Page 80 of Love after Marriage

Roshni certainly wondered why he called again. “Deepak, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. How are you? You sounded down and unhappy this morning.”

Both were concerned for each other, but Roshni did not want to talk to him any longer than necessary. Deepak continued his conversation with her.

“Roshni, did Sashank bhaiya call Satish bhaiya?”

“No, not yet.”

“Is he going to call or no?” Deepak asked.

“I don’t know. I would be sad if he didn’t call Satish bhaiya,” Roshni expressed.

“Yeah, but who is to convince Sashank bhaiya?” he said. Then within a few seconds, he suggested, “Roshni, you have done so much for everybody; why don’t you talk to him about this as well?”

She possessed the talent to put everybody at ease.

“I planned on talking to him in a couple of days if he did not talk to Satish bhaiya.”

“Good, I hope thi

s gets resolved,” Deepak said.

Roshni nodded. She was confident she could rationalize with Sashank bhaiya but did not want to say anything to Deepak. Both of them hung up after a few minutes. Thinking about his recent trip, Deepak chuckled.

~ ~ ~

It had been over a week; Roshni called Nirmala and checked on Satish’s health. Satish was doing better, but during this conversation, Roshni realized that Satish was sad. He felt strongly about talking to Sashank. Nirmala had called last time with a hope that she could get Sashank to talk to Satish, but that didn’t happen.

During the conversation, Nirmala revealed that they’d had several arguments in the last few months. Satish thought about his brothers a lot and wanted to apologize for what he had done. She personally felt that this could have been one reason for his stroke and asked Roshni if she could help.

Roshni wanted to accomplish this task before she left for Bangalore.

Sunday after Deepak’s call, the entire family was in the family room, chatting happily over the day’s events. This had become their routine. Sashank enquired about the call, and Roshni took this opportunity to talk to him.

“Sashank bhaiya, I talked to Nirmala bhabhi,” Roshni said.

Sashank looked at her instantly with wide open eyes. “How is Satish doing?”

Roshni explained her conversation with Nirmala, and then she continued, “Bhaiya, can you please talk to him one time? He wants to talk to you. Maybe he wants to apologize to you for all that happened. Please talk to him.”

Sashank shook his head; he was not ready to talk to him. Kusum and Akash were helpless. Roshni came closer to him and knelt before him. She held his hand and very lovingly assured him, “Bhaiya, I know your feelings towards him and his family. You are angry with them, but this is not the time to express that anger.”

She glanced over all three sitting there and continued, “When Deepak and I went to see him last week, not much conversation occurred between the brothers. He hugged Deepak and cried. He apologized to Deepak for not being there for him as a fatherly figure when Deepak needed him the most. He also mentioned that he was so self-centered and focused on his life and his family, he never paid attention to his siblings, who were young and dependent upon him.”

Roshni gave Sashank all the details of the conversation Deepak and Satish had had. Sashank listened, and he became teary. The past came back to him: he and younger siblings suffering, they being thrown out, his father’s death…

He wiped his tears and looked at Roshni. “Roshni bete, do you know how much this man ill-treated us, he and his wife? Babuji was mentally tortured several times, but he did not say a word. I was a witness to all that. How can I forgive him who treated his own father so badly? Akash and…and Deepak were so young. They needed the security after our father’s death, and h-he never cared! How rock hearted could he be? And his wife…she was mean, too arrogant and lacked common courtesy, but him. What had happened to him?”

He had tears in his eyes. His face became red, and his nose was running. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes and blew his nose. Kusum, Akash and Roshni all had moist eyes. He opened up everything to them and wept. He vented out his feelings. “I cannot forgive him,” Sashank said.

Roshni gently rubbed his hand. “Bhaiya, if you cannot forgive him, then what is the difference between you and him?”

Sashank looked at her. He did not understand what Roshni meant.

“Bhaiya, yes, he and his wife behaved in the worst way with you all. They were rude, they kicked you all out, but that was the past. Today he is regretting it. His apology was sincere. I don’t think he wants anything more, bhaiya. He wants to apologize to you too; that is all!”

Sashank did not respond.

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