Page 41 of Twisted Deceit
“We are here to meet the head of the Jangid clan. I promised him I would bring his niece with me the next time I visit.”
She felt deep sadness, remembering the side of the family she had forgotten. Her aunt cut off all ties with her mother’s family after her parents passed away in a fire accident while performing a ritual at the Jangid fort. Memories of the smiling faces of her mother’s siblings and grandparents flashed before her eyes.
She remembered the last time she was there, and the last thing she remembered was her being taken away from the fort by her furious aunt. “I—I can’t be here; Rajji will be very upset,” her voice was weak.
He shrugged. “She can be upset with me all she wants. You didn’t know where we were going.”
Her eyes widened in response to his words. “Why are you taking me to the Jangid fort?”
He held her eyes for a long moment. “I need your uncle’s support to achieve my goal.” She appreciated the small bit of transparency.
Aadhya fell silent, unsure of how to react to his words. It was indeed a predicament. Did she care more about stopping him or meeting the family she had not seen in decades?Nanihad been her only tie to her mother’s side of the family, and the older woman wasn’t even a relative. But she was more like the grandmother she hadn’t seen in years.
Her question about whether to aid in her fake husband’s mission or choose her happiness was answered when the vehicles stopped. Her eyes fell on the people gathered; the first person she saw was her grandmother, and an uncontrollable sob escaped her. The door of the vehicle flew open before she could reach for it, and she saw her husband was the one who held the door open for her.
Wiping away the tears that rolled down her cheeks, she walked to where the older woman stood, towards the back of the group, as if unsure of herself. She walked past people who placed their hands on her shoulder, tears in their eyes, and wrapped her arms around the older woman.
“I missed you, so much, Aadi,” the wobbling voice of her grandmother made Aadhya cry out in joy.
“I missed you too,Dadi.” The older woman hugged Aadhya so closely, and she didn’t let go.
“Aadi, it is so good to see you finally.” Aadhya pulled back when she heard a man’s voice from behind. It was her mother’s older brother.
“So good to see you,Mama.” She smiled as he touched her head as if blessing her.
The man batted away moisture that gathered in his eyes. “You remind us so much of Jayanti.” Aadhya had not heard her mother’s name in ages, and it brought back happy memories of her when she always thought everything about the region only brought her bad memories.
“Where isDada?” Aadhya asked about her maternal grandfather, almost dreading to hear the following words.
Her grandmother nodded. “He’s inside the house. He doesn’t recognize people these days. He refuses to come out of his room and has been that way the last twenty years.”
Aadhya felt a pinch of guilt for never asking to meet her mother’s family, but again, she wouldn’t do anything that would come anywhere near hurting her aunt. “Let’s go; I want to see him.”
Her grandma let out a laugh. “Not yet, Aadhya. You cannot go into the house without the welcome ritual. Especially since you are a new bride.”
Aadhya only laughed and surprisingly didn’t mind the ritual at all, even if it was something she had to do, holding her husband’s hand while he held her close to him with his arm.
For a change, she wasn’t annoyed with her fake husband. He did something right even if it was for his own selfish reasons.
Later that day, after spending time with her maternal family, she entered the garden to stroll through the orchard. No matter how warm the day was, she always remembered it was cool in the shade. She smiled, remembering her mother's stories while they walked down the stone pathway.
“It feels good to be back, Mamma.” The words escaped her, and that made her laugh. Never in many years did she think she could smile and enjoy her parent’s memories. She had shut them away and when they resurfaced, they made her find a dark corner and shut herself out from everyone.
She could not believe it was almost sunset time and she had spent all day with her grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. A bit younger than her, but she didn’t realize she had so many cousins. It surprised her how much she connected with her mother’s siblings like a day did not pass from the last time she had seen them.
Aadhya stopped on the pathway to observe a familiar sign on one of the pillars that held the covering over the pathway. Her fingers trembled as she reached for a smear of color on the painted pillar. It was a marking of her hand from when she was little. How could she not have thought of coming to see her grandparents sooner?
“Don’t be ridiculous, they just got married.” A female’s voice from somewhere nearby fell on her ears, and Aadhya looked around to see if anyone was in sight. Just from the reference to a recent marriage, Aadhya wondered if the conversation was about her.
“Why does it matter? It is part of our culture. I’m going to ask my father to speak about the alliance.” Another insisted female voice followed.
“Listen, my cousin just came back home after a long time. Don’t ruin it for my family.” Aadhya recognized the voice as her uncle’s daughter’s voice. She knew not to be eavesdropping but could not move from the spot. The girls seemed to be on the other side of the tall hedge and were discussing deeply about something, not realizing Aadhya was standing not far from them.
Aadhya confirmed the conversation was about her, but she could not understand the context. As if the other girl read her mind, she said, “He is a Thakvar and so good-looking. I don’t care if I must be wife number ten to Nakul Thakvar; I would do it in a heartbeat.”
Aadhya reached for the pillar for support as her legs shook in response to the conviction in the girl’s voice. She felt anger build up and did not know why she was having such a reaction. She should not be eavesdropping and walking past the point, but she stood there like she had every right to listen to the conversation.
Her cousin, Vibhuti, sighed and whispered, “You are mad, Devi. Stop being so obsessed with my cousin’s husband. He is married, and have you seen how he looks at his wife? He would not spare a glance in any other woman’s direction.”
