The Quill Part 3 - Page 26

Yes, no one is doodh ka dhola hua.

But I do feel sorry for Taaruni.

It shouldn’t be merely in name of child. They need to acknowledge there is more to this than compromise for the child.

They did fall for each other.

Pradyut before marriage and she after.

Originally posted by: PriteeMisra

It shouldn’t be merely in name of child. They need to acknowledge there is more to this than compromise for the child.

They did fall for each other.

Pradyut before marriage and she after.

True. They have to want each other first and admit to it. The child can be the icing on the cake, but can not be the foundation for the relationship.

Dogs and humans

There was a giant uproar at Chandigarh when they discovered she had returned for good. Sumedha was devastated enough so she had to be admitted for high blood pressure

Pradyut ploughed through, he didn’t call her or talk to her.

By the night she of the announcement to Gopal and Pia she was gone, around 12 hours after Bhushans had arrived back after the shagun pooja at the Munjals

Nidhi Bhushan was so overjoyed about how everything was turning out she couldn’t even be quiet for a second

Tushar was furious with her for abandoning that relationship

“Are you able to pull away and focus on the store?”

“Itni bewaqoof hai tu? Papa would never want u to give up ur marriage to guard the store”

“Well we don’t know do we?”

“Yeh toone bahut galat kiya”

“YEH galat hai? Shaadi theek thi?”

“Who bhi galat hi tha usme bhi toone HAMARI kidhar suni, they showed up at ur store u agreed at midnight and u announced it to us the next morning”

I am making that wrong right”

“wahan itne saare log tere se pyaar karte hain uska kya?

“they are all tolerating me they don’t have a choice”

“Tujhe yeh baat 7 mahiney aur pregnancy ke baad soojhi”

“Do u have any idea how much Gaurav Bhai had tortured me?”

“Keh chuka hoon Ma ko don’t give him money. I have a family Tarooo I cant be chaperoning him, I cannot control where he goes”

“He has been blowing through lakhs in gifts right, he is confirming every assumption of Pia’s”

“Jaanta hoo” Tushar hung his head in shame

“I am not finding the conveyance deed, I am unable to stop Gaurav, I haven’t found ONE smoking gun in his business operations” “I am completely lost, I have no self control when it comes to him I am pregnant now” she was really ashamed to admit that to her brother she turned red

“Bakwas mat kar bas ab chup ho ja” he shifted uneasily

“It’s the truth… Pia calls it anchor baby, socho!!”

“Shittt yaar”

Taaruni wept softly

He stood up walked over and gave her a hug

“Abhi usko torture karna band karen aap Tushar, take the kids to swim lessons”

“Jaa raha hoo yaar” he sat down back again and sighed

“Don’t worry, Ma can go to work she can wind up at the store, I will help her, aur YEH hain na” she picked up Harold

He licked her entire face

“Isko bhi leke meri behen bag li waha se” Tushar laughed

“She is very smart” Pallavi laughed loudly

Taaruni sat down on the office couch and smiled

Her back was beginning to get sore as she approached 12ish weeks

Pallavi brought her milkshake and banana bread

“Oats hai na Bhabhi?” Taruni made a face

“Abhi chup chaap kha lo, bhai se maar padegi,”

She hated oats, but chewed on the bread making a face

“He needs to be 10 lbs yaar” Tushar patted his pecs

“Tum dono ne decide kar liya beta hai?” Pallavi sat by Taaruni

“Who to hai” Tushar winked

“Prad” “I just hope baby is healthy” Pallavi quickly changed her line

Harold’s ears cocked, he knew someone was mentioning her fave person’s name

He barked and barked and went to the window and barked again looking out

As if he wanted Pradyut to magically appear

He came back to Taaruni and licked her feet begging her to go get him

Tushar and Pallavi watched speechless

“No we cant see him” Taaruni whispered through tears

Taaruni had spoken to Sumedha twice, there was nothing she could say that lifted Sumedha’s spirit

She had lost her first born, she had lived a night mare, she started superstitiously worrying there was something wrong with the Munjal gene the first baby was cursed etc.

Taaruni was overcome with shame both times, she promised she would visit her after her 12th week appointment

“Nothing will be the same again beta, I cant see you every day, I cant make ur favorite food”

“I led you on Ma… this was wrong from the start. Everything was wrong. You deserve something far better”

“No its not wrong…”

“Pia was right afterall Ma, we didn’t think through, we are horrible to do this to you”

An hour long talk went nowhere

Sunil and Deepak helped her empty the glass cases

Tushar had found her a empty store 3 kms east, June was the busiest season with schools starting, she was going to be in a new place

All the books were packed and sent home to Bhushan residence

She sat down in Rajesh’s chair and began shutting down his PC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She made wrong choices but she didn't have many options left now did she? Gopal and Sumedha's support is not enough. The bulk of it has to come from Prad.

Looks like this is the end of the store at the current location. At least she has a new location. The store will continue, just elsewhere.

Can she make enough money from the store to support herself?

Both Prad and Tara have decided to give up the store. But neither has come forward with a discussion about the future.

Concrete

She called Sharma Purohit Parashar and left a message as she cleaned out the store. Tushar was willing to pick up the rent of the other store she was renting for now. Nidhi was really unhappy with her and they were having daily fights

On the 4th day after her return, Nidhi told her “Until you see some sense and return I am going to Tushar’s”

Taaruni had messed up her parents home, there was over 60 large boxes piled ceiling high in the room Tushar and Gaurav shared

She wanted all the rare books taken out first, she locked up that room with additional locks, her mother thought it was outrageous to hide them from Gaurav this way

She was also upset Taaruni was lifting and moving stuff, not worrying about herself

Lunch dinner and snack was being delivered from pallavi’s but Taaruni was eating poorly in a vigor to move out ASAP

She was done at this location, she wanted to be someplace where she wasn’t harassed by the din of of trucks and pounding concrete

She reached out to the Municipal Commissioner and to Ajit Singh and notified she was moving out

Respectfully she called Sumedha everyday

She sounded more and more sad

She cried after every phone call holed up in rajesh Bhushan’s now nearing empty office in the back, cuddling Harold in her arms

She went maternity clothes shopping and spent money like she was heavily drunk

Her mother had stopped by after work to pick up her extra pair of eye glasses, she was astonished to see the 20 odd bags in the living room

“Paise paani ki tarah kharch rahi ho” she muttered

“You are not happy with me whatsoever”

“You should be in Delhi”

“Harkeerat Uncle to main at least 20% de doongi whatever I get from towers Partners” she ignored her mother’s directive

“Sabhi kuch de do”

“Don’t be sarcastic Ma, agar maine de diye to aap Gaurav ko kya dengi? He is being cut off as we speak, Gopal Munjal will not give him a dime”

Nidhi looked heart broken

“Tumhari wajah se hua hai”

“Do u really want Bhai to blow through Munjal wealth?”

“TUMHE chinta hai unke wealth ki?”

Taaruni was bold “YES Ma… I married a stranger, my brother is robbing them” she choked up

“He needs help, he misses Papa”

“AUR MAIN Ma?” she began to cry

“Tumne to kara hua hai na… yaha (waving her arms all around) the house, the store, its all gone”

“I AM SAVING it” she wept

“I am going to Tushar’s

Her phone rang the grandsons were demanding she bring Harold

“Buaaaaaa Harold?”

“Le jaayen” she whispered goingt o her room and sitting on the bed

She wasn’t sure any more

Tomorrow she was going to take down the name board The Quill

Her stomach churned in anxiety

The pooja at the new store was in 4 days, she had hurriedly Okayed a store, it was too big and it was kinda crooked, Harkeerat was itching to take his money and retire

She wanted a female employee, but no one was answering her ad.

Sunil and Deepak were sincere young men who were also looking for a large payout for sticking through the last 9 months

Her phone ran, it was the attorney Purohit

“I can talk for 15 minutes if its longer we might have to bill you

“Thanks, I want to let you know I am moving out of that location so you can redraft the papers indicating the store is now Towers Partners property” she came straight to the point

“Oh?”

“Oh?”

“I am sorry… Oh? Oh really?

“Oh… Mr Munjal didn’t say anything… he is in town”

Her heart pounded like a freight train

He was in town?

She suddenly wanted to see him, and feel him

She had forgotten she was in love with him

She groaned audibly

“Excuse me Ma’am are u OK?”

She didn’t realize she was on a call

“Oh yeah” I am, just making dinner, I opened my pressure cooker too soon

She sniffled

“Oops! Sorry, so do we want to set up time?”

“Umm… I am busy emptying the store, so I cant meet, we can do a Zoom call”

“OK let me talk to my team first”

“I have the pay out details in the legal paperwork I signed the night before the umm… umm… I mean wedding”

“That was just a market estimate, we will have to get real data” he back tracked

“Of course” she nodded sadly

Nidhi thinks Tara should not be hiding the books from Gaurav? Is she even thinking straight? This is the same Gaurav who has been selling books and pocketing the money, borrowing from Tara's in laws and blowing the money.