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Part 64:

Angad: You must live with me in my house!

Tanya looked up at him with shock completely visible in her eyes.

Tanya: May I ask why?

Angad: I don't take favours from people.  I am living in Kartik's house only until my house is cleaned and made to be lived in.  Once I go…prateek will obviously come with me…

Tanya: I see…

She gave it a long thought.  It would be so awkward to live with a man she just met last night.  They would have nothing to talk about.  She didn't know anything about him except for the things Mishti had told her.  He was a married man who still loved his eyes, no doubt.  He noticed her lost in thoughts and he knew she was debating on his condition.

Angad: There isn't any hurry…you can take your time thinking over this…I understand that it would be hard for you to decide because we just met yesterday and I am already asking you to live in my house…but…that's the only way I see this happening so I had to tell you without hiding anything…oh…I forgot to mention…my house has 5-6 rooms…so we will be living in different rooms.

Tanya (blushed from embarrassment): oh… I wasn't thinking about that…

Angad (chuckled): I know…I just thought I should mention it…maybe it will help you make your decision.

Tanya: Alright.  I accept.

Angad (surprised): You do?  You sure you don't need more time?

Tanya: I can trust you…you are Kartik and Mishti's friend…

Angad: that doesn't make a difference….even Prithvi was...

Tanya froze in her spot as she head "Prithvi".  Blurry, multicolored visions flashed in front of her eyes where she saw guns, blood, and so much movement at once.  She closed her eyes to escape.  Her forehead collected sweat beads while her breathing got heavy.  

Angad: are you ok??

She snapped out of her visions and looked around as if trying to relate the visions to the present.  Angad looked at her worriedly.  He knew he touched a chord accidentally.

Tanya: Prithvi…naam jaana pehchaana lag raha hai….where have I heard it before???

She pressed her temple trying to remember.  She was pushing it when she shouldn't.  He didn't want to but he had to do something to snap her out of her thoughts.  He said a silent sorry to Prateek and pinched his arm as gently as he could.  As soon as Prateek let out a wail, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him crying.  She shifted into the seat next to Angad and extended her arms for Prateek.  He handed prateek to her and watched her put his sobs to a halt.  She had lost her memory but her mother's instincts were still there.

She didn't bother to move back to her seat.  She stayed there with prateek in her lap.  Both had their dinner while talking about general interests and hobbies.  That's when he discovered two things.  One, her interest and hobbies were still the same.  She was the same person he knew.  And second, he took every opportunity he got to "accidentally" touch her.  She didn't seem to have notice.  

--::--::--::--

Mishti and Kartik still weren't back when Angad-Tanya-Prateek reached home.  Prateek was already asleep as it was way past his bedtime.  She carefully put him in his crib in Angad's room while Angad went to the kitchen to grab himself a glass of water.  He almost choked on his water when he remembered that she had gone to his room where their wedding picture sat on the side table of his bed proudly.  He sprinted up to his bedroom and entered making a loud noise.

Tanya: shhh!!!!!!!!!!  He will wake up…

Angad noticed that the picture frame was turned upside down on the table.  He thanked his stars silently and walked up to Prateek's Crib.  He looked like an angle when he slept.  Angad bent and pecked his cheek gently wishing him a "good night".  Tanya covered him with his blanket, turned the side table lamp on, the room lights off and left the room to give the father-son a few moments of privacy.

When Angad stepped into the living room, she had already changed and sat on the couch with a hollow guitar secured in her lap.  She was deeply looking back and forth from one paper to another.  When he moved closer he noticed that one paper had the notes for the guitar on it while the other had lyrics.

Angad: What are you doing?

Tanya (startled): Oh!...you scared me…..um..Nothing…I'm just looking over my lyrics and notes to see if I have it all in place….

Angad: you play hollow guitar?

Tanya(sarcastic): Oh yea…I'm in a BAND….we perform in CONCERTS…..and I play a hollow guitar.

She sighed and shook her head when he gave her a blank look.

Tanya: No I don't…I play electric during concerts and practices…but I like the sound of hollow better…when I'm alone I play hollow……

Angad(blurted): Where did you learn to play it?

Tanya(looked up at him): Seems like you forgot I am an amnesia patient…

Angad: I'm sorry….I didn't mean to…

Tanya: Its ok…it doesn't hurt me...I mean…its something I have to live with the rest of my life…I have two options.  One: Keep crying over it and miss out on the smiles I can get.  Two:  Pick all the smiles I can, no point in crying over my loss of my memory…if I cry long enough…I'm not going to get it back am I?

She still had the positive side to herself.  Something else that she hadn't lost in that horrible disaster.  She noticed his stare on her.

Tanya: What?...why are you looking at me like that?

Angad thought it was one of the few chances where he could drop a hint of her past to her.

Angad: You reminded me of my wife

Tanya: Oh…I didn't mean to..

Angad: no no…I mean…She always talked positively like that…..the worst could happen to her but she never lost the positive side to her…its hard to keep being positive after a few defeats in life.

Tanya: If you think about it….if you give up because of a few defeats…..you're missing out on all the victories you could have conquered…

Angad: and you do it yet once again.  Find the positive side to any matter.

Tanya(giggled): I guess it comes naturally…anyways…you up for a coffee?

Angad: I'd love that.

Tanya gave him a smile and walked into the kitchen to brew coffee for two.  As she was working in the kitchen, she heard guitar strumming in the living room.  She smiled to herself thinking that he was playing it but why?  Why did it make her smile? She shook the weird thought out of her head.  She came back with two cups of coffee in no time.  Angad didn't see her appear out of the kitchen.  She had caught him red handed strumming the guitar and humming a tune.

Tanya(walking up in front of him): So you play the guitar as well?

Angad: just a hobby…not a professional like you…

Tanya: Who ever said I was a professional?

Angad: you play in a band…that tells it like it is.

Tanya(laughed lightly): not really….Mishti and them already had a band….then one day..Mishti just heard me singing while playing this hollow guitar I found in the basement…so she asked me to try performing in her concert as a special guest..

Angad: but everyone loved your talent so much…they asked you to join the band.

Tanya: yea…pretty predictable but yea…so?

Angad: what?

Tanya: you going to sing something?

Angad: You first.

Tanya: You've already heard me though…now it's your turn!

Angad: so you remember?

Tanya(chuckled): Hey…I only lost my long term memory okay?  And the concert falls under short term memory…

Angad: I sure remember…you gave me the dirtiest look on earth that night.

Tanya: oh!  Did I?  I didn't realize…I was trying to figure out where I've seen you before..

Angad(hope igniting within him): You've seen me somewhere before?

Tanya: I don't know but it feels like it…your face, your voice…everything seems so….known…when I saw you coming towards the stage the other day…it felt like I knew who were but I just couldn't put the name with your face…..but…..since your Kartik bhai's friend….I must have seen you in one of their picture albums…speaking of Kartik bhai…its almost 11…where are they?

Angad: They are on a date…they are about to get married…they won't be home until after midnight…

Tanya: true…OH MY GOD!!!

Angad(almost spitting out the coffee he was sipping on): What on earth??

Tanya: Shopping!!  I, Mishti, Barkha, and Riddhima need to go shopping!!!!  Mishti's engagement in a week and we still haven't gone shopping!!  Not to mention the weddings following afterwards…..that's going to be harder!!!!  Two weddings!!!!

Angad: whoa whoa whoa…..brakes!!!!!  First of all who is Riddhima and second of all…..two weddings??

Tanya: Riddhima is Armaan's wife. And yes two weddings…don't tell me Kartik bhai didn't tell you!..Im sure you know that Mishti is half Christian..(Angad nodded in approval)….so we're holding a wedding according to the Gujarati rituals for bhai and a Christian wedding in a church for Mishti.

Angad: I see…so I am guessing that until the wedding is done…you ladies are going to go crazy shopping!!

Tanya: duh yea!

Angad (rolled his eyes): women!

Tanya: don't say that in front of Mishti…she will skin you alive…she is the biggest feminist I've ever seen……and by the way…great job on diverting the topic….but you still have to sing a song…

Angad: can I pass this time?

Tanya: O come on…don't be a spoiled sport…

Angad: please?...I wont be able to sing tonight…

Tanya: any specific reason?

Angad: I'm missing my wife a little too much today.

Tanya (muttering to herself): you are a horrible person (to Angad)…I'm sorry…

She got up and left into the kitchen with her empty cup of coffee before she said anything else that made the man remember his wife.

Angad(thinking to himself):..I'm sorry love….I would sing for you anytime but if I sing right now….I will break down in front of you and might say something I shouldn't….I cant risk anything that puts you in danger…

She came back only to get engaged in an awkward silence.  The silent didn't last long and Tanya thanked her stars for having prateek wail just at the right time.  Before she could get up, Angad signaled her to stay seated.

She went after him when prateek didn't stop crying.  She noticed he was having a hard time controlling prateek who was moving violently in Angad's arms.  She took prateek from Angad and rocked him gently holding him snugly against her chest.  Prateek stopped crying in a few moments but wouldn't go back to sleep.

Angad: seems like he has no plans of sleeping tonight!

Tanya: I'll make his plans for him…don't worry….this has happened before too….

Angad: it has??

Tanya: yea….the first night I was baby-sitting him…don't worry…He'll sleep.

She walked out into the living room leaving Angad following behind her, confused.  What was she going to do?

She stood in the middle of the room with prateek lying in her arms.  She twirled him around with herself around the room lightly waltzing with him.


In the trance of the song, she grabbed Angad's hand making him waltz along with her and prateek.


This time, Angad took prateek in his arms and sang along with Tanya as he noticed prateek was getting drowsy with the lullaby-like song.


Tanya:  There.  Your Prince Charming is asleep.  (Kissed Prateek's cheek): sweet dreams.

Angad wished he could do that to her but he buried his urge once again.  He smiled at her and walked into Prateek's bedroom to put him back in the crib.