Longest hours: A road to home(one shot)
The bitter cold of December welcomed me in Alpena. I have already started missing the sunshine back in Dubai. The weather here was worst than I had thought. The thick blanket of snow covering the land, freezing wind and dryness around,indicates that I should be going back home but the reason I have landed here in first place was far more important than any weather condition or uneasiness I was feeling.
""Arjun"" A voice called me, I turned to find Rahul standing in a long black coat. He has grew older than the last time I have met him ""How are you uncle?"" I asked as I walked near him. ""You have grown so much. You look alot like your father"" he said instead of replying my question ""My father"" words escape from my mouth. It was so awkward mentioning him. ""Let's ride home"" Rahul offered me a ride. I silently followed him towards his car. He stopped near an old SUV with lots of dents on it ""Don't worry I am not a bad driver, I bought it second hand"" he tried to joke but I didn't found it hilarious. We sat inside, it was a lot more warmer than the atmosphere outside. ""My house is quite far from here. Its almost an hour drive""
""I hope you got a heater, the cold is killing me"" I said with a hope that he would confirm having a heater at his place or else the week would be painful. ""I got a heater"" He assured me. ""Great"" that was all I could say.
Next minutes were in silent. There was snow on both the side of the road. Few trees without leaves on them and small house could be find occasionally. I didn't like silence, I wished to start a conversation. A conversation which doesn't involve my father but I am really clumsy in such situations.
I had meet Rahul when I was 15 that's 12 years ago. He had came to London to visit us. He wanted to talk about something with mother. I still have no idea about what but something very serious he wanted to discuss.
Holy crap!"" Rahul voice broke my chain of thoughts. I looked at him in surprise but soon I realized that the car wasn't moving. ""Whats wrong Ra..Uncle?"" I can't call him Rahul on his face. ""The tree"" he pointed infornt. I looked towards the direction he was pointing, there was a huge tree fallen in middle of the road, preventing us to drive further. ""Is there any alternative way to your house"" I questioned I didn't wanted to spend my next hours stand in middle of road. ""No...you wait here. Let me enquire about it"" he went outside. There was a cop in navy blue uniform. I saw Rahul talking to him, his expression seems pessimistic. I crossed my fingers.
""There is no hope"" Rahul announced even before he could sit properly ""we are stuck here for at least next 4 hours. I hope you're not hungry?"" I shook my head in negative although I was a bit hungry but I guess I could survive. ""4 hours they say"" I enquired ""It can be more than that. Too bad there isn't any motel or restaurant around"" I didn't like his reply. But there was absolutely nothing we could do about it.
Silence again. The atmosphere grew depressing for no reason. The snow around us wasn't helping either. The longer I stare at these white ice, the more I miss my home.
""I tried to connect with you guys but Riddhima's number was always unavailable and when I visited your place, the lady residing there said that you left. I searched for you long"" Rahul broke the silence but now I really wish he wouldn't. I didn't wanted to talk about anything related to my mother or his pervious visit but then I can't ignore him ""We left to Dubai after a month. Mom got a better job there."" I wished to talk least about it, hoping he won't ask anything further. There was few minutes silence again until he bought the topic I didn't wanted to talk about ""How is Riddhima?"" His question made me released a heavy breath with a sound ""She passed away. Few months before. She asked me to contact you that why..."" I couldn't finish my sentence. I didn't looked at him but I know he had tears in his eyes. Maybe it hurts him more then I could imagine.
A long silence after that. We saw few firemen and some other cops cars approaching towards the fallen tree. From the rear mirror I could see some local residents walking in the direction of the tree. I tried to engross myself in the attempts everyone there was making to move the fallen wood. I thought of getting down and help them but the bitter weather didn't allowed me. ""Does such situations occur often?"" I asked out of blue maybe I was trying to lighten the atmosphere "" I don't know. I don't go out much"" I expect something like that from him. He was still in grave mood his broken voice suggested that. ""Armaan was an outgoing person. He used to love snow"" this words made me uncomfortable. I didn't wanted to talk about him or anything related to him but then he was the reason I am here. To know about him. To understand my father. I wasn't aware about his existence until mom found out she had cancer. She gave me Rahul's number and asked me to contact him when she was in her death bed. Remembering the days back then makes my heart ache. I could feel the tears in my eyes even though I didn't wanted to cry. ""Why did he did this to us? Why did he abandoned us?"" I couldn't help but ask. I am sure Rahul understood whome I was talking about ""He made a huge mistake. There were some misunderstandings"" He replied, his voice didn't depicted any emotions
""Misunderstanding? He just used my mother. I was a mistake"" my voice broke this time. The pain I had since the day I realized I have no father, the pain I had since the time mom told me about him. Every single pain because of the man who was my father felt fresh again. I wished to ignore it but the pain was too strong. Stronger then any pain I have ever felt. ""You got him all wrong. But its not your fault. It's circumstances. The cruel fate"" Rahul's console did nothing to my pain instead my anger started to build up. I didn't wanted to lose my control. So I left the car. But the suffocation, the pain, it didn't went away. The brutal cold wind fell on my skin. My hands were numb already and I had turned red. Not sure whether it was because of the cold or the anger I had inside me.
I walked toward the men standing near the tree. They had given up on moving it. The tree seems lot bigger from closer. ""Any hope?"" I question. My voice shows the anger I was having but nobody minded I guess no one has noticed the frustration my in my voice ""We called the other rescue team. They have machine and other equipments. They said it will take more then an hour to reach her"" one of the cop said. His eyes were constantly on the fallen wood. ""Jacob"" the name was written on his uniform. I wished to curse and abuse and shout but kept silent. I decided to stand there. Waiting for a rescue but the air grew colder and it started to rain forcing me to get back in the car.
Suddenly everything seems like a plan, a plan by fate.
I slowly drag myself back to car.
Silence again, a painful silence.
For an hour none of us spoke. I guess we weren't ready to talk about my father. But the curiosity building inside me to know why he had left us was now killing me slowly painfully. ""What kind of misunderstanding?"" I couldn't help but ask. I looked at Rahul, his eyes was still on the death naked tree. ""A huge mistake."" He said in a small voice. ""Tani, she destroyed everything""
""Tani?"" I had never heard of her. Mom has talked about her best friend Muskan and Atul. She has even mentioned Nikkita. But I can't recall anyone named Tani
""She was your mother's best friend. More like a sister to her.""
""Surprising,Mom never talked about anyone called Tani"" I let him know that the name was foreign to me. ""She betrayed everyone"" Rahul tried to explain but I wasn't able to understand him. ""Tani. She destroyed everything including herself.""
""What she has to do with mom and dad relation?"" DAD the word seem strange. ""Your father was madly in love with Riddhima. He went against his family and traditions to marry her"" He said, eyes still on the fallen tree, maybe he is hiding the pain he had in them ""you know your mother was orphan, right?""I nodded in reply ""Armaan parents weren't exactly happy about that fact. They didn't mind a middle class girl but they surely wasn't able to accept an orphan as Armaan's wife. But He, my buddy had fallen for her real bad."" Rahul lips curved as he started to narrate, as if he was living the moments again. ""He had to beg his parents to accept Riddhima but they were too stubborn. Finally they decided to get married without their blessing.""
My eyes were constantly on Rahul as he spoke ""They had a court marriage. Very secretly, even we weren't informed about it.""
""If Armaan love my mother so much, why did he left us. Especially when he knew that my mom was pregnant?"" I was too determine for an answer. Rahul's eyes were on me. ""Armaan was your father"" he commented. ""Sorry"" I mumble, addressing him dad was something my conscious doesn't allows me to. ""Impatient"" he called me ""don't worry I will let you know."" His eyes were again on the tree ""They went to Armaan's parents after 3 months of there wedding. Every one thought they would disowned them. But they behaved maturely. They accepted Riddhima""
A knock on the window forced him to stop. I saw Jacob standing there. Socked in the rain. Rahul roll down his Window. The water droplets starts hitting my face. ""Do you have a mobile phone?""
""No...I don't use mobiles"" Rahul's answer surely surprised both of us. He turned towards me ""Do you have a mobile?""
I nodded and pull out my cell from the pocket.
""Our mobiles are not working thanks to the rain. We should have brought some raincoats"" Jacob explain. He took my number and dial 911.
I didn't concentrate on his conversation but it definitely has to do something with the fallen tree. We waited for him to leave and as soon as Jacob went back to the crowd Rahul continued ""We all came to know about the wedding after Armaan's parents accepted Riddhima. There a huge celebration in Malik's place. We all thought that there will be a fairy tale happy ending, you know how it is- and they live happily ever after."" Rahul smiled. A big smile on his face, he was reliving my parent's reception I guess. Then I see a frown on his face. An unspoken pain in those eyes as he looked at me. The pain I could sense in them seems to be greater than mine. He must have gone through a lot. His words were convincing me that my father was not a devil. My mind was spinning. I don't wish to know more about the my parents. I don't want to know the heart-breaking story. I was much happier when I had no idea about Armaan. Curious but happier maybe that's why I never asked mom about him. The day she told me about my father. I wanted to request her to stop. She was so confident that he was missing us, that he wanted to be with us. Although back then I didn't believed a word she said nice about him. Yet, I didn't said anything against her because she was on her death bed, I was too afraid to make her sad. To crush her trust on him.
But now, ever since Rahul started telling about him ,apart of me wants to believe mom, wishes to have a positive attitude towards him.
I saw Rahul lost in this thoughts. Maybe he is out of words, maybe something real bad has happened, something very painful, something he can't express.
""Tani hates Armaan. She hated him more than anything. I am still not sure why she hated him, rumors were that Armaan's father has taken over Tani's family business. Maybe that's what the reason was."" he continued after a long pause ""She was Riddima's best friend. She wanted to protect her but I am not sure whether whatever she did was because of the possessiveness she had for Riddhima or the grudge she had against Armaan.""
""What did she did?"" I couldn't help but ask
""She planned a murder. She planned to murder your father through Riddhima.""
My believe my heart stopped beating for a second. The truth was too intense. I wasn't able to believe any of these. Maybe Rahul is making up things. Maybe he just wanted to built a positive figure of Armaan. Everything was a lie, a big lie or else mom would have talked about it with me. ""My mom didn't killed anyone"" I tried to defend her. ""I never said that"" I got little relief as Rahul spoke. ""Tani's paln wasn't success but she wasn't failed in separating your parents""
He talked in riddles. Why can't this guy just let me know the truth in one go. Why he has to go around the bushes. My patience was giving up. ""I remember night of 26th October 1988 like it was last night. I was driving Riddhima back from hospital. It was conformed that she was pregnant. A month pregnant with you. There was excitement and nervous in her eyes. A grin wasn't leaving her face. "" he recalled the night ""everything was perfect until we reached at their place. The power was off and windows were broken down. The door was left wide open. I remember the fear on her face as she ran inside and few seconds later"" he pause . His eyes grew bigger as if he was there again. His breath starts getting heavier. Heavy enough for me to hear it. ""There was a sound of gun shot. I ran inside, Armaan was shot on his neck and Riddhima had gun in her hands. I don't know what happened inside. I was too disturb to enquire about anything. We just rush to the hospital.""
I stare at him like a little boy lost in a fairy tale. ""Armaan's condition was critical. We thought we might have lost him. His parents accused Riddhima. I don't think it was there fault. It was the circumstances. Our fate.""
Rahul's words were like a glass pericing inside my ears. My dad was shot in his neck and my mother was accused. I can't even imagine the condition back there.
""It was a police case, Riddhima was the culprit. I tried explaining them, about us being in the hospital. About how it isn't possible for her to shot Armaan as soon as she entered. I tried my best to let them know about the condition of the house we had seen. But nobody, not a single being believed us and finally the cops decided to arrest your mother.""
""My mom went behind bars?"" I couldn't help myself, the curiosity was hurting my stomach. My heart beats were faster then it has ever been. The new story of my parents, the new image of my father, the truth was revealing infornt of me. Only if Rahul could be more faster. Only if he doesn't need to pause and claim himself ""Tani"" the name he probably hates the most, came out of his mouth ""She went to Riddhima and made a deal, A deal of never seeing Armaan again. A deal of never coming back to states""
""What was the price?"" I asked,
""Evidence. Evidence that Riddhima haven't shoot Armaan. The evidence that she herself was the culprit.""
""And mom except the offer?""
""She cared about you. She was afraid for you. Armaan was her everything but back then the circumstances forced her to agree with Tani"" Rahul tried defending my mother.
""What about dad?He never came for us"" I was still unsure of Rahul's words. Was he telling the truth? The reality was far different from what I had believed it to be. I was frustrated on my father but now I am pity on him. The frustration I was having was far more better than the sympathy I was feeling. The thought that my father was only a victim of destiny was hurting me. The pain that rises in my heart felt like thousands of bullet shots. ""Your grandparents had a different story for Armaan. They made him believe that Riddhima left him. Alone to die. She went to never came back. And that stupid believed them"" Did Rahul just called my dad stupid? I wanted to ask him to take back his words and wanted to let him know that I was offended but something just stopped me to do so. ""He realized his mistake when it was too late. He was in rehab when the court proved Tani guilty and Tani's offer for Riddhima was headlines of all the newspaper. That was the time when I let him know about her pregnancy.
He wanted to reached for you guys only if he had knew anything about his family's well being. He tried to search a lot but..."" Rahul didn't have to complete his sentence. The tears in his eyes shows the painful experience my father had gone through. ""12 years ago when I finally found Riddhima. I wanted to tell her about Armaan's heart attack. He passed away few months after that. The last words he said was Riddhima. "" I can feel my eyes burning. A liquid flow from them. Tears, I was crying. I was crying on the brutal fate my parents had, crying because of the cruelty they had faced. ""I hope they're together now"" Rahul forced a smile and said. I passed a weak smile . The helicopters and fire bridge indicates that the tree will be shifted from the road in a jiff. It hardly took an hour for to remove the blockage with crane and saws. I heard the engine starting again. Rahul starts driving to his place. I turned myself to look at the snow covered land. Silence again. But this moment I was enjoying, enjoying the silence, the ride, the snow. I was going home
A rainy dawn-AR OS:page 1
A recondite fairytale-AR OS:page 7
A remedy for loneliness-AR OS:page 12
A random walk-AR OS:page 19
A recovery from sadness-AR OS:page 25
A recommence love story-AR OS:page 32
Edited by phoo_honey - 9 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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