SHIKWA

Chapter 22

Swaara was sitting in her room looking at the walls. Ragini was packing her belongings. There was complete silence in the room.

Srishti came inside the room with tea in her hand. Ragini smiled and took the tea from her.

"You are a doctor too?" Srishti asked innocently.

Ragini nodded.

"Can I ask you one thing?" Srishti said.

"Sure!" Ragini replied sipping tea.

"You all are angry with Swara didi? But she did everything for you all only na!"

Ragini looked at Srishti and then at Swara. With a serious yet calm tone, she replied, "If in my place, you would have been there, would you have allowed Swara to do such things?"

"Never!" Srishti said and realized the cause of her anger.

"And.... And Mr. Maheshwari! I mean elder Mr. Maheshwari!"

Ragini chuckled hearing the way Srishti addressed Sanskaar. She looked at Swara and said, "Ask your didi about him. She may have better answers."

Swara looked at Ragini and then at Srishti. With a sigh, she said, "He is not angry with me. He is angry on himself."

"But he loves you!" Srishti said, "We all have seen. He should talk to you!"

"He won't! I know he won't." Swara said. She looked at the time and asked Ragini, "Ragu!"

"Who ragu! Mrs. maheshwari it was na! Toh let it be that way only!"

"Are listen to me yar once! Can't you keep your anger at bay for a while?" Swara snapped back at her the same way.

"Why! You should have kept your greatness at bay na! Once! Just for once you could have hinted me! But no!" Ragini raised her voice and almost threw the last of her clothes in the bag.

Swara stood up and said"You were at your covid duties."

"So what! I came to meet you once! You are so brave, so intelligent. You could have ran towards us when we came to meet you!"

"I did not know that. Nobody informed me!" Swara replied.

"Oh great! Then what about the time you wrote that letter! That time toh you knew na!" Ragini was now literally shouting at her.

"I wrote that letter in.... "

"I know you were forced to write that! I am just saying that for once, you should have ran out of your room or should have shouted. But no! You did not trust us for once!" Ragini yelled again.

"My... "

"What my... Haa!"

"Ragu... I was chained to bed at that time."

Ragini stopped abruptly. She looked at Swara whose eyes were lowered and eyes had a little moistness.

"You... You were ... " Ragini could not complete the sentence.

"Yes! And there was a cloth.... "

"Shhh! I understood!" Ragini got silent.

"Don't look at me like this. I don't like sympathetic looks from anyone. You know this!" Swara said turning her face away.

Ragini sighed and tried to control herself. She stepped near her and held her shoulders.

"Sympathy should be the last thing I would have for you in my store!" Ragini said.

"Then what is the first thing you have in store for me?" Swara asked.

"Ummm! Let me see!" Saying so, Ragini opened her purse and took out a chocolate. A smile ran over Swara's face. Breaking it into three parts, and distributing it amongst the three petsons in room, Swara hugged Ragini tightly. Swara knew Ragini had silently wiped her tears. Ragini knew Swara had silently suprresed a sob. But they both did not say a word.