attention.

Bansi chuckled.
"I am an early riser. I usually study at this hour. But I wanted to meet you before you leave."

Mitra nodded and encouraged her to talk.

"This is for you. They bloomed in our garden." Bansi added as she forwarded the roses to Mitra.

Mitra accepted the roses with a smile and took a lungful of whiff. The roses smelt divine.

"Thank you, Bansi. They are really beautiful." 

Bansi blinked at her and twisted the end of her stole.
"Bhabhi, I just wanted to tell you something."

Mitra smiled.
"I know. I am eager to hear what you have to say."

"I will take care of him. You can trust me on that." Bansi did not know why she had to assure Mitra, but it felt necessary.

Mitra's smile faltered slightly.
"Just make sure he eats. He has a habit of skipping meals."

Bansi nodded. With a brief hug, Mitra left the young girl with a responsibility to look after a grown up man.

By the time Mitra came down, Arjun had called up for a taxi and placed the luggage in.

"What did she say?" Arjun asked, once they were on the way to the airport.

Mitra looked at him.
"Why do you think i would discuss something that is supposed to be private?"

Arjun huffed annoyed.
"That clearly means, I was the topic of your discussion."

Mitra scoffed.
"Come out of the delusion, Arjun. The world doesn't revolve around you."

Arjun pursed his lips and looked away. He knew she was trying to rile him up.

For the first time, Arjun was experiencing a subtle wave of loss. He did not know why his heart was feeling emptier with every passing moment. He wanted to hold the moment and stop the time. It was as if a small child was left behind by a mother and a subtle feeling of abandonment was enveloping him.

When it was time for Mitra to finally board the plane, she looked at him and held his face gently in her warm palms.

"I am just a call away. You know that right?"

Arjun nodded but his eyes and heart were empty.

"Just come back when you want, don't wait for the situation to be unbearable. I and Kunal will always be there for you." Mitra whispered.

Arjun could not hold himself back anymore and pulled her in a bone-crashing hug. He just did not want to let her go.

She let him hold her until he felt he was fine. He slowly pulled away and looked at her with a smile. Only she knew how strained that smile was.

Mitra left an innocent and vulnerable child behind.

Arjun reached the office when the day had already began. The work was in full flow and no one noticed a young man enter the premises. He enquired at the reception and entered his father's cabin, only to meet a couple more people along with Samrat.

His father had decided to be in a good mood that day and introduced him as his only son to the people present there. A wave of surprise and shock was evident on every face present in the room.

Samrat immediately obliged when Aniket asked him to show Arjun around and explain him the work that the latter was supposed to do. Arjun followed Samrat and keenly observed the factory that used fresh farm produce to make various jams, syrups, fruit juices and many other such canned products.
After showing around everything, Samrat handed him a few files and asked him to cross check the figures mentioned in the presentation that was emailed to him already.

Arjun sighed as he sat behind a wooden desk in his office. He had done these tasks for many years and it was not new for him. He was the one who handled all the accounts and financial matters for Mitra's father and their hotels. The work assigned was done even before the given time, with plenty of mistakes pointed out by Arjun. By the end of the day, when Arjun presented his own observations, his father and Samrat were both taken by surprise. The fact was, the mistakes were deliberately made to see if Arjun could notice them.

His father was happy to know that Arjun was capable enough to work in his company and could be relied upon.

Arjun was relieved that the day went smoothly and without any unnecessary drama.

The life was slowly falling into place. Arjun was slowly getting used to the daily routine. He would spend his day in the office and come back home on his bike, rather than joining Samrat and his  father in the car. The bike ride would give him a true sense of freedom and control. He was at his own mercy and would sometimes enjoy a ride to the nearby beach and help himself with a cup of tea. A few stolen moments with Bansi every night, would take away all the exhaustion. He would look forward to a few moments with his chirpy sister. He loved the way she giggled and laughed out loud without restrictions.

Mitra had visited him twice in three months. She would come on Friday evening and return on early Monday mornings. She too, was pleasantly surprised by the change in him. He looked happier and content.

Aniket was at peace too. Arjun appeared to be more cooperative. He was good at work too. He was an obedient son and an efficient asset to the company. Aniket had slowly started giving better responsibility to Arjun.
One of them was creating a presentation of all the products to obtain a bigger contract. This was an opportunity for expansion of the business in the neighbouring states, with collaborations of already established companies.

Both Aniket and their business partners were looking forward to this opportunity.

It was already late when Aniket tapped on the door of Arjun's cabin. Arjun looked up at his father.

"It's late, Arjun. You can continue with it tomorrow." Aniket suggested.

Arjun nodded.
"I was just about to wrap it up. You can leave. I will see you at home."

Aniket left with a nod, knowing very well that Arjun preferred to ride his bike and take a stroll around the beach.

As usual, Arjun parked his bike at the parking and walked barefoot on the warm sand of the beach. He was having an unusual restless mind. The sun was already gone and the twilight created a hollow in his heart.

He fetched his phone and called his wife. Mitra could not receive the call. After the unanswered attempt, Arjun turned around and walked back to his bike. Pulling on his leather boots, he kick started the bike and pushing the ill feeling aside, he zoomed off towards his home.

He slowed down when he saw an unfamiliar car standing outside the house. He furrowed his eyebrows as he parked his own bike. He was in no mood to see a visitor. Pulling the helmet off of his face, he tucked it in his arm and walked inside, to meet the shocker of his life.

Samrat was merrily chatting away with Veena, who had her eyes wide in surprise as she saw Arjun enter the house.

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Another chapter up.

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