Exile

19. THEY WILL LEARN TO LIVE WITHOUT ME!!

Anjali, how much ever she tried, couldn't remove the picture of Agastya's "smile" from her head. If the boy was really having a bad day, he could have avoided smiling completely, instead of throwing one at her face. Is he retreating back into his shell?! If yes, why and what could be the reason??? She was lost in her thoughts when she got startled by Harika.

When Harika reached home, she was super hungry. She didn't have her breakfast properly and she actually concentrated in Agastya's class, burning more calories. She walked to her mother straight and hugged her "Bahutt Bhook lagi hai Mumma!!" She whined, as she snuggled into Anjali who hugged her back.

Anjali frowned at her daughter "Class jaldi khatam hogayi?" She asked in confusion. Harika nodded in response. Anjali asked about Agastya while Harika stiffened, which didn't go unnoticed by Anjali. Harika pulled back "Aate hi honge vo. Par mujhe bahut bhook lagi hai!!!" She kind of yelled.

"Kitchen mein kheer hai..." Before Anjali could finish, Harika ran into the kitchen, took Kheer in a bowl and ran upstairs. Anjali found her daughter's behavior very odd. Something is terribly wrong but she decided to take some more time before she could conclude.

Agastya, on the other hand didn't feel like going home. He went to a house where he is welcomed anytime, not before asking someone to inform Anjali that he won't be home for Lunch.

A couple in their 60s, looked up surprised when Agastya walked into the house. They put off the TV immediately and got up, with a smile. Woman went in to get some water and Agastya bent down to take the Man's blessings. Agastya and the man settled down, when the woman approached them with water.

"Kaise ho aap dono?" Agastya asked them warmly, which is reciprocated by the elder couple in 10 fold. They talked, about everything and anything. The old man complained about how his wife is being careless in taking tablets on time while the woman commented on her husband's awful cigarette habit.

More than half of the time, they bickered with each other, keeping Agastya fully entertained. He had a smile on his face all the time. Their banter was filled with laughter and affection, a testament to the decades of companionship and partnership. A twinge of sadness tried to rush through him at the thought of him never being able to have such partnership but he pushed it away. He didn't let his past stop him from appreciating the love he witnessed and the warmth it brought.

Time passed in a blur. Agastya had lunch, watched Local News with them, argued a couple of minutes about some politics, in which he isn't remotely interested. The woman kept bringing something or the other to eat and he didn't deny her anything. He ate everything she offered and also made some demands just to make them happy.

The elder couple were happy to say the least. Their son's demanding job in the city, which financially rewarding, didn't give the luxury of seeing him as often as they would have liked. Yet, they never complained. The love between them is still the same and that is the only thing they wanted.

"Baat hui aapki aapke bete ke sath?" Agastya asked in the middle of a conversation, to which the old man replied with a smile "Aaj call aayega uski. Usika intezaar kar rahe hai hum." As if on cue, the phone rang and the happiness on the couple's face was just priceless. Agastya smiled at that but he froze, when the couple gave him the phone instead of lifting it. He looked at them who smiled "Usne kaha ki jab bhi tum ghar aaoge, tumhe phone dene ke liye. Baat karlo tum dono. Hum andar intezaar karte hai."

Agastya lifted the call and Vivek didn't waste time. He told everything regarding Kotharis' and what Advitya is up to. Agastya listened to everything patiently and not even once did he loose his calm. He didn't want Vivek to know anything about his emotional turmoil. If Vivek has to survive at Advitya, without revealing his secret, Vivek should know nothing about his pain.