A Heart of Stone with a Coat of Gold

A Banker's Bet

Bhaiyya - In this context, it is brother-in-law. In India, sometimes 'brother-in-law' may be called 'brother' or 'Bhaiyya' affectionately, especially if he is elder than you. Similar to like sometimes we call our close friends 'Bros' affectionately.

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Anu paced up and down the living room. She knew she should be studying, her exams were the next day, but there was a different war being waged in her mind. One part of her said she was going to do fine, like last time. But the cavalry of the enemies screamed, it was all a fluke. Even if it wasn't she had done an arduous year of preparation for the exams last time. How much she had studied this time, mere months?

So the seesaw of emotions played their game, alternating between bouts of hope and despair. The former showed her a happy picture, one in which Ishan Bhaiyya held her result, the score being even better than the last time, lines of pride drawn on his tired face. Despair, however, presented another landscape altogether, where Neel stared at her with a frown and muttered, "You can never be my equal."

Anu finally broke from her reverie when the doorbell rang. Neel was back from office, holding his son in one hand, a briefcase in another, with Reema at his side. He slumped on the sofa, gently placed Aryan beside him and then wiped his brow with the cuff of his hand. As he loosened his tie, Anu couldn't help but admire the man a bit. She knew he worked hard in the office, and in the evenings he tended to his son, never asking her to help him even a bit. And now, he had started leaving early for office, dropping Reema in the morning, and then picking her back in the evening. All this without a word of complaint, or a word of sympathy from her. Whatever his faults were, he was hard-working and tenacious.

As he lit a cigarette, a rare few moments which he enjoyed by himself, she realised, he was probably too tired to even make himself a cup of tea, which he usually did when he came back. She heaved a sigh and got up from her table, heading towards the kitchen. She came back with two cups of tea and handed him one. He was surprised but accepted it without uttering a word. After he took the first sip, he smacked his lips and then turned to her, "Not as good as I make, but still, I appreciate the gesture." He continued having his tea as he scrolled through his smartphone.

Anu cursed herself. Every time she pitied the man a bit, he would bite her back, and she never seemed to learn. She grumbled under her breath, vowing never to do anything for him again. She proceeded to have her own tea, took the first sip, and then placed the cup back on the saucer hurriedly. As she finally gulped the liquid, she exclaimed in shock, "There is no sugar in it, why didn't you tell me?"

Neel eyed her and then took another sip. "Well, as I said, I appreciate the gesture." Anu shook her head, unable to believe the man. He, on the other hand, unperturbed finished the tea and kept the cup down.

Anu, thoughts, however soon wandered back to the impending exams. As if reading her mind, Neel said, "Don't worry. Just give the exam" Anu was honestly surprised, she had never known Neel to be so perceptive. She opened her mouth to reply and then hesitated. He was the last person she wanted to talk about it, but she was dying to speak with someone. The worries, the fears were killing her. Finally pushing the doubts to the back of her mind. she continued, "Neel, what if I do not score well? I have only prepared a month or so."

Neel thought for a moment and then sighed. When he spoke it was his typical cold tone, "If words of encouragement are something you are looking for, then you are mistaken. I have none." Anu turned her gaze sideways, again chiding herself. Just the answer you would expect from this man. What had she been expecting, he was not like Ishan who would have said, "I'm sure you would do fine." Her face fell as she reminisced about the past, the memory of her brother. She wished with all her heart that he was here with her.

Neel though continued, unfazed by Anu's reaction, "But let me put it this way, I am a banker Anu. I look at the facts. Seeing your past academic score and last year's result, If I had to place my money on you, I would do it blindly. All of it."

Anu digested his words. Words which she never expected to come from him. She then looked at him and mumbled a simple thanks. Neel merely nodded. He then lit another cigarette and turned his face away. There was a moment of silence. He then turned back and told her, "Dress up. We are going out."

"What about my exam? I need to revise." She uttered, in exasperation.

" If you study now, then I will lose my money surely. It isn't going to help you one bit. Trust me. Or trust my white hairs a bit" He told her quietly, pointing to his salt and pepper hair. " We will have dinner outside and maybe take the kids to a park afterwards. You all have been cooped in the house for so long. Keep your calm and cool. Enjoy a moment of peace. It'll do you good."

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When Anu started changing in the bedroom, her mind was a bit at ease. Unexpectedly, Neel's words had helped her a lot. 

While she was tying her hairs, her phone rang. She noticed the name and then peeked to check on Neel. Thankfully, he was engrossed in his phone in the living room.

She picked up the phone and a voice very similar to Neel hit her ears, the only remarkable difference being the cheerfulness, the vibrancy in it, which used to absent in Neel's. "Hi, Anu, Dhruv here. Mom told me you called. How may I help you?"

Anu replied in a low voice. "Yes, Dhruv Bhaiyya. I have a question to ask about Neel?"

Dhruv was surprised, but he continued cheerfully, "Shoot."

"How did Neel get the marks on his back?" There was a moment of silence on the other end.

When Dhruv finally spoke, his voice was low, "I would not like to discuss it. My family is here right now. And moreover, it is not something which I can tell you on the phone."

"Then when?" Anu asked softly, she didn't want Neel to hear this conversation.

"Whenever we meet next time. Till then, I guess you will have to wait." Dhruv's voice was barely a whisper, the mirth now having disappeared from it. "You are dealing with some very deep scars Anu. I hope you know what you are getting yourself into. " He said and disconnected the line.

As Anu went over his words, she realised Dhruv hadn't answered to her even a single question. He had only added countless more to them.

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