I'm extremely sorry for taking so long to update. I came to my Masi's house and chilling with cousins out here I nearly forgot about the chapter. Kindly forgive me. I'll try to give update as soon as possible..🥲

Enjoy this one. 🫶

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The moment Shrimala's eyes found all of them standing at the threshold, her smile softened. But then,

Her expression shifted, panick surged into her chest,

"Mera baccha."

With that word, she immediately ran inside, without caring about anyone.

Dhananjay stood frozen where he was. His eyesight turning blurry.

His mother. She had come back. And she recognised him..

His lips curled into a smile, he stepped forward expecting her to come and hug her but,

She passed him..and went straight to Rishabh, who was standing in the doorway with one hand against the frame, and she took his face in both her,

"Beta, ye sab.. aap theek toh ho na. Ye kya hua, kab hua. Ek baar bataya bhi nahi humein."

(My child, all this.. you are alright, aren't you. What happened, when did this happen. You didn't tell us even..)

She looked at his wounds. Rishabh smiled and replied,

"Mai.. mai theek hun. Bas thoda gir gaya. Chot lag gayi."

(I'm.. I'm fine. Just fell a little. Got hurt.)

Dhananjay had not moved. His eyes set where Shrimala stood earlier.

He has expected her to come to him..but she moved to Rishabh instead.

She can't be his mother. Never..

His expression shifted completely. He didn't once look at her.

But Ganga was watching Shrimala. Her lips parted.

"Amma.."

She began to move toward her but Dhananjay's hand closed around hers.

Ganga looked at him. "Dhananjay?"

He shook his head.

She looked at his face, her eyes teary pleading..

Just then, Kaveri stepped in and spoke with a soft smile. "Mala Ji, Mishra Ji. Aap dono haath muh dho kar aaram kar lijiye thoda. Ganga, jao, kamra dikha do."

(Mala Ji, Mishra Ji. Both of you wash up and rest a little. Ganga, go, show them their rooms.)

Ganga looked at Dhananjay once more, her eyes asking to leave her hand. Dhananjay let her go. Ganga looked at him one last time, before she moved with Mishra Ji and Mala.

She showed Mishra Ji to the first room. Then she brought Mala to the second one.

The room Dhananjay had set aside for his mother.

Ganga stood in the doorway and gestured inside with a smile. Mala looked around the room, everything arranged to give her peace. Ganga watched her and said,

"Aap yahan aaram se rahiye. Kuch chahiye toh bata dijiyega."

(Please rest comfortably here. If you need anything, just tell me.)

And she turned to leave, just then Mala spoke,

"Acha, suno."

Ganga stopped. She turned back. For a long moment she simply looked at her face.

Mala smiled. "Naam nahi bataya apna.."

(You didn't tell me your name.)

Ganga opened her mouth. The memories of that day flashed in her mind, the day she has told her name to her Amma..

Her eyes turned teary and voice came out barely above a whisper as she said it again. "Ganga."

She swallowed. Steadied herself. And said it again, clearly.

"Ganga. Dhananjay ki patni."

The name, Dhananjay, landed differently in Mala's chest. Something moved behind her eyes. She repeated it, almost to herself.

"Dhananjay."

A pause. Then a warm smile. "Phir toh malkin hui is ghar ki. Bahut pyaara ghar hai."

(Then you are the mistress of this house. What a lovely home it is.)

Ganga shook her head slowly. "Is ghar ki asli malkin Amma hain. Matlab.. Dhananjay ki Ma hain. Mai toh.." she paused, and when she continued her voice was careful, "mai toh jinda bhi unke kaaran hun."

(The real mistress of this house is Amma. I mean.. Dhananjay's mother. As for me.. I am alive only because of her.)

Mala looked at her. "Matlab?"

(Meaning?)

"Lambi kahani hai. Baad mein fursat se sunaati hun. Aap haath muh dho lijiye pehle. Mai khaane ki taiyaari dekhti hun."

(It is a long story. I will tell you at leisure later. First wash up. I'll go check on dinner.)

She left before her expression gave anything away.

She had intended to go to the kitchen. But her feets moved towards their room..

Dhananjay was already there, sitting at the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, his eyes on the floor.

Ganga came to him quickly. The words came out tangled with the tears she had been holding back for the last hour.

"Dhananjay.. vo Amma hain na. Tumhari Ma. Ek baar haan keh do na."

(Dhananjay.. she is Amma, isn't she. Your mother. Just say yes once.)

He looked up at her.

Then slowly he shook his head. "Vo meri Ma nahi hai, Ganga."

(She is not my mother, Ganga.)

"Pagal ho gaye ho kya tum. Vo Amma hi hain. Unki shakal Amma se milti hai. Bolne ka tarika, haath lagaane ka tarika, sab kuch.."

(Have you gone mad? She is Amma. Her face matches Amma's. The way she speaks, the way she touches, everything..)

"Shakal milne se kuch nahi hota, Ganga." His voice was flat, he barely said it. "Meri Ma. Unhe apne haathon se agni di thi maine. Achhe se yaad hai mujhe."

(A matching face means nothing, Ganga. My mother. I gave her the funeral fire with my own hands. I remember it well.)

He spoke and sat back down.

And then his own words hit him.

He had given fire to the pyre. He remembered that. He remembered the smoke and the heat.

But had he seen her face.

He held very still.

Had anyone. Had anyone looked at the face of the woman placed on that pyre and confirmed, with certainty, that it was Shrimala.

The face had not been in a condition to be seen. He had not thought about it in twenty years because he had not needed to. He had burnt his mother. He had grieved her. He had rebuilt himself around that grief and learned to carry it and it had become part of the architecture of who he was..

He said nothing of this to Ganga. He could not yet say it to himself.

Ganga had sunk to her knees on the floor in front of him, her face wet, her voice breaking open.

"Kyun. Kyun vo Amma nahi ho sakti. Unhe pehli baar dekh kar aisa laga tha jaise Amma wapas aa gayi ho. Humaare paas, humaare liye, tumhare liye. Par vo.. vo gayi bhi toh Rishabh Ji ke paas. Unki parwah thi unhe."

(Why. Why can't she be Amma. The first time I saw her, it felt like Amma had come back. To all of us, for all of us, for you. But she.. she went to Rishabh Ji. She was worried for him.)

Dhananjay looked at her on the floor. He reached down and pulled her up and held her against his chest. She came without resistance, her hands clutching his kurta, her face buried in him.

He did not tell her to stop. He did not tell her everything would be fine. He simply held her, and let her cry everything she was holding, and held his own impossible question somewhere inside himself where it had no answers yet.

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By evening they came downstairs together.

The courtyard had become a quiet gathering. Agrawal Ji, Lala Ji, and Mishra Ji had pulled chairs into the angan and the conversation between them. Dhananjay walked out and joined them, settling into the chair Mishra Ji made space for, and within minutes was part of it.

Ganga went to the kitchen.

Nayantara and Kaveri were already there. Ganga looked at them and said,

"Maaf karna, Chachi. Mai aane waali thi aapki madad karne, phir.."

(I'm sorry, Chachi. I was going to come help you, then..)

Nayantara turned and looked at her face. One look was enough. She crossed the kitchen and put her palm against Ganga's cheek.

"Koi baat nahi. Tum theek hona."

(It doesn't matter. You just be alright.)

Ganga lowered her eyes.

Kaveri came and stood on her other side, her hand going to Ganga's shoulder.

No one in that kitchen had any confusion about what had happened upstairs, or what Ganga had seen when she walked Mala to that room, or what she was carrying right now. They knew this girl. They knew that the one who was the loudest in her anger was always the first to break quietly, later, when no one was supposed to see.

Ganga's face shifted, she was about to cry when Kaveri held her.

"Ae, rona nahi. Shaant ho jao."

(Hey, don't cry. Calm yourself.)

Ganga pressed her lips together and nodded and took a breath. Just then Mala appeared.

She looked at Ganga,

"Kya hua? Ganga, sab theek hai na?"

(What happened? Ganga, is everything alright?)

Ganga looked up. She arranged her expression, "Haan. Sab theek hai."

(Yes. Everything is fine.)

Mala looked at her for a moment then teased,

"Kya hua. Apne Dhananjay se jhagda kar liya kya?"

(What is it. Had a little fight with your Dhananjay?)

Ganga looked at her with a straight face. "Mujhse jhagdega toh raat bageeche mein bitaani padegi."

(If he fights with me, he'll be spending the night in the garden.)

On her words everyone laughed.

Afterwars, as Mala stepped to help them out,Nayantara moved to intercept her. "Arey, aap jaiye, aaram kariye. Abhi safar se aayi hain aap."

(Oh, please go, rest. You've just arrived from a journey.)

"Arey..itna bhi aupcharik mat ho jaao mere sath.."

(Don't be this formal with me.)

She sayed with a smile, Kaveri and Nayantara couldn't deny her. They continued to work together.

And from the angan, Dhananjay watched, specifically at Mala.

Soon the food was ready they gathered at the table. Kaveri took a plate and went to Ritwik. The rest sat down.

The food was served, Dhananjay when took the first bite. His entire being froze.

The taste. It was the same. The same, his mother used to cook.

He sat with it for a moment. The memories flooding.

The table continued around him, conversation passing back and forth.

Dhananjay barely ate and before anyone he excused himself with two words and went upstairs.

Later, when the dishes were cleared and Mishra Ji and the men had drifted to their rooms, Ganga, Nayantara, Kaveri sat together with tea.

"Kuch kaha Dhananjay ne?" Kaveri asked into the quiet.

(Did Dhananjay say anything?)

Ganga looked at her cup. "Kya hi kahega. Khana toh khaya nahi usne."

(What would he say. He didn't even eat.)

Nayantara turned her cup slowly. "Kitna kuch beet raha hoga uske oopar, ye sochiye. Aise achanak apni Ma ki humshakal ko dekh lena. Kisi bhi bacche ke liye aasaan nahi hota."

(Think about what he must be going through. Suddenly seeing someone who looks exactly like his mother. It wouldn't be easy for any child.)

The three of them sat with that for a moment. Then Kaveri spoke.

"Vo Mala Jiji hi hain."

Ganga and Nayantara looked at her. Kaveri sighed and told them each of her assumptions, that was enough to prove that the woman was none other than Shrimala...