Chapter 10
A Restless Night
Rajni lay on her thin mattress, staring at the dark ceiling.
The small room was silent except for the slow ticking of the wall clock.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Each second seemed louder than the last.
But the noise outside was nothing compared to the storm inside her mind.
She turned to her side, pulling the blanket slightly over her body.
Yet sleep refused to come.
Every time she closed her eyes, the same images returned.
The dim light inside Chachi's house.
The strange sounds.
The closeness between Chachi and her husband.
Rajni squeezed her eyes shut.
"Why am I even thinking about this…?" she whispered into the darkness.
Her cheeks warmed again.
She rolled onto her back.
Her heart was beating faster than it should have been.
It felt strange… confusing… and embarrassing all at once.
Until today, Rajni's life had been simple.
School.
Home.
Helping her mother in the kitchen.
Taking care of small responsibilities.
Her world had always been small and predictable.
But in the last twenty-four hours, everything had changed.
Her parents were gone.
She was alone.
And suddenly the world around her felt unfamiliar… filled with things she didn't understand.
She remembered the boy on the bicycle.
The way he had touched her.
Her breath caught.
Even thinking about it made her uncomfortable.
But along with the discomfort was another feeling she couldn't explain.
A strange warmth.
Something that made her feel both curious and ashamed.
Rajni pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
"Stop thinking about it," she murmured.
Yet her mind refused to listen.
Instead, another thought appeared.
Is that what married people do every night?
Her eyes opened slowly.
She had seen couples in movies holding hands or hugging.
But what she saw tonight…
That was something completely different.
Something far more intimate.
Far more mysterious.
Rajni turned again, burying her face into the pillow.
Her body felt restless.
She couldn't understand why.
She only knew that the memories kept returning again and again.
Eventually, exhaustion began to win.
Her breathing slowly calmed.
Her thoughts became slower.
Rituals and the Search for Peace
Her thoughts became slower.
Sometime during the night, Rajni's eyes finally closed.
When she woke up again, faint golden sunlight was slipping through the narrow window of her room.
Morning had arrived.
For a moment she simply lay there, staring at the ceiling.
The quiet light of dawn felt strangely peaceful.
Ten days had passed since the accident.
Ten days that felt like grains of sand slipping through her fingers.
Rajni slowly turned to her side and sat up on the bed.
Fragments of the previous night floated through her mind.
The scene outside her aunt's house.
The strange sounds she had heard.
The confusing emotions that had overwhelmed her.
But now, in the clear light of morning, those memories felt distant… almost blurred.
She took a deep breath.
Her fingers unconsciously moved across the blanket as if searching for something familiar.
Then she exhaled slowly.
"The twelfth-day feast…" she murmured to herself.
"That's why I went there in the first place."
The realization steadied her mind.
Today was important.
It was the day of the ritual meal for her parents.
A final ceremony before their souls were believed to find peace.
Rajni pushed aside the blanket and stood up.
There was work to do.
After washing her face, Rajni went into the small kitchen and prepared tea.
The smell of boiling leaves slowly filled the room.
While the kettle simmered, she picked up her phone.
Her fingers quickly dialed a familiar number.
After a few rings, a cheerful voice answered.
"Hello?"
Rajni smiled faintly.
"Neelam… it's me."
Hearing her friend's voice instantly made her feel lighter.
"I'm okay," Rajni continued.
"Listen… today is the day."
There was a brief pause on the other side.
"You'll have to come to my house."
Neelam sounded concerned.
"Today?"
"Yes."
Rajni's voice carried quiet determination.
"Take leave from college if you have to. You'll stay here the whole day."
Her tone softened slightly.
"It's not just about cooking food. I can't manage everything alone."
Neelam immediately agreed.
"I'll come."
Rajni nodded to herself.
"Good. I'm going out now to arrange firewood and coal."
She glanced around the room.
"By the time you arrive, everything will be ready."
After ending the call, Rajni stepped outside.
As she walked through the narrow lane, she suddenly noticed her neighbor aunt standing nearby.
The same woman whose house she had visited the night before.
Rajni's steps slowed slightly.
For a brief moment, last night's memories flashed through her mind.
The sounds.
The shadows behind the door.
Her cheeks warmed faintly.
She quickly lowered her gaze.
"Chachi," Rajni said softly, trying to sound normal.
"Please send the ration today."
"I already gave the advance, right? I'll pay the remaining money once I return."
The woman looked at her with gentle concern.
"Oh child, why are you worrying about money now?"
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Your uncle has gone to the market. He'll deliver everything to your house within an hour."
Her voice carried simple kindness.
Rajni nodded quickly.
"Thank you, Chachi."
Without saying anything more, she hurried forward.
She didn't want to think about last night again.
The sun had already begun climbing higher in the sky.
Sweat formed along Rajni's back as she walked quickly through the road.
About fifteen minutes away was a small market area where a cart selling firewood and coal stood.
The elderly shopkeeper recognized her immediately.
"Oh… you're the girl whose parents…"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Rajni interrupted gently.
"Yes, uncle."
"I need two bundles of firewood and one sack of coal."
She handed him four hundred rupees.
"Please send it to my house."
The old man nodded.
"Sanjay!"
He called out to his son.
A young man appeared from behind the shop.
"Load the wood on the bicycle and go with her."
Sanjay tied the bundles onto his bicycle and began walking beside Rajni.
During the journey he kept talking casually.
But Rajni only responded with small nods.
Her mind remained focused on the work ahead.
When she finally reached home, she noticed someone standing near the door.
Neelam.
Her friend waved excitedly.
"You came early!" Rajni said with surprise.
Neelam laughed.
"I ran straight from college after your call."
She lifted the bag she was holding.
"I brought vegetables too."
Before Rajni could reply, the neighbor uncle arrived on his old moped.
Large sacks of rice, lentils, cooking oil, and other ingredients were quickly unloaded near the doorway.
Within minutes the house was filled with supplies.
Rajni looked at Neelam with gratitude.
"Can you start the stove?"
"I'll go bring leaf plates from the market."
Neelam nodded.
"Go. I'll handle this."
The market was crowded.
Rajni quickly purchased stacks of leaf plates and plastic cups.
By the time she returned home, Neelam had already lit the clay stove in the courtyard.
Orange flames danced beneath the cooking pots.
The smell of burning wood filled the air.
Rajni rolled up her sleeves.
"Let's start."
The next few hours passed in a blur of activity.
Rice was washed.
Vegetables were chopped.
Oil sizzled loudly inside the iron pan.
The courtyard slowly transformed into a busy kitchen.
Smoke rose into the sky.
The aroma of spices filled the air.
Both girls worked without stopping.
Three hours passed like this.
By evening, the food was finally ready.
Rice.
Lentils.
Two vegetable dishes.
Raita.
And sweet gulab jamun.
Rajni looked at the clock.
Six in the evening.
Everything was prepared.
As the sun disappeared behind the houses, people began arriving.
First the elderly neighbors.
Then distant relatives.
Leaf plates were spread across the courtyard.
Rajni and Neelam silently served food to everyone.
Neither of them spoke much.
There were no long conversations.
No dramatic displays of grief.
Only the quiet sounds of eating.
Metal spoons touching plates.
Soft murmurs.
Rustling leaves.
One by one, people finished their meals and left.
Later that night, when the last guest departed, Rajni and Neelam finally sat down.
They ate the remaining food quietly.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on their bodies.
The courtyard was now scattered with used plates.
Dirty utensils formed a large pile.
Ash from the stove floated lightly in the air.
Rajni closed the door and turned off the lights.
Inside the dark room, both girls lay down on a simple mat.
Neelam turned toward her.
"Are you alright?"
Rajni didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she reached out and held her friend's hand.
Outside the window, faint stars flickered in the night sky.
A distant dog barked somewhere in the street.
Then silence returned.
In that quiet moment, Rajni felt something unexpected.
As if the gentle presence of her parents still lingered around her.
Watching over her.
For the first time in many nights…
She fell asleep without fear.
Without restless dreams.
And without the crushing weight of grief pressing on her chest.