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kashishsr

@kashishsr

Dazzler

+ 2

Posted: 7 years ago

Chapter 1

It was a warm summers evening when Omkara Singh Oberoi walked into his room to find his world forever changed.

At first he did not notice anything out of the ordinary, removing his waistcoat and freeing his hair from the bun he had entrapped it in. He was having a serious migraine, the result of continuous staring at his latest masterpiece, which now lay in actual torn pieces on his studio floor. He had planned it to perfection, spent gruelling hours working at the minute details that he knew made all the difference, and when he was done he sat back and observed. It was a pretty painting. That was it.

'Not good enough.': words he became familiar with as the heir of the great Tej Singh Oberoi, but never, not once, had he before looked back at his own creation and thought those words. He had felt those words define him from a very young age, grasp onto him with claws that refused to set him free, but they had never taken hold over his art. That was the part of him that was 'good enough', until today. Even when he had lost his inspiration and a little chirraya from Bareilly had restored it, he could have looked at his past work and been proud of his accomplishments, but now he was beginning to feel they were all flawed and fake, a child's attempt.

You're probably wondering what could make a famous artist doubt himself so deeply, and the answer is simply that same chirraya who had become his inspiration. Or rather her eyes. For the life of him he could not bring them to life on paper, could not convey the multiple emotions they held or get the exact colour. Maybe he just needed to see them again. 'Yeah, right..' he scoffed at himself. As if he had not memorised them in their first meeting, when they sent flames at him. 'Anyway, where is that silly girl?'

He left for the washroom to change into a kurta and returned to look for his so called wife. Seeing she had still not returned to their room he was about to search for her in the rest of the mansion when something caught his eye. It was her mangalsutra. Lying on top of a folded piece of white paper, was the necklaces of black beads he had bestowed upon her when he brought her from Bareilly. A feeling of dread working its way through his body, he picked up the paper...

3 years later

The Oberoi Mansion is no longer the haven of brotherhood it had once been, in fact the brothers residing in it hardly speak to one another. For Shivaay, his love for his brothers is strong as ever, but his time has to be given to stopping whichever new threat had come calling, (this usually consists of numerous fake marriages/ divorces/ tadi etc. and ends with multiple Shivika reunions - hey, at least they are consistent). Rudra found himself caught up in Shivaay Bhaaiya's plans initially, but then had to take some time off to join the police academy, as after his constant stalking of his girlfriend Bhavya while she was on duty, he had discovered he was quite good at police work. However, he is still always available for his eldest brother and Anika bhabhi.

The middle Oberoi brother never gets involved in any of the family's issues. He never listens to Shivaay's problems or gives him poetic advice. He never wipes Anika's tears. He never jokes, never laughs. Rudy had cut himself off from O when he discovered that Chulbul bhabhi would not return, that O would not bring her back, but what he didn't realise was that O was gone and in his place is a hollow shell.

Omkara Singh Oberoi's world ended after reading 393 words on a white sheet of paper on a warm Tuesday evening, and to this day nobody knows what those words were, but he reads them every night, despite having committed them to memory so long ago. Those words, her eyes, his tears are his lullaby. Art no longer exists for him. He is no longer known as an artist, but rather OSO the Enigma, who bypassed both his father and older brother to become the most proficient Oberoi businessman the world has ever seen.

He lives everyday without hope, because an angel of hope came to him once, and he tore her wings. If only he had answered her questions..If only GulNeet gave him the Screen space to do so...

(Sorry couldn't resist... 😳)

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kashishsr

@kashishsr

Dazzler

+ 2

Posted: 7 years ago

Chapter 2

They say that people who lose themselves can take years to find the person they were meant to be, but on one warm Tuesday in Summer Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi found herself in all of twenty minutes. Strangely enough it was Pinky Singh Oberoi who lead to this discovery.

Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi listened with her head bowed as she was called a 'Gawaar'. Her lower lip trembled as her clothing, speaking and general living sense was called into question. Tears flooded her eyes as she was called an opportunist that was attempting to reach far above her 'Aukaat'. Her 'Naam, Khoon, Khandan' all judged and found lacking. Just when she thought she would break down, that she could take no more... she looked up at the woman in front of her.

She began to shake... but not with sorrow or weakness. The tears that left her eyes were not of misery but of hilarity. She let her laugh escape her fully for the first time since leaving Bareilly. Wiping away the tears and controlling her laughter she asked the shocked sparkle clad lady in front of her: 'Aap hai kaun?'

Confused, Pinky looked at the girl she had just been berating for the past twenty minutes: 'Oh my mata! Loh... Yeh neech ladki ab pagal bhi hogaye. Main Pinky Singh Oberoi hoon. Iss ghar ki bahu. Oberoi khandan ki bahu.'

'Toh Pinky Singh Oberoi, Oberoi khandan ki bahu... aap meri kya lagti hain?' Gauri raised an eyebrow.

'Teri kya lagti hoon? Bala main kyun teri kuch lagna chahungi! Tujh jaisee ladki ke main moon bhi na lagoon!' Pinky scowled.

'Areh waah! Aap ne toh humare moon se sabt hi cheen liye. Ab hatiye humare raaste se. Nahin moon lagte apke!' with that Gauri shoved past her verbal tormentor and headed to Omkara Singh Oberoi's room. It had been Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi who had been intercepted by Pinky, but it was Bareilly ki chirraya Gauri Kumari Sharma who walked away from her.

Gaur whistled a tune as she packed her things making sure not to leave any trace of her behind. Then she sat to to write a letter to her husband... correction Omkara Singh Oberoi. She sighed. She didn't love him - she never had - but today she realised something. Gauri Kumari Sharma hated Omkara Singh Oberoi. She hated him. She hated him more than she hated Kali Thakur. More than she hated her Chacha, Chachi. Not for his bitter words, his coldness or his misunderstandings. Not for labelling her a 'Giri hui ladki'. She hated him for these six months in which she had looked in the mirror every morning and found a stranger gazing back at her. Kali Thakur had tried to take her izzat. Omkara Singh Oberoi had stolen her identity - her very being.

Mister Oberoi,
Aaj hum Gauri Kumari Sharma aap ko yeh khabar dehne ke liye likh rahin hain, khi ab hum apki yeh naukri chod rahe hain. Yeh hamara Istifa hain. Hum jab iss naukri ke liye raazi hue the, tab hum ko pata nahin tha ke yeh kitne din ka kaam hoga, par ab hum ko lagta hai khi hamari yaha koi zaroorat nahin hai. Aap fikar maat kijiye, hum kisi ko bhi kuch bata ke nahin jaa rahe, aap ko jo bhi samjhana hoga app samjha dena. Keh dena ke aap hamari jaise neech girihui ladki se koi rishta nahin rakna chahte the. Aur aap yeh bilkul mat sochna ke hum apki koi bhi cheez apne saath le kar ja rahein hain, hum chor nahin hai, pad kyunki apko hum pe iss baat par bhi shak hoga, aap khud hi tasaali kad lena. Jhanvi Madam se pooch lena unhone humme kya kya diya tha, sab yahin almirah mein hoga.
Ab hogaye kaam ki baat, chalien ab hum hamaare apas ki baat karte hain. Agar hosake toh aap kabhi apni shakaal humein maat dikhayega. Waise toh aap humse kabhi baat karte nahin hain, par phir bhi... humein na apse milna hai, na apse koi baat karni hain. Hum bhi apke saamne nahin aayenge, nahin apke parivaar se koi rishta rakhenge. Hum apna number badal rahe hain, aur dobaara baat nahin hogi. Maa ko hum khud samjha lenge, aap apne parivaar ko sambhaliye.
Ab hum woh kahenge joh itne mahine apse nahin keh paaye. Jis Jhanvi Thakurain ke kaatil apne humein tehra diya hain, aap uske baare mein jaante kya hain? Jisse aap hamare shaatir dimaag ki bechaari shikaar samaj rahe hain, woh asiliyaat mein bohot saare beggunaa bachon ki gunhegaar thi... unke parivaaron ki gunhegaar thi. Haan nahi hua dukh unke marne paar. Aap hum par yakeen na kare, Bareilly ki kisi bhi thane mein se apko pata lag jaayega kitne case chal rahe the unke khilaaf. Woh apne pati ke saath bachon ko bhejthi thi paaison ke liye. Unhi ki vaja se hum uss Kali Thakur ke changul mein aaye the. Hum ko woh kisi aur ko bhejne wali thi par unki pati ki nazaar humpe par gayi. Khair chodiye aisi baatein ko, ab unke piche aap koi aasoon mat bahana. Unke layak nahin thi woh.
Khush rehna,
Gauri Kumari Sharma

Translation:
Mr Oberoi.
Today I, Gauri Kumari Sharma, am writing to inform you that I am leaving this job. This is my resignation. When I agreed to this job, I did not know how many days it would take, but now I feel I am no longer needed here. Don't worry I am not informing anyone before leaving, you can tell them what you want to tell them. You can say how you could never keep a relationship with a low and fallen girl like me. And definitely don't think that I am taking anything of yours with me, I am not a thief, but because I know you will doubt me on this too, you can check to assure yourself. Ask Mrs Jhanvi what she had given me and you will find it all in the cupboard.
Now that the business is out of the way, lets talk about the personal. If you can manage it,don't ever show me your face again. You don't ever speak to me anyway, but still... I don't want to meet you, I don't want to talk to you. I will also never come in front of you, or maintain any relationship with your family, I am changing my number and we won't talk again. I will explain everything to my mother, you handle your own family.
Now I will say what I have been failing to say to you for all these moths. The Jhanvi Thakurain that you have declared me the murderer of, what do you actually know about her? Who you are thinking of as the poor victim of my cunning mind, was actually the culprit of many innocent children... of their innocent families. Yes I was not sad at her death. Don't believe me, you can find out from any police station in Bareilly how many cases were ongoing against her. She used to sell kids with her husband for money. She was the reason I got caught in Kali Thakur's trap. She was going to sell me to someone else, but her husband's eyes fell on me. Anyway leave such talks, just don't shed any tears over her now. She was not worth them.
Stay happy,
Gauri Kumari Sharma

With her head held high, Gauri Kumari Sharma walked out of the Oberoi Mansion. This time no curtains blew, no Saathiya played and there was nobody to stop her as Shivika were busy in farak games, Pinky was chanting Oh my Mata and the rest of the Oberois were busy being wallpapers.
😉

Edited by kashishsr - 7 years ago

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kashishsr

@kashishsr

Dazzler

+ 2

Posted: 7 years ago

Chapter 3

Gauri Kumari Sharma walked through the busy market place with a bright smile on her face. She greeted the Aunties and Uncles she knew and grinned at the children loitering near the sweets stall before they left for school. She took the Prasad from her Aarthi ki thal and offered it to the sweet-toothed kids. Gauri had braved the chill of morning Kashmir air to go to the Shankaracharya Mandir and thank her Shankar Ji for the happiness he was about to bestow upon her.

Gauri had come a long way in three years - and not just geographically. Initially when she left Mumbai she travelled back to her Maa, thinking that she would tell her the truth like ripping off a bandaid - swiftly and in order to minimise pain. Instead she got there to find her mother had little time left, and rather than confronting her with the agonising truth, Gauri chose to let her mother pass in the belief that her daughter's life was secure. As she gazed upon the burning fire of her mother, Gauri bitterly thought that she had once again chosen lies over the truth. What would Omkara Singh Oberoi think of her now?

The months following her mother's death were filled with crippling loneliness. For the first time she could remember (having no personal recollection from before the day her father had brought her home), she was well and truly alone. She had nobody in the world to call her own. A lesser mortal would have spent those months falling apart until they had no will to live, but Gauri Kumari Sharma used her period of mourning to build. To build herself up again. To build her vishwaas up again. To build a plan for what she would do with her life. Three months after her mother's death Gauri left Bareilly for Kashmir. As a child her earliest memory was a trip to Kashmir her father had taken her along on. She remembered the mountains and the polite, serene people, and what her father had told her on the way back: 'If there is jannat on this earth, then it is called Kashmir, beta. Coming here can make you forget the sorrows of your soul.' He had died shortly after but his words remained with her. Gauri's soul had plenty of sorrow she wished to forget.

Gauri had adapted quickly to her new surroundings, finding work as a singer at a local restaurant. Other than that she continued taking orders via phone and internet for dresses for idols and once the local ladies saw the finesse with which she could sew, she became the new seamstress for the village in which se resided - the old one having moved out to a larger town a few moths previously. In her spare time she volunteered at the local orphanage. This way she kept herself busy and loneliness at bay. It was in the orphanage that Gauri found a new reason for existence. From the time of her father's passing, Gauri had cared for her mother, not as a child, but as the adult in the relationship. Gauri had always fulfilled the role of the mother, and that was what was now missing in her life. The more time she spent with the children of the orphanage, the more she realised what could fill the void in her. She wanted a child. Someone to call her own. Someone to be her family. Someone on whom she could focus, on whom she could bestow the endless love that was stored in every fibre of her being.

With the new goal in mind to become a mother, Gauri worked with determination. She was not sewing and and taking extra shifts at the cafe to make ends meet - she was doing it all so she could prove her capability of being a mother before taking on the responsibility. Once her livelihood became more stable and she had gathered some savings, she put forward her request to adopt. The Head of the orphanage was kind but honest in telling her that as a single parent, with no great financial backing, the chances of her request reaching fruition were very low. But miracles were the result of vishwaas, and Gauri had endless vishwaas in her Shankar Ji, so today, two and a half years after arriving in Kashmir, her wish was going to be fulfilled. Late last night the orphanage had called to let her know that a newborn baby had been placed with them that evening by the hospital. The baby's parents had both died as the result of a car crash and the mother had drawn her last breath as the baby had been removed from her womb. She had no other surviving relatives, her parents having been orphans with no siblings. Due to the multitude of children and minuscule resources afforded to the orphanage, they could not take on a baby, and had nowhere else to put her. The Head of the orphanage remembered Gauri, and called her to give her the news.

That night Gauri had not slept in anticipation. She took a bus early in the morning to the temple and prayed for the birth parents of the treasure she was about to recieve. She wept for her own loss, for her baby's loss and swore that she would love the child more than anything or anyone. She would never let the shadow of being an orphan cloud her sunny life. She would be her Maa in every sense. With determination, Gauri left the Mandir and made her way back home to refresh before leaving for the orphanage to meet her daughter.

Edited by kashishsr - 7 years ago

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kashishsr

@kashishsr

Dazzler

+ 2

Posted: 7 years ago

Chapter 4

Omkara

OSO rubbed his brow as he ended the call. Another city, another fruitless search. Where could she be and why were all these incompetent fools unable to find her? With a thunderous cloud over his head he turned his attention to the take over documents in front of him.Gritting his teeth, he omitted all the more lenient clauses in the agreement - why should he show leniency or mercy to the weak? He was here to run a business, not a charity. This world had only taken from him - his every happiness... his every joy... his Gauri. Until it returned his personal angel to him, he would only take from this world, he would take his revenge from this world... her revenge from this world. This cruel world had taken such an innocent soul and presented her before that monstrous Kali. It had watched as if viewing a play as that lecherous man weaved a web of heinous intentions around Om's defenceless chirraya. OSO would not allow this to go unpunished. Having already demolished the community that bore witness to his angel's helplessness without lifting a finger to aid her, he had now turned his anger on the rest of the world. He had become judge, juror and executioner of anyone who crossed his path, showing no kindness because there was no heart in his chest to compel him to do so. His heart had been ripped out and he had spent the past three years trying to find it.

"Om! What are you doing in here? Everyone is outside enjoying the party. You should be out there with us." Riddhima had burst into his study without invitation, and strutted over to his desk.

Looking up from the file in front of him, OSO glared at her coldly.

"Firstly, my name is Omkara Singh Oberoi, but Mr Oberoi will do for you. Do not try to create familiarity between us when there is none there. Secondly, with whose permission did you enter my study? Just because I do not stop you entering this house, do not forget your limits. Get out!" he spoke quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, but each word was cutting and warned of impending doom.

A wiser woman would have fled but shrugging off his hostility, Riddhima leaned against his desk. When Pinky Singh Oberoi had contacted her, requesting her to return, she had jumped at the chance - after all becoming an Oberoi bahu had been a dream of hers for so long. She had known that Om had married some illiterate nobody, but that girl had apparently been unable to handle the pressure, and run away from the Oberoi Mansion. Her loss, but Riddhima's gain. Now if only Omkara would propose to her, then he would know what a real sophisticated wife was, but he had swapped his statues for paperwork, and become a workaholic of a different kind. The kind that made more money than imaginable, which she had no issue with, but he did not even acknowledge anything other than business now. Oh well, aaj nahin toh kal (today or tomorrow), he would realise how much he needed her.

"Come on Om, after all that we've been through, there's no use playing hard to get... Actually I wanted to talk to you about that. I think it's time we take the next step. Mom and Dad are here for the next month, so I think we should get engaged now and have the wedding in London in a few months. Pinky Aunty - sorry, Choti Maa - has already started the arrangements. I was thinking pink and peach for the colour scheme, with accents of red. What do you think?" Riddhima eagerly asked his opinion.

For a split second OSO was gripped by the insane urge to laugh, but as he had not done so in the past three years and was unsure of his ability to, he went with his secondary inclination to explode at the absurdly presumptuous woman in front of him.

"Are you out of your mind?! How can you come in here and start harping on about colour schemes?! I don't want to breathe the same air as you and you think I want to marry you?! You disgust me! How could you even contemplate that I would marry you? Incase you haven't noticed, I already have a wife!" OSO thundered. The nerve of this woman!

"Oh please Om! Choti Maa told me all about your charity work with that Gawaar (illiterate) girl. I think you took the wrong meaning of charity starts at home. You don't clean the roads by bringing the trash in to your home. Don't call that pity a marriage, it was just a joke." Riddhima scoffed.

"The only joke here is you!" OSO roared, his eyes suddenly bloodshot. How dare she?! "Charity?! You think I am taking pity on my wife by staying married to her?! The only charity in our relationship was that which she bestowed upon me, by giving an unworthy creature like me the title of her husband! Has Choti Maa been telling you this rubbish?!" he sprung from his chair and rounded the table to corner his ex-girlfriend.

Suddenly terrified, and beginning to understand the foolishness of her words, Riddhima hastily nodded, "Yes, she said that Gawa... Gauri was only a burden on you. That you were glad to be rid of her. She said that you still loved me, but were afraid of my rejection. I won't reject you Om... I love you." she tried to reach for him but he shrugged her off.

"Keep your love to yourself, I'm not interested. PINKY SINGH OBEROI!!"! yelling for his aunt OSO stormed out of his study, through the hallways and down the stairs, bringing to a halt the music and merriment his family and their guests were engaged in.

Ignoring the looks he was receiving OSO made his way to where his Dadi, Maa and Choti Maa were congregated amongst their high society friends. As he came to a halt Tej Singh Oberoi came forward to stop him with an arm on his bicep.

"What are you doing Omkara? Don't make a scene." Tej whispered into OSO's ear, but he was beyond reasoning with, especially by his newly redeemed' father. Yanking his arm out of the older man's grasp OSO stared him down, fire raging in his bloodshot eyes.

"Don't touch me! And stay out of my business, Tej Singh Oberoi, if you know what is good for you!" OSO took no care to watch his volume, and Tej could tell from the look in his eyes that his son was unstoppable today. Today his son was a warrior and for once Tej forgot about the audience and society and instead embraced the pride that was filling him up. His son had become a man, and Tej's biggest regret was that it was not he who guided him into this change. Tej gave a minuscule nod and backed down, grabbing Jhanvi's hand to stop her from intervening. Their Omkara could handle himself.

It was Shivaay who blocked OSO's path next. Although he had never fully forgiven Pinky for her transgressions against Anika, he could not stand around and watch his mother be humiliated in front of all these gossip mongers. Although Pinky had never been the best mother, she was the only one he had.

"Om, just stop this okay! We can talk after the Party is over. Just...just relax!" Shivaay tried to gain control of the situation, but today OSO would not even listen to him.

"Shivaay... Aaj tu mujhe maat rokh... Warna main bhool jaunga ke tu mera Bhai hai. Aaj... Aaj mujhe maat rokh. (Shivaay... Don't stop me today... Or I'll forget that you are my Brother. Today... Don't stop me today.)" OSO 's voice had receded to a whisper, but every soul gathered in the hall heard it loud and clear, and they all drew in breaths of surprise. What could be more important to Omkara Singh Oberoi that he would break his relationship with his brother? Shivaay staggered back a step, shocked to the core, but then realised only one thing could push his Om to this extent. Gauri. Since Gauri had left, Shivaay had lost not only the girl he had come to recognise as a little sister, but also his brother, his Om, and in his stead was this cold replica OSO. While Shivaay could not be prouder of his brother's keen business acumen and the success he had achieved in the last three years, he'd give it all up and more, if it would return his brother's smile to him. To see such emotion from OSO, such human emotion, such anger... it had to do with his Gauri. That was the only thing that could crack the OSO facade... and one thing Shivaay would never do is stand in Omkara's way when it had to do with his Gauri, because Shivaay fully believed that it was only Gauri who could bring his brother's back. The love that was ingrained in him for the woman who gave him birth, was not nearly as significant when weighed against the love he held for his brothers. If Pinky had touched OSO's sore spot... well then she could deal with the consequences. As Anika stepped forward to support her Billu Ji, Shivaay shook his head at her and stepped down.

As Bhavya got ready to exercise her experience as an ACP in settling the dispute, Rudra placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Let him speak. This is the first time in three years that I've felt like my older brother is around. Don't stop him today." Rudra spoke softly, his eyes on his brother.

While Dadi was busy lamenting: "Yeh ho kya raha hai? (What is happening?)", OSO came before his target. Pinky Singh Oberoi tried to sound unfazed, even as she backed into her husband: "Oh... Oh My Mata, Omkara! Tum mujhe aise kyun pukar rahe ho? Tameez bhool gayye ho apni? (Why are you calling me like this? Have you forgotten your manners?)". To his credit Shakti Singh Oberoi steadied her before moving far away from the dispute. He had never been one for conflict, and Pinky probably deserved whatever was coming for her.

"Tameez toh maine abhi chori nahin, par mere sawaalon ka seedha seedha jawab dena apke liye bohot behtar hoga. Kya apne MERI Gauri ke baare mein uss Riddhima se koi baat ki thi? Kya apne MERI shaadi par koi sawal uthaya? Boliye! (I haven't forgotten my manners yet, but it would be much better for you if you give straight answers to my questions. Did you talk to that Riddhima about MY Gauri. Did you raise a question on MY marriage? Tell me!)" OSO roared.

"Shaadi? Konsi shaadi? Woh jo tumne uss fateecher ladki par tadas kha kar ki thi? Woh koi shaadi nahin hothi, bheek hothi hai woh! (Marriage? What marriage? The one that you did taking pity on that pennyless girl? That is not a marriage, that is charity!)" Pinky self-righteously spewed the venom that had once fractured a young girl's vishwaas in her marriage.

"PINKY SINGH OBEROI! Don't presume to know anything about my relationship! MY Gauri is worth a hundred of you and your high society friends! Even without the fortune of wealth, she has always possessed a greater prize... her golden heart! As for our marriage, who gave you the right to judge it?! GaurI is MY WIFE, and none of your plots can ever change that! Don't you ever try to set a vulture like Riddhima after me again, or you will live to regret it! I don't want anyone other than MY Gauri!" OSO's eyes held a gleam of pride as he laid claim to his wife, and mentally ShivRu were cheering him on, angry that Pinky had been playing such games.

"Acha! (Really!) And where is your so called wifes? Where has she gones? Oh haan! Yaad aaya! Woh toh bhaag gayye, na? Pata nahin ab kahan kahan apna moon kala kar rahi ho gi - (Oh yes! I remember! She ran away, right? Who knows where she is defaming herself, that - " Pinky was cut off but this time before a red faced OSO could tear her apart, it was her sister-in-law Jhanvi who yanked her around and smacked her across the face.

"Shut up Pinky! How dare you talk about my Bahu like that?! I will not stand for it!" Jhanvi Singh Oberoi had never been angrier.

"Jetaniji -"

"Enough, Pinky! Not another word!" Tej had decided to jump in. "Who do you think you are to meddle in our son's matters? He is perfectly able to handle them himself. Omkara has given Gauri the position of his wife, and we will respect his judgement. Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi is my Bahu, and I will not have you slander her good name!"

For the first time in as long as he could remember, OSO felt a surge of affection for his father. Of course he tampered it down quickly, but not before a few of the stones needed as a foundation to bridge their relationship were laid.

After this Dadi and Shakti mildly rebuked Pinky and the Party was canceled. As the guests began to leave OSO also headed back upstairs, passing a visibly shaken Riddhima on the way. He didn't spare her a glance - if she knew what was good for her, she would not show him her face again.

Today had not been a good day. First the failure to find Gauri, then the discovery of Pinky's scheming, and to top it all he had to leave for Kashmir early tomorrow morning. Some land deal was caught on hold because he needed to visit a registrars office personally to sign one document. OSO sighed as he packed his bags. That night as always he gripped her letter in his hands.

"Kahan ho tum Gauri? Itni naraaz ho mujhse? Kya tumhe meri yaad nahin athi? Wapas aajao Gauri. Main ab tumhare beghaar nahin jee sakta. (Where are you Gauri? Are you this mad at me? Do you not miss me? Come back Gauri. I can't live without you any longer.)'

Gauri

Today had been a good day. A great day. The best day.

Today Gauri had become a mother. The minute one of the child minders brought in the baby Gauri Kumari Sharma fell in love. Carefully she took the wailing newborn in her arms. Out of a fluffy pink blanket peaked a tuft of hair and a tiny face. The most beautiful eyes in the world, wet from shed tears, stared up at her, with trust and hope and acceptance shining out of them. It was a look she could never forget, a moment she would forever recall. It took seconds for this precious angel to become Gauri's reason to live, and from the way she gripped onto her new mother, the connection was shared between the two.

"How are you doing that?" the child minder asked. "She has not stopped crying since she arrived here, and now she's so silent I'd believe she was asleep."

Gauri did not reply but instead focused on the blessing before her, pressing a kiss on her forehead. The Head of the Orphanage was allowing her to take the baby today due to space constraints, but the official adoption process would not begin for another month. Having already prepared her home for the new arrival, and having had the presence of mind to remember a buggy, Gauri was quite comfortable taking the baby home.

"Have you decided what you'll call her?" one of the minders asked as she was about to leave.

"Aadya." the name had come to Gauri swiftly. What better way to celebrate the gift bestowed on her by ShankarJi than to give her a name of ShankarJi's beloved Parvati. Furthermore, the name deepened the connection of mother and daughter as both their names were derived from the same source.

Aadya and Gauri settled into a wonderful routine, and yes there were difficulties for the new mother, like lack of sleep, and an inability to give her whole focus to her work. She had been forced to cancel at the cafe, because she had nobody to mind Aadya. But Gauri Kumari Sharma thrived during a challenge, and this was the best kind. Three weeks past by before she knew it.

Omkara

Landing in Kashmir, he felt a change in the air. Something familiar. Shrugging it off OSO followed his manager to the car.

Edited by kashishsr - 7 years ago