Monsters in the back yard

(Unedited)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBkBMwkXJ5o

Summery: Neither of them wants to face the ghosts of their pasts or wear their hearts on their sleeves. But when fate is dealing the cards, they do not have much choice in the matter.
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As there are cracks in his resolve, there is blood on his hands. Unseen perhaps, stains long faded, yet, Sanskar hasn't forgotten that the man he stood facing had had his first love killed.

Kavita's blood was on his hands as much as theirs for he couldn't yet let go of the loyalty that held him back, he could not sit back and watch them crumble to dust.

He swallowed forcefully, looking at Sunny playing on the floor with his toy rail tracks instead of meeting Durga Prasad's eye. The boy looked up, caught his eye and grinned before starting to link up carriages to his engine.

Sunny seemed to thrive on company, as much as he would hope from a child trapped in a house full of morose adults. Rising his head Sanskar noticed Durga Prasad's watchful eye on him, noticing their exchange.

Sanskar willed himself not to flinch when he meets the man's eye. Willed himself not to see Kavita pale and bleeding and remind himself that it happened on this man's orders.

He had a plan. He reminded himself instead. He would strip them of the very thing that they loved so, loved as much as he did Kavita - and it was not their lives nor their family, that much he knew rather well.

"I'm glad you came," Durga Prasad begun. Sanskar clenched his fist, but did not grace that opening with a reply. It was a stale conversation. He knew exactly where it led. But he did not expect his uncle to bluntly state, "I did not have that girl killed Sanskar."

A grim chuckle escaped Sanskar.

"Aap kehedein aur hum maan lenge?" He folded his arms. "Don't you think both of us have out grown that particular phase - bade papa?"

"You have a very low opinion of me -"

"Which is rightly deserved," Sanskar cut in. "Removing of unwelcome people has been the tradition of this family. And keeping their silence about it apparently the duty of family members."

Both men stopped talking and looked simultaneously at the boy engrossed in his play.

Sunny wasn't paying attention to them, making train sounds from his mouth as drove the engine he was rather busy at the moment. Sanskar ruffled his hair absentmindedly, swallowing whatever it was which he planned to say next.

"I know what I have seen. I will never forget what I have seen. Aap humse yeh umeed math rakiyenga." He said instead.

"Then why did you come Sanskar?" Durga Prasad asked instead.

Sanskar found his eyes trailing back to Sunny. It was strange, that he was unsure of the answer himself. Why did he come? Why did he willingly subject himself to this excruciating experience? This house that suffocated him, these people who he loathed - why did he come?

"Adarsh is a monster you've created," he said slowly. "Now he is out of your control. You are right I don't care if you fight each other to ruination - but it's not just about the two of you, is it?"

Durga Prasad smiled slowly.

"Lakshya had always been your favourite brother." He said reflectively. "He would be very proud if he knew the lengths you would go for his son."

Sanskar closed his eyes and swallowed.

"Can we come to the point? Iss ghar mein mera dum gutt tha hai."

"Somebody is trying to kill me Sanskar," Durga Prasad said shortly. "And I don't intend to die. If they believe I am closer to dying, they would grow reckless - and I could draw them out. But in the meantime, I cannot have my rebel of a son taking undue advantage of my absence to create trouble for others. I want you to step in and guard against him."

Sanskar nodded. He had guessed as much. Adarsh had always believed he was to be the heir to this vast Maheshwari empire, believed it to the extent of wanting every other competitor out.

Now that his own father seemed to deny him what he believed was his birth right, it was only natural that he was running rampant.

"Can I expect your corporation?"

"I don't intend to leave my own job and come babysit Maheshwari group, bade papa - in case you've forgotten I have my own mill to run." Sanskar kept it short. "I'm very much interested in buying Adarsh's shares - if you are offering. But that doesn't mean we've suddenly entered a truce and become family."

Durga Prasad sighed.

"Swara will handle things, representing Sunny's interests of cause. I want you to give your input and guidance from time to time. She will have Shankar but even him, while being extraordinary is not what you could be for the Maheshwari group Sanskar. You don't have to come sit around in Maheshwari group, an hour of your time would be enough."

Durga Prasad was a man of such greed, Sanskar thought as he looked over the man with distaste.

He wanted so much. To catch his culprit, name his desirous heir and at the same time have his business profiting too. This man, not only did he want the cake and to eat it - he wanted to employ the Baker on an exclusive contract as well.

"What would I get out of this?" Sanskar asked. "Surely, you didn't imagine I would do this out of the goodness of my heart bade papa? You don't bet hearts do you?"

"To catch whoever this is that want me dead," Durga Prasad shrugged.

"Why on earth would I want that?"

"For the same man had that girl killed, Sanskar. Don't you want to do right by her?"

"You are talking nonsense."

"Or I know something you don't." The older man replied. "It was I who send Lakshya to Hungary. Do you know why? He came to look for you. He came to tell you something - he got killed because of that. I lost one of my sons, trying to deliver this truth to you."

"Why would you worry too much over me?"

"Why indeed?" Sighed his uncle. "I wanted you safe. Despite all you did - I wanted you safe. Why indeed." He rubbed his forehead distressed. "Sanskar the target of that night was not that girl, it was you. She took a hit that was meant for you."

Sanskar swallowed, wincing. He felt numb.

"And you know this because -?"

"I got a call that night - a video call," saying so, Durga Prasad pulled out his laptop, searched for something and hit play on a particular file.

"This is only the beginning Mr. Maheshwari," said a man in shadows, tilting the screen so that the could see the temple in full view, the sane temple where Sanskar was supposed to meet Kavita that night.

"Look how we take out your most cherished pawn in this exclusive. You aren't even aware yet your nephew is gone - are you? Soon he'll be going very far, bohut oopar jaane wala hai woh -"

Durga Prasad paused the clip.

"Sanskar," he called softly. "Are you alright beta?"

He wasn't. He couldn't. Even though the video was now paused, he could only replay that nightmare in vivid details.

Sanskar was only dimly aware of Durga Prasad's hand on his back, his head pounding, his breath coming in short gasps.

"You didn't come back. I never got a chance to explain. That's why I send Lakshya to -"

Sanskar rose to his feet unsteadily, blindly shaking off Durga Prasad's touch and stumbled out of that room. He couldn't stand it, couldn't stand looking at that temple plasted on an unmoving screen - paused a moment before doom.

God, he needed air!

The passageway was shadowed, the shadows swam before his eyes. The walls seemed to close in. He pushed blindly forward, on stumbling, faltering steps. There was a French door here somewhere - that opened to a balcony.

"Sanskar!"

He did not intend to run into her, but he had walked right into her. Dimly and belatedly, Sanskar realized he had collided with Swara.

She had dropped something that she was carrying, it must have made noise, but his ears ringing as they were did not register it.

"Air!" He gasped.

Swara took him from the elbow, and pushed through a different set of doors, down a short hallway and out a set of glass doors. The ended in a secluded backyard that he did not remember.

Sanskar stumbled forward the moment she let go of him. Clawing at his throat, he tried to keep the churning of his stomach down - but couldn't help by dry heave.

His eyes stung and his chest tightened. He bent forward, pressing a hand to the rough bark of a tree for balance and heaved again. His vision swam, his cheeks felt feverish against the cool night air and behind his eyelids was a never ending loop of Kavita's death.

A small cold hand pressed on his back, a little hesitantly. Swara began to rub soothing circles.

"Breathe," she said.

He nodded, gasping. Cool air rushed to his lungs and left him shaking. Her hand continued to pat - a distracting rhythm that broke off that trail of bloody recollections.

"Whatever it is it's over. It's not here. You are safe here."

"Hum-" he began, gulping, wincing.

"You don't have to tell me," she said. To his relief her hand was still there, blessedly cool and softly reassuring. "To have reduced you to this, it cannot be a nice thing. But it's over Sanskar - it's not here."

Sanskar watched her in a new light, suddenly overcome by a feeling that clogged his throat. She did not know, yet she understood. She was sensitive enough not to prod him while his wound was raw. And, if he allowed himself to admit, he was glad to have her here. His breathing eased as he pondered this complicated feeling and Swara stepped back, concern still stark in her eyes.

"Aap teek ho?"

Not trusting his voice Sanskar nodded. She nodded back.

"Come with me and have some water. Or do you need something warm? Hot chocolate? I was going to make milk for Sunny, I could prepare some for you? Would you like that Sanskar?"

Wondering why he was allowing this dictatorship of hers Sanskar mutely followed her down the hall. It came as a relief that the kitchen was empty, for he would not have appreciated his dishevelled state to be seen by the domestic help. Swara directed him to the low table to take a seat and busied herself with milk preparation.

The scent of chocolate wafted in the air and his tightly wound nerves began to ease. Swara smiled reflectively while adding cocoa to the boiling milk.

"There's half a chocolate bar Sunny has hidden in the fridge. You can help yourself to some if you want. I'm sure Sunny won't mind."

"I'm not five Swara," Sanskar mumbled, folding his arms in protest.

"Oh I know," she chuckled. Pouring him a generous mug of hot chocolate. "Aap humse bade hai-"

"God, woman, you do hold a grudge!"

"Or have an excellent memory." She handed him the mug. "It's a peace offering. I'm glad you are feeling better Sanskar. Have it, while it's hot." With that she turned to leave.

"You are going?"

"Haan. Unlike you, there's another Sunny who is actually five, and would need a lot more convincing to finish his milk and go to sleep. I have my hands full at the moment."

And she left, just as abruptly as she had entered, leaving Sanskar baffled and staring after her. He wasn't certain he liked the after taste that encounter with Swara Bose Maheshwari had left behind. He took a sip from the mug she handed him and it scalded his tongue, positively snapping him back to his senses.

God, he thought, he still had another full day to survive with this woman tomorrow.

**

"I want to play ball, make a sand castle - eat chaat..." Sunny rattled off as the general traffic rolled steadily towards the beach.

"No chaat," Swara interrupted, fishing her duffle bag for sunscreen.

Sunny pouted for a moment and then caught Sanskar's wink in the rear view mirror and grinned at him conspiratorially. To the misfortune of both of them, Swara who had re- emerged with a large bottle of sunblock had caught the exchange.

Sanskar felt his grin freezing under her scathing look, he had the uncomfortable desire to cower under her gaze imitating Sunny who had actually curled beneath his wide rimmed hat like a tortoise under its shell.

"No chaat!" She repeated, this time targeting her fury towards Sanskar. "Or the rest of fun activities will be cancelled."

"Yes ma'am," Sanskar said with a mock salute. "No chaat. Only ice cream."

Sunny exclaimed, jumping from the back seat to quickly through his arms around Sanskar.

"You are the best, bade papa!"

Swara, resigned to the antics of both sunnies, huffed yet said nothing. Sunny kissed Sanskar sloppily on his cheek and settled back on his seat, patting his puppy excitedly.

Sanskar glanced at his phone as it beeped and noticed a text from Vivek. A dark expression crossed his face as the text reminded him of their last early morning conversation. Sanskar was supposed to go on an inspection visit to Karma branch that morning, skipping which had earned him a raised eyebrow from Vivek.

"Tu badal raha hai Sunny," he had said shaking his head rather ominously. "You are forgetting your target."

"Work?" Swara inquired tensely, he noticed the guilty clench of her jaw as she spoke glancing at Sunny. He shrugged, knowing Swara wouldn't believe him if he said it was no trouble.

"If you don't mind, can we swing by 'Karma shores' on our way back? Raaste mein hi hai, and Sunny could get a snack as well."

"Perhaps we could shift the ice cream programme to Karma shores then?" Swara smiled. "It'll relieve my heart for sure!"

Sanskar couldn't help his grin. This woman had such a insistent mind.

"Sure." He said. Swara turned and handed the sunblock to Sunny, "make sure to get your nose covered." She said. "I can't have you going home looking like a steamed prawn."

"How does they look like?" Sunny asked.

"How do they -" Sanskar corrected him automatically. "They look red," he turned to Swara who was faintly wincing.

"I'm sorry Sanskar I'm still getting used to the pure veg regime. I didn't mean to mention..." she confessed.

"That's fine Swara," he couldn't help but sound distasteful at the reminder of Annapurna's harsh rules. "I'm not your mother in law."

When they pulled to a stop Sunny scrambled out with an excited Yelp and followed by a barking, trotting Buddy ran towards the beach - his ball under his arm.

Swara raised a hand to pull him back but stopped half heartedly when she met Sanskar's eye.

"Sometimes, he gets too excited for his own good." She said guiltily. "Thank you so much for this Sanskar."

"Bachcha hai," he shook his head, handing Swara the sand bucket and her own wide brimmed hat.

"Let him enjoy his childhood. It won't last forever Swara."

Swara sighed, under the shadows cast by the hat Sanskar could no longer see her expression.

"Sunny deserves the world," she said. "But I can't give him everything."

"We don't need the world, none of us do," Sanskar said thoughtfully. "For Sunny you are his world."

He looked away, at the child who was chasing the waves with his excited puppy and playing a solo ball game.

What Sunny missed most was a father - there were things that a mother no matter how good could not fulfill. Sanskar did not want to voice it and burden Swara, but Lakshya's loss was apparent in the little boy's life. He knew, because he grew up in the loss of one parent and the frequent absence of the other. He had seen that same longing in Sunny's eyes. It hurt, on a different level. As if his own younger self was being paraded in front of him, while the fates asked - what can you do? What will you do if you were put in Durga Prasad's shoes?

Sunny threw the ball at him, which he caught reflectively. Somehow both the boy and the dog had gotten themselves dusted in fine, wet sand. Sanskar grinned, running towards them. Perhaps, if he was given the chance, he'd do everything in his power to stop another Sanskar from being created. All the pain in the world did not need another receptacle.

Swara watched them, her bare feet digging into the pleasantly warm sand. She had never seen Sunny laugh out as loud, as he had when Sanskar picked him up and pretended to toss him into the sea. The dog circled them, barking playfully - trying to insert itself into the huddle.

They played ball. Then, hanging up against Sanskar they had all took turns into pushing or trying to push each other into the sea. Sunny looked drunk on excitement, as he walked between them, holding their hands and swinging them in the air. Swara had lost her hat in the sea, her hair was tousled and sandy. Yet she couldn't help the grin that broke her face as she looked down at Sunny.

"Kitna pyaara parivaar hai," someone commented. The voice as familiar as yesterday's nightmare and as unwelcome as a bucket of ice water on one's head - dumped itself over Swara.

She paused, suddenly going very rigid.

"Fancy running into you - Swara!"
In front of her, grinning lazily with his hands inside his pockets, stood Sahil Sen Gupta.

**

I'm really sorry about the delay. In fact I got a new job, and it has disturbed my usual writing schedule. I hope this will not affect the readership very much. Please let me know if you are still reading. Sorry once again for the long delay.