HOPE

Chapter Eight

Garima had always thought, right from the very beginning of her growing years, that she was always right in taking decisions for both Susheela and herself, after all they were twins. Right from clothes, to accessories, education to hobbies, Garima had a say in everything that her twin sister did. Susheela always let her choose things for her, take her side of the decisions as well because she was far too nonchalant in her life.

So, when Garima took yet another decision to keep the truth of their father's humiliation from Susheela, she thought that she was yet again saving Susheela from the trouble of solving her own problems. But, what she failed to see and understand was the bigger picture that her sister saw right through their hidden lies. It was for the very first time that Susheela was down right furious because Garima had taken the most important decision of her life, to hide the truth from her. It had shocked her, and she was perplexed even!

But when the harsh truth came pelting down in the form of consequences of her and her father's actions upon her harshly, was then that she realised that she was wrong. She had no right to take crucial decisions of her twin sister's life, atleast not when somebody else was also entwined with her sister then.

Garima climbed up the stairs that led towards her old bedroom that she shared with her twin sister. She slowly knocked on the door twice and waited for Susheela to open the door for her, or atleast give an indication for her to come in. After waiting for several minutes, no answer came from inside. There was no rustling of the sheets, no groaning, no cussing, nothing! Growing with a building anxiety, Garima pushed open the door only to find their shared room empty and vacated.

Garima frowned as she stepped inside the room. 'Shayad neeche gayi hogi', she thought to herself and took two steps at a time as she climbed back down the staircase and entered into the living hall to see all her family members sitting gloomily.

"Papa, aapne Susheela ko kahi dekha hai kya?", Garima asked, her wandering eyes trying to find the familiar figure of her sister. Kusum stiffened visibly and a slight spark of fear flashed past her irises, but she quickly masked her features.

"Nahi beta, wo yaha toh nahi aayi. Shayad apne kamre mein hogi.", Dharmpal said with a tired sigh, the forlorn look visible on his face.

"Nahi papa wo upar nahi hai.", Garima said scratching the back of her head in confusion.

"Garima tune bathroom check kiya?", Kusum asked in a soft tone.

Garima widened her eyes in realisation and rushed back upstairs only to find the joint bathroom in their room empty and no signs of someone previously using it. Garima furrowed her brows and walked futher into the room. The room was kept as she had left it. The decorations were removed and everything was in place. But something was missing, the room felt terribly still. As if a loud alarm blared loudly in her ears, Garima ran towards their shared wardrobe and opened it in a haste. She gasped and took two steps back to see that all her sister's belongings were gone, she threw away her clothes around and searched their locker, everything that belonged to Susheela was gone, just like her presence.

Garima widened her eyes further when she glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on a small folded paper kept neatly under a paperweight on their shared desk. Gulping down her fear and praying to God that it isn't what she was assuming, Garima picked up the paper with shivering hands.

She slowly and very carefully opened the folded chit, afraid that it will tear away and gasped as she read it's content.

"Main jaanti hu aap sab mujhse bohot naraz hai, khas kar ke papa aur Garima. Magar main apne kisi bhi actions ko justify nahi karne wali hu. Maine wahi kiya jo mujhe sahi laga. Aur abhi bhi wahi karne jaa rahi hu jo mujhe sahi lag raha hai.