I persuaded Devu to lie on the bed as she was searching for a mat to sleep on the floor for the night, being the guest in that house. I settled onto the sofa in the corner of the spacious room.
"Nandu, have you become better?" I inquired upon hearing her question, looking up at her.
"Or... what is Nandu's attitude towards me now? Is it pity because I have no one?" she continued.
I was unsure of what she meant.
"At times, I get the sense that Nandu's behavior towards me carries such sentiments. Previously, when Nandu was upset, there seemed to be some truth in it. Now, distinguishing between truth and falsehood is beyond me."
I grasped the gravity of her question, facing her on the sofa.
"When my father was around, I believed he'd always be by my side. But now, I don't even know where he is. He didn't utter a word when he departed. I'm starting to believe that the affection everyone displays towards me is merely a facade."
She murmured something, her voice laden with sorrow.
"How old are you now?" I inquired.
She simply gazed at me, clearly not comprehending.
"Tell me, how old?"
"Twenty-one," she replied.
"You're overthinking what girls of twenty-one might be thinking. That's why you're feeling so unwelcome," I advised.
"I've lived through everything there is to experience at this age of twenty-one," she mentioned casually. I had no response.
"A sense lingers that there's still some sorrow within me."
"Those are your feelings, aren't they? There won't be anything like that. If you find your father, then you can be happy like before..."
"I don't have that hope, Nandu... My heart tells me that my father won't come again."
"Don't think like that. Father must be hiding somewhere due to some problem. I believe he will come soon," I offered a tentative glimmer of hope.
"Who does Nandu like the most after your mother?" she inquired.
I needed a moment to consider my response. "Aren't we all the same?"
"My father was everything to me. After my father, I have no one else," Devu's voice quivered.
"It's just that father hasn't come here... Raman has said that he will search for two places where father might go and tell you. Until then, my dear Devu, can you not cry?"
Suddenly, she fell into silence.
"Nandu is calling me by name for the first time," she remarked. It triggered a memory for me. I could see the twinkle in Devu's eyes when the name was uttered, even if it was said in haste. But what was there to be so joyful about?
I felt a wave of self-disgust wash over me, realizing that this was the first time I addressed Devu by her name, while she never hesitated to call me Nandu.
"Don't you have a phone?" I changed the subject.
"No. I don't have anyone to call and tell. And I don't even feel the need. My father has one. Friends call that phone if they need anything," she explained.
"It's unusual to find a girl without a phone these days," I commented.
She responded with a soft hum.
"Aren't you tired, Nandu? Go to sleep then..." she suggested after wishing me good night. I settled on the sofa, but a doubt lingered in my mind.
"Devu..."
A drowsy hum was Devu's response.
"Didn't you just mention that?"
"What?"
"Don't you have anyone besides your father... don't you have feelings for someone?"
Her attention half-engaged, she sprang up onto the bed and fixed her gaze on me.
"It's nothing. When I read your diary that day, I sensed..."
"Nandu, why were you snooping in my diary?" she asked, her tone sharp.
"When I glanced at it, I came across some poems..."
"I just write those. Nothing more..."
"Nothing more?" I probed.
"Didn't I say no... Nandu, go to sleep..."
"Why are you so upset about it? If there's nothing more, just say so..."
I pulled the blanket over my head and settled back to sleep.
"Does Nandu have a crush on anyone?" she inquired, her gaze fixed on me as she waited for my response.
"There wasn't much to tell..."
"Was there?"
"Mmm... first year of college. No double-sided, just one way," I explained.
"And then?"
Devu asked, an eager anticipation in her voice.
"Well, she's married now. Has a child."
"Why didn't Nandu go and tell her?"
"No... I was afraid she wouldn't reciprocate. I couldn't be sure if it would be okay."
"That's a shame."
"Then I realized something. If you like someone, you should speak up right away. There's no use lamenting after it's too late."
Suddenly, her demeanor shifted. She let out a laugh, then lay down on the bed, lost in thought. I drifted into sleep, wondering if my words had sparked this change in her.
To be continued...