The Gardener Page #11

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You are the pride of this family

This house and this chair have been

waiting for you for four months

''And you will sit here, mother''

Because l can't bear to see

the two of you sitting apart

''No, Shanti. They haven't come to

ask us where their parents are''

They've only come to find out

whether they're alive or dead!

''lf they're dead, who will

have them cremated?''

''And if they're unfortunately alive,

who will have them treated!''

Hemant-bhai...

- Please!

Please don't call me bhai (brother ).

Don't try to forge a relation with me

''The one you shared a blood relation

with, you drove to shed tears of blood''

That poor man used to hide there

and weep in misery

Listen to us...

- Please go away

''lf you weren't mota bhai's sons,

l'd have had you thrown out''

You have committed a sin by

separating your parents at this age

''Maybe God will forgive you for that,

but Hemant never will''

Remember...

you have made your parents cry

''One day, your children

will make you weep''

''How they harassed mota bhai, Shanti''

lf this is how children are...

l'm glad we don't have any children.

We don't want any... we don't

Let all that be. We must set out

immediately to look for mota bhai

''That's all right,

but where will we go?''

One minute... maybe he

has gone to his house

''His house?

- Yes, his old house''

l saw the address in his file.

- So where is the file?

Kapil and Nili took the file away

to read the manuscripts

So ring them up and send for the file.

- That isn't just a file anymore

Who's that?

lt's about to become

a beautiful book

''Uncle, this is my Papa.

- Oh... hello''

''You are our father, our mother...''

''who else will l seek

shelter in?''

''There is no one except You, Lord...''

''on whom l pin my hopes''

''Glory be to You, Lord''

Father...? Mother...?

''Are the two of you going out somewhere?

- No, Arpita''

lt's an old habit with father

''He bathes and gets ready

every morning. Right, father?''

''Yes, son. But it has to do with

necessity today, not with my habit''

''lt's time for our train, son.

- Train...?''

''Where are you going, father?''

''We're going home, son.

- But this is your house too, father''

''Yes, father.

l've always had a dream''

Of a small house...

where my parents are with me

l want to live the dream

l could never fulfill till today

''That will surely happen, son.

But we've got to leave now''

We've got to pick up

the threads in life

''Father... for a few days, please.

Mother, please tell him''

''For a few days more, please?''

''l promise, l will be back''

''l too wish to stay with a son,

who takes his father to be his god''

lt isn't make believe.

You are really my God...

who has come into my life

as my father

You held the hand of a child

no one in the world needed

Who neither had a name

nor an identity...

he was like a lifeless stone

on the streets

He would have been rendered to dust

under trampling feet...

had you not kept a protective

hand on his head

''This life of mine is

a gift from you, father''

The life l lead today...

is indebted to you

in every breath

''Arpita, even in a hundred

births, l will not be able...''

to repay their debt

''Enough, son... enough''

No father.

l know nothing else

You can't leave me and go away

''l'm not leaving you, my son.

lt's only for a few days''

''All right, father. l will not

turn down anything you say''

But you will have to listen

to something l have to say

''You will, won't you?

- All right... what is it?''

Your daughter-in-law and l have

bought a small gift for you...

''no, you will not refuse it, father''

''You promised you won't turn me down.

Come with me... come, mother''

Father...

what do you think of the gift?

My son... what have you done?

''lt's nothing, father''

''May you live long, my son''

Raju...?

They're here...?

Come to me!

Brother Raju!

- Ram Avtar!

lt's months since

l've been waiting for you!

They've recognised me!

- l knew it...

the king had to

come back here from his exile

Go inside and take a look...

l've preserved your house and

your memories as they were

All right. Look who's here

- Sister-in-law! How have you been?

''God is kind, brother.

- Recognise me, Uncle...? Alok''

My respects

But you were staying abroad!

- He's here now...

''and he has become a very big man!

Touch his feet, daughter-in-law''

My respects

''Bless you, daughter-in-law''

''Go and rest, sister-in-law.

l'll bring some tea for you''

''Come with me, my child.

l'll show you your in-laws' house''

''You know what's the best part, Uncle?

You haven't changed...''

''nor has this house, nor even

the atmosphere in this house''

''And where have you changed, son?

Though you're a bit taller''

A bit

We're home at last

''We are, but how are

we going to manage it?''

Do you trust me?

- More than l trust myself

You love me?

- More than you do yourself

So what's there to worry about?

''When you're with me,

l can win over the whole world''

''Come, let's step into the house.

- Mota bhai...!''

''Hello, Shanti-behn.

- Pooja, come here...''

Hemant-bhai... my companion

in lonely times

Now l know why mota bhai was

so sad in your absence

''The moment l saw her,

l knew she was Pooja''

''ln ''Baghban'' he has so often

spoken about her beauty that...''

''How would you know about ''Baghban''?''

l see! So l left it at your place?

Wasn't it a nice thing

that you forgot it there?

''London's New Wave Publications

had decided to publish it, mota-bhai!''

What are you talking about?

- Here's the advance

A cheque of a million rupees.

- A million

A million...?

A million...?

- Yes

Pooja! lt's a million!

- A million

What's that about a million...?

- My book is getting published!

Don't tell me!

- Oh yes!

Have you read the news?

Dad's book has been acclaimed as a

bestseller in the international market

Dad's rolling in millions!

We aren't getting a penny

All thanks to our elder brothers

Why?

What wrong have we done to them?

The two of you must've done something

Which is why they went away

instead of coming to us

This is no time to fight

between ourselves!

This is the time to placate them.

- We must go to Papa and placate him

Makes no difference

They won't agree.

- Why not? We're their children

And no parents can be angry

with their wards forever

We'll ask for their forgiveness

if we have to

''Yes, we'll fall at their feet,

grovel before them...''

let's see how they don't agree.

- Right

We mustn't delay it anymore.

We must go to them

Payal and Rahul! Get ready quickly.

We're going to meet grandpa and grandma

You are all so disgusting! You're

not going to them to apologise...

you're going to them

for the money!

We've seen them being put to

enough trouble. Not anymore

We are not going.

Come Rahul

''See the magic of your brimming

rosegarden, Mr Malhotra?''

''lt's all thanks to the kids

and you, Mr Varma''

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