The Apollonian and Dionysian: (AR) - Complete - Page 26

Originally posted by: Riddss

heyyy dear,
awesome part
thanks for PM.
continue soon

love
Riddss

Originally posted by: maanu

hi...

sorry for so late comment...

but cudnt get time ...

ok now the progress of the story is really good...

all the three updates have been fab.....

niki is really a sweetheart...

she knows how to u can say manhandle people to put in some brains....

atul surely have come to know sumthing really bad abt his father..

i guess he now knows abt the abduction.....

eagerly waiting for the next updtae...

thanks for the pms

bye

Originally posted by: rinku28

Nice update....Like the Slap...sometimes that's what people need to have some sense knocked in them...

Continue soon. Thanks for the PM.

Thanks,
Khyati

Originally posted by: AngelTeen

Sorry for not commenting for so long!

Great part...loved the way Nikki handled the situation and Atul's self realization and question which will help him feel better...

Update soon!

Chapter 13: Perdition beneath my feet

Atul's revelation had come as a surprise for Armaan and a shock for Riddhima. He had had few breakthroughs in his therapy sessions and of course Shubhankar was aware of it. Atul had taken few days to come in terms with his memories and the things he remembered about his father.

"I know what you meant that day Anjali, about chasing the past. Finding out truth is bittersweet. In my case it's mostly bitter anyway", Atul said tonelessly.

"Why would you say that, Atul?" Anjali asked.

"I badgered myself to find out truth and relentlessly made efforts. But once I found out what truth was, I wish I never started the quest in the first place. The burden of truth weighs much more than I originally imagined." Atul replied at which Anjali could only look on wordlessly.

"What do you remember Atul?" Anjali asked him.

"There are still some small holes in my memory but I remember the outline. I do remember a little girl who was in our shed. The shed was off limits for me and at any cost I wasn't supposed to be there. Once I gave into my curiosity and went there. There was a little girl in the shed crying for her mommy. My father came at that moment and beat me raw. It was one of the first memories I remembered after the start of my therapy. Imagine my surprise when I remembered this", Atul replied without much enthusiasm. Anjali took his hand in hers and held it for a while. It was her way of showing support.

"Why did you say that you think your father is an evil man?" Armaan asked. It was required for them to talk about what was going on in his mind and get a closure.

"It was unnatural to find a little girl in our shed Armaan. And it wasn't the only instance. I remembered seeing at least three other girls there. He never bothered to give me an explanation but just beat me up when I questioned about it. Now I think about it, I can deduce for myself what possibly could have gone there Armaan." Atul wrung his hands and hung his head. Armaan saw the shade of twelve year old boy who did not understand what was happening in his house and what his father was up to. The confusion of the situation he was in and the doubts he had about his father's behavior had shook him up. The scare of being beaten if at all discovered was something that nagged him even in his sleep. Spending more than three quarters of a year in a fear of this sort had made the boy subtle and completely scared.

"Is that all you remember?" Armaan pressed.

"No. I remember the last the girl I saw."

"What happened to her?" Anjali questioned and held his hand tighter. Armaan looked on.

"I let her go." Atul whispered.

The cry uttered by Anjali resembled to one that of a wounded bird. Atul looked at her in surprise and Armaan could only stare. The coincidence of all the events was too great to handle which made Anjali burst into tears. Atul looked at a sobbing Anjali who was consoled by a slightly smiling Armaan.

When Riddhima heard the news she was calmer than Anjali while Shashank and Padma only worried about Atul.

"Sins of fathers are washed by their sons, after all", Riddhima had said in plain nonchalance.

Anjali had dragged Atul to her house and had asked Armaan to tag along. When Armaan explained the situation to rest of the Guptas, Atul had been an observer.

"What's going on Armaan?" He questioned after he saw the familiar faces looking at him.

"The girl you let go when you were a kid was Riddhima", Armaan said softly.

"You saved my life Atul", Riddhima added. There was plethora of emotions which passed on Atul's face; hurt, anger, despair, agony and finally a resigned expression of helplessness.

"I am sorry for whatever you went through Riddhima. If any of my apologies matter", Atul said in a pained voice. Riddhima didn't reply to Atul immediately. She took her time collecting her thoughts. She knew that whatever she said now to Atul would determine the relationship between them and also will make or break the foundation of his healing.

"I guess it's too much to ask at this point huh?" Atul broke the silence which had spread its wings on the room and on everyone inside it.

"Did you know what your father was doing Atul?" Riddhima questioned directly. Anjali looked at her sister in annoyance while Armaan simply looked.

"I did not know Riddhima."

"You were a twelve year old boy who was beaten by his father when a toe was put out of line. That man forbade you from entering the shed yet you did and let me free. You set me free Atul. For this, you don't have anything to apologize for." Riddhima said holding his hands. Atul could only look at her with a layer of tears in his eyes.

"I don't know what to say Riddhima. I could have let the other girls go. I could have informed the authorities. When I think about it, I feel as if I was the accomplice. He didn't take me to fairs because he liked me. He took me there to hunt for little girls. I went to the town during one of my day off and read local newspaper archives. I know what he did to those four girls Riddhima", he broke down and cried. He wasn't crying for the man that his father was. He was crying for knowledge he now had and had to carry for the rest of his life. It had been only one month since his knowledge of his father and the guilt had already started sagged his shoulders. He did not how he could continue with this burden for the rest of his life. Seeing Riddhima everyday brought back memories and things that happened with his father. How could he continue being sane that way?

"Atul, you are not your father", Riddhima said simply and hugged him. Atul only cried harder. He was in awe of the woman who was now hugging him. It was the same woman who three years ago was broken and aloof to everything around her. And now she was forgiving him for what her father had managed to damage within her. But she healed, became strong and was now in a place where he decided he should be one day. Anjali rested her head on Armaan's shoulder and Padma wiped her eyes. Shashank and Armaan shared a smile. Now Riddhima's healing cycle would come to near completion and Atul would see a salvation in Riddhima's forgiveness for a crime he thought he committed.

"Wow it almost sounds like a paperback thriller or a B-grade Hollywood flick. You guys are not making the whole thing up and yanking my chain, are you?" Nikki asked seriously. Abhi rolled his eyes in exasperation while Muskaan giggled. Atul who smiled at her response was in better spirits. As Anjali held his hand for the entire world to see and her acceptance of whoever he was had lessened his despair. No one questioned their sudden intimacy and just allowed them to be. Once the dust was settled, questions would be fired. Till then the two of them were off the hook.

"Since the story lacks steamy scenes between the male and female protagonists, useless romantic twists and unnecessary complications, so it has to be real", Riddhima said wryly and took a sip of her cola. Anjali sniggered.

"I doubt it. Even if there are steamy scenes, you and Armaan might as well be hiding the sordid details", Nikki added thoughtfully. Armaan spluttered his drink and coughed. Riddhima patted his back with a chuckle. The rest of the group burst out laughing.

"Nikki!" Armaan exclaimed after his coughing subsided.

"What Armaan? You are a fine male specimen and you expect me to believe the garbage Riddhima fed me just now? Since your scarlet face screams that it's the truth, here is an advice. Riddhima here is a bit of prude so you might have to take the initiative and tutor her", Nikki replied winking at Riddhima. Riddhima who was used to sassy Nikki rolled her eyes at her antics while redness in Armaan's face became deeper and he hid his face in his hands. Nikki gave a victorious laugh and ruffled his hair.

The group had met for drinks and dinner that night "to get rid of bad karma" as Anjali had mentioned and to give them the latest updates and reveal whatever they had found out. Atul was okay with the rest of the group knowing about him and his father. He trusted them and knew that he would have to lean on them their support and acceptance of him for being who he was much needed for healing and attain normalcy in the long run. Nikki had broken the sober mood with blatant teasing of Armaan and Riddhima which hadn't happened for months. The atmosphere had lightened considerably after that everyone had let their hair down. Armaan had tried to tease Nikki and her response only made him cover his ears and blush even deeper. He had dropped the issue of teasing her and stuck to drinking cola and watching the group dynamics which was considerably changed after the episode.

It had been almost three years since he had come to the city. His friends were now his closest family and his girlfriend was someone he could see being with for the rest of his life. He didn't dare voice it out loud but he knew it that one day he would do all the shebang of kneeling down on one knee with a pretty diamond. When Padma said that she and Shashank will be cheering him on from the sidelines for that special day, he had hugged her for the first time. She was surprised to see a misty eyed Armaan who was smiling.

"Thank you for allowing me to hug you", he said sincerely. She was even more surprised at his statement than with the suddenness of the hug itself.

"Had I not met you, I would have never known what a mother's hug would feel like. I must agree with many. It's the most comfortable feeling in the world where warmth is perpetual and love is unconditional", Armaan had replied. Padma could only see at the man Armaan was and ruffled his hair.

"Maybe you should hug Shashank and see the warmth of a father too?" Padma teased.

"I'll pass. I will leave that to Riddhima and Anjali and I will take their word for it", Armaan grinned. He found himself incredibly lucky to be accepted by a family like Guptas who never did anything halfway. Even when they accepted someone, they would go all the way to make the person happy. He was happy that he had had the elder Guptas' blessing and wondered what Riddhima would think of rest of the life offer.

"Do you remember the first time we took a walk during graveyard shift?" Riddhima asked Armaan. It was a cold night which made the night look even darker and the bare corridors even creepier.

"I do. It was my first day here at the hospital", Armaan replied as they walked next to each other in deserted corridors.

"You were having a nightmare that night didn't you? You looked so sad, so broken", Riddhima reminisced.

"I suppose I did. It took me a while to come out of the experiences which I had during my stint in UN. I wouldn't say that they are bad but we rarely had shot happy experiences while on the job."

"Do you miss it?"

"Honestly? No. I get to do almost the same type of volunteering job. I get to be with my family. But I do feel guilty at times, especially when we casually discard few daily usage items at work. We have a luxury here Riddhima. If we run out of supplies, then we have to order and we find it in our doorstep in few hours. But out there, we have to be extremely careful of the supplies. It took me a while to adjust to this lifestyle but I have no complaints. This is like a blessing for me. It's a life that I never imagined I could have one day." He smiled as he finished.

"I didn't either. When my biological father was alive, we led an ordinary life I guess. After he died everything changed." Riddhima replied.

"How was your life before your father died?"

"As I said it was pretty ordinary. There are no striking memories of my father. It could be because he worked late nights and I rarely got to see him. I know that mom fought with him a lot about it and accused him of having an affair."

"Did he have an affair?" Armaan asked. Riddhima shrugged.

"He never denied having one so maybe he did. Most of my memories involve only my mother. My father is in background. It could be the reason why I didn't cry when I heard my father died. I never really had any real memories as father and wouldn't really miss him. It had always been mom and me at home so I didn't see it as a big deal." Riddhima replied and stopped at vending machine. As she took out two cans of cola, she saw Armaan deep in thought.

"You must think of me being pretty heartless, huh?" She asked him as she gave him a can.

"Not at all Riddhima. From a ten year old perspective, it's perfectly natural. Where did you say you lived?" As Riddhima told him the name of the town where she lived with his mom and biological father, Armaan looked at her in surprise.

"What is it?" She asked Armaan. He shook his head and tipped his cola can to hers.

"To us", he said.

"To us", she said.

They shared a smile.

"Are you looking for Riddhima Armaan? She is at work." Padma said as soon as she opened the door to Armaan.

"I am actually looking for you. I knew that everyone would be out at work at this time of the day and would be back by evening. I need to talk to you." Armaan replied earnestly.

"What's wrong Armaan?" Padma looked at him.

"It is something which has been bugging me for some time. I may be over thinking and over reacting over such a small detail but the over the past three years the things I have heard and seen is making me think otherwise." Armaan looked stressed.

"Calm down Armaan. Here, drink a glass of water and then you can explain to me clearly okay?" Padma said and handed him a glass of water.

"I recently came to know that you and Riddhima lived in same town as mine before your first husband's death", Armaan said softly.

Padma looked at him in surprise.

To be continued.

next comment here...........

heyya...

when i read abt the same town mystry ... for a sec i thought that padma and armaans dad must have been in a relationship...

but as soon as i thought that it clicked me that then armaan and ridzi wud become half brother sister..

so it was ruled out...

the part was simply outstandying..

the way u have dealt with ridzis character is amazing... the maturity u have brought into her is simply fantastic...

i guess u have made all characters strong enough to tackle cyclones...

loved the part... bu hated the cliffhanger...

so update really soon..

bye

Originally posted by: sisgeo

res
great part as usual...never expected atul to have such a bad fate..i hope something good will happen for atul.continue soon