The way putul threw her arms towards geet when she saw her after three weeks made maan realize his mistake.He had done complete injustice with the little girl unknowingly drowned in his fearful past.It was first time when he had realized that how selfish he had acted keeping putul away from geet..Longing was evident in the way little girl reacted to geet's presence.
"What happened to my baby??"Geet said in a teary voice hugging putul close to herself as much as possible..
"Mummaa..aaah!!!" putul made geet to touch her throat in an attempt to tell her mother about her throat pain.
"She is having a throat infection..Its paining her to swallow the food.."Maan intervened thus making geet shift her gaze from putul to him.It was impossible for maan to look in her questioning and accusing hazels.He averted his gaze as her eyes made him more guilty. Geet shifted her gaze back to putul when she felt her daughter making her touch her derriere.."Is it paining here too baby???"geet asked caressing near her bum.
"Pediatrician had given her a injection there,it must be paining now.."maan told meekly..
"Hmm..Can you get some lukewarm milk and honey please.."geet asked avoiding an eye contact with him which made maan leave the room immediately.He was about to enter the room with the things geet had asked for when he heard putul giggling.He closed his eyes in contentment hearing his daughter's laughter after almost three days.He kept standing at the door and looked at the mother-daughter duo.Geet was hiding her face behind putul's favorite teddy bear while making funny sounds.Putul was clapping and enjoying the game.Very soon,geet started tickling the teddy bear as well as putul alternately thus getting more laughter from little girl."now putul will tickle her teddy.."Geet said giving teddy to her.Very soon,putul was busy tickling teddy with her tiny hands thus providing geet a chance to apply lotion on her sore nose. Putul had no idea when geet touched her sore nose as she was immersed in tickling teddy."Some tasks can be done by a mother only..."maan thought as he came towards the bed..
"Aaha!!! daddy has brought yummy yummy milk for putul.."Geet told her daughter while mixing honey in bowl of milk..."Come here baby!!!" Geet brought the spoon near her mouth but putul shoved her hand away.She gave her teddy to geet thus telling her that she wanted to play instead of having milk..
"No baby..teddy can't play with you anymore,he is hungry too..."Saying this geet pulled putul in her lap and gave teddy to maan.."Dadda will make him drink milk.."Putul looked at her daddy with her big eyes who was holding the teddy from his neck.Rather than feeding the toy,it was looking like maan was going to strangle his neck.
Maan looked in disbelief towards geet as she gestured him with her eyes to hold the teddy the way she was holding putul in her lap. Maan followed her instructions and very soon act of feeding started. Maan kept feeding putul's teddy with empty bowl and spoon all the time till geet made putul finish her milk.Swallowing milk was easy for putul as compared to her baby food as well as warmth of milk and honey worked quite well to soothe her aching throat.It did not take much time for putul to go for a peaceful sleep with full tummy and warmth of her mother's lap."you go and rest maan,i am with her now.."geet said after a while.Maan kept the teddy near his sleeping princess and left the room with contend heart as putul was in the safe arms of her mother.
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"No baby..Bad habit.." Geet said in strict voice forbidding putul from licking tv remote.It had been three days since geet was living in maan's house.Putul was completely fine now and was back to her naughty self."Mumma..tum tum..."Putul said bringing forward the remote towards geet after pressing some buttons.She was asking geet to turn on the television. Little girl was quite active as compared to her age.She was in a phase where she tried to mimic every action around her.Apart from mimicking action and noise,She was quite fond of watching tv,especially "tom and jerry".While watching tv,she would talk to cartoon characters in her special language.There were very few words in her vocabulary which were understood by poor brains of geet and maan like"mumma","dadda","pee-pee{for car}","tum tum{ for tom and jerry}","yum yum{for something she likes in food}",kichi{for kiss}",otherwise only she and cartoon characters in television were smart enough to understand her cute talks. Geet inserted the tom and jerry dvd in the player.As the cartoon appeared on the screen,putul clapped in excitement and happiness.After some time she was busy talking to them.."Dadda..aiye..yiee..ae ..ye..."She said showing a pink colored toy cell phone towards the screen.She was telling tom and jerry that her daddy had brought that cell phone for her.Geet felt her heart swell in joy and love,watching her daughter's cute antics.She tried to control her tears of happiness as she took small kohl from her right eye to apply a black dot on her daughter's forehead.
A genuine smile appeared on maan's lips watching a 21st century woman doing something "not so modern" blinded by her motherhood.He let out a deep sigh as his heart yearned for being part of such moments.."Tom and Jerry" were not able to hold the naughty girl at her place as she came at one end of the bed.
"Easy baby,easy.."Geet exclaimed as she carefully let putul down the bed.Since putul had started walking,"staying in laps" was no fun for her.She just loved to walk and run,however this has caused much problem for maan.He had to redo all the rooms in his house in such a way that there was enough space for putul to run with very less chances of getting hurt.
"Dadda...!!" putul exclaimed in happiness watching her daddy standing near the door as she ran with her baby steps towards him.Only maan knew how he controlled himself from run and pick his little doll as he ignored and walked away from the door in the pretense of taking an important call.Sad and gloomy face of putul finding her daddy walk away from her,infuriated geet.
"I will talk to your daddy,dear..you go and play with your teddy.."Geet said with determination as she walked behind maan..
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"For how long,you will continue ignoring putul like this???" Geet yelled making maan look away from the file in his hands.
"What are you saying geet??"
"Stop acting innocent maan..you know very well what i am talking about..Just stop suppressing your love..Putul is a kid today but tomorrow when she will grow,she won't be able to understand this behaviour of her father..She won't be able to see hidden pain of her daddy when he stops himself from loving her..She would think that her father does not love her..."
"She won't be staying with me to witness all this..I have decided to send her to a boarding school as soon she turns seven.." Maan said in nonchalance.
Geet did not know whether it was because of maan's nonchalance or thought of putul staying away had enraged her to such extent that she did not take a single minute to slap maan hard on cheek."Just shut up maan..you can't send putul anywhere..I can't stay away from my daughter and i know you yourself can't do it..If it was so easy for you,as you tried to show all the time then you would have not spent your entire night sitting near her..you would have called a nurse instead.."geet yelled breathing heavily as maan was stunned to silence with his eyes fixed to floor.Seeing him walk away without saying a word made geet loose all control on her thoughts as well as words.She held his hand and made him turn towards her forcefully..
"Why did not you appoint a nurse for putul,maan???Don't tell me you were waiting for me or i should say "putul's unpaid nanny" to come and take care of her.."These words were outcome of all the hurt and frustration that maan's behaviour had caused her in last three months.
"Shut up geet!!!.."Maan yelled this time as he held geet from her shoulders..."you know very well geet,what place you have in putul's life.."maan spoke further looking in her teary eyes.
"If you have given me some important place in putul's life then i won't let you behave in such a way with my daughter.."geet retorted.
"I can't love my daughter the way a father does,geet.."Maan said in a defeating tone as he knelt down near geet's feet.
"Why maan???why???What happened with pari was an accident..it did not happen because you love her..It was destiny's game.."Geet tried to make him understand after kneeling down beside him on the floor.
"and what about my father and mother geet???Was that too a destiny's game??I yearned for my father's one touch since the day i came to know about the meaning of word "father"..and the day i got his touch...the day i got his little love..the moment i told him that i love him,he was gone far away..I have seen my father dying infront my eyes just a moment after i confessed my love to him..and my mother,geet...Half of my childhood along with my youth had burned in "hatred for my mother" because she hated my father..because she had divorced him..but it was not her fault geet..it was not her fault..."He looked towards her crying bitterly..Geet cupped his face as she spoke.."and it was not your fault either..."
"No geet..It was my fault..Without letting her tell me about the hardships she faced in her married life as well raising me,I kept on hating her..I did not give her chance to clear anything and the day she told me everything..the very moment i tried to tell her that i love her,i was informed that my mother is diagnosed with "pancreatic cancer"..I saw her dying every minute in the next six months..I am bound to loose my loved ones geet.."Maan spoke further in an anxious voice as he cupped geet's face.."You and putul are too precious to me,I can't afford to loose both of you..It does not matter if i have to bear this pain of staying away from both you for this..I can't be so selfish..I can't..!!!"
"Maan.."Geet said bringing her hand towards his cheek but their moment was broken with the loud ringing of maan's cell phone. Maan immediately stood up from the floor as he realized that he had blurted "that" what he should not..He had confessed his love for geet. He closed his eyes in sheer frustration as he picked the call and started yelling.."I have specifically instructed you to cancel all my meetings for next five days..."
Geet kept looking at him while sitting on the floor as many emotions overwhelmed her entire existence.She had no idea when putul entered in the room.She realized her presence only when she heard her screaming in her babyish language. Her pink colored cell phone was glued to her ear and she was screaming on it in an attempt to copy her father.Maan was also yelling at his poor secretary on the cell phone.Putul's babyish screams made him look towards her.He could not resist a smile seeing his daughter mimic him..
"Go and play with your mumma.."he said before leaving the room.
Geet came near putul and hugged her tight in happiness as she told her.."Your dadda loves you very much..and he loves me too...!!!"
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