Kiran looked everywhere for her father, but he was no where in sight. After checking his room, she checked her grandparents', the living rooms and balconies, but all in vain. He was not inside the house. Kiran wanted him back as soon as possible so she can execute her plan with Sam. She knew it would not be easy for her to her the keys, but she was willing to give it a trial for the sake of Sam and the promises she made to her.
Eshaan's room was the next place she headed to. On entering the room, she met him playing a video game on the television. With no valid reason at all, she intentionally stood in front of the television, blocking his view. Her only aim was to provoke him.
"Please move aside, Kiran." He spoke in his gentle yet firm voice. Even as a kid, he already had that in him. He did not behave the way kids his age would.
Kiran rolled her eyes. "Have you seen daddy?"
"I haven't." Eshaan replied, sighing. "Please move, I need to finish what I was doing."
"No I won't until you tell me where daddy is." Kiran stated, adamantly.
"Fine. Have it your way." Eshaan shook his head and left the room.
Immediately he left, Kiran's demeanor contorted in disappointed. All her attempts to provoke and annoy Eshaan till date had always failed. "He is such a boring boy!" She inhaled and exhaled heavily before exiting the room.
~~~
Roshni was sitting by the reading table in her room flipping over pages of a fashion magazine when Raj came in. Roshni looked up to him and asked. "Where have you been? Kiran has been looking everywhere for you."
Raj took a sit on the bed and raked a hand into his hair and spoke tiredly. "I left the house for some fresh air after I had a conversation with Sam. She is still unwilling to give up on that criminal."
"Rajj." Roshni called, closing the magazine and putting it aside. She got up and went closer to him and took a sit beside him on the bed. She took his large hand into her small ones and began to slowly caress it. "Why don't you just respect Sam's decision? I mean she's old enough to decide what she want and doesn't."
"I want to, Roshni. Believe me, I do, but not with that man. I just can't accept him no matter what happens. The fact that he's an ex convict can never be overlooked by anyone. It can never change. What will people say about us? Our reputation will be tarnished."
Roshni looked at him in complete understanding. "I know, Raj, but is the society more Important than your only sister's happiness? Is that what you really want? To make the society happy and your sister suffer in misery? Please think about it rationally. You know she didn't mean to fall in love with him. It just happened. That's the way love is, it just comes unexpectedly and sometimes towards someone you never imagined you would fall in love with."
Raj knew she made a lot of sense in all she said for he had also fallen in love with Roshni when he least expected, but that didn't change his way of thinking because he knew within himself he wasn't only concerned about the society, but about his sister as well. He couldn't even imagine allowing the wedding take place. It would be like giving his only sibling away like some piece of garbage. He loved his sister too much to ruin her life. "I still can't accept him, sunshine. I need you to support me in the decision I have taken. Please."
"And what about Sam? What will happen to her then? Aren't you afraid she'd decide to elope with him or harm herself?" Roshni asked, worriedly.
"She wouldn't be able to elope with him." Raj stated, firmly.
"You seem so sure. Why is that?" Roshni asked, raising a brow.
"Because I locked her up in her room. She wouldn't be able to get out." Raj replied.
"What! You locked Sam up in her room? How could you do that to your sister Raj! She isn't a kid anymore for crying out loud." Roshni lamented.
"But when she's behaving exactly like a kid, what do you expect me to do? I'm bound to treat her as one." Raj retorted.
"We can go by other means. You didn't have to do what you did. That's absurd and uncalled for!" Roshni exclaimed.
"I did what I had to do. I know exactly how Sam's mind works. She would have been out of this house as we speak if I hadn't done what I did."
"But—"
"Please Roshni, I don't want to talk about all these right now." Raj said, cutting her off.
"Fine, but I'm going to unlock Sam's door. You can't keep her locked up." Roshni said, seriously. She couldn't believe her husband. What was he thinking locking a twenty five year old girl in her room! No matter what his reason was, Roshni could not justify his action.
"That's if you have the keys." Raj heaved a sigh. He just couldn't understand why Roshni wasn't seeing things from his point of view. An ex convict? Never! - he shook his head to get rid of the thought.
Roshni gazed at him and left the room in a huff. She knew there was nothing she could do to get Raj to hand over the keys to Sam's room to her. On leaving the room, she headed straight to Sam's and knocked on the door.
"Kiran?" Sam asked from the other side of the door. "Have you—"
"It's me, Roshni. - " She said, cutting her off. - "I just came to know about what Raj did. I want to apologize on his behalf."
"Please open the door, Roshni." Sam begged.
Roshni's face fell. She knew she couldn't help in this case as Raj's mind was already made up. "I'm sorry, I can't."
"You can't?" Sam asked in disbelief. Was Roshni actually the one telling her she couldn't help? Roshni who promised to help her. Was she breaking her promise? - Sam thought.
"I'm sorry, I—"
"It's okay, I understand you can't go against your husband. " Sam rolled her eyes, laying emphasis on the word 'husband.'
Roshni didn't take offence by what Sam said, because she believed she had every right to be angry. If she had been in her shoes, she would have reacted maybe even worse. "I'm sorry." She apologized again before leaving.
• • •
"Daddyyy... Where have you been? I have been searching everywhere for you." Kiran pouted immediately she spotted her father.
"I went out to do some work." Raj replied with a small smile.
"Oh! Okay." Kiran said and started searching every nook and corner of the room with her eyes for the keys, but didn't see them. Where could he have kept it? - kiran asked herself.
"Do you need something, princess?" Raj asked.
Kiran was quick to reply. "NO. I just came to spend some time with you."
Raj smiled and motioned her closer to himself. "Come here, princess."
She moved closer to him and he helped her sit on the bed beside him.
"Really?" He asked.
"Uh uhn." She smiled broadly. "Where is mummy?"
"Around." Raj replied with his eyes shut and his hand slowly massaging his forehead.
An idea Instantly came to Kiran. "Daddy, you seem tired. Do you need a head massage?" She didn't wait for his reply before she bounced on the bed behind him and started her work.
Raj couldn't deny the fact she was skilled in that aspect. His eyes shut again on their own accord. He was enjoying the head massage from his daughter.
Once Kiran was sure he was asleep, she carefully began to search around the room for the keys, but couldn't find it. "Where has daddy kept the keys?" She muttered to herself. "Maybe the keys are in his pockets." Kiran suppressed a laugh and tiptoed towards a sleeping Raj. Carefully and slowly, she started searching his pant pockets for the keys and smiled when her hand touched some keys inside his pocket. She grabbed them in her hand and slowly withdrew her hand from his pocket. "Yesss!" She pumped her fist up in the air and began to hurry towards the door.
"Stop! Where do you think you're taking the keys to? Huh?"
Kiran stopped in her tracks and spun around to meet the angry eyes of her father. Her breathing suddenly quickened due to nervousness. She knew for a fact her father was very angry by mere looking at him. He wasn't smiling at her, he was glaring at her instead.
• • •
On getting to the hospital, Mira hurried straight to Samar's ward and met the doctor inside. "Good evening, doctor." She greeted.
"Good evening, ms. Mira verma." The doctor smiled. "He has regained consciousness."
Mira averted her gaze from the doctor to Samar. "But why is his eyes closed?"
"It isn't something to be worried about. He's only sleeping."
Mira breathed in relief. "How is his health presently?"
"Good. His health is ameliorating, but..." He trailed off.
Mira became nervous. She didn't like the way the doctor trailed off. "But what?" She asked, nervously.
"He is showing the symptoms of amnesia and from the scan we did, it seems he really has amnesia." The doctor confirmed.
Mira's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "What!"
~~~
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