Chapter Sixty Four: On A Day Like Today

On a day like today – the whole world could change

The sun’s gonna shine – shine through the rain

On a day like today – no one complains

Free to be pure – free to be sane

On a day like today

~Bryan Adams~

 

She lifted her hands slightly and allowed her fingers to caress the words engraved on the stone.

Magic is Life. Life is Love. Love is Magic.

She shivered, taken aback by the heat that seemed to emanate from the beautiful cursive writing that the engraving was.

Gail O’Reilly Gupta

Krishna choked back a small sob and stepped back. Her Granny G was gone. And now there was just this grave that remained, a place to think of her, still brimming with fresh flowers and wreaths that the family and a few friends had left behind as sign of respect. The burial service had been strangely poignant and much to her own surprise, Krishna had been able to keep the tears to herself. Maybe it had been the sight of her aunts holding each other’s hands, looking on as Aman and her two fathers lowered the coffin into the freshly dug earth.

Bye, she had whispered and in return she had heard a small tinkling smile whispering “Till we meet again,” A few months back, this exchange would have scared her. Not anymore. In that moment, Krishna only felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for her good fortune at having been born with the powers in her blood.

Smiling softly as the tears finally poured down her cheek, she turned her head to see the other grave nearby with a faded, crumbling tombstone bearing exactly the same words. Fiona O’Reilly-Abraham, she read off the name, smiling slightly as she pondered on the beauty of the names that the family had been blessed with and her own dream of having a Christian one for herself someday. Then she turned her head to the other side of Granny G’s grave to see the empty space, which she had realized without having to confirm with anyone, was meant for her Granny H. She shuddered once again and yet, she knew that it would happen someday. After all, losing loved ones to death had been her gift from birth.

A fresh tear joined the rest down her cheek as Krishna thought of her mother.

“It would have been nice to have a grave for Mama too.” She whispered as she took another step back and turned around to watch her Papa step forward to place his hand on her shoulder. He looked tired, his eyes heavy and unblinking as they flickered over to hers, flashing a small smile briefly before looking away.

“Grave or no grave, they all stay with you forever, sweetheart.”

Krishna smiled back at her father and nodded before turning back to look at the grave.

She had arrived early in the morning, a whole day after Granny G had taken leave from this world. What had been a day full of excitement and anticipation of her Papa’s return, had quickly turned into one of disbelief and overwhelming sadness. A part of Krishna did not want to get on the plane to Goa and be forced to face her family, acknowledge their grief. And yet, when she had seen Granny H, with tears in her eyes, she had run to her, hugging her with all the fierceness she could muster, as if telling someone up in the heavens that she wouldn’t let anyone else be taken away like this.

“Was it the curse?” She asked in a small voice as the conversation and the snippets of story that had been her companion for days now came rushing back to her finally. She had spoken aloud and put the question that had really been plaguing her mind, out to her father..

“No, sweetie.”

She turned as her Papa’s hands forced her to face him. She watched as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, in the grown up way that she had told him a year back, she now preferred over hugs.

“The curse didn’t do this to her. It was time for her to go and she knew it, she didn’t have any regrets about it. Not many people have a chance at that.”

Krishna swallowed painfully and nodded her head. What her father was saying sounded difficult and complex but there was a strange sense of logic to it, even though she could point out a million counter arguments. “She didn’t even get to stay for Tally and Aman’s wedding. I can’t imagine how Tally and Aunty Kathy must feel. They have no…” She choked, biting back her sob as she ignored her own protocol and snuggled into the arms that were holding her. “They have no parents anymore. How must that feel?” She whispered more to herself than to her father.  “And I…I was being so silly…despite now having so many parents…you, Dad, PJ…a whole family.” She clutched at her father’s shirt, suddenly over wrought with fear and gratitude all in one breath. Fear of losing them all, gratitude that she still had people who loved her, cared for her, even fought over her.

Arnav said nothing but soothed Krishna’s back, his hand patting her slightly as she continued to sob.

“I am so selfish. All I can think of is how glad I am that it wasn’t one of you who died, when I should in fact be…”

“You are not selfish, K. We should be glad that we are living, that we still have people who love us by our side. In some way, death is meant to do that to us, put things in perspective.”

Krishna sniffed and pushed herself away from her Papa’s embrace. She lifted her hand slightly and turned her face as if to wipe her tears on the sleeve of the black T-shirt she was wearing over a pair of jeans, when Arnav clucked softly in disapproval, making her stick her tongue out despite the hiccups that were erupting in her chest with a vengeance.

“Sorry,” She whispered and took the white handkerchief her father held out and went on to vigorously wipe the tears off her face. “I keep forgetting that I need to carry tissues with me. And today, everything was just so…”

“It’s okay. What are Papa’s for?”

Krishna smiled and neatly folded the handkerchief and stuffed it in her own pocket. “There’s something I want to do…” She trailed off and stepped in front of Granny G’s grave. She raised her hand and closed her eyes, thinking of the moment when Granny G had first introduced her to her magic. “Believe and it will be” Granny G had whispered to her when she had tried to do it the first time, the last time she had seen her Granny G. As she concentrated, she felt warmth begin to plow through her chest and reach into her palms. She heard the breeze rustle softly around her and with closed eyes, she saw a small blue flower, wild and brilliant, rise slowly into the air from the slightly damp earth it had grown in and float slowly towards the new grave.

She kept her mind focused and chanted fervently for the flower to make its way to Granny G when her eyes opened suddenly of their own accord and the flower tumbled back into the ground.

Her shoulders drooped and her lips curved downwards sadly. Clearly she had a long way to go. “And it’s not even like there is a spell I can chant to make it right. Wingardium Leviosa sounded so perfect…” She grumbled.

Chuckling next to her, Arnav stepped forward and raised his own hand slightly. Krishna frowned as she saw her Papa’s outstretched hand. In that moment, he looked almost larger than life, glowing with a circle of flame around him, an aura of gold. In his trademark all-black attire, he looked magnificent, like a magician himself. She shook her head and patted her head softly, as if silent reprimand, her fanciful notions and…

The blue flower lifted off the ground and floated, this time smoothly, bouncing slightly along the breeze as it came to rest on Granny G’s grave.

Krishna’s head whirled around to look at her Papa. He was….There was no way the flower could have floated like that unless he…

“You have magic.” She whispered and blinked. “You are a magician.”

Arnav turned alowly and smiled at her, the smile indulgent and warm despite the lack of pride that Krishna was sure one would see in her eyes if she could do what he just did.

“Eeeeeee…” She shrieked despite the look in her father’s eyes and jumped a couple of times, looking at Granny G’s grave as if to share the discovery with her. “He has magic. He has magic too…Oh god. You have magic”

“Relax…let Granny G rest at least for a day or two before you force her to see you like this.”

Krishna felt embarrassed for forgetting all about where they were. She muttered a small apology to her grandmother and then contimued stared in open eyed wonder as her father, her usually staid, practical, loving but very dull – relatively of course, spoke with such humor and such…confidence in what he had just demonstrated. It was one thing to learn of her own powers. But to learn of her father’s….

“Why didn’t you ever say anything? How long have you had these powers?” She tugged at his hand, not bothering to keep her voice from being the high pitched shriek her friend Anya always complained it took on when she was excited. “How do you even have these powers?” And then came the question that she knew would have found its way to her sooner or later, the most important one, even though Krishna knew the answer to it, instinctively. “Was Mamma magic too?”

The small smile disappeared off Arnav’s face. Krishna saw it happen and immediately knew that she had been right, that she didn’t get any magic from her mother.

“I think I have always had magic. I discovered it when I was a few years older than you. I spent half my life trying to wish it away and the rest of it trying to explain why I have it.”

She wanted to ask her father why he would ever want to wish away magic because despite the curse, to Krishna, the thought of the power her family had was enough to enthrall and mesmerize. But Krishna kept quiet, knowing that when it was time, and if it was her place, she would know more about what her father meant. She had learnt early on that she could trust her father to tell her whatever she needed to know. And for everything else, she thanked her stars she was a curious cat like Anya was.

“Anu didn’t have magic.” He father confirmed next, his tone simple and yet full of regret as she realized he was aware of her own. “Why she didn’t have magic and I did…” His voice trailed off as he looked away for second. “Will you trust me when I say that I will tell you more someday and for now, this needs to be enough for you?”

Krishna nodded even before Arnav had a chance to finish his statement, not because it was said in that polite and firm tone that her father usually used for topics as grave as this, but because there was something in his voice that forced her to hold back the urge to try and probe a little deeper.

“Thank you, Krishna. You are the best daughter I could ever ask for.”

Krishna smiled, her spirits lifting for the first time in two days. She threw her arms around her father and gave him a quick peck on cheek, chuckling as she saw the stunned look in his face. “And you are the best Papa I will ever have.”

Arnav smiled back and fondly ruffled her hair. “Shall we head back?”

Krishna turned to look at the grave once more and nodded even as she stepped to the tombstone and placed her hand on it lightly. “Bye, Granny G. See you soon.”

See you, my child.

Krishna smiled at the flowers that ruffled slightly in the still air which patted her cheek.

As she fell into step with her father as they found the small brickstone path  that led out of the graveyard, she looked up at him, the thought striking her as suddenly as her father’s magical discovery had. “What’s your magic, Papa?”

“I seem to be able to affect the weather, move objects, read some people’s thoughts, sometimes  see what’s going to happen.”

“Whoa,” Krishna exclaimed in wonder. Her father had all these powers for so long and she never knew? “Your magic sounds a lot like Aunty Kathy’s, maybe even stronger than hers.”

She watched as Arnav smiled even as he continued to look ahead and walk briskly. “Yes, hers.”

Her conversation with her Aunty Kathy from PJ’s wedding day came back to her and Krishna smiled to herself. “I knew you would make a good pair,” She whispered to herself and then she stopped, her eyes wide as the thought that flashed in her head, stunned her to silence for a minute.

Her father kept walking a good two feet before he realized Krishna had stopped. “You have that magic, the one that Ciara gave away. You are from the Captain’s genetic family. You are…this is all so ..so strange…so fantastic.” She exclaimed, her hand dramatically resting on her chest as she stared at the empty brickstone pathway ahead. “Not to mention romantic, if only…” She whispered.

“Krishna,”

Krishna cleared her throat and beamed up at her father. “Yes?”

She waited as multiple emotions flitted on her father’s face, confusing her a   little. It almost looked like he was about to agree with her on Aunty Kathy and him…

“Do you want to go to school in Goa for the next couple of years?”

The disappointment that reared its head in her heart disappeared even before she could recognize it. “For real?” She shrieked once again, staring at her father.

Arnav nodded with a smile. “I can speak to Shay and PJ and see if they will be okay hosting you especially since…”

“They will be. Just last time PJ was telling how much she would like me to be around when the baby comes along.”

Arnav stared at her in awe. “They told you?”

Krishna nodded her head furiously and walked up to where her father was standing and tugged his hand so that they were walking out of the graveyard again.

“Of course. I am so happy. This baby will technically be my brother or sister. I have always wanted one. All of you had siblings. Well, except PJ. She is an only child like me. That’s why we are such good friends.”

“Krishna,”

“Huh?” She looked up at the resigned expression on his face and shook her head. “Sorry, I got carried away. The answer is yes. I would love to go to school here.”

“You won’t miss Anya?”

The thought was enough to take the cheer away from the day. “Shit…sorry…I didn’t think of that. Anya…”

“We don’t have to decide right away. Think about it and then tell me what you want. If you choose to stay in Delhi, you can still visit during vacation time. Okay?”

Krishna nodded glumly for second and then piped up, the momentary setback not enough to pull her excitement for long . “I’ll get Anya to come to school here as well. Aunty won’t mind. They think you always do the right thing anyway. Simple,” She shrugged and mentally started thinking of ways to talk Anya into saying yes, ignoring the indulgent shake of her father’s head and the small chuckle of laughter that seemed to come from the breeze.

—————

“Are you sure about it?” Shay asked quietly as he stared at Arnav, amazed by the extent to which the man in front of him and their relationship had morphed into an almost pleasant, amiable one.

“Krishna is sure of it.” Arnav said with a nod and then shook his head, “She actually got her friend to talk to her parents as well. Thankfully Anya’s parents agreed for summer vacation but remained firm on the schooling part. Sun Cottage is going to be an interesting place this summer.”

Shay chuckled and shook his head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was Krishna’s plan all along.”

Arnav smiled.

Shay looked at Arnav again and cleared his throat. “Thank you for allowing me to listen in to your story about your parents, about Anu.”

Arnav blinked and nodded but remained silent.

“I wish I knew what she was going through, Arnav. I…I would NEVER have let her go. I just lost my head after Shashi’s death and the story of the curse…I couldn’t imagine losing her like that. I should have tried to contact her again, in Delhi, wherever. Maybe….”

“You have to stop doing that. You don’t need to convince me. I…I think I understand…” Arnav said with a soft sigh. He picked up the mug of beer and downed a big gulp before setting it back on the table top. “The truth is all her life, she was looking for acceptance. My mother never cared for either of us. My father….he only wanted a male heir…he didn’t care about her at all…he proved it time and again. And in all his preference for me, Anu and I never had a chance to be for each other what we needed to be in that hell-hole. When she found you, she finally found acceptance, love…”

Shay stared at the circles of perspiration the beer mugs they were drinking from, had left on the wooden table. “And then I left her alone, pushing her back into the same mess.”

Arnav didn’t utter a word. Instead he simply looked away. “She was okay before she realized she was pregnant. She wanted to put you out of her mind. I think pregnancy just made her realize that she would never be able to do that.”

“I would have come for her. I loved her. I was only scared for…”

“I know…And I think, I hope wherever Anu is, she knows now too.” Arnav said softly and then turned his head slightly to look directly into Shay’s eyes. “I am sorry. I should have called you if not before, then when Anu…” His words trailed off.

In that moment, Shay felt like a heel. He didn’t deserve that apology. He was the one who…

“I was selfish. Krishna was what I needed  – an anchor –  a real, breathing one. I used her as a crutch in my worst moments. There were days when the craving for a smoke would be so acute, it was unbearable…to watch the little baby that Krishna was, to know that she needed me to be there for her….”

Shay looked at him and smiled ruefully. “What a life we’ve all led.” He said softly, raising his own mug in acknowledgment as Arnav did his. “I will say it one final time, you’ve done very well by Krishna. Better than I could have ever hoped to.”

Arnav chuckled and nodded his head. “We’ll see in thirteen years from now once PJ…Payal…has had the baby.”

Shay smiled as silence surrounded them. They were seated in Kenny’s shack, the evening still warm and heavy as the ocean lapped in the distance. He rubbed his tired eyes. He hadn’t slept in more than forty eight hours. None of them had. Gail’s absence hung over the Isle and the family like a shroud. Despite the chance they had to say goodbye, it hadn’t been easy. There was an unnatural stillness in the Isle, the guests having been respectfully transferred out for the mourning period – which his mother had insisted wouldn’t be more than a four days, which was, he admitted to himself, more than Gail would have allowed herself.

The only silver lining was the fact that unlike Shashi’s time, this time Ally and Kathy had not just each other and him, but also two men who couldn’t be more perfect for each of them. Just like he had Payal, the woman who had refused to let her grief mar the way she was there for her friends, for him, for his mother.

“Gail wanted you to tell her.”

Shay looked at Arnav with a frown.

Arnav shook his head with a rueful smile. “I didn’t…I can’t read your mind for some reason. I can read others’ though. So many times I have wondered if the success I’ve had is only because I have always…” he shook his head and then Shay watched as his eyes turned serious. “Not for long though.”

Shay didn’t miss a beat. He knew immediately what Arnav was thinking. “Have you talked to Khushi?”

Arnav shook his head. “Not yet.”

Shay looked at him as Arnav stared back.  The two men smiled at each other briefly, each surprised by the ease of their conversation. They raised their mugs in silent toast and resumed the silence the other’s company offered.

—————

Aman smiled as he witnessed the small scene in front of him. Shay had invited him over for drinks but he had been caught up with Father Sequeira and the arrangements for the memorial service longer than expected. Maybe this was destined too, he mused and chuckled to himself before he marched on to the table where Shay and Arnav sat.

“You started without me.” He said as cheerfully as his exhausted state could muster and slid into the empty chair at the table.

Arnav shrugged, trying to look bored as Shay waved at barman behind the counter. “We know you’ll catch up.”

“I sure will, Brothers-in-law” He chuckled at his own joke and refused to ignore the laughter in Shay’s face or the quiet smile on Arnav’s.

 Author’s Note: Thank you for all the love. Next update on Mar 6, 2014, 9PM IST

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