A Heart of Stone with a Coat of Gold

Heathcliff

Dear Readers, I wrote an earlier chapter with the same name which I am removing. I felt it didn't go well with the tone of the novel. I am really sorry for the inconvenience I am creating. I apologize humbly for it.

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To all my dear readers, who haven't read Wuthering Heights, here's some info to help you grasp the context

Heathcliff is a fictional character in Wuthering Heights, a novel by Emily Bronte. Owing to the novel's enduring fame and popularity, he is often regarded as an example of the tortured anti-hero whose all-consuming rage, jealousy and anger destroy both him and those around him.

Jiju - Brother-in-law

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Anu was leaving the next day. She had a full day to herself so she decided to go through the family album in her free time. She skimmed through the pages, watching her husband grow from a child to an adult. As the dates were increasing, the appearance of Neel was decreasing, his pictures being far and few. As she looked at his earlier photos she saw a happy child, turning into what he was today picture by picture. Like a flip book, where she could see Neel's smile slowly and slowly fading. 

Meera's words were ringing in her ears, "He's just lost." Images flashed before Anu's eyes. The empty plate on the first morning, Shruti's smudged letter, and the loneliness in his eyes which she felt every time she looked at them as if they were trying to say but something was holding him back.

"What happened to you Neel?" Anu asked herself, but no reply came from the silence. 

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Anu finally called Neel that night. It had been a week since she had left. "I want to talk, Neel".

"Say" She heard his voice from the other end, along with slight wheezing. How many cigarettes this man smoked in a day, Anu wondered.

"It's about Reema" Anu stopped and took a breath. It was very uncomfortable for her to talk about it, but she had to.

"Your sister?"Again the sound of wheezing.

Anu finally mustered the courage and spoke, "I want Reema to live with me. She has no one else."

She waited for his reply. "Huh Huh" he mumbled and once again the tune of inhaling somerthing touched her ears.

"Can you please stop smoking and answer?" Her tone was a bit louder. She was irked. Reema threw her a look from behind. She was surprised. 

There was a bit of commotion in the background on the other end.

"I have put out the cigarette." He finally replied. Thankfully, the sound had now stopped.

"So?" Anu asked nervously.

"So what?" he retorted.  

Anu winced. Why was he making this hard for her?  Anu tried to calm her voice as she spoke again.  She needed this from him. "Can she stay with us?"  There was a moment of silence.

When Neel's voice came from the other end, it was low. It seemed he was finding it difficult to say, but he was trying his hardest. "Anu, whatever our situation may be, you are my wife. If you want, do it. Don't ask me." He hastily disconnected the call.

It had been hard for him. Anu knew it. And since the first time they had met, Anu felt, a bit of respect for the man.

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"How's Jiju like?" Reema asked. They were on a train.

"How should I describe him?" Anu took a pause, thinking. " Well, he is silent and doesn't speak much. He smokes a lot which you will soon see. And when he is not smoking, you will find him in some corner,  with a novel called Wuthering Heights." 

"I have read it," Reema replied and gazed at the meadows, passing them by as the train moved. Her face had a seriousness that troubled Anu. She had seen so much at a young age. She was still young, barely ten, a lot younger than both Ishan and Anu. 

Their parents had Reema very late. She was the kid of the house. The whole house used to dote on her. Even their Mom used to be less harsh on her compared to Anu. Since she was small, she had been shy. But yet if you looked at her, you could notice the playfulness and laughter behind, something you won't find in adults. What worried Anu was that now the playfulness was missing, replaced by the seriousness of seeing too much of the harsh realities of the world.  Anu decided at that moment, whatever her own future may be, she won't let Reema's be destroyed. Ishan Bhaiyya would have done the same.

Reema's eyebrows contorted, she was thinking hard. "He seems like Heathcliff."

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The doorbell rang and Neel answered it. There she was, a little girl of ten, hiding behind Anu's legs as she stole a glance at the man. He was dressed in a white suit and had a cigarette in his hand, which was still burning. He was old, Reema noticed. He also had salt and pepper hair and had a moustache. She didn't feel like a jiju to the little girl. He was so serious and ancient.

What interested Reema the most was his eyes. The blue eyes that were looking at her, trying to understand what she was thinking.

After entering the room, Anu went to change while Neel and Reema sat on the table. Neel eyed the little girl sitting on the couch, uneasily. He had had a bad history with kids. They were strange and unpredictable, at least to him.

Like his brother's sons. He remembered when, while on a call, he had noted something, on one of his nephew's drawings, which he had been colouring beside him. The kid sat stunned, unable to comprehend what had just transpired, then gave him the dirtiest look possible, following which he wailed at the top of his lungs. Unsure of what to do, he tried to make him stop by offering him a 500 Rs note, unsuccessfully, following which the decibels rose even higher. Finally, his mother had intervened and calmed the kid.

Neel had agreed to Anu's request. But at the back of his mind, Neel was very worried. Aryan's entry had already meant a big change for him. Then Anu. And now this little girl. 

Life was changing. And Neel was never good with it.

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