Aboli

Part 68

"Are you feeling unwell? May be you should slow down and focus on your health, Anju!" Harsh's veiled words betrayed his concern for her. Actually he was calling on her for a specific reason. He knew that Sanyukta was working late that evening and as usual, Vishad was out of town for work. No matter how much Harsh tried to rationalise it, the union of Sanyukta and Vishad seemed inconceivable. Harsh knew Tanya since the day she joined the Shekhawat Group. Her break up with Vishad was rather abrupt. In the past he had betrayed Tanya often but she had forgiven him each time. Harsh was determined to get to the bottom of the matter but he had to be cautious. He knew Anju would be uncomfortable, both with his presence, and with having to discuss her daughter's personal life with him. But he had a strong reason, he did not want Sanyukta to end up with a life similar to her mother's. 

Harsh could have called ahead to let Anju know he was paying her a visit but he did not want her to be anxious. For over two decades he had stood aside like a silent sentinel watching her brave tremendous odds in her personal life, trying to bring up her daughter without much help from her abusive spouse. Harsh had refrained from offering assistance overtly because he knew she expected to be left alone. It nullified any chances of friction between Harsh and Renuka and offered Anju the dignity that she valued above anything else.

But Harsh was unprepared for the sight of Anju's tired look and her listless eyes. These were the same eyes that had once sparkled with the anticipation of first love. Her forced smile could not conceal the dark circles set in contrast against her pallid face and her rapidly greying hair.  Moving to Mumbai for her new job and for Sanyukta's education had made her happier but off late clearly either she was neglecting her health or was really stressed. Harsh was shocked and had to try hard to conceal his reaction. He was tempted to reach out, to express how much he really cared about her wellbeing. 

"Hush, Harsh, I am just ageing faster than you are, that's all! And I am feeling perfectly fine,  and I no longer have to worry about getting Sanyukta married to a suitable boy. I trust you will look out for her, just like you watch over Randhir, Parth and Vidushi, being the head of the family. Now I can really shift my focus to my work." The smile did not leave her face but Harsh was perceptive enough to know that she had failed to mention Renuka and Vishad among the others. The seeds of doubt had first been sowed in his mind as soon as he heard about the hush hush wedding and the unusual living arrangement of Sanyukta and Vishad post-marriage aroused more suspicion.

"Fine, I'll take your word for it. Look, I am hungry, and I am certain you have not made any dinner yet. Go change your clothes, we are going out for a bite." He declared without warning, and was amused to see a change in her expression.

"Oh, how silly of me, I should have known! Just give me a minute, I'll rustle up something quickly!" She stood up, making her way to the kitchen.

"Hold on, I meant what I said! I don't want you to cook. We are going out to eat like a couple of normal adults. Now that we are related it is perfectly in order for us to sit down and make conversation while someone else takes the effort to put a meal together for us. We are not teenagers in college anymore so don't worry, this is not a date. And if you don't mind we have to get there before they run out of food, so change already!" He said firmly, without leaving her any option.

Within a few minutes they were ordering, at her request, a simple vegetarian meal. Harsh would have loved taking her out to a fancier place but he wanted her to feel comfortable. After she had overcome her reservations she spoke animatedly about how she had a motivated team of enthusiastic young teachers who were doing an excellent job at the school. Harsh smiled to see her childlike eagerness as she spoke. He could not reveal that he already knew everything she was telling him because the bursar was his man and gave him regular feedback about the goings-on in the school. Of course the man did not know about Harsh's personal interest in Anju and so had not reported about her recent health status.