King of my Heart-Unroyals #1

13 | Unexpected guest

[unedited]

The Ganesh Chaturthi preparations were in full swing at Dileep Arora's home. Himani's father and Harry were busy arranging the Pooja room. Himani was assigned the duty to decorate the house using festoons made out of marigolds and mango leaves. Lily was walking in and out of the kitchen, carrying the offerings for Lord Vinayak. Modaks, laddoos, barfis, fruits, rice, Ganga jal, coconut, vermillion, and turmeric were arranged in front of the idol.

'Have you finished hanging the flowers?' Dileep asked from inside.

'Almost.' Himani replied as she hung the last strand from the window. She was dressed in a white blouse and a pale yellow skirt. She stepped down from the chair that she was using to hang the festoons as she heard the doorbell ringing.

'Himani, check who's it.' Dileep cried from inside.

'Okay, Papa.' Himani replied and walked towards the door, thinking about who it might be. They have invited no one except Lily and Harry. Most of her relatives were in Maharashtra and Delhi, and they wouldn't travel all the way up to Dharamshala just for Ganesh Chaturthi.

Kedar's smiling face came into sight as Himani opened the door.

'You?' She blurted out upon seeing him at her doorstep, wearing a green kurta and holding a hamper in his hands.

'Yes. Me...' He trailed off.

'Where did you keep the ghee?' She heard Lily asking as she emerged from the kitchen and walked towards her. 'What the-' She almost swore, and her eyes widened as she spotted Kedar.

'Who's it, Himani?' Both Dileep and Harry emerged from the puja room to check who the guest was.

'Is that?' Dileep asked feebly, to no one in particular upon seeing Kedar.

'Yes, it is the prince.' Harry replied.

'Is it not a good time to visit?' He asked as the awkward silence creeped in.

'No no... Come in.' Dileep invited him inside. 'We are about to start the puja.'

'Did you invite him?' Lily asked Himani, her voice low, as Kedar walked in.

'I kinda did.' She replied.

'So, are you guys like... friends now?' Harry asked, surprised.

'I don't know.' Himani sighed.

'Are his despicable friends coming too?' Lily asked.

'Do you think I'm dumb enough to invite them? Well, they'd laugh at my face if I ever invited them.' Himani said and walked towards the puja room.

It was almost evening when they sat for the feast, after the puja and the immersion of the idol in the nearest stream. Dileep was a dexterous cook who served the kids with both sweet and savoury dishes. Lily kept praising his cooking throughout the meal, as did Kedar. He had an extra puran poli, while Harry and Lily enjoyed gheer and modak, respectively.
'Uncle, you should've become a chef instead of joining the army. I mean, you could've become another Sanjeev Kapoor.' Lily said as she chomped on another modak.

'Who's Sanjay Kapoor?' Harry asked to no one in particular.

'Indian Gordon Ramsay. But it's a lot nicer.' Himani replied.

'You are in the army?' Kedar asked in astonishment.

'Were. Captain in the Dogra Regiment. Retired now.'

'But you're still very young.' Kedar replied politely.'

'Had to take a self-retirement five years ago, under certain circumstances.' An uneasiness spread on Dileep's face.

'Why? What happened?' Kedar looked at him with eagerness. His eyes moved into Himani's face as the whole room fell silent, everybody had stopped eating by then.

Himani's eyes were fixated on the empty plate, and she stood up to leave after a moment. 'I'm finished.' She took the empty plate and left the dining table.

'Did I ask something wrong?' Kedar asked, not knowing what had gone wrong.

'I took the retirement after my wife left.' Dileep clarified. 'Well, Himani is a bit sensitive about that topic.'

'Oh, I-' Kedar's words got stuck in his throat. 'I didn't know that. I shouldn't have asked that. I'm sorry.'

'It's alright, son.' Dileep smiled at him.

They continued eating the rest of the meal in silence.