Author's note - I know it has been forever since I updated this, so most of you have probably forgotten what this story was about. I apologize in advance. I'm really sorry.
The next part will be updated next week, same time. I promise.
Together Forever - Part 9
Kinds Of Love
She slowly blinked her eyes and tried to make sense of the surroundings around her. She was not home, that she was sure of. 'Is this a hospital?' she thought. Her head hurt at the thought of thinking. She relaxed and breathed deeply. Slowly, her mind ran through what had happened a few hours ago. The shopping mart. The little girl. The stormy, rainy night. Viraat.
Viraat? Yes! Viraat was alive. She had seen him. She had hugged him. He was for real. This wasn't a figment of her imagination. This wasn't a dream. It was for real. Viraat was here. He was alive. The thought of it brought tears into her eyes and she felt dizzy at the thought of meeting him. Five years. Five long, cruel, torturous years. Where had he been all this time? Why hadn't he come to her? What had he been up to all this time? She needed to know the answers to her questions. But one answer she had clearly settled in her mind.
Would she let him leave her again? No. Not this time. Never again.
She struggled to get off the bed, but her right hand felt broken. She looked down and saw her hand in a cast. She felt her forehead, and she could feel a bandage draped around her head. How had she landed up in this state? She strained her head and remembered. The flashing light. Viraat had pushed her away to avoid her colliding with a car. The thought of Viraat protecting her brought back the familiar blush on her face. Viraat would always protect his Maanvi. That was a fact even the universe couldn't deny.
The door creaked and Maanvi looked up expectantly. A woman entered and smiled at her. Was she supposed to smile back? She flashed a tentative smile.
'Are you my doctor?'
'No. I'm Diya. I brought you here to the hospital.'
'Oh! Thanks. Thanks so much. I thought''
'Viraat brought you here?'
'You know Viraat? You know where he is? How long have you known him? Is he here? Can you call him here? I need to talk to him! That ass hat. Let me give him a piece of my mind! He left me alone for five long years. The five most crucial years of my life, he left me by myself! Even though he had promised me he would never leave my side, he did. He went back on all the promises he had made to me''
Tears flowed continuously and her breathing became ragged.
'Control yourself Maanvi''
'No! I won't control myself! You know how hard life has been without him? Does he know how painful it has been for me to survive without him? The moment I discovered that there was a way to survive through cancer; the moment I realized that there was a chance I could live, he took away the very reason for my survival with himself. He left! Can you believe it? He left! We weren't married officially in the eyes of the world and I was pregnant. I was pregnant with his baby when he left! Can you believe that? The man who vowed to live like my shadow disappeared. Can you imagine how hurtful that would have been?'
'Maanvi'I understand''
'NO! You can't! No one can. No one can ever understand what I went through. No one can understand the anguish that has been burning in my heart for so long. How difficult it has been for me to live without my family? How hard it was for me to walk away from everything I had loved and start a new life? How difficult it has been to raise my son without his father? How difficult it has been to smile and remain positive, hoping for a ray of light when there was none at all? How can you understand? How can you? Tell me!'
'I do understand Maanvi. I do. I faced the same situation Maanvi. The very same. I too loved a man with all my heart. I too considered him to be my shadow, and I, his soul. We were married against his parent's wishes. But he was there when our daughter was born. He was there. You told me how difficult it was for you to raise your son without a father. But tell me Maanvi, how do you raise a daughter who has seen and felt her father's love and lost it as well? Your son has never met his father. He doesn't know what a father's love is like. Whatever he knows is what you have told him. My daughter knew and loved her father. She knew what it was like to have a loving, doting father. And you know what? She loved her father more than me.'
Maanvi was silent.
Her day started with her daddy's good morning kiss and ended with his goodnight kiss. Anything interesting? Daddy has to know. Anything problematic? Daddy has the solution. Anything and everything of her life was taken care of by him. Shaurya. My loving husband. He looked after her and loved her so much, sometimes I used to feel jealous and ask him, 'Do you love our daughter more than you love me?' and he would always say, 'Our daughter wouldn't have been born without you, so honey, I love you more.'
Maanvi laughed after what felt like ages. She knew that if Viraat had been in place of Shaurya, he probably would have said the same thing.
'Her name is Maanvi, you know? My daughter. Shaurya named her after his sister' Diya whispered.
Their eyes met and Maanvi could clearly see the sorrow in her eyes. The grief that she had tried to hide from the rest of the world. She could feel the woman's angst. Diya held her hand in reassurance, in her way telling Maanvi, that she understood. She knew now that if not anyone else, Diya understood what she had been through. The suffering that they had been through was similar, if not the same.
'So what happened?' Maanvi whispered.
'It was a sunny day. The kind of day that is full of optimism and hope. A day that would be tagged as a 'bright new morning'. Maanvi was at her grandmother's place. I had been preparing breakfast, waiting for Shaurya to arrive home. I was really excited. He had texted me over two hours ago that he would be home soon. He was coming home after a month. These corporate sector jobs are so hectic and unreliable these days, you know? So are airplanes. Especially Air India. Always the delay in take-off and landing. They don't even know how to land a plane properly. They should strip these pilots off their badges you know.'
She tried to laugh but Maanvi was able to catch the agony in her fake smile.
She shuddered at the thought of this unknown man dying. Shaurya. She had never known him, nor would she ever get a chance to. But she had already understood that this man meant the world to Diya, and to little Maanvi. Life had been a cruel joke to both of them. One second full of happiness, and the next filled with nothing but sorrow.
'I understand how hard it has been for you Maanvi. I know how difficult it has been for you to live without your life. I understand.'
Maanvi nodded as she realized she did have a comrade. Someone else who had been subjected to God's wrath.
'Which is why I expect YOU to understand why I did what I did.'
Maanvi was confused. What had she done?
'Your Viraat had saved my Maanvi that night, five years ago. They were in the middle of the road when two trucks hurtled towards them on the highway. He pushed my Maanvi away but he was unable to defend himself. But thankfully, someone, I don't know who, rushed forward and threw him onto the other side of the road before the trucks collided. Viraat hit himself in the head very badly and the doctors told me that he had sustained severe injuries in the head. He had lost his memory.'
Maanvi listened on, shocked beyond words.
'So he doesn't remember'?'
'He doesn't remember who he is, what his life was. He doesn't remember anything Maanvi. Not you. Not even himself.'
Maanvi was stunned. Viraat didn't remember anything at all. He didn't remember her? Their love? Their marriage? Nothing at all?
'But at least he's alive! Viraat is alive na? I can help him remember everything. I am there. So is our son. Viraat. We'll help him recover. That won't be a problem at all. We'll do whatever it takes, Viraat and I'I mean Viraat Junior and I'We'll fix everything''
'But first, I want you to see what Shaurya looks like''
She handed her a photo from her handbag. Maanvi looked at the scrawling on the back of the photo 'You and I. Shaurya for Diya. Shadia Forever' and turned over to see the photo. She gasped in shock as she saw Viraat standing with Diya in wedding attire. Viraat had slightly longer hair and he sported a goatee in this picture.
'That is my Shaurya.'
Maanvi looked up in shock as she slowly understood what Diya had meant when she said,
'Why I did what I did.'
'NOOO! YOU DID NOT!' She screamed in horror.
'Maanvi, I had no other choice!'
'You manipulated my husband into believing he was yours? You fed him lies after lies so now he probably believes he is Shaurya? So that's why he didn't come back! That's why he walked away from me in the mall that day. That's why! Because he believes he is Shaurya! Why Diya? Why did you do this? You, of all the people in the world? How could you steal my husband?'
'Maanvi, I did not steal your husband. I took away the man my daughter believed to be her father. I did what I had to keep my daughter alive. My Maanvi cannot live without her father. She had stopped eating, drinking and sleeping after his death. All the time, she sat lost in her thoughts, muttering, 'Daddy'. It was hard enough dealing with my own grief, but I just could not bear to see my child in pain.'
'So you decided to take away my man? You thought that was the ideal solution?'
'I admit, what I did was wrong. Taking away your man was not the solution to my problems. But Maanvi, you are a mother too. Tell me, if you had to choose between doing what was right and what your child wanted, would you ever choose what was right? Would you ever sacrifice your child's happiness in the bid to do what was right? Would you?'
Maanvi remained silent.
'My child needed her father. I know Maanvi, I know I was wrong. I was selfish. You may call me a heartless ruthless worm, but you cannot deny that I love my daughter more than my own life. No one can. My child is the only reason for my survival now. I would do anything to keep her happy. My child is my world. Is it wrong to keep my world happy? Please Maanvi, I beg to you, please understand why I did this. Please. I beg of you. Wouldn't you have done the same had you been in my place?'
Maanvi's heart ached to deny Diya, but she couldn't. She was a mother too. She knew what it felt like to see her child crying. Every time a tear rolled down VJ's eyes, her heart felt as if it had been stabbed. When VJ demanded an ice cream in the middle of the night, her mind would not rest until VJ got what he wanted. When VJ smiled, she felt as if all the sorrows of the world had been wiped away. VJ was a part of her flesh, her soul; a part of her very being. If she had to fight the world to defend her child, she would. And she would make sure she won, by hook or by crook.
This wasn't right. No, it wasn't. But it wasn't wrong either. Life had played a cruel joke on her again. They had been married when he had been snatched away. And now, Viraat had been returned to her only to be taken away again.
'I hope you understand Maanvi. And I hope you are able to forgive me someday.'
Saying so, she walked away, leaving Maanvi more alone than she had ever felt in her life. She hugged her bed sheets and cried away the entire night.
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Sorry guys. No VirMan in this part. But plenty in the upcoming ones :)
Do leave your comments.
Edited by ..Ankita.. - 12 years ago
