AASTHA-MG FF~2 Part 3 (8th March) - Page 5

hey rithika.. r u continuing this??

PART - 3

GEET always enjoyed walking her five-year-old son. They were coming back from school. Daksh, like usual, kept on bubbling over with news of what he'd done: the activities in the classroom, praise he'd received from the teacher, games he'd played with his new friends, at time swallowed the portions of his mischief, which will make Geet laugh. Today he was bursting with pride at having shown off his reading skills, having been asked to read a story to the whole kindergarten class.

'What was the story about?' she inquired.

'A rabbit. His name was Jack and...'

Geet smiled as he recounted every detail of the story for her. Daksh was so bright, so advanced for his age. She had worried about him fitting in with other five-year-olds who had yet to learn what he had somehow absorbed just through her reading bed-time stories to him every night. But he was still very much a little boy at heart and loved having play-mates.

It was now a month since he'd started school. No tears from him at having to leave his mother for most of the day. Excitement had sparkled from his lively brown-brunette eyes, as he'd waved her goodbye, more than ready to charge straight into the new adventure of a bigger world for him. So far it was proving a very happy one.

Much to her relief.

It wasn't easy being a single mother with no-one close to advise her or simply listen to her concerns.

Daksh seemed well adjusted to their situation. In fact, he'd coped extremely well with it, rarely pestering her when she was working with clients. Though now he was at school with children from normal families'what was she going to say when he asked about his father?

As he inevitably would.

For so long there had just been the two of them. Daksh didn't remember his grandmother, who'd died only eighteen months after he'd been born. And Geet herself had been the only child of her mother. Her step-father, Mohinder Handa, was a very good man. But, unfortunately, he passed away, leaving Geet and her sick mother, Rano Handa at the mercy of his selfish and crazy son Brij. Geet's aunts, uncles or cousins, washed their hands, in the name of family honor and cut off all the relationship with them, after knowing the pregnancy.

Her pregnancy, having the baby, caring for her mother through the bouts of chemotherapy that had proved useless in the end'the friendships she'd made at university had just dwindled away. Then setting up her small boutique business'there was no time for making social contacts.

If she'd gone out to work' she could have made a better living for both of them, but she hadn't wanted to leave Daksh to a baby-sitter or put him in day-care. He was her child. Its best to work at home, she'd thought. However, it had been a very closeted life these past few years'.

A lonely life'..

Now that it was opening up for Daksh, she should start re-thinking her own situation, look at other options for her future... As running a small boutique was, more than enough to meet their daily expenses and save a little.. then but, now with Daksh's education and growing needs, she is finding it difficult to give him a better life. What he deserve for.

They turned the corner into the street where they lived and Daksh, instantly broke off his school chatter, pointing excitedly as he cried, 'Wow! Look at that black car, Maa!'

Her gaze had already jerked to it. A black Ferrari instantly recognisable to her, having been driven around in one by Maan Singh Khurana. It was like a stab to her heart seeing it here, opening up painful memories'.. the pain'.. she had fought day and night'. The pain of losing the one you love in the blink of an eye & learning to cope with that pain in every breath you take, that lingering sorrow, the feeling of hopelessness as you finally realize that they are gone & not coming back, finally accepting that they no longer love you, the pain of forgetting them'.. the bitterness' the hard realization of she can never move on from, where she was left behind'..

Her thoughts were broken, when she felt a tug in her dupatta.

'Could we get a car like that?' he asked, clearly awe-struck by its brilliant colour and racy style, as she'd once been, breaking her thoughts.

'We don't need a car, Daksh.'

Nor could she afford one. Paying the rental on their small, two-bedroom villa, plus living expenses, ate up most of her income. What she saved was emergency money.

In fact, given that this neighbourhood was very modest real estate, and relatively cheap because of being under the flight-path to Bangalore Airport, she wondered why such a classy and extravagant car was parked in their street.

Bangalore- the city where she found a new life with her son Daksh, leaving all the ties behind. The chain of incidents happened in her life, compelled her to move far away from everyone she knew all her life. And she felt, its better in a way. To give Daksh a new life without the burdens of her past... Why he should suffer for her doings'.

'Other Mummies pick up their kids from school in cars,' Daksh argued.

'Clearly! no way he is going to leave the topic so easily'. Geet murmered more to herself.

Geet grimaced at the all-too-true comment. The comparisons were starting. She tried emphasizing the positive side of their own situation. 'I guess those kids don't live so close to school, Daksh. We're lucky, being able to walk and enjoy the nice weather.'

'It's not so good when it rains,' he pointed out.

'I thought you liked wearing your yellow rain boots.'

'Yes, I do.'

She smiled at him. 'And splashing in puddles.'

'Mmm...' His gaze darted across the street to the black Ferrari. 'But I like that car, too.'

Geet rolled her eyes to the seductive object of little boys' dreams and shock ripped through her, thumping into her heart, halting her feet, making her stomach contract with tension. The driver's door was open and the man emerging from the car... Geet gasped, seeing the well built person emerging from the drivers seat. She gasped... "No... Nooo!!! It... It couldn't be...'', her mind reasoned frantically.

Then he turned his head, looking directly at her, and it was... It was Maan'.

The Maan Singh Khurana!

No mistaking those distinctively carved features, the hard handsome maleness of that face, the riveting, heavily lashed, dark brunette eyes, the thick black hair dipping with a wave , just as Daksh's did.

Daksh!

A wave of panic churned through the shock. Had Maan somehow found out she'd their baby'the money given to her- not used for an abortion? But why look for a child who'in Maan's mind, she thought savagely'might not even be his? Not Dev's, either, given he believed she was a bed-hopping s**t.

He half-turned to close and lock the car door. Maybe she was panicking for nothing. One look'She and Daksh were the only people walking nearby. He could have been checking them out before leaving his high-class car'harmless people, just a young mother escorting her son home from school.

She didn't look eye-catching with all her hair drawn into a single plait down her back, no make-up apart from a touch of pink lipgloss, unremarkable clothes'just white cotton suit, which she wore to work in. He might not have recognised her at all, might have parked in this street for some other reason entirely, not because she lived here.

'Maa?'

She somehow managed to tore her gaze from Maan to look down at her son. 'Yes?'

'Why are we stopped?'

Because I'm frozen with fright.

Geet quickly drew in a quick breath and came up with, 'I've just remembered I've forgotten something.'

'What?'

'Something'I meant to do for a client. I'll do it tomorrow,' she said, desperately temporising as she frantically willed Maan to be walking away from them, setting her free from this dreadful inner angst.

'Better put it on your list,' Daksh advised, grinning at her habit of making careful lists for everything. 'Then you won't forget.'

'I'll do that as soon as we get home.'

'Well, come on.' He grabbed her hand to urge her forward again.

Geet forced her feet to move. She had to look, to see where Maan was now. The jolt to her heart was worse this time. He was crossing the road to their sidewalk, watching them, his face set in grimly determined purpose. If Daksh hadn't been tugging on her hand, Geet might have stopped dead again. As it was, she felt weirdly disembodied from her legs which kept pumping forward, matching her son's steps.

There was no avoiding a confrontation now, she told herself. Maan Singh Khurana was clearly intent on one. Having reached the sidewalk, he moved straight to the front gate of their house and stood there waiting for them, his gaze trained on Daksh as they walked towards them.

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Well... I know, i just vanished to thin air, not updating or giving you any msgs about the updates of AASTHA. somehow, i was not getting a drive to write. and too busy with my family for, my husband's family is here for a visit... sooo most of you must be knowing hw engaged one can get, when their inlaws are with them, for a visit. I am tooo busy in pleasing my in-law-parents.😡 😡😡.🤢🤢 (yaar, i love my M.I.L a looot. bt my F.I.L - A STRICT ARMY OFFICER... and poor me😭 cant even drool over Gurmeet, when ever i accidently see him on TV... nt evn my hubby has a probs with it..hmmm)

I havnt made any changes in this part, compared to the first post i made, as this is perfect in its way and any alterations isnt needed here. so i hpe, you bear with me. i will be coming up with more updates... i havent stop writing AASTHA. I WILL CONTINUE IT.. THanks a Looot for all you support... This part is for those who are reading it for the first time...

finally an update!! thank u rithika...

glad to hear from you dear...you continue soap-idalling your in laws😉😆 we ll wait...update was awsome...😊

for first time readersss

awsem update please do next soon