When life happens

Tani's past

After the kid's rowdy game of Truth and Dare ended, silence reigned in the hotel. Virat got up in the middle of the night for some reason and saw the light still on in the girls' room.

He knocked lightly and heard Tani's voice, "Who's it?"

"It's me, Tani," said Virat.

Tani appeared immediately and said, "What's up, Virat bhaiya?"

"Tani... it's past 3 o'clock. Why are you still awake?"

"Oh, actually I was writing a part of my report. I didn't do anything on it whole evening, so..." said Tani.

"What's wrong with not working one day, Tani?" asked Virat patiently.

"I don't know, it makes me uncomfortable," said Tani.

Virat took her arm and led her to his room, saying, "Yeah, but your health is important too. I've seen you awake so late lots of times, and it's bound to affect you someday."

Tani knew he was right, especially because she was a doctor herself.

"I really think you should take things a little lightly," said Virat with all his persuasive charm. "Do you like Pubg?"

"Yeah...but I'm not particularly good at it. Why?"

"Want to play a round with me?'

Tani grinned. "Ok."

They played more than one round and Virat won every single one, and for once Tani didn't mind, because after all it was her Virat bhaiya.

When she woke up early next morning (being a regular early riser), she found herself sleeping on the bed and poor Virat bhaiya on the couch, looking quite uncomfortable.

She jumped down and shook him, saying, "Virat bhaiya, you can sleep on the bed now, I'm going back!"

Virat didn't even stir, so Tani left him to it and returned to her room, and resumed her report.

...........................................................................

Tani was kind of cranky all day, because she had discovered a crucial mistake she had made in the report, which meant she'd have to do it all over again.

"Tani, want to go out and get an ice cream?" offered Neha, seeing how worried she looked.

"It's December, Neha," snapped Tani.

"I thought ice cream always made you feel better, irrespective of the month," muttered Neha.

"Siri," ordered Tani. "Take her away."

Siri hastily took Neha away.

After some time, Neha, who was feeling restless without Tani, looked in to say, "Aren't you coming to watch the match?"

"No, you guys go," said Tani.

Even Virat couldn't convince her to join them as they left for the 3rd T20.

India won the match easily, and when everyone came back in high spirits, Tani was in a worse mood than ever.

Jassi, who had been Man of the Match, and was in a rare bout of showing-off, was doing cartwheels to an extremely admiring Neha and Siri, and Tani came out to see the source of noise.

"What the hell are you doing, Jassi? What if you strain your shoulder, do you know it can jeopardize your entire career?" demanded Tani.

Jassi stood up straight and asked, "No it wouldn't."

"Are you a doctor? Are you? Your bowling action already puts a lot of extra strain on your shoulder, and you're showing off like a fool, the kind of thing Hardik would..."

Since his bowling action had always been a sensitive point for him, Jassi scowled and said, "Will you please stop trying to boss everyone around? Some people might ok with it, but I'm not going to put up with it."

"Fine!" said Tani furiously and stormed back to her room.

Jassi immediately looked upset and guilty.

"I didn't mean to say it like that," he said regretfully.

"She'll cool down after a while," said Neha comfortingly. "She has just been in a really foul mood right from morning, I don't know why."

Virat happened to pass the corridor and saw Jassi, Neha and Siri looking serious, and he asked, "What's wrong?"

They told him, and Virat saw how miserable Jassi looked, and knew that Tani must be just as miserable, so he ruffled Jassi's hair and said, "Wait, I'll talk to her and calm her down. You come in after a few minutes, ok, Jassi?"

Jassi nodded in relief; Tani usually listened to Virat bhaiya.

Virat entered Tani's room without knocking.

........................................................................

He had expected Tani to be hunched over the table as usual, but instead she was lying on her back, looking stormy.

Virat went and sat down beside her.

"I know you're going to take Jassi's side," said Tani without looking at him. "But before that I hope you know he was risking a career-threatening shoulder strain."

"It was just a couple of cartwheels," said Virat placatingly.

"But even a couple of cartwheels could..."

"Why do you think everything always has to be perfect, Tani?" asked Virat unexpectedly.

Tani looked at him, and Virat was horrified to see that she looked almost in tears.

"What happened?" he asked anxiously.

"I've seen my mother bring me up all by herself after my father passed away when I was four. Virat bhaiya, I wanted to be perfect at everything so that.... just so that I can give her everything she deserves once I'm grown up," said Tani all in one breath.

Virat had had no idea that Tani was fatherless, but now it made sense; she always talked only to her mother on the phone, and it also explained her mother's overprotectiveness.

Tani was facing away from him, trying to hide the fact that she was crying, but Virat didn't think it was an unjustified thing to cry about, of course it wasn't, so he pulled Tani into his chest and said, "It's ok to cry, kiddo, there's nothing to be ashamed of in this."

Finally Tani gave up trying to pretend and sobbed in Virat bhaiya's comforting arms, as Virat said softly, "My father passed away when I was seventeen, too, so I know how it feels...and you know, Jassi has grown up fatherless just like you. But the absence of a father doesn't mean you have to struggle to be perfect all the time, Tani, it doesn't...."

Tani had stopped crying quite so badly, and Virat wiped her cheeks and continued, "The mere fact that you want to give your mother everything she wants makes you the best daughter she could ever ask for...and trust me, even if you're a little less hard on yourself, you'll be able to do it all for her. You get it, Tani?"

Tani nodded without speaking, since her tears hadn't yet stopped, but Virat bhaiya's words sounded both comforting and convincing.

"No more late nights and freaking out about reports and I have to be perfect syndrome, ok, kiddo?"

"Yes, Virat bhaiya," said Tani, her voice muffled in his shoulder.

"Great," said Virat. "Now go and make up with Jassi, since you're both clearly miserable over it."

Unknown to them, Jassi, who was standing just outside the door, wondering when to go in, had heard the entire exchange.

He went in that moment and said, "Hey, Tani... I'm really sorry. No one really minds you bossing around; I'm sure everyone can put up with it. Including me."

Tani couldn't help laughing at Jassi's earnest words, and she went to him and extended her hand.

"But no more bossing around from my side," she said, as they shook hands.

"No, no, don't stop. We'd miss it," said Jassi, sounding like he meant it.

Tani hugged her best friend hard.

"All right...if you insist!"