@Anila, Shaffy and everyone else...sorry for keeping u'll waiting for so long...my apologies!!!
@Ayeshu, Divya...thanks for so much encouragement 🤗
@all...please don't curse or want to kill me for making Mayank suffer so much...but this is how it was supposed to be...and I hope I am able to convey what I want to...I hope I haven't messed it all up!!!!
Btw, this is the past of the past
Part 18:
Nupur had decided to resume work after Varun had celebrated his 1stbirthday. It was more of them celebrating the presence of him in their life, but was joyful too. He was an active kid. Smiled a lot, wanted atleast one of them around him, laughed too and was a full time job for Nupur in all this time.
But Mayank and Nupur were determined to make things work for them all. Mayank had said, "Nupur, you career is as important as mine, but Varun is most important"
Nupur had too understood it as much as Mayank did. Although she didn't get why Mayank talked strictly and a bit sternly whenever this topic came up.
They had both chalked out a plan and it worked too. Nupur's job, she had chosen it so and contested for its interview all prepared, to have a shift in the early morinng before Varun got up and Mayank left late for his job already, so it was only a matter of few hours that Varun was left alone. Mayank's Dad had helped them in taking care of Varun, being retired that he was now, he wanted to take up what he couldn't for Mayank.
Nupur had insisted that she would appoint a nanny for Varun for a short duration and anyways he may be joining nursery school soon enough to arrange all perfectly. But Mayank's Dad, Sameer Sharma, had insisted. Nupur saw that he had said it emotionally and when asked Mayank he had replied, "Let him Nupur if he so wants to do it" with some roughness.
Nupur was amazed at his roughness for his Dad. He never behaved so with his Mom and Dad that way. When asked, Mayank replied, "No I am not being rude, I don't know why you felt so Nupur"
Nupur was firm, "No. You were!"
Mayank thought for a second and relizing that it was better late than never, he had apologized half heartedly and a bit sternly still in order to keep his emotions in check.
Nupur questioned again and he had skipped it saying, "Nupur, listen I had had a very bad day at work. Please don't make it worse for me"
Nupur just came ahead and hugging him said, "Mayank, please don't do that again to your parents. I cannot stand that, you know, it puts me in a fix to see them being talked to like that. You love them enough to understand them always right, when you had understood them…then then why not now? I know, you will!" she had answered for herself rubbing his back while Mayank felt like he was being teased at.
He remembered. He remembered it all very clearly and still it hurt.
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He remembered clearly how when he was small, he felt lonely. Of course he had parents, rich, contented, with a sound lifestyle and all that stuff that they desired. Whereas, he didn't exactly have what he desired. But then maybe, they didn't desire him and that thought hurt.
He had had parents who were so ambitious that they had almost forgotten that ambition and responsibility of their own child must go parallel, he wouldn't wait to grow up and he couldn't stop living until they realized that, can he? They were ambitious enough to have him carry out of his own. Busy enough to have missed some meek things for them that were important for Mayank, it was merely his birthday, his annual function, his sports participation day where he needed their moral support, his stressful days when he felt the need for guidance for thinking sortedly about his future…well it was just another day of course for them in all these times too. Even socializing in business circles was of more importance to them. So yes, even when they didn't know what relation was supposed to be of prime importance, they did their max to maintain relations, in their "Important blocks" of people obviously.
Yes, when he had someone who was there for him earlier. His aunt, his father's sister was the one who had left a shadow of motherly figure in his life when he would have his parents around. Yes, she was there for him until she got married and got busy herself. She still cared for him owing to the fact that she was attached to him, like he had been so, but she was busy too now with her own responsibilities to take care of him all along.
So that was what Mayank's problem was all his childhood, all were busy enough to make him feel that he was of lesser importance when it came to keeping them all busy.
It was not that his parents didn't love him at all. Of course they did. But then it was hard for him to figure out their exact dimension. They had left him to his aunt very conveniently. For his days as a toddler, he had heard from his aunt, because when he had asked her about his parents then she used to clarify for some relief for him, that they loved him and cared for him loads and loads. His Mother was very affectionate to him too. Mayank could only imagine but never witnessed much of that. Except for the day that he had dangerously high fever and his parents had both took a day off for him to be taken to hospital and he faintly remembered that his mother was holding him tight as the doctor was treating Mayank and informing them of the seriousness of the issue of his health.
So, Mayank in his ill health had managed to thank all his pain for giving him his parents back.
But then his happiness again short lived as he was cured & healthy again to bring them all back to their own stupid busy lives.
According to him, his mother never knew how to be affectionate at all and his father was better in that case because some moments he had shared with his father which he could certify as worthwhile afterall.
His mother was, arrogant and rude types who felt more of burdened by his responsibility than to for once look at him and smile and make him feel loved for being born to them.
Later he had learned that his mother had her own story to be so, she had never wanted to be married to his Dad for reason he never went digging into, but also he realized and it was easy to calculate too, that she never wanted him either.
Mayank later joined hostel, without much hard feelings now, than he already had managed to muster for his life and his loved ones who never even tried to fit the parameter of 'loved ones'. Yes, he had learned to cope with it all. He was this strong individual who had brains enough now to analyse emotions of a person along with their motives and brains and capabilities. He had analysed it first for himself and had decided that he would long for attachments now, he would long for connections with people and he wouldn't bear his emotions to anyone at all, he could easily be as hard as steel, not to cry now, not to share much and not to expect at all. He could manage to be like everyone else, and that would only take some firm-ness since that would surely give him a less hurtin future now.
So he had slowly managed to become what he wanted to - much of a closed cocoon, willingly.
Unless….He met Nupur and he felt it was fine if he wanted to change for her now.
He had understood her enough to get that life meant what she lived caually. Her smile, her eyes, her talks….all had life in them and he felt a sudden incompleteness and desire for it all, for her. It was her being naturally so happy and lively that had his attention the first time she met him.
What had impressed him the most was the fact that, keeping aside the challenge of her friends for 'Truth and Dare', she had ended up showing much of a casual interest in getting to know him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to miss knowing her though.
Then she had joined him in his class too later (suddenly God had started to listen to him too and he had to thank HIM for it) that he had decided to be her friend without much doubts. Something in her casual talks and easy ways made him feel the need to let himself go, like he shouldn't miss something that was making its place in his heart.
When e had fallen for her, he didn't realize, but he felt like he needed to love her, take care of her so that all that she had - her attitude, her smile, her dreams, her genuinity, her every single thing, he needed to protect that all for her for she may not have realized how propped up she was with the goodness of life and he had come to a realization that he may do just anything to let her have all that for eternity. Basically, he wanted to do all for her that he could, not exactly realizing why it had meant so much to him, but it had started filling his own void of love. All those voids were filled soon with dreams for their complete life together which he didn't remember ever weaving. He plainly wanted to love her by all his heart for that is what he just wanted right now. Her love.
She had put that as him being 'Romantic' once in a while but he didn't know all that at all. He had just wanted to drain all the suddenly over-flowing love - drowning his heart now to be oriented to her and just her. So all he had wanted is to love her to BITS!!!!
Suddenly Nupur was the name that he had started living as being synonymous to Life….synonymous to Him being alive…synonymous to Him.
Of course he too was ambitious for his career, but not as much as his parents were. He wouldn't ever want to be that, not now, after learning so much from their mistakes.
For Mayank and Nupur's marriage, all he wanted was his aunt's approval of Nupur and when his parents had suggested other wealthy prospects for him, he had it in him to brutally look in their eyes and deny it in their face and his look had spoken all to them which he had never intervened to explain to them, that they had lost him with their own will.
It was when they were married for sometime now, Happily; and Nupur had announced her pregnancy and her excitement at that, that he realized how he wanted his child's life to be ahead. He wouldn't ever take any chances with him/ her, for he just couldn't imagine a curse like situation for them ever which he had managed to live. He would give his child all, all that he ever had and would happily endure pains, he promised consciously to himself. And the best part was Nupur was happy too.
She had no idea how much he loved her for that fact, how much his love had grown in all those times with her, how much he actually truly had fallen for her. He doubted she had any idea about him not even imagining a step without her in life.
When Nupur had shown ignorance to her job for their child, he had fallen for her again. It was like a thing that assured him that he and his child are in safe hands of Nupur, she hadn't relized what it meant to him when he had told her that, "Nupur, Varun and I are very lucky to have you"
Maybe God was giving him back all that he had lost, even more than that.
They had even managed office and their timings well, though that made them have lesser time for themselves but then it was supposed to be a part and parcel of their determination of making through it all. Till now Nupur had been a gem of a life partner for him, he would frequently show it to her in terms of affection, words and all the ways that he could use to show it to her. Her anger, her tantrums, her being moody, demanding, etc, all was acceptable to him for being the sweetheart that she was. Complete in her own sense but she often said that 'You complete me Mayank, what would I do without you? ' For her, he nurtured everything in her, right from her best of traits to the worst of them. She couldn't have asked for a better lover and a better husband for her and he was the best person she had ever known.
She was living a truly blessed life with him, and she was sure that he had no idea how embedded he was of perfect qualities, though he seemed to be knowing everything, but being the Man of such perfection in every minute sense, she had never understood how he had come about to loveher? Give that she was a mixture of all the tantrums and traits of any other girl which didn't match his state of intelligence and his calmness and maturity.
It was obvious for her to love him, considering how dream-like he was to her, considering how he had never actually changed in real sense but she had seen him changing for good more. He had come to smile more, be more affectionate, be more of himself, be more open to her and be more handsome with his expressions slowly opening to her and she had also seen him more and more happy with her around than she had first met him. Though she never understood what she had done to affect him so and to deserve his immense reserve of love, but she was most glad for whatever the reason was.
When she had started falling for him, she hadn't realized the softness of his character so much earlier, and later she realized that she had taken stupid whole lot of time to get to him while missing the preciousness of moments with him in all those times.
The world was at her feet with him presiding over her life in her utmost secure position of being a queen of her own life. She wasn't sure if she could calculate how much she loved him. Well she was a rare combination of a practical and a dreamy girl and he was the best dream that was ever weaved practically. If ever God had listned to her, he must hast surely blessed his happiness, because that is what she prayed for him mostly.
Their son had added extra substance and strength to their relationship. Nupur had never known her motherly aspect until she had had Varun. And the best part was, she had learnt it from Mayank. She had never told him but he had thought her how to take care of her own child, of course he had to know it ALL.
They lived a perfectly happy life with the only spice of some adjustments and small sacrifices for having that but who complained at such small credits.
But alas all couldn't be all happy forever. Its against the nature to expect such a life that doesn't teach you with its tough lessons, that doesn't make you realize things in your tears, that doesn't give you slaps of situations, that doesn't make share your all aspects with close ones when you just wanted to have a count on good ones for maintaining perfect cordiality. And sometimes it even makes you face those things again that you had once forgiven life for.
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Sorry for the mistakes, if any 😆
😊
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
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