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“This is burning,” she held up her elbow.

Avantika stood back shocked when the whacko reached out and blew on it, then reached inside her bag, grabbed a small bottle of water, and rubbed a few drops around the bandaid.

“That’s a magic trick for any kind of hurt.

I made Sharan Kaka apply water whenever he fell and came back home crying. ”

“And my Papa?”

Silence.

“I made him take a full cold bath when he was burning in fever.”

“It feels cool now,” Brahmi pulled her elbow up to eye level, then blew.

“Come here, let me,” Samarth’s father pushed himself into one of the chairs and gathered her close, blowing on her elbow. “It’ll cool off more now, see…”

“Samarth,” his stepmother called him softly. “Can I speak to you?”

Avantika observed as they quietly slipped away.

She glanced at Brahmi and her grandfather, who was busy inquiring about how much did she bleed — ‘this much’ and did she cry — ‘only this much.’ Avantika left them to it, following Samarth.

If this woman dared tear into Samarth on her watch she would shred her to tatters.

“… and I am sorry,” Samarth was saying to her in a corner of the alley. Avantika stopped just out of their field of vision.

“He was my responsibility and I couldn't protect him. I promise he will be better. I assure you I will do everything in my power and beyond it for him to come back…”

“How can you be so careless?”

“I have been tearing myself up about that all day, Rajmata. But I never imagined in my wildest dreams that he would throw himself over Brahmi like that…”

“I am talking about Brahmi. How can you leave a child in the middle of the pen like that? What were you thinking dropping her off and riding away? Why did you drop her there?”

Samarth went silent.

“I am asking you something.”

“It wasn’t like that, Rajmata, I was taking the horse back to the stables…”

“That little child. Thank god she is full of spirit and so spunky that she is making an adventure out of it. These are traumas that stay with you for life! Thank god the most she suffered was a scraped elbow.”

“Sharan…”

“Will be alright. He has to become alright. He will wake up.”

“He will wake up,” Samarth reiterated. “He will.” He exhaled.

“Relax now, we are all here, it will be ok.” She nodded. “Now come and officially introduce Papa to Ava.”

Avantika’s eyes widened.

“How does Papa know about Brahmi?”

“I had to tell him on the way, to prepare him.”

“You told him everything?”

“Yes. And no more secrets now. It’s time he knows about Ava and what you have done.”

Before they could turn and see her, Avantika took quick steps back and strode back to her daughter.

————————————————————

“Oh, and you know there’s also a secret way from my room to the garden…”

“But you can’t go around telling secret passageways to everybody.”

“You are my Dada Sarkar, I can tell you. My Papa also told his Dada Sarkar everything. It’s allowed!”

Samarth’s father threw his head back and laughed. “You know, you are so adorable I could eat you.”

“I know,” she flipped her ponytail.

Avantika cleared her throat, making both their heads whirl to her. Brahmi was grinning, half leaning on her grandfather’s chest as he held her standing between his legs. His eyes met hers and the playful smile turned soft, tender.

“Cricketer Ava.”

Her eyes widened. She gaped at him. When his tender smile burst into a grin as if he knew her for ages, Avantika let out an incredulous chuckle that bubbled inside her.

“I would stand up to greet you, Kumari, but I have one right here and I believe she won’t like it if her back support is messed with.”

Ava stepped towards them — “Yes, I think so too,” she looked down at her daughter, so easily blended into a new set of people.

Brahmi had always been a people person, always an extrovert — an extra extrovert.

But she wasn’t so physically affectionate with everybody.

With Samarth, since that first moment in the car, she had trusted to lean into him.

And now his father. Or there was something about these men, all three of them, that you instantly felt safe and comfortable with them.

“How did you know my Mama played cricket in school?” Brahmi patted his bearded cheek. Her grandfather’s face automatically moulded and turned as per her wishes — “I know it because I have heard a lot about her games from your Papa. About her famous full toss hits.”

“Your Dada Sarkar played cricket too, you know?” Ava added, obliged to tell her daughter about this heritage.

“I still play cricket every day, thank you very much,” he added. “Primarily to prove to your Dadi Sarkar that I am not old.”

“You are not old,” Brahmi turned in his arms. “Your hair is not all white. My Nanaji’s hair is all white.”

“You know, you were my favourite since the moment I got to know about you but now you are my…”

“Favouritest?”

“Yes!” His eyes widened. “I like that word.”

“My Papa likes it too.”

“What does your Papa like?” Samarth came striding down the alley, his stepmother beside him.

“Favouritest?”

“Aah yes,” he smiled. “It’s my new favouritest word.”

“See?” Brahmi patted her grandfather’s chest. “I told you.”

“I love talking and I love talking to you more. Can we make a pact to talk for at least one hour a day?”

“I have a busy schedule…” she acted pricy, making them burst into a laugh even amidst this tense situation.

“Brahmi,” Avantika glared at her.

“I can work around your schedule. I know you are a star rider and upcoming polo sensation. But hey, have you tried cricket?”

“Alright, Sid,” Nawanagar’s Rajmata gave her husband a look. A funny look that Avantika was unable to decipher.

“We’ll talk about this later,” he whispered into Brahmi’s ear, making her beam.

“Rawal?” Their family doctor came striding down the hall.

“How is he, Haren saheb?”

“Slowly coming to his senses.”

Samarth did not betray any emotion even as his stepmother’s face contorted.

Avantika realised then how well she had been holding herself.

A mother, with her son in a place where nothing was certain, still joking with Brahmi and making sure Samarth was ok.

Grudging respect began to bloom in her mind for her.

“And the spinal tests?”

“We are waiting for him to become fully alert. My sense is Neuropraxia of the left radial nerve. It results in temporary paralysis, as you mentioned. The scope of full damage will only be known once Kunwar is lucid and all the tests are done. The good news is that he has begun to wake up.”

“Haren saheb,” Samarth’s father rose to his feet, Brahmi’s hand clasped in his. “Can it be what we suspected?”

Haren saheb’s mouth compressed. Ava saw the two men share a look. Samarth looked at his father, and he seemed to get in on that too.

“Let’s see, let him wake up fully.”

Silence. The last twenty minutes of flowers and butterflies seemed to wilt.

“Why is everyone quiet?” Brahmi tugged her grandfather’s hand. He pasted a smile on his face so genuine that Avantika couldn't believe he had been anxious a second ago.

“You went quiet, so everybody went quiet.”

“I can talk,” she nodded, sensing the moroseness of the group. “My schedule is clear today.”

He chuckled, using his free hand to lay over her head and give it a shake — “Talk. Talk every day and make everybody else talk.”

“Rawal, I’ll be inside.”

Samarth nodded.

“Why does he call you Rawal, Papa?”

“Umm…”

“Ok, next set of questions tomorrow morning,” Avantika interjected. “It’s time to go home.”

“No,” she hugged her grandfather’s leg. “We are staying.”

“Brahmi, it’s late. We will come back tomorrow.”

“Alright, listen to your Mummy and come back tomorrow. I’ll order a bat and a ball for you.”

“We can’t play in the hospital!”

“There’s a lawn outside.”

“Sid.”

“What? There is a lawn outside.”

“Fiiine.”

“What do you say to elders at night?” Avantika glared at her.

“Goodnight,” she looked up at Samarth’s father and grinned.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Dadi Sarkar,” she sent a matching beam to his stepmother and she went down on her haunches — “Good night, beta,” she tapped her nose. “Dream about all the things you love.”

“Mama, eclairs, my new white coat and Papa and…”

“In that order, huh?” Her grandfather chuckled. Brahmi glanced at her father, holding out her hand. Samarth, for the first time all day, smiled a genuine smile. He took her hand, glancing at his parents — “I’ll drop them and come back.”

————————————————————

Her alarm went off and she pushed her eyes open with superhuman strength.

It took her a second to remember what day it was and where she was.

It all came flooding back. The pen. Sharan.

The hospital. Avantika felt her heartbeat thud faster and faster in her chest at the thought of Samarth’s parents. And Brahmi.

She willed herself to relax and grabbed her phone.

Samarth hadn’t called. The insecure part of her worried — what if he turned his back again?

What if something else happened and he decided to go away with his family?

Her heartbeat rose again and she pushed out of her bed.

Avantika walked to the windows and threw them open.

Sunlight and birdsong flooded in, bringing in all the perspective she needed in the real world.

She had experienced her share of mental health demons with her pregnancy, postpartum and then a few episodes here and there.

Living in a foreign land as a single mother, even with the support and constant communication with her parents and sister, wasn’t an easy feat.

She had chosen this life and lived it with her daughter, but the cost had been paid dearly too.

Avantika breathed in the cool morning air. The balm to any anxiety episode. She breathed out and soaked in the beauty through her eyes. Loire in summer was pretty. But Loire mornings in summer were glorious.

Her phone buzzed in her hand.

Samarth Calling…