Dusk & Destiny?

Riding through the winding roads of Rishikesh with Tisha’s small arms wrapped around Nayan's waist, I felt a strange sort of freedom—light and quiet. The air was cool as it brushed across my face, scented with mountains and river wind. For someone who had rarely stepped beyond her familiar corners of life, this felt like a piece of something I didn’t know I was missing.

We rented 4 scooties to explore the city. As Di would have a problem to hold two children so I volunteered to take one with me.

The city was vibrant in the way old spiritual places often are—sacred yet full of life.

We started at Lakshman Jhula. As we walked across the hanging bridge, the Ganga rushed beneath us like a song too old to fade. People clicked pictures, children leaned against the railings in wonder, and I stood there watching the sunlight scatter like gold over the water.

Nayan stood a few steps ahead, holding Tisha’s hand as she skipped beside him, her giggles echoing in the wind. He glanced back once to check if I was following. Just a glance.

Next stop was the Triveni Ghat. As we stepped onto the riverbank, the energy shifted. I watched people sit with folded hands near the water, eyes closed in prayer or reflection. I didn’t know what I was praying for exactly—but I dipped my fingers in the holy water, closed my eyes, and let the river take a small piece of my heaviness with it.

After exploring few more places we decided to visit a nice river facing resturant. As we all put on the location and made our way to the restaurant.

"You know, I’ve never been on a trip like this before," I said quietly, after a while. Unsure why I chose that moment to speak. But maybe it was the wind brushing past my face, or the warmth of the sun on my skin. Maybe it was the steady hum of the scooty under us, or maybe... it was just *him*. Something about the way the silence sat between us made it easy to speak things I usually locked away.

“Never?” Nayan asked, surprised, his voice rising over the sound of the wind as he looked at me through the rearview mirror.

“No. I never had the time... and honestly, I never thought it was necessary. There were different priorities back then. Work, responsibilities. Life was just... different,” I answered truthfully, watching the river blur by on left side of us.

He slowed the vehicle slightly, as if to hear me better—not just with his ears, but with intent. And then, his phone rang.

He pulled over without hesitation, we stepped down and he took a few steps away to answer the call.

I took Tisha in my arms, and leaned lightly on the seat behind me. The breeze shifted. I stared at the hills ahead, not knowing that the next words I would hear would bring a kind of peace I hadn’t felt in days.

When Nayan returned, something in his posture had changed—calmer, lighter.

“That was the Station In-Charge,” he said, adjusting his helmet strap before looking at me. “They had a talk with them. The money will be returned. No drama. No dragging your name.”

I blinked.
The words took a moment to settle in, but when they did—it was like a weight I didn’t even know I’d been carrying melted off my shoulders. I felt my chest rise again after days of holding my breath.

I closed my eyes for a second and let the silence speak for me.

The relief wasn’t loud. It was still, steady—like water finally finding its calm after crashing against too many rocks. My fingers slowly loosened their grip on Tisha clothes, which I unknowingly griped… I wasn’t just okay now. I felt relieved.

"How did they agree so fast?" I asked once we sat back on the scooty, still trying to connect the dots. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Nayan shrugged with a small, almost teasing smirk. “This is Bihar. Here, connection and money do more than a person ever thinks.”