Chapter 55
It was two more days before Poonam felt she was ready to ask Maan to bring his bride to meet her. She did not want to build expectations already and her fragile state of mind was only coming to terms with a tearful reunion with her mother in law and sons. She knew she had been a burden to them and now that she felt she had more control over her emotions and her mind, she will try and make up for the time she had lost in her misery which in turn had given desolation to her children and more responsibility on her mother in law.
Maan, Vicky, Mummy and her were having breakfast when she asked him to bring his bride to her. Maan looked at Daadima. Daadima nodded. She had been observing Poonam very closely since she had come and the far away look she used to have, was almost gone. It was just once in a while that she saw Poonam drift into her darkness. It was also the reason she had not pushed Poonam to meet her Bahu. Plenty of time for that, she mused, for them to get acquainted, Poori zindagi padi hai.
Maan told his Mother that he will bring her for tea that evening. Poonam said, "Nahi, abhi lunch pe le aao. Aap jald le aaiye usse, hamein ab milna hai hamari bahu se," looking at her mother in law to include her in the wish."
Daadima then reaffirmed and asked Maan, "aap le aa sakte hain na?" and Maan nodded.
Vicky had kept quiet the whole time. He had taken to looking at his mom with hawk eyes, reading everthing. He had gone to Nargis in the afternoon after his reunion with mom. He had called her to meet him at his apartment as fast as she could.
Nargis had wondered what had happened but with Vicky not communicating in more than monosyllables had her worried and rushed to his apartment after lunch. She had rang the bell and prepared herself to wait for the door to open when it was flung open immediately as if he had been listening for her footsteps.
She had looked at him with frown that tried to decipher his mood but he seemed to be not himself. He just pulled her hand, shut the door close with a thud and pulled her in his arms.
"Hold me, Zeno, hold me!" he muttered gathering her in his arms. Nargis not knowing what was going on just went along with it. She tried to ask him what was wrong after several minutes of standing like that in his embrace. She pulled back to see his face and saw the tears brimming in his eyes.
She asked, "what happened sweetheart? why are you crying? Everything alright?"
He just mumbled, "she is back home, Zeno, Maa is back and she recognized me. I am so happy but I needed to tell you, to hold you, to feel you. I need to be with you, will you take me… take me deep inside you? I need to be connected with you. I need …oh Zeno… I need you."
Nargis could not hold back her tears. This strong man needed her and he wanted to be with her of all the people, he had called her to be with him in his need, in his happiness that was filled with poignancy. She nodded and smiled through her tears.
She took his hand and walked with him behind her into his bedroom. She made him stand near the bed, slowly removing each and every garment off him with sensual movements that heightened their need. She followed her hand with her lips, not letting him respond but just enjoy her ministrations. She slowly travelled his body with her lips, fingers and tongue to relearn and use her knowledge of his reaction to bring new sensations to fore, to evoke and highten with every touch, the zing that was always present between them. She slowly pushed him on the bed and sat astride and pinned his arms above his head and made love to him in slow gentle movement that not only took their breath away but also opened another dimension in their love. They connected even more, their souls satiated with knowledge that they were not just made for each other but there was no one else that will ever come between them. This emotion, this need between them was so strong that only the other could even come close to any sort of assuagement, even then they knew they will always need each other to find new peaks, new sensations that flowed between them .
Once spent, Vicky gathered her in his arms running his hands on her back and whispered, "Zeno, I love you, you are the anchor in my life, who brings any semblance, any meaning."
Nargis, gulped a lump in her throat at being so lucky to find a man like Vicky in her life. She felt she must have done something to find Vicky. She promised him that she will always be there for him, no matter what.
Vicky turned her face to him and asked, "I will hold you to that Zeno. Don't ever think of leaving me."
Vicky and Nargis had talked for hours and Nargis had learned how Vicky had felt when his mother had abandoned him by going into the depression. She learned from him how his childhood had been and how his early teen years were tarnished with his mother's attacks and how it was Maan and Daadi who had held him from going over the brink. It was then that he told his years of being in relationships that were nothing but strings of affairs that did not last as he did not think there was anyone worth trusting. She learned how he took solace in playing pranks with Faz and Maan and how jokes was what kept him from breaking down and crying every night in his bed alone. It had taken him years to build this wall of nonchalance and bluntness that helped him get by on daily basis.
It was Daadi and Maan who had given him strength to fight after what he felt was betrayal by his Mom, who had decided to wallow in self pity and despair rather than look after her children. He had blamed her for a long time before he had grown enough to realize that she was as much as a victim as he of his father's deeds.
He had forgiven her but there was always this anger simmering just below the surface whenever he saw his Mom reverting back to her despair and pain and forgetting she had sons who needed her.
Nargis understood how there were layers to Vicky which she had yet to uncover. She realized that he was also a man who she had yet to see angry and she did not want to ever see that man but his expressions as he had spoken about his Mom and her betrayal had given her a glimpse of what it must have been like and what Maan and Daadima must have done to keep him in calm. She hoped Vicky never has to see his Mom give up on life again, ever and she will do anything to help him and Mom bridge whatever gap that still existed between them as she instinctively felt that there was something.
Vicky recalled Nargis's words as he sat there looking at his Mom. Be patient, she had said, well he had been that all his life. He was not about to test his patience but he was not going to fall again in the trap of believing she is back for good, whatever it looked like right now. He is going to play it by the ear. He is not going to keep his hopes up too much, take each day at a time, slowly, very slowly.
He realized Maan had said something to him but he did not know what and then Maan repeated, "Tum Nargis ko kab milwa rahe ho Maa se?"
And his world tilted just a little. Did he think he could take it slow? The tide it seems had just come in.
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