"And I haven't met my Mother for the past 18 years now, though we are in touch" Saroja sighed as she picked up her cup of coffee. They were at the National Library canteen, she had finished the registration process at the Library and had browsed a part of the relevant sections. Her exams were just two months away, and she hadn't needed this intervention at all, but she could not say no to him. She was grateful to him in more ways than one; she couldn't articulate them anyway.

Maybe one day ... I will be able to thank him for his kindness, she thought

Exactly a week following Sunitha's Birthday, they were here at the Library. Of course, they had left separately; he had picked her up from the bus stop in front of the CCD.

He had not asked much, but she knew that he had questions in his mind.

Once they had ordered for sandwiches and coffee, she had opened her bag and shown him a locket. Her Mother's. It had 2 photos inside, both dated. Saroja's Mother was indeed extremely beautiful, from what Vedant could discern. Even the dullness of the photo could not hide the striking beauty that the lady possessed. 

The fruit had not fallen far from the tree, he thought and smiled, as he gazed at Saroja. Her innocence clouded her beauty, and she was completely unaware of it. He had seen heads turn as she walked by, while dressed in the most simplest of attires. She had a regal personality alright.

To him, she was a port of calm after facing a turbulent sea.

Saroja looked at him, as if assessing whether to share further. He waited. He was willing to give her all the time in the world.

"While my Father was alive, we were far removed from the darkness that was my Mother's past. So nobody knew that she had a daughter. But after my Father died when I was seven, there were no safety nets left. Socially, I was a bas***d child, and my Father had not been able to provide much for our future. I am sure he must not have even dreamt that he would pass away so soon. At that moment, my Mother realised  that she couldn't get any help from people she knew. So Mom removed me from herself permanently, sending me to boarding schools far away from her, so that I would be safe. And free. Free from the darkness that she carried along with. 

People would wonder why she went back to being the Padma of the yore. I have also wondered the same, countless times, trying my level best to hate her. But I couldn't. In fact, as I grew up, I realised the immense sacrifice that she had done for me - she wasn't educated you see. So, she wanted me to be educated enough so that I could manage a decent life somewhere, without her. and not suffer a similar fate"

Tears welled up in her eyes, and Saroja looked down at her now empty cup. Vedant signalled the waiter for two more.

After a while, he gently placed her hand on hers, urging her to look up

"Then how do you keep in touch?"

She smiled weakly

"Oh I have a number, we exchange messages once in a while, when she transfers money to my bank account. I am sure she has my number saved in some other name. I never asked."

He moved his hand away as the waiter arrived.

"I don't even know how she looks now. Isn't she beautiful?" Saroja asked wistfully.

Vedant nodded his head and smiled goofily - "Yes I agree. Much more than you are"

His goofiness earned him a rather genuine smile, lighting up her face.

...

He took the longest route home. She was enjoying the ride, and he decided to let the moment linger. To grow stronger. And not fade away.

Their fingers brushed as he helped her with the seatbelt and her face flushed. He decided not to pull her legs though he felt his inside warm up at the reaction. He showed her how to fine tune for the different radio stations, and soon she was fiddling away, finally settling for a station playing old songs from the 60s and 70s.

Vedant knew that they couldn't drive all the way home. Not yet. Saroja had offered to get down near the CCD from where he had picked her up, in the morning.

She had dozed off in between; he knew that she was keeping long nights for her studies. It saddened him to wake her up as they approached the spot. 

"Thanks for everything" Saroja said as she got down, waiting for him to drive away.

He smiled in response and drove away, his smile faltering as she became a speck in the distance.

...

He glanced at his watch impatiently; it was already 7 p.m. He had reached home an hour back, and wondered where she was.

It was nearly half an hour later that she entered through the back door. Gopi Mama securely locked the door behind her and indicated towards his room. Saroja hurried to Radha Mami, but not before she glanced towards the terrace and smiled at him.

The Fairy Godmother had swished her wand some more, while a dark shadow slinked away, unknowing to both of them.

Vedant spent a lot of time later trying to understand the feelings that had coursed through his veins then, when she had smiled.

...

Present time

Dr Rao murmured appreciation as he checked his arm and leg after removing the casts. He was happy; Vedant has been healing nicely. He was after all a young man, and he had followed the Doctor's instructions to a T. He encouraged Vedant to get up from the wheelchair and walk a bit, with help of crutches.

He was astounded by the patience the boy had. Usually, people became irritable after spending more than a month on a wheelchair, and then being further promoted to a crutch. But all he could see in Vedant's face was perfect equanimity as he moved around a bit, before sitting down on his bed, exhausted.

His parents were of course happy with his progress and asked hundreds of questions to him, but Dr Rao noticed that Vedant was completely oblivious to everything else. He wondered.

The cut on his forehead had healed as well, but Dr Rao knew that a scar would stay behind to tell it's own story.

He jotted down some more medicines, and then after some brief discussion with his parents, he left. A sort of unease spread all over his mind; the relationship between the boy and his parents seemed strained.

...

Vedant was relentless. Now that he could move around, he was restless as well. He knew that he had already wasted precious time, but he also knew that he needed to heal first. Otherwise, he would be of no help to Saroja who had been missing for some time now.

The odds had been stacked against them from the very beginning; the damage has already done. What they needed to resort to now was damage control.

He hobbled over to the window and looked out - life was happening all around.

He felt the ghost of her hand covering his eyes from behind, and her laughter reaching his ears. He tried to hold her hand, as the crutch clattered onto the ground, and he turned around his eyes searching for her. But there was no one there.

Gopi Mama rushed into the room and picked the crutch up.

...

Seven Months back

Her eyes followed every line, every curve of his face as he sat there apologising for the treatment meted out to her by his family. His was a face that she was learning to love gradually, she thought, as his embarrassment stopped him from meeting her eyes.

They were back at the CCD, talking some more, drinking coffee. Saroja had not wanted to come over here today; her exam was just a month away and she was unconventionally tensed. With everything. Vedant had insisted. he felt that it would be good for her to be away from all the fretting, all the tension, all the unhappiness - for some time at least.

It was a Saturday once again.

She placed her her hand on top of his, and he looked up.

"Vedant, it is not anybody's fault. Not your parents. Not your family. This is how things are supposed to be. In fact, its better this way. I get to stay away from prying eyes and concentrate on my studies. That's the main reason why I am here."

Deja vu once again.

Coffee arrived and she moved her hand away from his; he felt bereft.

"Now that we are here, why don't you tell me something about your work? You mentioned about some new project ... " Saroja offered.

And Vedant grasped the line.

The next hour flew away as he spoke. His love for his work shone through his words as he ran his hand through his hair every now and then. Saroja noticed that he had had a hair cut recently, though the unruly mop of hair on his forehead was his bane.

He was like a little boy now, his eyes shining in excitement - he whipped out his pen to draw a diagram on the tissue to explain to her the layout of the project.

Saroja understood lesser than what she thought she would, but his enthusiasm was contagious. Soon, she was sharing plans of what she wished to do after her results were out.

And they both suddenly realised that their future plans were individualistic in nature, as they were supposed to be. There was no space for anybody else in those plans.

...

A while later, they were on their way home. His fingers brushed against hers as they waited for an auto, for her. She smiled, looking the other way. He smiled, when she did not shy away.

...

End of part 10