The Unspoken Distance

Vijay, holding a knife in his hand, approaches Sharda. He picks up an apple from the basket nearby and begins slicing it, controlling his simmering anger as he says,

"I know how much you love Vipul's son... You even had surgery to make sure nothing comes between you and him. Yes, I admit I've made mistakes, but that doesn't mean he's completely innocent either. All these years, could he not have come to see you? The way you care for him, does he not see you as his mother? Then why didn't he come to meet you all these years? I never told him he couldn't come home. You're trying to make me the villain and him the saint, but why don't you answer this: if he cared about us, why didn't he come to see you for so long? I'm wrong, I admit that, I only care about myself, but that boy isn't so pure either."

Sharda, shaken by Vijay's perplexing words, begins to falter, slowly getting swayed by his reasoning.

Noticing her hesitation, Vijay presses on,

"Sure, you can think I'm wrong, and maybe I am. But that boy stayed away from us... stayed away from you. What do you really know about him? He showed up here after so many years... Who knows what kind of dark places he grew up in? Think about it. Honestly, I can't understand what brought him back after all these years."

Meanwhile, Om, deep in conversation with his sisters, suddenly grows thoughtful. A serious expression crosses his face as he overhears his uncle and aunt's conversation. One of the changes he's experienced is that he can now hear conversations clearly even from a distance. Hearing these words from his uncle, Om becomes pensive.

"What's wrong, Om Bhaiya? Why do you look so sad?" Somya asks, reading his face.

"Ah, nothing at all. It's just that after so many years, being here again, I got lost in my thoughts. Don't worry, your Om Bhaiya is fine," Om says, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

A little while later, dinner is ready, and everyone gathers at the dining table to eat. After some time, Sharda starts the conversation, asking Om,

"Om beta... didn't you ever think of your chachi all these years? I just don't understand why you never spoke to us, never reached out."

Sharda's voice falters as she struggles to continue.

Om understands the turmoil in her heart. He glances at his uncle, noticing a slight satisfaction on Vijay's face. Seeing this, Om becomes serious and responds,

"Chachi, I'm sorry I never came to see you or spoke to you all these years, but you don't know what I've been through... I've only recently started to come to terms with my parents' passing. I just didn't want my negative energy to affect you all. After all, isn't that the worry chachaji has had since my childhood?" Om says, looking at his uncle.

Om's words sting Vijay like a barb, and he realizes why Om had stayed away all these years. The words Vijay had spoken to that old man all those years ago had deeply wounded Om, making him feel like an orphan even though he had family. The words spoken at his parents' funeral still haunted him; he had never forgotten them.

Vijay also understands that continuing this conversation could lead to a shift in the atmosphere, one that could turn against him. So, he quickly changes the subject,

"Um... Sharda, I have some work to take care of tonight, so I might be late. Don't wait up for me, alright? And you two," he says, turning to his daughters, "Remember, we have lunch with the Kathwanis tomorrow, so be on your best behavior."

He had just finished speaking when Ria and Somya excitedly chimed in,

"Is Om Bhaiya coming with us? Please, Papa, don't say no."

Vijay looks directly at Om, realizing that in just a short time, Om had won over his family members. Glancing at Om, who continues to eat, Vijay, with a slight tinge of emotion, says,

"Yes, after all, he's a member of our family too. He can come. But remember, no mistakes in front of the Kathwanis. They're one of the most powerful families in this city, and you all know how much I've had to do to maintain our relationship with them. Even a small mistake could ruin my years of hard work, so make sure nothing goes wrong, understood?"

With that, Vijay quickly finishes his meal and leaves the table. His words leave a heavy silence at the dinner table.

By now, Sharda had realized that Om was still as innocent as he used to be. After Vijay leaves, she gently asks Om,

"Did you like the food, Om? I didn't know what you liked, so I just made what I could."

Hearing this, Om smiles and says,

"Chachi... I've managed to get by all these years, but after losing Ma, today is the first time I've eaten something that tastes like her cooking. Honestly, seeing you today reminds me of Ma..."

With that, Om looks down and resumes eating. Sharda could tell that Om's eyes had filled with tears as he spoke. Seeing his pain, she gets up, places a comforting hand on his head, and says,

"Then eat not just to fill your stomach, but to satisfy your heart, beta."

After dinner, everyone sits in the hall, chatting. But Sharda's mind is still occupied with the questions Vijay had raised earlier. She wants to ask Om those very questions. Hesitating a little, Sharda speaks up,

"Om, um... beta, don't take this the wrong way, but what happened all those years that kept you from coming to see your chachi? You could have at least come to see me once, beta. I pray for you every day, even now. You are like my own son. I've never stopped waiting for you, but you never came to see your mother, not even once."

Hearing this, Om becomes serious and softly replies,

"Chachi, what do you think a 9-10-year-old child, who has just lost his parents, would want? When I last saw chachaji at my parents' funeral, I was carefree, thinking he would take me with him. My eyes must have been pleading with him to take me away from there. But what happened that day made sure I stayed away from you forever. I was a scared little boy, chachi, unable to ask for help or say anything. After what happened that day, how could I come here?"

Sharda and her daughters were stunned by Om's words. They couldn't understand what he was referring to, what had happened that day that made Om stay away from them for so long.

Sharda, now more serious, asks, "Om beta... what exactly happened that day?"