Bits and pieces

Summary: who are you Swara?
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Sunny is coloring. The absence of chaos falls upon Swara like the silence after rain and she basks in it.
It is not everyday that the little tyke would decide to behave himself. Now with his injury on the mend, Sunny was still kept away from his usual strenuous activities. Sanskar had bought him a truck load of coloring and sticker books that - as for now - kept the little monster distracted.

She wondered what Sanskar was talking with her father in law now.
Usually, as the guardian of Sunny whose interests usually popped up in their conversations Swara was included in those discussions. But that day Sanskar had instead smiled at her and shut the door on her face. To be honest she was still a bit miffed about it.

Brushing a hand over Sunny's head as she passed, Swara went into the kitchen. Where tea was being prepared for the chairman and former chairman.

"Choti babhi- you need anything" Radha asked her, as soon as she stepped inside.

"Hum chai bana dete hai, Radha," Swara offers. "I'm getting bored sitting idle."

"Still Choti bhabhi...." Radha trails off but allows her to take the reins anyway.

In this house servants did not argue with masters. They have learned from experience that the consequences where not very present.

Swara set water to boil and added a measured amount of tea leaves. While it boiled she crushed the spices and sliced ginger. Both uncle and nephew had a taste for spice tea, brewed to give a similar taste.

While she worked Radha arranged other refreshments and helped with the general preparations going in the background for lunch.

"Achchi kushboo hai Choti bhabhi," she smiled appreciatively, sniffing at the tea. "Which tea set should I take out - the blue flowers one or the silver one?"

"Silver one," Swara told her. "And keep sugar on the side."

She left Radha to pour the tea and cut slices of cake herself. Arranging it all in the trolley to be carried to the office.

Well Sanskar...she thought slyly...I could always find other ways to enter that office.

Swara took the trolley laden with tea and approached Durga Prasad's study, she had barely raised a hand to knock when she heard voices from inside.

"Toh phir uss ki shaadi karwa dijiye na!" Sanskar was saying. "How long is she going to stay like that - her husband passed away woh zinda hai abhi bhi- why have you people reduced her to a ghost roaming this house? Ab umra hi kya hai usski- poori zindagi padi hai jeene ko -"

"Are you offering for her Sanskar?" Her father in law cut his angry charade off with an equally furious yet measured reply. "Shaadi karonge Swara se?"

"Are you mad Mr. Maheshwari?"

"There - you have my point. It's easy to say Sanskar. But in reality no man wants to take up the weight of his words." He sighed. "Swara is her own person - I agree. But she is also Shantanu's mother. Mother of the sole heir to all this. If she marries someone and takes Shantanu with her to that other family - what will happen to Maheshwari group? Chala jaayenga kissi gher ke haat. Humara waris kissi aur ke sanskar seekhenga. Kissi aur ghar ko apna bhulayenga. He will have no loyalty to this family. No - that cannot be allowed to happen."

"Aur aap apne group ke liye ek ladki ki -"

Swara could no longer bear to hear this. She pushed open the door, effectively silencing both men and pushed the trolley inside. Both men turned to her looking a little uncomfortable. Swara stood straight - glaring at both of them.

"I'm not marrying anybody. Not now. Not next year. Not in a decade. Never. Aap nishchint rahiye papa Ji. Aur aap Sanskar - aap ko humari chinta karne ko zaroorat nahi hai. Aap dono se bus Yahi ek guzarish hai - please don't dissect my personal life behind my back. Chai peelijiyenga. Hum chalte hai."

"Swara -" Sanskar followed her out, calling after her. "Swara!"

"Buss Sanskar -" she turned around half way across the passageway, snapping at him. "There are some lines that shouldn't be crossed - aaj aap ne kuch zada hi bol diya."

"And you think I'm wrong? You think the way they are treating you is right? Swara - becoming a mother doesn't end your life. You have a life apart from being Shantanu's mom. Yeh samjho tum. Aur Sunny - you think all this is good for Sunny. This environment is toxic Swara. Or are you blind to it?"

"And what do you propose I do?" Swara too raised her voice. "Marry someone and get the hell out of here? You think it's easy - you think they will let me take Sunny?"

"Swara -"

"Enough. Haat jodthi hoon main - ek Sunny ke alawa kuch nahi hai mere pass. Usse bhi mujhse na cheeno tum - Mr. Chairman, you have everything you wanted. Let me live my life in peace. Chale jaaiye yahaan se. Chale jaaiye!"

And she went, a blurr of blue and gray that she wore - a raging storm of anger. Sanskar watched her go, and inhaled sharply.

So, what was the deal of this woman? By now he was certain that Sunny was not her son. But still she was ready to sacrifice so much for his sake?

Did she really love Lakshya that much? If so, Lakshya was a bloody fool to have cheated on her. Or was he going on a wrong path about this? How was he going to find out what is the deal of this Swara Bose Maheshwari?

**

"Tu file dekh raha hai ya khane ki soch raha hai?" Kabir asked him lazily, typing away at his laptop.

They were going through plans for future legal actions if or when their good names get dragged into Adarsh's scandal. Durga Prasad wasn't inclined to help Adarsh out, or to pay for his legal expenses. Sanskar wondered how the older brother might be taking it.

He had been the happiest at Sanskar's exile - now the wheel of fortune had turned and left him at the bottom Adarsh wasn't at the top of his game.

He kept sending Sanskar messages asking for a meetup, missives that so far Sanskar had ignored completely.

"I was thinking about something else," he told Kabir.

"Or someone else," Kabir pointed out slyly. "Tu uss ladki ke barrein mein soch raha hai. Woh Durga Prasad ke bahu."

Sanskar sighed.

"I need to know. I need to know what is her deal. She was there when Lakshya died, her name is there is Sunny's birth certificate. But she is not Sunny's mom. You yourself got that report from the hospital- Sunny has o negative blood - while Swara is B positive. There is no way in hell she'd have given birth to him. And if Lakshya had cheated on her..."

"DNA karwa lo -" Kabir sounded indifferent. "If you are so curious - waise Sanskar why are you so curious? Do you think she killed Lakshya?"

"Why would I think that? I just want to know -i just -"

Kabir smirks, shutting off his laptop with a snap.

"Lagtha hai tera irada kuch neik nahi hai... Chairman sahab Challiyen abhi door kar dete hai aap ka shaq..."

From his office mobile Kabir dials Swara.

"Haan Mrs. Maheshwari - maaf kijiye I had to call you urgently. This is Kabir Sha from Karma's legal branch. I'm handling the legals of Nirvana for the time being - woh heirship files mein todi issue hai. If you are not offended can I get a copy of your marriage certificate? It's for filing purpose only. A copy would do - yes. Yes, fax it. I'll get it from here. Ji. Ji. Shukriya."

Kabir ended the call with a click and looked at Sanskar who rolled his eyes.

"Kush?" He asked Kabir as the fax machine beeped. "Le - Kha le - aagaya tera marriage certificate."

Kabir snorted and took the offending paper and glanced through it. His lips curled into a crooked smile.

"Nakli hai yeh." He said.

"Kya?" Sanskar half stood up.

"Don't forget Mr. Chairman- Hungary main shaadi main ne bhi kiya tha. I know what a Hungarian marriage certificate looks like - especially when one of the spouses are foreign nationals. This is fake. Shaadi nahi hui hai teri Mrs. Maheshwari ki." He kept the marriage certificate down with a flourish. "Yeh le - khana hai toh Kha le!"

Kabir laughed at the look on his face.

"Accept it Sanskar. You weren't trying to solve any mystery - you were trying to justify your own self. Yeh jo tu feel kar raha hai na - uss feelings ko justify karna chahata tha tu. Yeh jaanna chahata tha ke yeh sahi hai ya galat- kya woh teri -"

"Kuch nahi feel kar rahe hai hum!" Sanskar cut him off. "And I didn't bring you down from Hungary to offer me unsolicited love advice. Jo kaam diya gaya hai woh kar."

"Haan Haan Ji. Ab kaam toh waise bhi tuje karna hai. Main toh chala-"

"Kabir -"

"I'm leaving!"

Kabir chuckled but just before the door slammed shut behind him Sanskar heard his full blown laughter.

Sanskar rubbed his temples, trying to clear his head. So this girl was neither Lakshya's wife nor Sunny's mother. Then there has to be a motive why she is here, why she is in the thick of everything at the cost of her own life. What was she after? Or more precisely who was she after?

"Kaun ho tum Swara - kyun aayi ho yaha?"

**

Swara usually goes to the temple in early mornings. It has settled into a routine over time, a sort of beginning to her day. But she doesn't expect to run into Sanskar at all.

"Aap - yahaan?" She offers him aarti instinctively and he takes the offered warmth of her lamp.

"Thank you!" He says. "So how are your studies coming up?"

Swara shrugs, realizing she was not getting an answer for her question.

"Online classes are okay. I'm struggling a bit with accounts but - nothing life threatening. Now with Uttata's marriage preparations though - I might end up stuck from all sides."

"I offered her to take Karma sands for her venue - it will be a nice change of scene for all of us. And - some return to roots of tradition."
Swara says nothing to that.

"Aap se maafi mangne aaya tha -" Sanskar added, looking straight in her eyes. "I stepped over the line that day. Aap ki zindagi hai. Aap ka mann ka hai aap karein. I shouldn't have suggested anything."

Swara's rigid shoulders fell and her face relaxed.

"Your concern is appreciated Sanskar. Humein bhi maaf kar dijiye. Even I said too much that day. Woh aap ka ghar hai - who am I to ask you to go?"

For a moment everything fell silent. They had reached the bottom of stairs by then and Sanskar turns to Swara.

"If you want some practical experience in book keeping - I can suggest you to a place I know. It's a small but thriving business and the owner lady is a personal friend of mine. You could come up with an arrangement with her to work two evenings a week ?"

"Sunny ka kya karenge?"

"Kya karna hai? Keep Sunny with you. Trust me she doesn't mind. She likes having kids around. Plus right now I go on the weekends to help her with book keeping - maybe you could take over from me and I'd keep Sunny occupied in the meantime? Hum dono ke kaam hojaayenge."

Swara thought about it.

"Hum papa Ji se poochenge."

"Sure - you do that. Phone dijiye apna -" Sanskar holds out his hand. And when hesitantly Swara hands him the phone he enters a number into it. "Yeh unki number hai. Better give her a call. She's Kaveri Roy."

"Why are you doing all this Sanskar?"

"Why should I not?" Sanskar questioned her in return. "Are you still doubting my motives Swara?"

"If I say I am ...?"

To her surprise Sanskar smiled at her. His smile was so cold and sharp that it reminded her of a knife edge.

"Then I'd say the feeling is entirely mutual."

**
I'm a bit under the weather and on drowsy meds. Forgive the delay and a little off editing. I'll correct the typos when I'm feeling better.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reading!😊