Faaslein

Panting, shivering, crying, she opened her eyes sitting up on the bed as she tried to calm her heart from the after-effects of the nightmares more frequent to her than breathing. Tears leaked down both touched and untouched paths, staining her cheeks with wet hues of pain. Her fear-stricken eyes looked at the calendar in front of her painfully as she remembered the reasons for her pain.

She tossed the covers aside stepping out of bed, draping on her dupatta and walking into the bathroom, constantly wiping her face to get rid of the tears.

She opened the tap and looked at the water flowing from the tap, coming down slower than her own tears. She splashed the water onto her face, again and again, wanting to end the tears, but she couldn't, as it wasn't her eyes, but her heart crying out in pain at this wretched reminder of the day she lost........

Tired of her tears, she ran down to the only place she knew that could offer her a speck of solace.

Her dupatta hung loosely over her shoulders, lightly flying over the chairs, and sofas, as she ran, still rubbing her fist over her face trying to stop her flowing pain from cascading down her face.

Her feet only stopping, when she felt the freshness of the green thick layer of grass welcoming her into the peaceful world of nature.

Her knees gave up on her, as she fell to the ground. Eyes slowly drying she took in slow long breaths and looked at the lightly blossoming flowers........................... The nature that was supposed to offer peace to everyone, only agonized her further as she stared at the small empty patch in the corner.

She felt the emptiness once again surround her. No tears just painful realisation registered in her soft whisper.

"Your Vinaya will always be lonely."

And at that moment, Vinaya Dixit was pain in human form itself.



The short train of her nightgown swept the wooden stairs as the middle-aged woman stepped down, her form emitting a sense of pride and aristocracy.



No one could say that Ramya Tarun Dixit, wasn't an appreciative person. Every morning, the first thought on her mind was to appreciate the house around her with pride at the 'hard work' she and her husband had put into acquiring the luxury that lay at their feet.

As she reached the marble tiled floor, her proud smile dropped noticing the absence of her usually punctual morning beverage.

Her eyes reflected extreme annoyance as irritation as she called out the name with a sense of irritation,

"Vinaya, O Vinaya Rani!!!"

(Vinaya, O Queen Vinaya!!!)

"What happened Maa? Subah Subah kyun ghar sar pe uttha rahe ho?"

(What happened, mom? Right in the morning, why are you bringing the whole house down?")

The annoyed voice of her pride spoke out.

The young girl in loose tracks and a tank top looked at her mother in plain and simple disappointment.



No one could ever point out any similarities between the mother and daughter; while Ramya had always held a firm and proud attitude, Eisha Dixit's fun-loving and easy-going ways never really met the full understanding of her mother and while Eisha was a genuinely happy soul, her heart content, never seeking further; a trait her mother strongly disapproved of, Ramya was a determined woman who was adamant about reaching further in life by any means.

But this difference could never dampen the love Ramya had for her Daughter. Being the only child, Eisha had always been the centre of attention for her mother. Eisha was a ray of hope in her parent's life and was dearly loved and cared for and she too never failed to return the affection and love to her parents, but she could never for her life understand her parent's thirst for power and luxuries.

Ramya's annoyed voice answered her daughter's query with a hint of mockery and irritation.

"Teri Di happened. Chai hi nahi banayi ab tak. Matalan ek chai ba....."

(Your Di¹ happened. She hasn't made the tea yet. I mean one tea, how hard is it to mak...)

Eisha's face morphed into a frown at her mother's tone. And she walked towards the kitchen saying,

" Bas, inti si baat. Main bana deti hu."

(That's it. I'll make it.)

Ramya's surprised cry shot out, stopping her daughter from going further.

"Ruk! Tu kyun jaayegi? Yeh sab tera kaam thodi hi hai."

(Stop! Why will you go? All this is not your job.)

Eisha turned to her mother, seething in anger, her tone hitting notes of challenge,

"Di ka bhi toh nahi hai."

(It's not Di's, as well.)

Ramya fumbled as she tried to answer her daughter.

" I-I a-am not saying that it is, beta². It's just that I like her tea so much, that I can't start my day without it"

"Don't worry Tai Ji³. Your day will start just fine."

Vinaya arrived just in time, putting an end to the mother-daughter's argument.

"Actually, I had gone to water the plants so...."

Vinaya continued trying to ease out any leftover tension.

"It's Okay, beta. Bas aage se agar der ho toh baat dena."

(It's Okay, beta. Just tell us next time, if you're getting late.)

Ramya assured the girl, lightly caressing her head in motherly affection.

Ramya had never intended to treat Vinaya like a maid. It was a plain impulse that led to her actions, otherwise, she was a very caring guardian to the young girl. The only fact that had kept Eisha from full-on rebelling her parents, they never treated her sister lowly or harshly. They just forgot the circumstances.

Vinaya just nodded her head and went to the kitchen to continue with her regular activities.

It was only when she was sure that Vinaya was out of Earshot, that Eisha finally revealed the glare that she'd been holding into her mother.

" At least today, you should've let it go, Ma. Don't you even remember? Today is Chachis's⁴....."

Ramya's face paled visibly for a second on realising what her daughter meant before she composed herself and looked at Eisha with a blank emotionless stare.

" What's done is done. We can't change it. It's better to just forget than relive the harsh truth again and again."

With that, she walked off, with the same proud stature but an air of uncertainty laced through her expressions and an invisible weight on her shoulders.

Eisha just looked at her mother's retreating figure incredulously trying to contemplate her words.

She shook her head realising that she'd never understood her mother.

Even while getting out of the house, Eisha still had on a worried and confused expression painted on her face.

But as soon as she lifted her eyes towards the main gate, in a moment all her worries were rested as she faced the familiar stern yet sweet smile.



She sprinted towards her only hope. Her eyes still shining with worry. Aanya Desai.

To Eisha, Aanya was more than an elder sister. Unlike herself, Aanya was never ever hesitant to voice out her thoughts and to her, Vinaya always came first. The bond that Aanya shared with Vinaya was pretty much unexplainable. Whenever Vinaya was in the slightest bit of trouble, Aanya would always manage the situation with her stern and dauntless attitude. She was extremely protective of the former, never letting go a matter if it could in the slightest hurt Vinaya. This was what kept Aanya and Ramya at constant loggerheads.

Aanya raised her brows seeing the girl almost make a mad dash towards her.

"Where's the earthquake, sweetie? And why are you so tensed...?"

Before she could ask any more, Eisha went on a full-scale blabber as she expressed all her worries to the former.

"Anu Di, I'm worried about Di. Maa says we should forget about what happened today, but how can she forget it. It's not just a small..."

Aanya's mind soon caught on to Eisha's worries and she was quick to assure the jumping child.

"Don't worry, I am here. I'll make sure this day goes exactly how it's supposed to. No one can snatch the importance of this day from Vinni. I've made all preparations. You go to college, I'll take it from here."

With a confident smile, Aanya entered the Dixit house and rung the bell.

"Coming."

The teary voice of her sister came from the other side making her clench her fists in anger. She took a deep breath to relax herself and quickly plastered on a smile to greet her favourite person.

Vinaya knew she was not in the state to attend any guests. She had wanted to come out to ask her aunt about breakfast, but her aunt's comment completely froze her. She knew that her aunt didn't intend to hurt her feelings, but Vinaya could never ever understand the ignorance her aunt and uncle showed towards the past. And even though she never complained, she always questioned herself why she couldn't do it.

As she ran to the door, what she didn't expect was the sudden hug that Aanya had thrown onto her, making her take a step back. And just as soon as the shock was over, Vinaya couldn't help but melt into the comfort of the hug.

Aanya knew what Vinaya was going through as well as the fact that she would never ever express it if she hadn't first given her the security she needed.

They pulled apart as Aanya patted Vinaya's hair in silent understanding.

"Aagayi, doctorni ji!?"

(The doctorni⁵ has come!?)

1)Di: Short for Didi, ('d' pronounced as 'the'). Meaning Elder sister, used to call an older girl not old enough as your mom.

2) Beta: Literally means son, but can be used as an endearment for calling a child, or someone younger than oneself.

3) Tai Ji: Father's older brother's wife. Ji is used as a suffix for addressing someone with respect or as a way of saying 'yes'.

4) Chachi: Father's younger brother's wife.

5)Doctorni: An incorrect term referring to a female doctor. Used as a taunting endearment here.