QSS THREAD # 4, part 194 on pg 150 on 26-5-11 - Page 42

awww...luv armi..

he is such a sweetheart.......

sooo cute n loving...........

taking care of all.........

thnx for the pm di...................

Originally posted by: disha4life

hey..... recently i come to know abt this ff.. its amazing.. i read all its parts.. n i must say u r one of the best writer among i know in ff section of this forum... plz add me in ur pm list.. n plz pm me whenever u update next part.. 👍🏼

Originally posted by: SoniKudi_KASH

omg your a fantastic writer

and each scene you write seems soo realistic

love AR's relationship

helps to fill in the void that i feel since Shilpa left DMG in 2008 :(

their sons are super cote especially Ani he's just like his father

continue sooon

Originally posted by: geetika_263

hey
i'm a silent reader but ur ff is gr8
Gr8 part
plz add me to ur pm list
cont soon

hey dear

such an awesome part...as always armaan is gr8 to be true...to me nw his character turns into fantasy...as before he looks to me as a real man who makes efforts to bring worldz happiness to his family...but nw it looks like a fantasy as hw a person can be nice to the one who hurt his loved one..but i think he is doing this fr his love....

awesome part finally reaching to the truth behind that man...

update nxt part soon

love

sania

Part 169

"Athai, I've brought a guest to your house," Kannan called out. When there was no response, he asked Armaan to sit on the only wooden chair in the hall and went in to look for his athai. He came back with a small jug of water and a glass saying "Athai is in the backyard, she's coming." Armaan took the glass of water he held out and sipped it. It was cool, not cold. It was from a matka (eathern pot) he thought. But it had some flavour which he couldn't place but it was pleasant. Seeing him smell the water Kannan said "she puts some cooling herbs and roots in the water pot."

An old lady, of around 80, slightly bent and tottering came out arranging her saree properly. Standing and looking at Aarmaan with narrowed eyes she asked in Tamiil, "Who is this? I haven't met him before." Kannan explained that he was anna's doctor. When Armaan stood up and said "namastey" she nodded with a smile and asked her son-in-law, "doesn't he speak tamil? Why has he come here?" She indicated to Armaan to sit down, while she herself sat down on one end of the huge swing that hung at one side of the hall. Kannan seated himself at the other end.

Kannan explained to her that the doctor wanted to ask her something about Kartik and that he would act as their interpreter. To Armaan he said "her eyes are very sharp, but she has a problem hearing."

A: Yes I understood that as you were talking extra loudly to her. I can understand quite a bit of tamil. I'll ask you what I can't. I want to know about Kartik's teenage days. Before you father remarried and after that.

When Kartik explained it to her, her first question was "What has all that to do with his illness? His drinking habit is the only thing responsible for this condition."

Translating Armaan's reason Kannan said "True, but this doctor is trying to de-addict him of his drinking. For that he needs to know why and when he started drinking."

Athai : I can vouch he never touched drinks while he was here. I t must have started at his mama's house in Mumbai. He was a very quiet and studious boy, not into any mischief or pranks like normal boys. So obedient to elders, never troubled anyone for anything. He would do all his work, himself, from a very young age. As you were very small then, amma didn't have much time to look after him. Anna used to leave early and come back late, as he was working in Coimbatore. When anni (bhabhi) died, she took away anna's smile also."

Then suddenly, she looked at Armaan and motioning with her hands asked "kaapi?" (coffee) and tried to get up. Armaan shook his head and motioned her to remain seated. "tea?"came her next question. Armaan got up from the seat and went and sat next to her on the swing and said in the little tamil he remembered "onnum vandaam amma" (I don't want anything amma.) At first she smiled at his accent and then with tears in her eyes she asked "Is he going to die?" Armaan understood she was referring to Kartik. He looked at Kannan wanting him to interpret. Kannan took the chair vacated by Armaan. "We are trying our best." He didn't want to give her false assurances.

She started crying and wiping her eyes with the edge of her saree said "It's very torturous to see your children die before you. Everybody knows of him as a bad person but he was never like that. That witch came and changed him totally. She was an enchantress, not satisfied by one man. She didn't mind their age or profession. It was all my mistake. I had made the match. She had acted like a good girl when I went to meet her for the first time. Didn't uttered a word in front of her elders. Didn't even raised her head and looked up.

A common family friend had told us about her. She had said she was married at the age of 17. Her husband was very religious and always into bhajan and prayers. She was very childish and playful. She never told anyone that their marriage was never consummated. After 3-4 years her mother-in-law started taunting that she was barren. Even then her husband was not willing to have intimate relationship with her. And one fine day he just walked away from the house. She waited for him for 2 years, but when he didn't return she came back to her parents. It was a year or so after that, that I met her. "

She halted and had a sip of water. Perhaps she realized she was talking too much and had gone off track. This doctor had come to talk about Kartik and she was blabbering about that woman. Looking at Armaan she said "You've come to my house for the first time. You must have something. I'll get you some buttermilk (Chaas) at least. When he tried to stop her she took off his hand holding her arm and just nodded. When she went in Kannan interpreted to Armaan what she had just said and added "even I didn't know all this. No one ever spoke about her in the house. Even taking her name was a taboo."

She returned with a vessel shaking in her hands. Armaan rushed forward to take it from her. Sitting on the swing she poured out three glasses of it and gave one to each of them. When Armaan took a sip and looked towards her expectantly she asked "What exactly do you want to know about Kartik. He's been away so long I don't remember much about him."

A: Kartik told me that he had given his tenth standard board exam staying at your house. Is that true?

When Kannan asked her the question she nodded.

A: Why?

She didn't answer immediately. But after some thought said "there were some family problems."

A: Did Kartik have problem with his step mother? Did she ill-treat him?

She thought for sometime and said "initially she used to say he never speaks with her, but later I'd seen them laughing and joking together. She used to even feed him at times. I used to say, "he's not a kid let him eat on his own." But she used to say "he eats better when I feed him." Again she went silent for sometime as if she was trying to recollect things. "But suddenly just before his exams Kartik changed. When anna brought him to my house he seemed relieved to be here. Even if I mentioned her name in passing, he used to shout at me and ask me not to mention her name in front of him. I could see he really hated her. I've always wondered what brought about that change. From his occasional blabbering in his sleep, I think he must have seen her with some other man."

Again she clammed up. But when Armaan nodded saying "yes he did," both she and Kannan were shocked. When they looked at him questioningly, he told them Kartik had written a diary at MSHC and given it to him to read. (Armaan didn't tell them what Kartik had actually written.) He told them that as a psychiatrist he felt that's what made him what he was. Hence he had to know the whole truth to be able to treat him successfully.

While Kannan translated, she took a sip of the buttermilk and then continued her story. "I agree being a young girl she also must have had her needs. She told me a week or so after their marriage, that anna told her on the first night itself, that no one could take his Meena's place. She was here only as a mother to his sons and not as his wife. But that didn't mean she could get anyone to lie with her."

A: Did she speak anything about Kartik to Athai? Did she say why their relationship had changed from love to hate?

Athai: Nothing that I can remember. After that Kartik went to Mumbai and never came back. Even if he came for vacations, he would spend most of his time here. He used to go home only on weekends when anna would be home. He would hardly be here for 10-15 days and return to Mumbai. I heard rumours from people coming from Mumbai, that he was never available when they went to meet him. Some had said that they had seen him with some girl. But I don't know what the truth was. After a few years he totally stopped coming here. The last he came was for Anna's funeral. Then he moved to the gulf.

When he came back from there, he was a total alcoholic. They say in the gulf drinking is not allowed but when I asked him he said "where there's a will there's a way." Valli used to tell me, every evening he asked the servant boy to get him a bottle of the local stuff.

K: The local toddy is very strong I've heard. That must have totally spoilt his liver.

A: Dr. Balasubramanian has had some tests done today. Maybe if he could get a liver transplant, his life could be saved.

K: that's all very costly stuff. Where can we get that much money?

A: Surgery won't be all that expensive. Anyway you will be selling the looms, so.. But we should get a donor. Usually a sibling is the first choice,

K: No no, Valli will never agree to that, even if I agree. What do you say athai?

A: It not as you think. Liver is a part of our body which can regenerate itself. A person can donate half his liver. The donor operation is entirely safe and the half liver quickly regenerates in both the donor and the recipient in a few weeks. In the first few days after operation even when regeneration is not complete, the half liver is enough to maintain normal donor functions due to the immense reserve in the liver.

Athai: Why take so much trouble doctor? Even after spending so much what guarantee is there that Kartik will get well. He's paying for his crimes. He has no family, but if something happens to Kannan who'll take care of Valli and me?

A: aren't you all his family? Kannan, didn't you accept his money for the looms because he was your brother? Don't you owe him something?

Kannan lowered his voice and said "If that's it, I'll give him his share of the money which I get on selling the looms. You can arrange for a donor I'm sure. But the question of my donating is just out."

A: Of course I can arrange for some donor, but we should get a proper match. That's difficult and time consuming. I don't think your brother has so much time.

K: If his time has come he'll die come what may. Let's leave it to his fate.

Kannan got up and told athai that Prema was coming over for Pongal. She would be staying for 10 days. He insisted that she should also come and spend time with her granddaughter.

Armaan thought how could he talk such mundane things, when a sword was hanging over his brother's head. One thing was confirmed Kartik hadn't lied. Armaan had to do something for him and that too quickly.

He also took leave of the old lady, thanking her and apologizing for disturbing her. Holding his hands she said "Please don't think badly of me. Maybe I'm a bit selfish here, but I just said what any mother would. Kartik is also like a son to me but…" Armaan could get the gist of it and nodded. Then he bent to touch her feet. She was taken aback. Now the tears poured down and suddenly, as if she had an enlightenment, she said "If it's ok I don't mind donating my liver. Would that do?"

Armaan shook his head and asked Kannan to tell her that they couldn't transplant from someone so aged. So it was out of question. And that he would try and do what he could. Kartik conveyed her final apologies for sending him empty handed but Armaan replied he had got something he was searching for so he wasn't returning empty handed. Both of them pursed their lips, unable to understand what he meant.