Everyone got something from home, making dinner and amazing event. There was a lot of merry making. Everyone drank, except for uncle Karn. Vira did not like the smell of alcohol and Saka and Tobi were underaged.
The women took Saka's room, while the men slept in Laika's.
Both rooms were at the groud level, and that was the maximum energy they could muster.
Vira helped uncle Karn with the dishes, while Tobi and Saka cleared the table.
It was almost midnight, there was absolute peace.
Uncle Karn retired to his room, and invoyed the others as well. Tobi looked at Vira and winked with no expression on his face.
Vira wanted to laugh. It looked very comical.
"Let's sleep under the stars tonight," Tobi said out loud.
Vira looked surprised.
"Saka, can you get our camping stuff to our usual spot? I'm taking Maw with me."
Saka nodded enthusiastically. "Good idea! I'll text dad, so he doesn't search for us, and get the camping bags and come."
Tobi led Vira to the forest route, towards to cliff.
"This is where Saka sits, when he has a lot on his mind," he said, pointing to the cliff. Vira nodded, he had found Saka there in the evening.
"But he always dodges questions," Tobi continued. Vira looked surprised. Now that he thought about it, he never got an answer for why Saka was so down.
Same with when he had asked him why he wanted to be a priest, he had deflected it
"Saka hates to worry people. He acts carefree, but he is constantly worried."
Vira was listening. "Let's go there," Tobi said, pointing to a clearing. "That is where we camp."
Vira followed.
"Saka lost him mom when he was eight. I'm sure you heard about it."
Vira nodded."Do you know what happened?" No, Vira didn't.
"Saka's mom usually picked him up from the bus stop, since he was a kid. Middle schoolers did not have to stay back after two thirty.
On that day, she was running a bit late apparently, so she hurried down the steps, tripped and was found in a pool of blood. She was discovered by Saka."
Vira did not move. He was horrified to hear about it. He could almost imagine it.
"Saka sat next to her. He did not move. For one and a half hours he sat there. People had gathered around, called the ambulance. Laika was his biggest support.
He found Saka sitting like a statue. He slapped him so hard, Saka got out of his shock and started crying. That was the last time he cried."
Tobi paused. He looked at Vira. Vira was sitting like a statue. His face looked pale.
"Maw?"
"Go on." He had the same dead pan look. His voice was just a whisper though. Tobi realised from his voice that Vira was hurting for Saka..
He continued.
" His father made the path from behind and installed railing to avoid further accidents.
His father tried to balance things at home, he tried to be there for his kids. He still does. So Laika and Saka both do their best to not trouble him."
Vira nodded. He could relate, he was like that with his grandmother.
"But to date, Saka blames himself. If he had been more capable, his mom wouldn't have had to die."
"How does that even make sense?"
"Don't we all blame ourselves for something bad that happens to someone we love?" Tobi asked.
He had touched a raw nerve. Vira could relate only too well.
"His father started spending more time in the shrine. It gave him mental peace. He became a bit withdrawn.
Saka felt guilty, his father and Laika was in pain, because of him, he felt. So he, a child who hated studying, and was always caught being naughty, started focusing on studies.
He grew up. Never once did his father have to come to school because of him.
Laika, Roma and Rin left to study two years later, Saka had no one to rely one. He became more self reliant. He wanted to break his father's shell, he took up the scriptures and started helping his father out.
When his father realised how much Saka had changed, how quickly he had been forced to grow up, he started regretting his selfish behaviour. He started going back to his old self.
Saka was happy his efforts got through to his father. His brother did not come home for sometime. He could not bear to come to a house without a mother, but Roma and Rin took turns to come over once every alternate month, to stay with Saka.
He likes spirituality, but it wasn't his dream. He wanted to be an archeologist. His mom told hom stories of kings and queens of yore. He started falling in love with the stories, he would imagine himself as a character in the past.
History is his forte. He can tell you as much about history as he knows about scriptures. He used to bury things and pretend to dig them out. He said if he ever made money, he would restore all damaged artefacts and historical sites.
Infact, he got me to start drawing. I wanted to architect the sites he wanted to restore. "
Vira nodded, to show he was listening. He felt irritated at himself for thinking Saka was a carefree spirit.
Saka had lost a lot, had grown a lot.
"Saka is extremely attentive to another person's mood changes. When it comes to himself, he fears he'll burden others, so never shares his problems. He doesn't realise, he is equally important to us, just like how we are important to him.
When you are really close to him, you'll realise some things about him. He laughs when he is nervous, gets angry when he is upset, forgives easily but doesn't mean he is thick skinned."
Vira was intently listening to Tobi.
"When he says he doesn't care, he wants it badly but believes he doesn't deserve it. Like a university graduation degree.
I want him to fight for what he wants. If he doesn't fight, no one will hear him. But he won't. So you need to fight for him maw.
He won't rely on you, he won't want to burden you, but you need to embrace him when you sense something wrong.
He will talk to himself and try to solve his problems, but you need to beat it out of him. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Tobi looked at Vira, helplessly. Did he make sense?
Vira replied, "What we see is not who Saka is."
Tobi nodded, glad that Vira understood. "Don't believe his words, believe his eyes."
Tobi got up. Saka brought the camping bags.
"Saka has come, let's go help him. And just one more thing Maw. Please consider this a favour. Please give him a fair chance. He doesn't do anything half heartedly and always puts others before himself. He is not brash or irresponsible."
Vira nodded.
With that Tobi walked over to help Saka.
Vira followed him. "So this is true friendship huh grandma?" He thought to himself.