Shruti And Anuj

15 - Secret

Anuj scanned the surroundings keenly, tension radiating from his body. The transport, hotel bookings, the restaurant reservations, every place was new and unfamiliar with no trigger points for Aadhya that he could foresee. None the less, he wasn't going to lower his guard.
Shruti was exhausted from the flight and Anuj's anxiety was not helping. She leaned heavily on the walker and moved into the car, waiting impatiently to reach the hotel.
Surprisingly, it was Aadhya who was the calmest among them, watching the traffic and crowd serenely from her car window.

They reached the hotel and the staff handed over 2 room keys to Anuj.
'Pops', said Aadhya, in the elevator, 'why aren't we staying at the Kapadia Mansion?'.
The keys slipped from Anuj's hands and he said as he bent to retrieve them,
'It's so boring to stay at Kapadia Mansion all the time. Here, we can be as messy and fun as we want and the housekeeping staff will look after us. Plus, have you seen the size of the swimming pool? The downstairs restaurant has Thai food options as well. Much better than KM'.
Anuj's words sounded like well rehearsed dialogues rather than something he truly felt.

As Anuj was opening the room door, Aadhya said, 'Pops, I want to stay with Dadi and Badi Maa and Bade Papa and Sara Didi. I thought we were going home directly from the airport'. Anuj didn't respond to Aadhya.
'Shruti, it's nearly lunch time. Let's eat in this room and then we will settle your stuff in your room. Okay?'.
Shruti nodded, making her way to an oversized armchair and sinking into it gratefully. Anuj had no doubt kept her health in mind when he decided to come to Ahmedabad a day before the Shah functions began. God knew, she needed the rest.
'Shru, are you all right?'.
'Fine, Baby. Just tired and hungry. Nothing a good meal and sleep can't solve'.
Anuj ordered for food right away and Aadhya looked around the spacious room.

As soon as Anuj kept the phone down, Aadhya continued her questioning.
'Please, Kiddo, give it a rest. I am tired too'.
Aadhya fell silent.
Anuj sighed.
'We are here to attend Dimpy's wedding. Let's keep our trip simple and not involve the rest of the Kapadias in the mix'.
'Pops, Dadi has been messaging me for the past 4 years and you told me to ignore her. Can't I at least meet her when I am here in India?'.
Anuj tried to push back the anger rising in him. Malti Devi ji. The mother who had not only deserted him but also tried to break his relationship with his wife. The mother who had successfully managed to poison his child's mind against her mother.
'I don't understand you, Aadhya', said Anuj, flatly, 'The only reason I uprooted the two of us to never return back was that you couldn't bear living in KM. Let alone KM, living in India was almost impossible for you. I had to take you to a place which was as different from India as I could manage and you still haven't fully healed in the past years. Now, you are questioning me as to why we aren't in KM? What's going on in your mind? The truth this time, Aadhya'.

Aadhya looked at the floor as she answered, 'The US isn't what it used to be with Ms. Joshi there too. And..Dadi.. Dadi and I remained in touch over the past 4 years. She knows about Shru and Ms. Joshi and the food critic trouble and..about Dimpy Bhabhi's wedding. She will come to meet us here even if we don't go to KM.
Sorry, Pops. I didn't want to hide this from you but you wouldn't allow me to talk to Dadi if you knew'.
A pindrop silence spread across the room.

Anuj couldn't believe his ears. His Aadhya was communicating with Malti Devi, of all people, all the while and he had no clue.
He tried to calm down. It wasn't such a big deal. Naturally, Aadhya, who could never see the manipulative side of Malti Devi, would want all of them to live together like a family. She was just a child when they had shifted and of course Aadhya would not be able to give up on everything overnight.
The rationalisation didn't work. The sting of betrayal wouldn't go away. Aadhya had won a scholarship to move back to India and Anuj had been clueless about that too. His daughter could no longer confide in him and there was this wall of secrets between them that he had stayed blissfully unaware of. Aadhya could speak her heart out to her Shru, her Dadi and who knew who else but not to her Pops.