Satsangi - (A Search For Truth)

CHAPTER 22

I opened the door and stepped into the house, smiling at the cozy, heartwarming scene that greeted me. Anusha and Manasa were both fast asleep on the couch—Anusha with a book loosely held in her hand, and Manasa clutching her laptop as if it were a pillow. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. They must have been waiting up for me.

I walked over quietly, gently taking the book from Anusha’s hand and the laptop from Manasa's embrace, setting them both on the coffee table. Then, I draped a blanket over them and adjusted their pillows to make them more comfortable.

Just as I was about to settle in, a soft voice behind me said, "They dozed off while waiting for you, ma'am." Startled, I turned around to see a woman in her 40s standing there, a gentle smile on her face. She was holding a young boy, sound asleep on her shoulder, his tiny arms wrapped around her as she patted his back rhythmically.

The confusion must have shown on my face because she quickly added, "Oh, I’m sorry for startling you. My name is Parvati; Seethamma sent me over to help around the house."

Recognition dawned on me, and I nodded. "Oh, yes, of course! Seethamma did mention you’d be coming. Thank you for being here, Parvati."

"And this little one?" I asked, glancing at the boy with a smile.

She looked down at him fondly. "This is Karthikeya, my nephew. I hope you don’t mind; he’s staying with me for a bit. I can assure you he’s very well-behaved and won’t be any trouble."

I waved away her concern with a reassuring smile. "That’s perfectly fine, Parvati. Karthikeya is more than welcome here." Then, with a friendly nod, I added, "And please, just call me Divya."

She returned the smile warmly. "Thank you, Divya. Good night," she said softly, before heading toward her room with Karthikeya, who was still fast asleep on her shoulder.

As the house grew quiet, I settled onto the couch, leaning back and closed my eyes. It wasn’t long before I too drifted off, comforted by the warmth of home and the people around me.

I felt someone tugging at my blanket, disturbing my sleep. Half-asleep, I pulled it tighter around me and turned over, hoping to drift off again. But only a few minutes later, I felt a soft patting on my cheek. Irritated, I opened my eyes, ready to scold whoever dared to disturb my sleep. But my annoyance quickly melted into a smile. It was Karthikeya, his little hands resting on my face, trying to wake me up. When he saw that I was awake, his face lit up with a cheeky grin, he giggled before dashing over to Parvati, hiding shyly behind her as he peeked out.

"He’s a little troublemaker, Divya," Manasa murmured, rubbing her eyes as she woke up. Anusha, still stretching, nodded in agreement.

"Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes," Parvati called, smiling at us.

"Thank you, Aunty! We’ll freshen up and be down soon," Anusha replied as we all headed to our rooms.

After freshening up, we made our way downstairs and took our places at the dining table. We served ourselves and insisted that Parvati join us. She hesitated at first, as she often did, but eventually, she joined in, smiling at our insistence.

Just as we were finishing breakfast, my phone buzzed. I answered the call, recognizing Manohar’s number, but his voice came through tense with worry. “Madam, Rehaan sir has been shot. We admitted him to the hospital. Can you come here as soon as possible?”

For a moment, I was stunned, unable to process his words. “Shot?” I repeated, my voice barely more than a whisper.

“Yes, madam. The doctors are treating him right now. Please come if you can.”