FF: Humesha Saath 1 - Link to 2 pg150 - Page 15

Geet spent the rest of the night's dark hours staring out her window and remembering all of her times with Maan. It was just like any other year. She started of by remembering the first time that Maan had come to her rescue in the school yard, to the first time she had actually spoke to him. Their first conversation took place over one week after he had handled the boys who had harassed her. Geet smiled as she thought back to that sweet memory – she should have known from then that their relationship would be anything but ordinary.

*~*Flash Back*~*

(Geet = 5 & Maan = 7)

It was recess again, time for the kids to play, scream, run and be happy. Unlike other kids, Geet just took her book to her favorite stop under a large tree in the yard and sat down. She had only read a few pages when a soccer ball came and bumped against her knees. Geet didn't bother to look up, she was certain that some kid had kicked the ball at her direction on purpose. She was just about to scoot over and away from the ball when she heard a voice call out to her.

"Sorry," the voice came.

Geet was shocked; she didn't know who this person could be talking to. Without looking up she turned around to see if there was anyone else near her – but no one was there.

"Main tumse baath kaar raha hoon," the voice said again.

This time Geet looked up but was blinded by the glare of the sun in her eyes. Just as she was about to put her hand up to shield herself, she saw a tall boy come and block the sun for her.

"I'm sorry," he said, "Ghalti se maine yahaan paar ball kick kiya hai. Tumhe laga toh nahin naa?"

Geet was still dumbfounded. First he apologized and now he was asking if she was alright – this had to be some sort of alternate reality because no one spoke to her like that. It wasn't until the boy moved and sat next to her that she saw who it was. He was her knight in shining armor, her savior, her prince – he was right there.

"Tumhe laga toh nahin naa?" he asked again.

"N…nahin," Geet managed to squeak out.

He picked up the ball and was headed back to the field when he stopped, turned around and looked at Geet for a few seconds. "Tum wohi ladki ho naa, jisko pichle hafte kuch ladke tang kaar rahe te?"

Geet could feel her face heat up; she was sure she looked just as red as a tomato! Without saying anything, she just lowered her head and nodded in the positive.

"Tum daro maat. Woh ladke tumhe khabi tang nahin karenge," he reassured her. "Actually, tumhe aab se koi tang nahin karega aur koi tumhara mazaak nahin udayega."

"Aap kaise jaante ho?" Geet asked.

"Eek! Mujhe 'aap' maat bulao!" he yelled.

"Phir, kya bulaoon?"

"Mujhe 'tum' bulao. Vaise bhi hum dono ke umar ke beech mein zyada farak nahin hai."

"Aap…I mean, tum kaise jaante ho?" Geet asked.

"Tumhari umar kya hai?"

"Meri? Main toh puri paanch saal ki hoon," Geet said in pride as she held up her five little fingers.

"See, maine kaha tha naa. Main toh baas tumse doh saal bada hoon. Main saath saal ka hoon."

"Haila, aap toh mujhse bohooot bade ho. Main, aapko 'tum' nahin bula sakti," Geet said as she shook her head.

"Kyun?" he asked, finally taking a seat next to her.

"Aare yaar, tujhe khelna hai ke nahin?" another boy called out from the field.

He just looked at the boys on the field and then back at Geet. Without saying anything he stood up and kicked the soccer ball back to them and then took his seat next to Geet again.

"Haan, toh tum mujhe 'tum' kyun nahin bulasakte?" he asked again.

"Meri Maa kehti hai ke aagar koi humse bada ho, toh hum usko aaise nahin pukar sakte. Hume unhe izzat deni chahiyeh," Geet explained.

"Aacha? Lekin meri Maa kehti hai ke aagar koi humse umar mein bada ho, lekin woh humare dost ho, hum usse 'tum' keh kaar bulasakte hai," he said.

"Really?" Geet said in shock.

"Haan, aur hum dost hai naa?" he asked.

"Hum dost hai?" Geet asked.

"Haan," he said.

Suddenly Geet became quite and folded her arms across her chest.

"Aap bilkul mere Veerjiyoon jaise ho! Aapne aap ki saab decide karlete ho. Mujhse koi kuch nahin poochta," she complained.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said.

They sat in silence for a few seconds – neither sure what to say or what to do. Suddenly, the boy stuck his hand out towards Geet. When she looked up at him his face was beaming with a smile.

"Mujhse dosti karoge?" he asked.

Geet couldn't help but smile. It was the first time someone had asked her opinion and her decision. Of course she wanted to be his friend – after all, he was her hero.

"Haan!" she said and she reached out with her hand. "Vaise dost, tumhara naam kya hai?"

"Maan, Maan Singh Khurana," he said.

"Hmm, Maan," Geet said, as if she was in deep thought. "I like it!" she later announced.

"Aur tumhari?" he asked her.

"Geet, Geet Handa."

Now Maan did the same thing that Geet had done seconds ago, "Hmm, Geet…I like it!"

The both fell into a fit of laughter. However, neither of them realized they were still holding hands.

"Ok, main khelne jaa raha hoon. See you later dost," Maan said.

"See you later Veerji!" Geet called.

"Eww! Chi! Veerji? Aab yeh 'Veerji' kahaan se aagaya? Tum mujhe 'Veerji' kyun bula rahi ho?" Maan asked as his face twisted in disgust.

"Kyun ke tum mujhse bade ho naa? Bauji kehte hai ke joh humse bada hai, ya toh humare veerji hue ya phir didi," she explained.

"Phir bhi, mujhe 'veerji' maat bulao. Lagta hai ke main koi budha hoon! Vaise bhi, aab hum dost hai. No 'veerji', no 'aap', sirf Maan."

"Magar……" Geet began to protest, but was cut off.

"Please," Maan said. He had the most adorable smile on his face, a magical twinkle in his eye and a innocence in his voice.

After a moments thought Geet finally agreed. "Tik hai, sirf Maan."

*~*Flash Back Over*~*

(Back to Present Time)

Geet smiled at that first encounter. Since day one Maan had been like that. All he had to do was look at her with his puppy-dog eyes, giver her that cute smile and say please in the most boyish tone possible, and he could have her do pretty much anything. He knew what power he had on her – he used it rarely, but very efficiently. As more memories began to enter Geet's mind she leaned back and closed her eyes. It was almost like a movie playing back to her…a movie of her life.

As the night wore on and the memories continued to play, Geet didn't realize when she fell asleep. It wasn't until she felt someone tapping on her shoulder that she woke up again. The sun was in her face so she raised a hand to cover her face. Groggily she sat up and attempted to get up but was blocked by someone.

"Oh, sorry Didi," the person said.

Geet looked up to see her younger, 19 year old, sister Pinky standing in front of her.

"Koi baath nahin Chutki," Geet said as she gave her a weak smile.

Once Pinky moved out of the way, Geet got up and stretched out her sore muscles.

"Didi woh…." Veer began to say, but hesitated.

"Kya baath hai Chutki? Mujhse kuch kehna tha?"

"Haan. Didi woh…aaj….neeche…."

"Kya baath hai? Bol naa," Geet urged.

"Didi, woh neeche pooja shuru hone wala hai," Pinky finally said.

There was an instant change in Geet's attitude. Her smile was gone and her tension was back. She turned and walked away from Pinky.

"Didi aaj…" Pinky began.

"Chutki tu jaa yahaan se," Geet said in a cold tone.

"Magar Didi…." Pinky began again.

"Pinky jaa!" Geet yelled.

That did the job. Pinky left the room as quietly as she came in – no one called her by her name unless they were really upset or she was in trouble. Geet sighed and fell to her bed, putting her face in her hands trying to compose herself. She was just about to get up when she heard her door squeak open again.

"Pinky tu phir aagayi!?" Geet said.

As she turned her face, she saw that it wasn't Pinky at the door, it was Sasha instead. Immediately Geet calmed down and looked away.

"Chal Geet, neeche aaja. Pooja shuru hone wala hai," Sasha said.

"Nahin Bhabi," Geet said.

"Geet," Sasha said, in a slightly louder voice.

"Bhabi aap toh jaanti hai ke main pooja mein nahin baitti," Geet protested.

"Jaanti hoon" Sasha said, and then stayed silent.

Geet was hoping that Sasha would just leave it all alone and go away, but she didn't.

"Aaj Maa ka janam din hai," she said.

Realization dawned on Geet as she let out a breath of defeat.

"Main abhi aati hoon Bhabi, aap chaliyeh," she said.

Sasha knew better than to prod any further, so she left. Geet took a few seconds to compose herself before getting up and heading to her closet. She picked out a change of clothing and immediately headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. Since she had lost Maan seven years ago, Geet had not sat in any pooja. She didn't believe in God any more so what was the point. The God that she had trusted and believed in had been the same God who took Maan away from her.

She only participated in one pooja. It was the pooja that was conducted every year on her mothers birthday. The first year she had even refused that, but Sasha had helped her understand. While no one could erase the pain that Geet faced, Sasha urged Geet to acknowledge this day for her mother. Geet had always been the one to remember Savitri's birthday, but after that year this day help more pain than happiness. The day that celebrated her mothers birth, it was also the day that Maan had lost his life.

The only reason Geet participated was because she respected her mother and also because she loved her mother. However, even behind this was Maan. He had told her once that mothers are the most important people in our lives. They are the ones who give birth to us, raise us and set dreams for us. Without mothers we, as children, we would be nowhere. Maan had told Geet to never take her mother for granted because once she was gone, Geet would regret it. Maan said he spoke from experience because he never showed his mother how much he appreciated her and loved her. It was only after he lost her that he realized his mistake. So for Maan, she would attend this pooja for her mother.

Twenty-five minutes later, Geet saw her entire family gathered around the mandir as she descended the stairs. When they heard her coming, all heads turned. Geet could see everyone's heart break a little through their eyes. It was the same look that her family had every day that they saw her – she new what it was for.

She was only 25 years old now. She had her entire life ahead of her. She could get married, have children, and even get a career for herself. She should be going out with friends, creating fun with her nieces and nephews, and irritating the life out of her mother about going to watch late night movies. Instead of living her life, their 25 year old daughter and sister, was mourning what she had lost.

Since the day Maan had died, Geet has lived as her widow. They had been married, for a short time, but married nonetheless. Maan had been her husband and she still, to this day, mourned his loss. The daughter and sister who should be wearing vibrant colors, was wrapped in a stark white sari. The one who should be done up in jewelry and bangles had nothing that adorned her. She knew it killed them.

The daughter in her hated that she caused her family such pain. However, the other side, the one who had been Maan's wife, felt a strange sense of peace at seeing them suffer.

Geet joined her family as she stood by her mothers side. Pinky conducted the pooja as everyone bowed their heads to the Gods. Geet didn't ask for anything, there was nothing she wanted. Once the pooja was done, Pinky went around giving the arti and prasad to everyone. Geet reluctantly took it – she had no interest in eating it. Geet kept the prasad in her right hand as she went to wish her mother.

"Happy birthday Maa," Geet said as she hugged Savitri.

"Thank you beta," Savitri replied, holding onto Geet for a while longer.

Geet had turned to walk away when her mother called back to her.

"Aaj humre saath nashta kaarle beta," Savitri pleaded. When she saw Geet hesitate she added, "Mere liyeh."

Geet smiled at her mother, "Tik hai," she said.

Turning to her sister-in-laws she was just about to ask if they needed any help when she felt someone tugging at her right hand. Looking down she saw her niece trying to open her fist. It was almost 6 year old Maansi, Sasha and Adi's daughter. Maansi was so full of life, she was so bubbly – she was definitely the ladli of the family, even if she wasn't the youngest.

"Massi, haath kholo naa," Maansi pleaded.

"Maansi," Sasha called, "Massi ko tang maat karo."

Geet smiled at the child. Even though technically she was Maansi's bua, Geet insisted on being called massi. Geet shared a special relationship with Sasha and with Maansi as well. Maansi held a special place in Geet's heart.

"Kya chahiyeh meri baachi ko?" Geet asked as she kneeled down.

Leaning in, Maansi whispered in Geet's ear. "Mujhe aapki prasad khani hai."

"Kyun? Tumhe nahin mila?"

"Mila hai, lekin mujhe aur chahiyeh. Bua bohot kanjoos hai. Bohot kam deti hai," Maansi said referring to Pinky.

"Kanjoos!?" Pinky called, as she heard Maansi's comment.

"Pinky Bua kanjoos hai? Haye, aaisa toh nahin chalega. Yeh loh," Geet said as she slid the sweet into Maansi's small hands.

As soon as she got it, Maansi looked at Pinky and stuck her tongue out to mock her. Pinky gasped out loud as everyone else laughed.

"Maansi ki baachi! Ther, aaj main tujhe dekh lungi," she said as she began to chase Maansi.

The chase as short lived as Maansi crawled under the dining table and hid behind her grandfathers legs, but not before sticking her tongue out once more time.

"Kya Didi," Pinky complained, "Aap hi iss nakchadi ko bigar ke rakha hai."

"Haan Geet. Teri vajese uski yeh haal hai," Sasha joined in.

"Baachi hai," Geet said in her defense. Before anyone else could say anything Geet offered her help in the kitchen. "Koi help chahiyeh badi Bhabi?"

"Haan aaja kitchen mein. Aaj tu gajar ka halwa banayehgi," Naintara announced.

"Main?" Geet asked.

"Haan tu," Meera said. "Maa ko tere hatoon ka halwa bohot pasand hai naa."

Geet smiled as she thought about her odd relationship with gajar ka halwa and mothers. It was years ago that Geet had first made it, and after that first time, it became like a ritual – their own personal tradition.

*~*Flash Back*~*

(Geet = 11 & Maan = 13)

It was the middle of the school years, everyone had easily settled into their new class schedule and what not. Every lunch period Geet waited for Maan at their little table in the cafeteria. Maan was always five minutes late because he was playing with their classmates or something. However, this day he was later than usual. Geet was getting really worried because even in the morning he hadn't been at their usual spot by the swings, in fact she hadn't seen him all day. Just as she was about to go search for him, Maan slowly approached their table. Immediately Geet saw a white bandage on his hand.

"Maan! Yeh kya hua?" she asked, as she jumped up.

"Kuch nahin. Baas thoda saa jaal gaya," Maan said.

Geet was surprised by his nonchalant tone – she didn't care for it at all.

"Kya? Jaal gaya? Magar kaise?" By this time Geet was sitting next to him cradling his hand her hers.

"Woh kya hai naa ke kaal Maa ka janam din hai. Maa ko gajar ka halwa bohot pasand hai naa, issi liyeh main banane ki kosish kaar raha tha. Maa ko surprise dena chata tha." the tone of Maan's voice was one laced with regret. He looked up to see Geet's eyes fill with tears. "Aare, yeh kya? Chot mujhe laga hai aur roh tum rahi ho?"

Geet didn't respond. Geet didn't like to see Maan hurting. She started to think of ways to make this all better for Maan. After a while of thinking, as they ate their lunches, Geet finally had an idea.

"Aagar halwa main banake laun, chalega?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Tum halwa banana jaanti ho?" Maan was so shocked he stopped eating.

"Umm…haan," Geet lied.

"Wow! Pehle kyun nahin bataya? Phir toh roz tumse kehta ke tum halwa laao."

"Maan! Seriously pooch rahi hoon? Maine laya toh chalega?"

"Haan, haan chalega," Maan finally answered. "Lekin tum kaise banaoge? Kaal naa tumhari math exam hai?"

"Uska chinta maat karo. Main saab sambhal lungi…promise," Geet said confidently.

"Ok," Maan said as he continued to eat his lunch.

Lucky for Geet, by this time Brij was already married to Naintara, who just happened to be a great cook. Geet knew that every morning Naintara got up before everyone to get breakfast started because she was by herself – the only bahu at that point. Geet had a plan. The next morning Geet had gotten up extra early so she could catch Naintara when she was alone.

"Good morning Bhabi," Geet said as she entered the kitchen.

Naintara looked at Geet and then the clock on the wall. "Geet? Aaj tu itni jaldi kaise utt gayi?"

"Baas Bhabi, aaise hi," she said. Geet didn't want to bombard her sister-in-law with jobs right of the bat. "Main kuch madat kar doon?" she asked.

"Umm…tik hai. Yeh leh, inn andoon ko mix kar," Naintara said as she handed Geet a bowl with eggs in them, ready to be mixed.

Geet worked in silence for about 30 seconds before trying her luck with Naintara.

"Bhabi, kya aap gajar ka halwa bana sakte hai?" Geet asked.

"Haan kyun?" Naintara asked.

"Kya aaj banega?"

"Nahin. Kyun Geet?"

"Woh Bhabi…baath yeh hai ke…mujhe gajar ka halwa chahiyeh."

"Tik hai, main kaal bana dungi," Naintara promised.

"Nahin, kaal nahin. Aaj hi chahiyeh," Geet said.

Naintara stopped cutting the onions she had on the counter.

"Kyun, aaj hi kyun?"

"Maine kissi ko promise kiya hai ke main uske liyeh gajar ka halwa laungi," Geet explained.

"Promise? Hmm…promise toh nahin todni chahiyeh," Naintara said. "Lekin, kiske liyeh leka jaaoge?"

"Mera ek dost hai school mein," Geet said as she mixed the eggs intently. "Actually, woh mera saab se aacha dost hai."

"Dost…saab se aacha dost. Saheli nahin," Naintara said, now standing next to Geet. "Yani, ladka. Right?"

"Haan."

"Haye haye Geet. Woh tera boyfriend hai kya?" Naintara teased.

"Of course Bhabi," Geet said.

Naintara stood with her mouth gaping open. She had only been kidding. Before she could say anything, Geet continued.

"Woh ek ladka hai, yani boy. Woh mera dost bhi hai, yani friend. Toh woh mera boy-friend hi hua naa?" Geet explained.

Naintara had to try really hard to keep from bursting out laughing. She had meant boyfriend but Geet had meant boy-friend. As cute as it was, Naintara breathed a sigh of relief.

"Pagal," she said, as she continued with breakfast and her new task of making the halwa.

Geet had hid the container from her family. Why? She didn't know. Once she got to school she gave it to Maan.

"Yeh tumne banayi hai?" he asked.

"Haan," Geet said.

It wasn't a total lie. When Geet told Naintara that she told Maan she knew how to make the halwa, Naintara had said that Geet would make it. The two of them had worked side by side in the kitchen. Geet did mostly small things like adding the sugar, stirring and decorating with nuts.

The next day, in the morning, when Geet saw Maan she was shocked by what he did. He ran up to her and gave her a hug.

"Thank you Geet! Thank you so much!" he yelled. "Maa ko halwa bohot pasand aaya. Woh toh bohot surprise ho gaye the!"

"Aacha," Geet blurted.

She couldn't even think. She was still reeling from the hug.

"Tumhari woh halwa meri Maa ko bohot kush kiya hai Geet! Thank you, thank you so much!" Maan said again.

Geet was so happy to see Maan happy. She was amazed at how something so simple could bring so much happiness to her friend. The bell that signaled the beginning of the school day rang and children scattered to get to class. Maan's class was on the other side of the campus so he was in a rush.

"Bye Geet. Break mein milte hai," he said as he walked away.

Geet watched as he came to a stop and then turned around. He looked like he was thinking about something important, which confused Geet. What was he thinking about now? Before she knew it he was running towards her. When he was close to her, Maan leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her right cheek.

"Thanks for everything Geet!" Maan yelled as he ran away.

If Geet thought she was on could nine after the hug, God knew what cloud she was on now.

*~*Back to Present*~*

Geet smiled and a hand went up to her right cheek, she could almost feel the touch of his soft lips against her skin. Ever since that day, it had become tradition for Geet to make gajar ka halwa for Maan's mother on her birthday. For years she just packed it and sent it with Maan. Later one year, when Geet was 16, Maan wanted Geet to take the halwa to his mom herself. At first she said no because she thought it might be weird meeting his mother. Maan however, managed to convince her with his charm and smile.

Maan's mom had been a lovely person. She was beautiful, down to earth and so loving. She greeted Geet with open arms and an open heart. They had talked about how happy she as that Geet was now part of Maan's life because she could see how much they loved each other. Geet was glad that she had meet his mother when she had. They became great friends – so much so that Geet made it a point to go see her every few weeks if she didn't sooner. Sadly, it was the only birthday they celebrated together because 4 months later she suffered a heart attack and passed away. The day she was set to rest Geet remembered what Maan had said, "Mere Maa ko tumne joh kushiyaan di hai, shayad main nahin de paya. For that, I will be forever grateful." After Maan's mothers death, Geet still made the halwa on her birthday. Maan and Geet enjoyed the halwa together as the thought of all their moments with her.

Tears began to form in Geet's eyes when she was brought back to reality by the chatter coming from Pinky.

"Haan, haan jaao Didi," Pinky said as she sat at the table and began to pick at grapes on the table. "Kuch toh kaam karo. Ghaar ke kamoon mein haath batana aachi baath hai aur bohot faide mand bhi hai."

Geet looked at her three sister-in-laws, who looked back at her. Pinky was the queen of getting out of household chores and here she was giving Geet a speech on it. Oh, she was going to pay. Meera walked up to Pinky and grabbed her by the elbow as she dragged her towards the kitchen.

"Chaal Pinky aaj tu bhi kitchen mein haath batayegi," Meera said.

"K..kya…main?" Pinky asked as she stuttered.

"Haan, bilkul," Naintara said as she winked at Geet. "Vaise bhi, ghaar ke kamoon mein haath batana aachi baath hai."

"Haan Bhabi, bilkul sahi kaha hai aapne," Sasha joined. "Yeh maat bhuliyeh ke bohot faide mand bhi hai. Kyun Pinky?"

Pinky looked just like a deer caught in head lights. She never imagined her own speech would be used against her – not so quickly anyway. Knowing there was nothing she could say to get out of this, she did the only thing she could do.

"Veerji mujhe bachaao!" Pinky yelled.

All three of their brothers looked up from their news papers the same time.

"Aare Naintara kya kar rahi ho?" Brij asked.

"Chutki ko chod doh, baachi hai," Teji piped in.

Both Naintara and Meera looked at their husbands. If looks could kill, they'd be dead. Immediately the men turned back to their papers; they had no desire to fight with their wives early in the morning – especially Brij.

Sasha saw Adi looking at her. "Tumhe kuch kehna hai?" she asked.

Adi didn't say anything. He just shook his head, pushed up his glasses and returned to his paper.

Meera dragged Pinky into the kitchen and all the way Pinky complained and looked for excuses to get out of it.

In the kitchen the ladies worked on getting breakfast as the continued to poke fun at Pinky about how easily she got roped into all of this. The ladies were laughing at something Naintara had said about Pinky putting salt in the tea the last time she made it, when Maansi came in crying.

"Maansi kya hua?" Geet asked as she wiped her hands.

"Massi, woh Rohan hai naa. Rohan ne meri prasad churake kha liya hai," she said with a pout.

"Rohan!" Geet called.

Within seconds Ketan, who was now 12 years old, brought in a guilty looking 5 year old Rohan, Teji and Meera's youngest son. Rohan was infamous for his sweet tooth.

"Rohan, tumne Maansi ki prasad churaya?" Geet asked.

"Woh…Bua…aap humesha aapni prasad Maansi ko deh deti hai. Not fair naa," Rohan complained. "Aap humse pyaar nahin karte."

As naughty as this boy was, he was a pro at emotionally blackmailing people. He could put on the water works and pout the lips with the best of them. Everyone in the house fell for his games – everyone except Meera and Geet, most of the time.

"Oh, main aapse pyaar nahin karti? Phir pichle hafte aap ke liyeh woh truck kaun laya?" Geet asked, as she got down to Rohan's level.

"Woh…oh," Rohan said.

"Main Maansi ko humesha prasad iss liyeh deti hoon kyun ke woh mujhse mangti hai," she stated.

"Magar…" Rohan began to protest.

"Aapne khabi mujhse manga hai?"

"Nahin."

"Phir aapne joh kiya ghalat tha naa?" Geet asked.

"Haan," Rohan said as she shook his head.

"What do you have to do?" Geet asked.

"Sorry Maansi," he said.

"It's ok Veerji," Maansi responded.

And just like that, a potentially major sweet's crisis was averted. Geet sat all the kids down at the table and made them promise to eat the fruits that Savitri was cutting if they wanted any of the halwa she made.

Geet stood for a minute and looked at all the children gather at the table, either in chairs or in their father's laps. Ketan was now a fast growing 12 year old, and of course 5 year old Rohan and 6 year old Maansi. The twins, Rashmi and Diya were 10 years olds. Rashmi had a flare for anything fun and fashion related, while Diya was a book worm with aspirations of becoming a doctor. Sasha and Adi also had another child – a two year old little handful, Dhruv. Brij and Naintara had tried to have another but unfortunately after suffering two miscarriages in the past few years, the doctors advised against getting pregnant until the proper treatment plan was arranged. They had been to countless fertility specialists, tried several things and finally they had all paid off. By the grace of God, Naintara was now 5 months pregnant. Everyone in the family paid special attention to her now since she had increased risks attached to her pregnancy.

Pinky saw this opportunity to escape the kitchen. Coming out she came and sat with the children and pretended to feed them. The ladies didn't say anything because they thought they had teased her enough for one morning. As Geet walked back to the kitchen she heard Pinky speak to their brothers.

"Veerji, bohot dhoom dhaam se tayariyaan chal raha hai," Pinky said.

"Kyun nahin?" Naintara called from the kitchen. "Maa ka janam din hai, party toh honi hi chahiyeh."

Geet slowed down her pace as she listened intently. The conversation seemed oddly familiar but she couldn't put her finger on why.

"Lekin, itni tayariyaan! Kuch zyada nahin hai?" Pinky asked. "I mean, it's just Maa's birthday. Lekin iss ghaar ko dekhe lag raha hai ke koi shaadi hai."

"Aare pagli, yeh Maa ke janam din ke liyeh nahin hai," Brij said.

"Phir?" Pinky asked.

"Yeh toh tere liyeh hai. Kaal teri sagaai hai," Adi said.

Geet dropped as glass that she was holding, which shattered as it hit the ground. Geet's head began to spin and she had an overwhelming sense of dj vu. Suddenly it was seven years ago except the future on the line wasn't hers, it was her baby sisters. No way was she going to let this happen to Pinky. Pinky was a beautiful and intelligent girl who had the right to choose who she wanted to marry. She had the right to live her life as she wanted to.

No, this was not going to happen again. History was not going to repeat itself. Pinky would not turn into another Geet.