Thicker Than Blood. (4th blog story)

19^th April, 2015.

                                                  Thicker than Blood.

After completing his final lap, Abhru climbed out of the swimming pool at Saket sports complex only to find 39 missed calls on his phone and 7 sms from Geetanjali,  repeating the same message “Abhru, call me, it is urgent”. Drying himself with the towel he glanced at his diver’s wristwatch. 08.10 am. It has been his schedule for the last 4 years, to complete 50 laps in the swimming pool every day, from 7 am to 8 am. Geetanjali was well aware of his schedule, as he made it sure that nobody disturbs him around that time, obviously it didn’t took much of his acumen to realize that it must be really urgent that she called so many times, or she wouldn’t have done that. Contemplating all this, he was just going to hit the dial button on the screen when the phone rang again.

“Yes?” Abhru said. He never greeted anyone with a formal ‘hello’ over phone. Especially to his friends.

“Bad time? I know you were swimming, but it is really urgent” Geetanjali sounded a bit off than usual. Something wasn’t right.

“No, no, bol kya hua?”

“It’s about Shubha, well, I don’t know if it is really a problem or not, but…”

“Oh”. Abhru rubbed his temple. If it was about Shubha, or Shubhasree, it wasn’t going to be pleasant. But still, it was Shubha. “I guess this would take long. Can you meet?” Abhru asked, still drying his hairs and donning his vest.

“Yeah, yeah sure! Where?” Geetanjali’s voice sounded relieved, like she was waiting for this particular reply.

“Saket crossing bus stand? I’ll be there in 20 minutes” Abhru said.

“Okay”.

Shubha has always been a bit of trouble to her friends and family, especially her irresponsible and quite impossible attitude and sudden changes. Naturally, Abhru wasn’t excluded from it either. But lately, she has been way too much of news to everybody. Sure, the occasional silliness or behavioral changes aren’t unnatural, but she has been doing things that shouldn’t be done, and there is no regret or remorse that she shows, instead, she is quite vocal about how people shall leave her alone if they aren’t feeling good around her. “God knows what she has done now! I am fed up with this and her!” Abhru murmured while tying the shoelaces, and finally slinging the kit bag on his shoulder, leaving the changing rooms. Buying a cigarette, Abhru’s mind was trying to figure out all the possibilities, the worst case scenarios that might have taken place. Glancing at his watch for one last time, he revved up the bike and sped off to the rendezvous he fixed for the meet.

“Thank you for meeting up Abhi!” Geetanjali remarked, embracing him in a glad, relieved manner. She and Abhru knew each other through Shubha, when she introduced each other at a movie and since then they have been quite good friends. “I really didn’t want to bother you, you know. But I didn’t knew what to do” her voice was trembling with uncertain doubts.

“Nah! It’s okay! I am always here to help. Even though…” Abhru said absently. “Well, what’s up?”

“It’s Shubha. I don’t know how to put it, she isn’t well” Geetanjali started, a cloud of uncertainty fear loomed over her face, and Abhru knew, Geetanjali is not that type of girl who can be intimidated easily. “She hasn’t been picking my phones, she hasn’t been replying to my texts for the last 8 days, and no one else has any idea of her whereabouts. I don’t feel it good Abhi!”

“Well, you know her! This isn’t the first time that she is doing such stuff. She does turn out a bitch at times! I don’t see the need to be afraid.” Abhru said, lighting another cigarette. “Surely you are aware of her crap! You are her bestie, aren’t you?”

“Yes, indeed, but still, mann nahi maan raha Abhi!” She said, taking a drag off the cigarette Abhru offered her. “I know she does that, but she never had ignored my calls before, she always picks my call. And lately, she has been acting strange. She is like, um, I don’t know, not herself.”

“Hmm… so, what do you want me to do? You do know that she has moved out of the house and she have severed every contact with me, right?” Abhru said, is gaze fixed on the rushing cars on the streets, which was going to get clogged with the morning rush.

“I don’t know, I really don’t! But I have a bad feeling about this! That’s why I need your help!” Geetanjali said, putting out the cigarette and tossing gum in her mouth absently.

A few moments of thinking and two more cigarettes later, Abhru stood up finally, stretching his arms and cracking his fingers. “Okay, come on.”

“Where?” Geetanjali asked, quite amused by this sudden decision”

“To the epicenter of all the fucking trouble, and to meet that jumped up little bitch”! Abhru remarked, hoping on to his bike, “To Mehrauli”. He said.

Abhru didn’t realized that today was  going to be one of those days when all of a sudden, everything was likely destined to go in a berserk mode, and all one could do was watch or try to fix things up. Shubha has been one of those people in his life who, in a matter of speaking, was a walking chaos even though he was sure that most of her misgivings were plainly a by-product of universe’s own jokes. He always believed that Shubha wasn’t entirely the reason of her irresponsible attitude, but he also believed, and told her at times that irresponsibility is just a matter of personal choice, and anyone can be better. But ever she listened to him!

“Open the goddamn door for fuck’s sake!” Abhru screamed while relentlessly banging and knocking the door, as a certain but unwanted feeling drowned him. “Shubha! Open the damn door, dammit!”

“Oh my god, no…no!” Geetanjali broke down with the fear of something that wasn’t even supposed to be there to be afraid of! Her legs went weak with that one fear that overlaps every other fear in the world.

“Right, this isn’t working.” Abhru said, keeping his composure, which was necessary. He always believed, and quite rightly, that panic is the worst emotion, it always curtails the necessary function. If a problem is to be solved, calmness is the first thing one will need.

“Shall… shall we call the police?” Geetanjali queried who have lost the idea of her whereabouts and was weeping.

“No, no need of that, not yet.” Abhru said, with the calmest tone, which might have provided some strength to Geetanjali. Fumbling his kit bag, he produced a small pouch with 4 or 5 metal clips and shafts. Picking two of them, Abhru kneeled in front of the apartment door, inserting the shafts into the doorknob, where usually the keys go.

“What are you doing?”

“Picking the lock; learnt it from Google, and we really don’t have to call police.” Abhru said, as a matter of factly, as he tweaked the knob, finally unlocking the door with a click. “Good thing that I made this tool kit!” He always was learning things that didn’t seemed necessary at initial glance. Pushing the door inwards to enter the apartment, he stood still at the entry, looking into the apartment. It was exactly like he had assumed. “FOR FUCK’S SAKE!”  Abhru entered the rooms, annoyed, followed by a weeping and frightened Geetanjali.

It was nearly 1 in the afternoon when Shubha woke up on her bed. The curtains were removed, allowing the sun to shine right on her face, blinding her momentarily. It took atleast 5 minutes to gather her state and condition and as she was trying to remember what had happened or where she was she noticed that her room was cleaned up and smelled of incense sticks are room freshener. She heard some metals clank that came from the kitchen. She was almost going to scream with fear when someone said “Oh good, you are awake! Go have a bath first, and then we’ll talk”. Jolted with a fright, she turned only to find Abhru sitting on her chair, calm and poised and looking right at her.”

“How did you…” Shubha started to ask but was interrupted with a serious and intimidating tone. “The bath! Now!” Abhru said, rising from her chair and leaving the room. His voice, Shubha knew, he always used this one voice that wasn’t to be disobeyed. Although he didn’t raised it, such a voice that wasn’t to be taken lightly by any way. She went to obey the task that was given.

20 minutes later, when Shubha came out in the living room, she found the dining table has been cleaned up food was waiting. Actual homemade food. And the whole apartment was cleaned up. The packets of chips and wafers weren’t on the floor; the stale pizza from three nights ago was probably down the toilet. The bottles of rum and whiskey weren’t there where she left them lying and to her horror, the small pouch of weed wasn’t on the table. Instead all of these, she found Geetanjali wiping her hands and approaching her to give her a hug, and Abhru, sitting on the armchair, his hands clasped near his chin as he intently followed the Australia – new Zealand match, and the whole room looked like it was refurnished. It was just cleaner than before.

“Sit down, Shubha!” the familiar baritone that came from the chair, as he switched off the TV and turned towards her.  

“how did you get in? I changed the lock!” Shubha demanded, sitting down, her eyes red as in effect of the marijuana she had been smoking and the drinks.

“Doesn’t matter!” Abhru said “it really doesn’t matter how we got in, you shall ask, why we had to break in.”

“Okay, why?” Shubha exclaimed. “Why the hell are you here? Especially you! Hadn’t I made it clear that you are to stay away from me?”

“I called him Shubha!” Geetanjali said, “I was afraid! You haven’t been picking up my calls, you weren’t answering my texts, and you aren’t even yourself! I was really scared. I was at loss, and I thought that only Abhru is the right person to…”

“I am 28 years old, I guess I have the freedom to choose whether to pick your stupid damn calls or to reply you or not! And as far as he is concerned, you really don’t need to be here!” Shubha replied, only to regret it slightly. Even if she was high and was having a hangover, Shubha knew that Geetanjali was her soul sister. She knew that Geetanjali had done what she felt right. Geetanjali kept quiet, taken aback with such a reply, but Abhru wasn’t.

“Yes, you do have that freedom. But you don’t have the freedom to treat your friends as pieces of shit just because you are having a breakdown!” he said, his voice wrapped with an unnatural calm. “Just because you are irresponsible, of which you boast so triumphantly, and uncaring, doesn’t gives you the fucking right to treat everybody with such a shitty behavior. You want to die? Here’’ Abhru tossed a kitchen knife from the fruit bowl towards her, “slit your wrist right now and get over it.”

“Please stop doing it”. Shubha said, annoyed and irritated.

“Stop doing what?” Abhru replied, equally irritated.

“Stop giving a shit! Stop pretending that you care. Stop pretending that you look after me, you are not my…” Shubha was going to continue when...

“NOT YOUR WHAT? NOT YOUR OWN BROTHER?” Abhru shouted, frightening Geetanjali who sat in the chair still weeping for that previous remark. Even Shubha looked shocked. None of them or his friends has ever seen Abhru Roychoudhari lose his temper or raise his voice. His calm and intimidating manner, his rasp and deep voice did the job always. “NOT YOUR FUCKING OWN BROTHER? IS THAT IT? Yes, I am your step brother, yes, my father did marry your mother and I was a side luggage, so? SO WHAT YOU FUCKED UP BITCH? SO WHAT? How does it make any difference? How the fuck does it gives you the reason for your shitty behavior?”

“I…I didn’t…” Shubha tried to respond.

Still raging and gritting his jaws, Abhru continued “Stop pretending that I care? What do you know about care? I changed your bloody diapers when you were yay high! I stayed awake for nights singing you lullabies so that you can sleep when Pops and new Maa were sleeping, dead tired due to hectic night shifts at work! I took care of your bleeding self when you were sick or had exams you bloody unapologetic, ungrateful bitch! I don’t know what I have done to gather so much hate from you suddenly, you can hate me all the fuck you want, but never say that I pretend to care about you. I am your brother and I will always care even if you don’t appreciate it! And I don’t care about your problems, but you cannot be allowed to mess with other’s lives!”

“I didn’t wanted to say that Abhi, really! I…it was not my intention. It is just…” Shubha wept. A sense of remorse, to her own amazement dawned over her as she never saw her brother get so raged. Sure, she was a problem to him at times, but he always loved her more than a blood brother would, it was true. His calm, smiling demeanor and that large heart had always comforted her and she never had thanked him. She never felt to do so, and today, that afternoon Abhru lost his composure and that was her fault. Or so she felt. Weeps turned into intermittent sobs and Geetanjali now much poised and calmed, sat by her, holding her near her heart, letting her cry, as Shubha continued repeating that she was sorry, begging for forgiveness from Geetanjali, her soulmate. After all, asking for forgiveness is never too late; Abhru taught her when she was just a child.

Abhru’s anger melted away too, for even though she was a pain at times, she was his little sister, then be it his step sister. Her smile was something he would’ve killed for. Picking the knife from the floor that he threw at her, he took her head to his chest, something that Shubha always liked, for she found herself safe there. “Why didn’t you talked to me ‘paakhi’?” he asked, paakhi was her nickname he gave. “Why this self destructive behavior?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I felt so alone these days, rejected, abandoned, crushed…”

“Toh? What kind of silliness is this love? Okay, forget about me, you have been a pain in the arse to me, but think of Pops, Maa, Geetanjali… they all love you, this girl who is by your side right now, do you know how much afraid she was for the last 8 days?”

She knew. Even if she didn’t pick her calls or replied to her texts, she knew. And it indeed was stupidity in her part. She was stupid and she knew it, but her only problem was that she knew it and didn’t know how to act on it. “I am sorry, dada…” she could only manage that, choked by her own tears.

A deep breath lets itself loose from his chest and he smiled, “it’s okay now! It is alright. Now! Enough of this Shakespearean tragedy! I need to eat, you need to eat, and dear Geetanjali here is an amazing master of culinary arts as I reckon. Shall we?”

“Yes, sure” Shubha said, wiping her tears. “But I need you to do one thing, throw this shitty Cobain t-shirt for the love of god! Hell, sod it! I’m gonna go through your wardrobe and you need to have a new set of apparels! It is time that I come home.”

After 5 months and 7 days later, Shubha laughed on something, Abhru found his lost sister and Geetanjali her friend. Maybe Shubha was right, it was time that she came home.

“Food’s getting cold!” Geetanjali yelled with joyous tear.

                                                            End.