Chapter 65

Chapter 64

"And now my princess, your carriage awaits you."

"My carriage?"

He smiled and escorted her out to their terrace. There below, was an actual  horse drawn carriage, complete with driver.

"Kabir, it's a real carriage!"

"I hear that the tour of the grounds alone makes the stay here worth it. And if it is truly that spectacular, then of course my princess is deserving of an evening carriage ride. By the time we finish, I expect dinner will be ready. Shall we my love?"

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"I dare you...in fact I want you to attempt to come upstairs to retrieve Sanjay, Sonal. I guarantee your trip back down the staircase will take far less time than it will take you to climb it!"

"You have no right to keep my son away from me; none of you do! Sanjay come to Mama now, we are leaving!"

 

The little boy clung to Naomi even tighter than before, refusing to move from her side. His wailing grew louder and he shook his head as he entwined his little body in the folds of his protector's skirt.

 

Daadi approached her grandson's furious mother as she struggled with her luggage, "Sonal, please, it's too late to even think about leaving. Besides, you can barely manage on your own; please let's all just get some sleep and sort this all out in the morning when everyone is calmer."

 

"Sort out! There's nothing to sort out Daadi," Naomi interjected.  "It will be over my dead body that she is allowed to remove Sanjay from his father's home!"

"Don't tempt me you green eyed bi..."

"Well better that than the sorry excuse of a woman you are!  Only a worthless mother would resort to abusing..."

"Bas Naomi!" The thunderous voice boomed throughout the house, bringing everyone to a sudden standstill.

Rebelliously, Naomi raised her head to glare at her fiance. She pursed her lips and was about to protest when Rajeev closed the distance between them and wagged his finger in her face. "I've have had enough! You have involved yourself in the Tripathis' personal affairs time and time again, but enough is enough! You have completely overstepped your limits this time, so just be quiet!"

"How can you say that; I am only doing what KT would want done.  You have no right..."

Rajeev grabbed her left hand and, and held it high in front of her face. "No, Naomi you have no say at all in this matter, and as far as my rights, I would suggest this gives me all the right, Naomi. Unless you mean to remove it you will listen to me for a change, and for once stop being an insufferable know- it- all!"

"Rajeev beta..."

"Nay Daadi, for once just admit that she is not as perfect as you all would have her believe she is and that her way is not always the right way!"

Naomi flinched noticeably, and then lowered her eyes, determined that he would never know how much his punitive words had hurt her. Beside her Sanjay whimpered and tried to pull her away from the angry man now shouting at his Pari.

The applause came next, slow and taunting, "Finally," Sonal said, "Finally someone sees you for what you truly are Pari. Well done, Rajeev, very well done. Hopefully this will be your first step in getting rid of..."

Any delight she had found in the young woman's comeuppance immediately dissipated when the coach turned around to face her.

"I really doubt that you want to start discussing character flaws, right now Sonal; I would seriously suggest you keep your opinions to yourself, thik hai."

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"I love you Pari," Sanjay whispered as sleep overtook him.

Naomi stopped caressing the little boy's head for the second it took for her to wipe the tears that trailed down her face. She swallowed in an effort to control her emotions. "I love you too Jayjay. Try to get some rest, I promise you will feel better in the morning."

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Ha Beta, both Pari and I will stay with you until your Papa returns in the morning, thik hai?"

Sanjay's eyes fluttered open and an anxious expression filled his face when he saw the man who had come into the nursery.

"I don't want you, I just want Pari. You're not nice to her anymore."

Rajeev looked from the youngster to his love, who was now crying earnestly, albeit silently. "Nay Beta, I was not nice to Pari, but I would like to talk to her; may I?"  He approached the bed and held out his hand.  She ignored it and bent over to kiss Sanjay's forehead.

He withdrew his hand. "I'll wait for you outside your bedroom," he said and then left the room, where he was clearly unwanted.

"I won't leave until you fall asleep, and I will come right back afterwards, okay?"

"Just you, right?"

Naomi nodded, as her eyes drifted to the closed door. "If that's what you want Sanjay, that's fine with me."

 

Rajeev watched from across the room as Naomi sat on her bed, drew her legs up and rested her head, turned away from him, on her knees.

"Will you not say anything, Sweetheart?"

"You were the one who wanted to talk, not I."

He sighed and walked over to where she was.  "You have absolutely nothing to say to me, now why do I find that so very hard to believe Naomi?'

 Her voice was muffled with emotion. "What is it you want me to say Rajeev: that I cannot comprehend how a man as sensible as you can casually overlook the abuse of a child. Or that despite being so disappointed in you, that I am even more angry with myself for being such a weak fool for still considering marrying an imbecile who clearly has such a low opinion of me? I know I'm not perfect," she cried, "but you were wrong...  wrong about my intentions. I only wanted to protect Sanjay."

 

He took her hand and fiddled with her engagement ring, smiling when she bent her fingers in a defensive action, just in case he moved to take it back; at least that's what he hoped it was.

 

"I knew very well what your aim was, and I was so very proud of you tonight; you were absolutely magnificent, a veritable tigress.  I pity anyone who would dare to bother any of our children; that is if you decide you still want to marry this imbecile."

She swung around to face him, her expression more miserable than before. "Don't...don't try to use flattery to get out of this, Rajeev.  You have made it very clear how you feel," she said before looking away again.

He didn't let her, taking hold of her chin, and gently preventing her dismissal by raising her face to meet his. "You have to be the most contrary woman ever born Naomi; you can't see a lie for what it is, and are unwilling to believe the truth when it's presented to you either. Just what do you think would have transpired if Sonal had left the house with Sanjay?"

"I would never have allowed that to happen, Rajeev."

"Nay Naomi, you would have tried, but at the end of the day she is his mother. Despite everything she's done, we would have had no recourse against Sonal choosing to leave with her son; only his father could have prevented it.  They would have left and Sanjay would have been left totally defenseless with his irrational, volatile mother, who was getting more and more worked up by the second. I was neither unaware nor uncaring of the situation, but we were treading very dangerous territory, Naomi. You were pushing every one of her buttons, and I did what I had to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible. And if the only way to accomplish this was to censure you, to humiliate you, even to break your heart a little, then it had to be done. At the very least she had slapped him, and I suspect that it wasn't only the one time. I also heard what the nurse had to say, that Sonal was reaching for a belt when she had run into the room. Tell me how I could have left Sanjay to face such cruelty alone."

 She was shaking her head. "No Rajeev, she saw Sonal drop the belt."

"What?"

"He had wet himself; I don't know when it happened or if even that was the reason why she did it, but I had to clean him up and...and he had to have been hit with something more than her hand, at least once." She dashed her tears, "I hate that woman."

 

Rajeev's jaw tightened, and for a moment he could not speak.

 

"The important thing is that he's safe. His father will be home in the morning and he will handle everything as he sees fit." He looked at her. "Without any help from you, Naomi; you are not here solely to solve their problems."

"I can't change who I am Rajeev; I may not be perfect, but you can't expect me to stop caring on a whim."

He smiled. "And I don't want you to stop Naomi you wouldn't be you if you didn't care. You just have to realize that you cannot save the world, nor does everyone expect you to.  As to being perfect, I am not going to lie to you and tell you that you are, but you are as close to it as I will ever know. I thought you understood this, Sweetheart. Have I ever indicated otherwise?"

"No, but you've never lied to me before either; how was I supposed to know your intention? Perhaps you should have given me a heads up Rajeev first, though I guess that wouldn't have quite worked in this case, but..."

He pulled her to him, covering her mouth with his, kissing her deeply. By the time he finished, she had somehow ended up in his lap.

"My words may not always be the right ones, but that will never change." And just to reiterate, he pressed his lips against hers once more. "Does that clear things up for you?"

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not entirely sure, can you explain one more time, Rajeev," she asked breathlessly.

 He reached up and removed her hands. "Don't ask this of me, Naomi, I'm not made of stone, and..."

He closed his eyes, not quite sure if it was relief or acute regret he felt when she stood up."

 

She walked over to her computer and logged on to it before returning back to Rajeev.

"I have to go back to Sanjay, but I just want to make sure of something before I go."

She held his hand as the music began.

"I really like this song Hamdard from Ek Villain, Rajeev."

He breathed deeply, comprehending that perhaps he had been forgiven. "Are you sure, we haven't gone through the entire playlist yet," he asked.

"No this is the one. It's a beautiful song, and perfect for us I think. Besides" she added cheekily, "if all else fails I can always imagine I'm dancing with Sidharth Malhotra; now if you really want to talk about perfection..." She closed her eyes, a beatific smile on her face, as she swayed to the music.

"Like hell you will," Rajeev growled, pulling her into his arms. Slanting his head he began kissing her; softly at first breathing in the sighs his light kisses teased from her. When he was certain he had her full attention he became more demanding; his sole objective being to drive any thought of another man from her mind. If this was to be their song then he would be damned if she would be thinking about anyone but him when she heard it.

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 As he carefully escorted her down the steps, Rachna stole a glance at her husband. The visit to the temple this morning had been his idea, the culmination of the blissful time they had spent together .  Knowing that he had suggested this for her sake alone made their morning prayers even more meaningful. He was one in a million and she couldn't be happier than she was now; it was truly the perfect ending to his well thought out night of surprises. From the luxurious suite to the candlelit terrace dinner, hers specially prepared in deference to her pregnancy, they had been pampered beyond compare.  And she would never forget the carriage ride around the breathtaking grounds. Now seated in the car, she sighed in complete contentment.

"This will be the most enjoyable pregnancy if you continue as you have Kabir Tripathi. I'm certain the doctor will be seeking the secret to my sense of wellbeing at my next visit."

Kabir smiled. "And will you be sharing it with her?"

"I don't think so, since then I expect that every pregnant woman will be referred to you for special care, and that just will not do."

"Aacha, perhaps then I should film a how-to video. It is sure to be a best seller. Maybe I will speak to Naomi about it.  That would be a perfect wedding gift for the two of them, don't you think?"

"I think Rajeev is okay in the wooing department."

"Ah, but this would be the version focusing on expectant wives, and I don't think he is quite there yet."

Rachna just smiled.

 

The house was quiet this morning, unusual, but not unwelcome. Peering in the dining room they observed Daadi sitting alone with a cup of tea. She brightened on seeing then and rose to greet them. She first accepted the holy offering, before sighing in relief at her children's return.

"Nanhe, Rachna, I am so glad you are home."

"As are we Daadi. Thank you so much for caring for Aryia last night. I hope she didn't have you up all night?"

"Nay Beta, Aryia was fine, in fact the angel hasn't yet risen. However..."

The older woman was interrupted by Rajeev's voice. "Daadi , I still haven't been able to get hold of Kabir this morning, and I need to get on my way. Can tell him.. oh you've returned."

The couple stared at their friend, here so early; yet still dressed in the clothing they had last seen him in the previous day.

"What's happened is something wrong with Naomi?"

"Calm down Rachna, she's fine. She's in the nursery with the children, and at last check everyone was just waking up." He turned his attention to Daadi, who shook her head, indicating that she had not informed them of last night's events. "I'm afraid the problem is with your houseguest; a major one."

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He steeled himself for her reaction and entered her bedroom; preparing his-self for the falsehoods that would unquestionably pass her lips. No excuse would justify her actions of the previous night, but he expected them all the same. It would take everything in him to keep himself from meting a similar punishment that she thought appropriate for their son.  By the way she began to shake uncontrollably, it seemed, that Sonal too expected the same.

"Kabir," she hoarsely called to him. "Please forgive me. I...I can't explain what came over me." She raised one trembling hand to her mouth, and sobbed into it. A torrent of tears ran down her face, and she began shaking her head in denial.

"I don't deserve your understanding after this, after what I've done to our child..."

She didn't , nor would she receive it. Her only redeeming deed was to decide on her own volition to leave his house and return to her own home. Sanjay would remain with them for the time being.

 

Kabir entered the nursery where everyone had waited, away from the fray. He noticed Sanjay's proximity to Naomi, and wondered wryly who exactly had been protecting whom. He smiled down at the youngster and held his hand out to him.

"Come here beta."

Curiously the little boy hesitated and looked up at Naomi, not leaving her side until she encouraged him to.

Kabir hugged him tightly.

"You will be moving upstairs today, thik hai? I think that instead of the nursery, we will put you in the bedroom next to Pari. Would you like that?"

"I think that will be perfect, don't you Sanjay, we can be neighbors and visit each other whenever we wish."

Kabir smiled his gratitude. As he expected Naomi immediately comprehended his reasoning for not relocating Sanjay back to the nursery. He would need to discuss this new development with Rachna, and until it was resolved he was hesitant to ask Rachna to take on the full time care of his son, now that Sonal had left.

Naomi looked from Kabir to Rachna, recognizing their need to talk. "Jayjay, how about you and I get you settled next door? Perhaps we can go to the park later." She welcomed the little boy's grin and escorted him out of the nursery.

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"I didn't ask her why Rachna, nothing she could have said would have justified her actions."

"It's just as well that she is gone then, Kabir, but where does this leave us now?"

"I cannot leave my child in the custody of a mad woman; please understand this and tell me you are with me."

"Kabir..I just don't know, perhaps if we just give it a few days, just let some time pass..."

"I can't afford to let any more time to pass, Rachna, I need your decision now. Will you support me in adopting my son or not..."

 

Well, Sonal thought, at least that's how I hope your conversation is going Kabir my love. She propped her leg up on her coffee table, and took a sip from the glass of chilled wine in her hand. After all of the taping of conversations, it was this critical one that she truly wished to be privy to. However she could say with a fair degree of certainty that this was probably how it was proceeding.  She recalled her and Kabir's earlier confrontation; he had reacted just as she had expected, and her remorseful act had provided the buffer she needed from being on the receiving end of anything more than his vitriol. Well, that and the online airline ticket purchase she had purposively left on her on her computer monitor. Two tickets back to America; one for her and one for Sanjay.  Kabir's viewing it had resulted in the only crack in his icy demeanor, although he said nothing.  No, she thought, she knew Kabir Tripathi well enough to know that he wouldn't say anything to her at that moment, but she was certain that it had stopped him in his tracks.  He was probably pouring his heart to his precious Rachna, about now. And the ball would be in her court. Sonal expected in the next couple days she would find out how strong the Tripathi marriage was when her lawyer contacted her concerning the upcoming custody proceedings.

 

She shifted to get a bit more comfortable. She would have to see if a reasonable time had passed to see if she could get this cast removed. She figured she needed to be a bit more mobile in the days to come.

[NOCOPY]

crtkelly2016-05-26 20:06:46