The Dancing Tale

Chapter 24 (part 2)

We climbed the steps to my floor in silence. No words were exchanged between us after we left mandir and here we are now climbing the stairs to the rudrani's room. His steps faltered in the middle but I pulled him along with me.

"I can't."

I turned to his way and sighed. The sorrow in his eyes made me let him go. I know it will only make what is inevitable to delay but the lost of perfect words for this situation kept me quite. I didn't know what to say. "Rooh. You can't give up now. Don't you want to know the last message that she left for you."

He zoned out while looking at the gallery between my room and rudrani's room. I remember him telling that he will be here after 4 years. A small smile made its way on his lips like he remembered something while looking in that little area. A memory struck his mind's chords that gave him the incentive or motivation that he needed and we walked to the door of her room. I pushed it open and we stood at the entrance.

He visibly gulped and tears made its way out of his eyes. I am glad he us letting them go because repression of emotions causes a lifetime damage. I leave his hand and he slowly walked in and looked around and then sat on her bed while holding one of their picture frame and staring at it. A smile broke into his face again but after few seconds it was gone and his face morphed and he started crying. He fell on his knees on floor and was sobbing his heart out while clutching the frame to his heart. Sudden demise of her sister finally settling in his heart, shattering it into tiny pieces. The tears that he kept in since last 4 years finally seems to coming out. His sight broke my heart. I felt my own tears flowing down for him but I wiped them and walked in steadily and wrapped my arms around him to let him know that I am here with him. I Wish I could protect him from all the pain and hurt of the world. He clutched harder on the frame and buried his head on my shoulder.

"It's okay. Let your tears go." I whispered and rubbed his back while he cried on my shoulder. After sometime when his sobbing died down I freed my arms from around him and let him have his personal space.

"She wanted to work against the eve teasing of girls when we were just 18 while I was a lethargic boy who didn't have any goal in his life." He mumbled and we both sat at the foot of the bed with our back attached to it. I looked at the picture that he held in his hands. It was a happy family picture of them and by their looks I can tell they shot it some time before her demise.

"She is very beautiful." I said. He smiled a little on that but then looked up.

"I was actually upset with her when we clicked it. She kept joking about her death and I scolded her not to do that. Yet she kept doing it. Perhaps she was trying to normalize the situation for us but it hurt me. As she always get her way with us so I gave in and we clicked it here in the front lawn. She kept it with her in her last month in hospital."

"She loved you. A lot. This is clear in this picture." I told him.

"I know. We both were ready to jump in fire to save each other. Yes we had our fair share of fights and banter but that was how we were." He said and gulped the heavy lump that formed in his throat. "We danced, pranked, sang, smile and fought together. When I look back to my childhood there is no memory in head which does not contain her in it." He got up and then went to her wardrobe and pulled another picture frame out. “She was so obsessed with high school musical that she forced me to dress as Ryan while she dressed as sharpay and got this picture clicked when we were in 12th grade." He told me while showing me the frame.

It was a collage of many pictures of them dressed as Ryan and sharpay together and while rudra looked bored in pictures , rudrani was looking very vivacious and full of life. A smile settled on my lips just by seeing the smile on her face. She definitely was the light of the house.