Sweet Deals

The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Credit: Congerdesign / Pixabay.com

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"There are two parts to any failure; there is the event itself, with all its attendant

disappointment, confusion and shame; and then there is our reaction to it.

It is the second part that we control."

~Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull ~

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Swara and Ragini stood rooted at the doors, trying to make sense of what they were seeing, the central courtyard was filled with people, most familiar to them and yet unbelievable. They saw their grandparents and parents, the other inhabitants of the Baadi, Sanskaar and Laksh with a group whom they presumed to be their family and Mrs. Das, along with that kindly gentleman whom they now knew to be David D'Souza. Unsure of what to make out of the presence of all those people, both of them simply stood at the threshold.

Unable to contain herself any further, Dadi thrust the aarti plate at Sharmishta, and ran forward to clasp both of them into a tight hug, one that left them a little too stunned to breathe. She then proceeded to drag them to into the courtyard where Sharmishta did the aarti with trembling hands before gathering them into her arms. In a matter of minutes, both mother and daughters were crying openly, as though the tears would some way provide relief and lessen the pent up grief and despair which had shadowed their lives for so long. Their tears continued unabated when both their ever silent Dada and their taciturn father also hugged them with moist eyes before allowing the other members present to greet and bless the girls whom the world had presumed dead.

When the Maheshwari family members were introduced to Swara and Ragini, there was an awkward moment when they waited to see how the sisters would react; they need not have worried, the moment Durga Prasad folded his hands and started to say something, both Swara, with a gentle firmness and Ragini in a slightly fierce voice, protested. Though both started talking at once, the gist of it was clear that they would accept no apologies from the Maheshwari family, considering it to be unnecessary as they were in no way responsible for the way the events had unfolded. On hearing the sisters, the apprehensiveness which had surrounded them dissipated and Sujata, with her propensity for pageantry, squeezed them into a strong embrace. A slightly amused Swara glanced over Sujata's shoulder, at Sanskaar, who was leaning against one of the pillars; he simply shrugged his shoulders and gave them a beaming smile; she returned with a shy one and mouthed a silent thank you. She and Ragini now understood that he, along with Mrs. Das, had played a significant role in the reception that they had received.

Soon afterwards Swara and Ragini had their family to themselves; Durga Prasad and his family had taken leave almost immediately, stating that the other matters which needed to be discussed could be done at leisure as the most important thing would be that the reunited family spends time together. Agreeing with him, all the people who had gathered disbursed and Mrs. Das also left with David saying that she would return the next day. It was towards the evening when both the sisters were sitting near their mother that Ragini ventured to finally ask the question that had been troubling them and asked, "Maa, how did you find out about us?"

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Sharmishta opened the door to Annapurna Maheshwari and on recognizing her and seeing the presence of their entire family became slightly flustered. She just could not help recalling a similar day, more than five years ago, when the police had followed Annapurna's arrival with the news of her daughters' demise. She wondered what omens Annapurna's arrival would now portend, but shrugged it off in the next instant, there nothing more brutal a blow than the one fate had dealt her. She immediately put on a smile and invited them in, and set about seeing to their welcome.