Contradiction & Reality

Chapter Six

"I had not said anything about what had happened the day before - about being scared down to my very bones when I thought they had left me. I don't know what came over me. Ever since my mother left us that April day, I suspected that everyone was going to leave, one by one."

- Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons

* * * * *

Mahinder Sharma - the family court judge - walked towards his office after a very tiring hearing, and just when he was about to enter into his office, he was stopped by his PA who informed him that from the past four hours a certain Shravan Malhotra, a lawyer from Malhotra and associate, was waiting for him. And when he walked into his office, he was pleasantly surprised to really find the son of his dear friend waiting for him.

"Shravan," he called him out making the young man stopping him in the middle of his pacing from one corner of the office to the other.

"What an amazing surprise!" Mahinder said with a fond smile.

"Sharma Uncle, how are you?" Shravan asked him as he shook hands with his father's friend.

Mahinder Sharma has been not only been a friend of his father for years but he also was a student of Raghuwar Tiwari, the reason why Shravan had selected him to sign the restraining order he wanted effective within the day.

"What reminded you of me? What are you here for?" Mahinder asked the young man standing in front of him with a fond smile. He had to crane his neck to look up at him now and he was, as always, taken back by the tall farm of the young man. Every time they met, he had to remind himself that standing in front of him was the same boy he had seen grow from a child to a lanky teen.

"Come sit," Mahinder invited him as he too took his seat behind the desk.

"I need you to sign this restraining order," Shravan said as he handed him the papers ready to be signed on.

"You know that this is an abuse of power, don't you?" Mahinder asked him even though he started to read the papers in the next breath.

"Suman Tiwari? Tiwari ji's granddaughter?" He asked, shocked as soon as he saw her name.

He knew the young girl, had seen her now and then running around to deliver the files Tiwari ji wanted to send Ramnaath or sometimes even to him. They didn't have the same bond she and Ramnaath seem to share, but he knew the girl who always had a polite but bright smile on her face.

"Yes. I know I am asking a lot from you, Sharma uncle, but this has to be done today itself," Shravan pleaded.

"I understand, Shravan, consider it done," Mahinder said as he picked up his pen and signed the papers to issue the restraining order.

* * * *

A knock on the door of her hotel room snapped Naimala out of her thoughts. Standing up, she made her way to open the door, sure that it was her son on the other side,

'Aditya...' She thought to herself. She had been waiting for him from the past few hours, worried sick for him, he hadn't even let her know where he was going.

"God knows if he has eaten something or not..." she muttered to herself, worried as she opened the door, only to find someone else instead of her son.

"See, she is Mrs Nirmela Ahuja," Shravan told as he indicated her to the staff member standing beside him while all she could do was stand there shell-shocked to find him in front of her.