Skin

Page 10- Distances

After a lot of convincing from NK Bua dadi agreed to have lunch. When everyone sat down at the dining table Bua dadi noticed the weird seating arrangements and called everyone out.

"Khyati is he your husband or a stranger?" Bua dadi asked from her seat at the head of the table, Nk sitting by her.

"My----husband." Khyati said as if it physically hurt her to say that. But she had to because she knew how fragile Bua dadi's health was right now. While Rishi gave a bright smile at hearing Khyati call him her husband for the first time.

"Oh, okay so he is your husband." Dadi said nodding her head in mock understanding. "Then why are you sitting two chairs from him as if you don't even know him." Dadi asked sarcastically.

"Because we don't even---." Khyati said having enough of lying, about to tell Dadi how she didn't even like Rishi because there was no way that she was going to sit next to him when Karan interrupted her.

"Because they didn't want to offend you Bua dadi." Karan said from his seat on the floor, making up a lie, surprising everyone because he was trying to help. "They just got married recently--- and these love birds can't--- keep their hands off of each other." Karan said making up a lie on the spot.

"Haye! So cute. Go, Khyati, go to your husband. He's your husband, you have every right to be with him, I promise I won't say anything." Dadi said smiling, believing Karan's lie.

When Khyati went to say something else, Karan gave her a look telling her to not say anything. Khyati understood what Karan was trying to say, obediently, going to sit next to Rishi, inching away from Rishi as much as she could without making Dadi suspicious. Rishi realized that Khyati was only doing this for Dadi and was hurt, but didn't let it show.

"Look how great you look together. I hope no one's evil eye affects your relationship." Dadi said smiling, not knowing that Khyati and Rishi had no relationship, to begin with.

"Okay if you're done playing matchmaker, Bua ma, can you eat now?" NK said jokingly, he too smiling at seeing Rishi and Khyati together.

"In a minute Nanu." Dadi told NK and then looked toward Karan. "Oye, Karan what are you doing there? Come up and sit on the table." Dadi told Karan sternly.

"But Bua dadi I'm sitting here because Dadu used to sit here, it reminds me of him." Karan said honestly but also because he didn't want to sit at the same table as his father.

"I also miss Chotey, so why don't I also come sit there?" Dadi said getting sad as she thought about her brother about to move from her chair, to go sit with Karan.

"No, Bua dadi please don't do that, you're still weak, and sitting on the floor without any back support won't be good for you." Karan said in protest.

"Then you come up and sit here with your family. We all miss Chotey and sharing your pain lessens it. So being with your family will help you remember Chotey more." Dadi said wisely.

"But Bua dadi-" Karan said about to protest when he was interrupted by Dadi.

"But nothing. Come here and sit next to me. So that we can talk about Chotey." Dadi said kindly.

Karan, not wanting to upset Dadi, reluctantly got up from the floor and sat next to Dadi on the table, across from NK. Angry at seeing NK's happy face when he sat on the table.

'Don't be so happy thinking that you have won, Mr. Nand Kishore Chauhan. This is only for Bua dadi, and the minute she leaves, I will go back to my seat' Karan thought to himself, angrily.

"Naina puttar, come here and sit next to Karan, everyone can get their own food." Dadi said to Naina once she came out of the kitchen with several dishes.

Naina had offered to serve the food, something that made Karan roll his eyes because he thought that Naina was doing this to suck up to Bua dadi.

"Uh- I." Naina said at a loss for words when she saw Karan sitting on the dining table.

"What happened? Just come sit here." Dadi said, not understanding why Naina was hesitant to sit next to her own husband.

So Naina did as she was told, sitting next to Karan, something that she hadn't done in over a year. The Chauhan family finally looked like a family after a whole year, but it was still incomplete.

'Maybe things will change now that Bua ma is here, and maybe they will remain that way even after Bua ma leaves. Thank you, God, for sending Bua ma to us like an angel.' NK thought to himself as he looked around the table with misty eyes.

And he was right, Bua dadi had indeed come to them like an angel. Because it hadn't even been one day since her arrival and she had lessened the physical distances in the Chauhan house.

But little did anyone know that Bua dadi would also be the reason that the other half of their family will come home again.

However, sadly it would be harder to lessen the distances of hearts than it was to lessen physical distances.

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