The Seven Year 'Hitch' [2] - Chp 11/ Pg 53 - Page 2

congrats on new thread 😛

🥳

Originally posted by: dqno1

Thap thap thap

For a sweet update 😊

tomorrow for sure... 😊

sweet ka pataa nahi... but a long one

Replied here! 😊

Originally posted by: sweetkj

🥳

congratulations onir.!!

yay.!!

second thread.. and many more to come.

Sweety 🤗

congratulations di for the new thread.

Originally posted by: maanugeetu

congratulations di for the new thread.

all the updates are awesome, amazing.👏

sometimes people really take their partners for granted, its not that they do it intentionally but it just happens. maan ne bina jane bina soche kuch jyade hi keh diya. he has to work really hard to woo her now.

feeling really bad for geet. u have beautifully expressed their emotions, dejection, anticipation, sadness, excitement and love.

Thank you so much... glad your liking it... 😳

Yes indeed! He will have to work hard to win her heart again... 😊

Chapter 8

I tried yet it didn't yield fruitful results. But I can't let this happen. I will question her now or else this will eat me within & more so affect our relation & more than anyone I can see her getting affected here. This is just not her. As I see her near the entrance I get up with a determined mind to follow her, go in and get answers to all that's troubling her and hurting our relation.

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Walking towards the entrance I'm at a loss, not understanding what is all this. What has happened to her, why is she behaving so indifferent? This isn't my Mishty. If she was, she would never have responded so coldly, with just such a formal acknowledgement as though I'm some outsider. She is the one who has always cocooned all my insecurities within her, even before I voice out anything she understands. Then how can she disregard my efforts. She too knows how difficult it must have been for me to plan something like this. I know I hurt her but then this isn't the way to react when someone is apologising to you that too so sincerely.

I need answers to my questions. Questions that have been jumping in & out of my consciousness since last night. I have given her enough space & alone time to nurse herself as her wish & then openly confide in me, but I guess now I can't wait more. I need to confront her & get to the root of this matter. As much as I know her she isn't the one to keep brooding over a forgotten anniversary & keep moping around. There's much more to it. The restlessness that I had pushed behind after having a talk with Adi has come back ten folds. Though somewhere I'm dreading to know the reason for this cold behaviour, I even want to know why all of a sudden this change.

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Searching the whole living room I can't seem to find her. Now where has she gone? I guess she has gone upstairs in our bedroom. I move towards the stairs. As I'm about to ascend I hear sounds from the kitchen. Is Geet in there? What is she doing there?

Nearing the kitchen I see her sipping a glass of water. I can see her face in profile as she stands near the sink. I find her stiffening with realisation of my presence behind her. If she can be so tuned to my presence then how can she disregard my efforts? She moves away placing the glass on the kitchen slab and is about to exit. I call out to her before she can move further away. She stops but doesn't turn to face me. I don't know how long I can keep a hold on my rising anger & impatience. How do I start asking her, that too now when my temper is on the verge of erupting. I don't want to ruin it all like yesterday, I need to calm down. Before I can utter a word she has already moved out. No not this time, I will make sure to discuss this with her.

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She is about to take the stairs, rushing towards her I halt her movements by firmly holding her wrist. "Geet you can't ignore me I'm trying to talk to you, why are you running?" She turns towards me & stares at me for few moments. Her expressions are the same unreadable as they are since morning. But her eyes now hold a sea of emotions, they are calling out to me but I just can't seem to penetrate through the barrier somehow restricting me. Mishty please talk to me, I want to know what's troubling you. Please don't do this to me; I can't bear this distancing anymore. Speak to me for god's sake. I want to tell all of this & more, but then gazing at her pain filled hazels I'm so dumbfounded, so choked for words.

Suddenly I feel a loss of warmth. I feel her hand slipping from mine. "Tell me Maan." She appears to be all calm & stern, devoid of any emotions. Her eyes blank, cold and concealing everything. Taking few steps backwards, her stance appears to be rigid, her posture stiff with her arms crossed signalling something very decisive. Why do I feel I'm under a scanner? That each of my gesture, word & action is going to hold me to task, even though I haven't uttered a word yet. "Go on. What did you want to talk, I'm waiting." Okay if she wants it so & making it so difficult for us both then so be it.

As I step towards her, she holds out her hand in air causing me to halt in my steps. "Maan you can speak from there itself as I'm not running away, not from you, not from anything at all." I take a deep breath to swallow the anger that is increasing within me. Okay so here it is your way Geet, "Geet what is all this. All this distancing, appearing as if everything is fine. Normal! When it isn't so, not in the least bit. I can't understand." "What are you talking about Maan? What distancing?" I seem to be losing out on my patience. "Geet don't act as if you're not getting what I'm talking about. You very well know what I'm hinting at… you're..." "Maan I don't need to act. This is what you wanted so I'm behaving as you wished so that you will be happy. What's wrong in doing that?" Now when did I wish her to be so? "Geet stop talking in riddles. When did I want anything of this sort?"

She seems to be silent again. "Okay if you want it so then I will come directly to the point. What was all that during dinner? No reaction at all on seeing the surprise, the flowers, the ring. Such a cold hearted behaviour. Why? Later you just walk off with a formal acknowledgement." With each sentence I realise my volume is increasing with my body trying hard to hold in the anger from all the hurt & disappointment. She just averts her gaze turning sideways. No she can't keep avoiding me. I won't allow it. Approaching her I grab her shoulders with both my hands & pull her closer to me. With my right hand I raise her face to look at me. She gazes at me with an unexplained stare as if questioning my hold & act. I'm undeterred; I can't let this happen between us. This all feels so scary. Few moments pass by with both of us just staring at each other, our eyes trying to do the talking. But she seems to be shut, completely cut off from me, all concealing. Only thing I can read is questions which I can't understand. Geet why are you doing this to me? What is it? I just can't understand.

Her gaze is penetrating my soul, I just avert my eyes, and I can't get myself to give her that eye contact. With that my hold loosens. All of a sudden I hear a dry laugh from her. I look at her. Yes she's laughing but that's so mocking. "You want answers right. I will give you answers. But first answer my one question. If you do then I will answer all your questions. Each and every question said & unsaid ones. Is it okay?" She waits for me to respond but then I'm so shocked with these changing emotions that she's depicting. All this will surely give me a whiplash injury. But then if answering her question solves the issue then I'm all willing. "Geet you don't need to be so formal with me I'm your husband, you can ask me anything & I will surely answer that." She just shakes her head and smiles, a dead smile. "Maan so you think that you need to answer my questions only as the duty of the husband should be?" What! Now what is this assumption? "Let it be. You don't need to answer that. This isn't important for now. So Maan let's get down to my question. Why is it that you're so angry now or better framed why are you feeling so hurt & disappointed by me not reacting the way you expected for all the surprise you planned?"

"Geet who won't be disappointed with the way you reacted. You very well know I'm not a person who can plan surprises. Yet I did it for you, to make you feel special. I ..." "Why Maan, why did you plan all this?" "I … I did it because…. Because I …" "Go on Maan I'm waiting … you did it because."

"Because I wanted to apologise to you for the forgotten anniversary. Also to show you that I'm very sorry for all the hurting words I spoke to you last night in my anger & impulsiveness. Believe me I didn't want to hurt you. All those words mean nothing." I look at her trying to make her believe that I'm truly sorry and regretting it all. "Is that all Maan or is there more to it?" She appears to be so indifferent as if my words haven't reached her, they mean nothing to her. Going near I pull her closer, "Geet why are you doing this, why so indifferent? What do you want to hear from me? I can't see you behaving so. From last night you've been so detached from me. And since morning you're behaving as if everything is fine between us. Like nothing happened. Making everything appear so normal, like everyday routine. Yet nothing seems to be normal. All of this is eating me up. I just can't understand the reason behind all this coldness. I know I ruined all the efforts you took to make it special for us, so I thought of this surprise dinner & gifts so as to apologise as well as uplift your mood. I'm very sorry Geet. Please forgive me. Get angry on me, vent it out but don't be so silent & pretend as if all is fine." There I said it all, all that was forming a noose around me. I lean my forehead on hers. And just stand there still absorbing this moment with my Mishty.

I feel her raising her hands towards me and she touches my shoulders. Mishty I guess has finally forgiven me. I know now she will embrace me in her warmth comforting me. But my relief is short-lived, as she moves away holding my shoulders and steps back creating some distance between us. "Maan you've answered my question, so as promised I will answer all your questions." Here she goes again. But then I want her to express herself. I just brace myself for her anger.

"Maan you're disappointed with me not appreciating or acknowledging the efforts you took today. But then what about the efforts I took yesterday for us. How ruthlessly you ruined it all. Do you realise how hurt I felt?" "So you mean to say that all this indifference is tit for tat." "No Maan this isn't tit for tat. There never can be so in between husband & wife. We are supposed to be life partners, one in mind, body & soul. Hurting you is as good as hurting myself. This is what marriage vows mean but then for us…" "Geet if it's so then why this behaviour?" Please tell me. "Don't you get it Maan?" "No I don't get it." I yell at her. "Don't yell Maan I too can yell but then that's not a solution, right?" I calm myself down. "Okay I won't get angry. You tell me all that's bothering you. I can't bear this distancing anymore. Please tell me."

I see her closing her eyes and her shoulders drooping. Few moments later she opens them but her hazels are full of emotions. "Maan you know what is the problem. It's…. It's you Maan." What me! What does she mean? "Yes Maan I find the problem to be you. As I said marriage isn't a bond where you blame each other or hurt the other cause doing so you hurt self the most. There's this oneness in this bond that can't be defied. But then Maan I don't seem to find it between us now."

"Geet do you even know what you're speaking now, how can you even…" This isn't making any sense. She cuts me mid sentence, "Please don't jump to conclusions Maan, and first hear me out completely. I know you're not finding any sense to it all. But then this is what is troubling me since long. Yes it isn't something I have concluded just at the spur of the moment or due to anger but something that has been pricking me since some time now. How do I feel one with you when I can't relate to the person you are Maan. It feels I'm staying with a complete stranger now. I just can't seem to understand you. You aren't my Maan but some MSK. One who is into his work so much so that he doesn't realise he has a family. No I'm not complaining about your work. Don't get me wrong. You seem to forget all of us, not even remembering that kids weren't here but had left to Dad's place. Leave that incident. What about the anniversary you forgot, I'm not angry on you forgetting it as I had expected that with you being so stressed but then I was hurt & disappointed. Forget about me feeling all this, what about you Maan even you feel I'm a stranger to you. Am I right? No. Don't deny it. The way you reacted yesterday showed it. You were so angry just assuming that I read the documents which I didn't in reality. Maan we're one right? Then what would happen if I read it. Even not that then, you accused me of it even after knowing me since years. It all shows you don't understand the person I am. We'd started out as a couple and been changed to parents but today after seven years I feel as if we have become strangers again. Only habit seems to be keeping us together."

I'm stunned with all this revelation. Is this what she was suppressing within her? There's this silence between us that is haunting. We are standing at a distance yet it seems to be very huge that can't be covered. She comes closer to me yet maintaining some distance but I'm not in a state to respond to anything. "Maan you know telling you all of this also sounds weird to me because we never needed words between us to understand each other. But today even words seem to be less to understand each other. You were affected with this normalcy that you noticed in the morning but then that is what I have been living with since long. Our lives are running on routine. So much so that something off it tumbles down everything like last night. That's why I felt I should behave as routine expects of me so that at least you can be happy. But even that seems to be pricking." I can see her eyes brimming with tears but they don't spill out. "Geet if this is what I made you feel then we can work it…" She just shrugs and gives out a dejected sigh. "No Maan it's very difficult now. I have tried a lot. I know you haven't noticed it all, that itself shows my failure. Yesterday's surprise dinner with the planned privacy was my last attempt to it all. Even the night wish that I wanted to start our day of togetherness in your arms was another desperate attempt from my side." Can I feel more burdened than I am at present? Why does the intensity of hurt increase with each sentence she speaks. "I didn't want to bring any third person into our problems so had planned to explain all of this to you yesterday while giving you those gifts. Yes I know you saw the gifts I brought for you yesterday. I had envisioned giving them to you very differently by putting forward & discussing all my insecurities & doubts face-face. But that didn't happen. I gave those gifts to you as I wish to have my Maan and not MSK. The Maan I fell in love with & today even after seven years of marriage can't seem to stop loving him, on the contrary I'm only falling even more in love with him. I love him with all the memories & thoughts of him but can't find him in you, the man standing in front of me. I don't even know today that can I expect my Maan to be with me. I am doubtful that did I have the right to even gift you those gifts expecting things from you, one who feels that my tears are to make him feel guilty."

She remains quite for some time. But why do I feel there's still more left that this silence is not the end. Did I really hurt her so much? I made her feel so. "Maan I know that you planned a lot for us but I didn't feel any of it. You know why, because I don't find my lovers touch in any of the arrangements." I just stare at her, the same way as I'm since the time she has started pouring out her pain. "You must be thinking why I'm saying so. My Maan would never gift me a bouquet of mix flowers but my favourite ones, even if not the ones I love but then at least they wouldn't be ordered but handpicked without the tag that states to Khurana residence. Maan would never gift me a diamond because he doesn't like jewellery shopping and even if he would gift me then he would gift me something of my liking and not influenced by others. He wouldn't gift me things with a price tag but gifts with love backing them. All those gifts were beautiful & very thoughtful and I'm in no way disregarding them or making them lowly. But then these would be gifts from MSK & not Maan."

"I guess this explains it all. I don't blame you alone for all of this Maan. I'm equally to be blamed for it. I let my Maan drift away from me. I should have told you all that was troubling me but then I just couldn't. I too made it a point that everything runs according to routine, I too let things to take their own course. We both are equally at fault for where we are standing today. Maan today we are so close yet so far. Far away that we are hurting each other to subside the pain within us which is only increasing it more." Is it so, I just don't know I am so lost. Too stunned to understand anything or even to react. "Geet as you are the one who has been feeling so then and also as I don't know what I'm to respond please tell me where do we head from here? Nothing seems to be making sense to me"

"I know Maan I too was at this place. I don't want to say so but I feel we're heading to the 'Seven year itch'. Yes I know you can't seem to relate to it. Please don't think I'm talking about any infidelity or otherwise."

I'm livid with this term that she has used. How could she. I step closer to her, "Geet what nonsense are you speaking. Do even know what you're trying to say. What has gotten into you?" I shake her to bring her out of this thought. "Maan I very well know what I'm saying. We're so used to everything in our lives & you especially love your schedules so much so that everything else is taken for granted. I understand that we can take each other for granted but not so much that we break apart. Today we are not speaking in terms of 'us' but we are centered around 'me' 'I'. So it's better we accept this fact & live with it." What is she speaking? Where is all this leading? No, I guess she's reacting so due to anger, "You're angry I understand but then this is no way to rationalise & generalise Geet. How can you disregard our bond? You are speaking of wedding vows then what does all this mean" I'm by now shaking her hard to get answers I see her struggling to get off my hold but then I'm far angered with all this conclusion of hers. "Stop it Maan" she yells and gets out from my hold. She is all angered & speaks with raised voice, "Which vows are you speaking of Maan? I guess you're forgetting again, that you never believed in vows but you believed only in our love being able to sustain us together but today I don't' find my love, my Maan in you…. tell me what should I make it to be then. You alone guide me in this because I can't seem to find a way out of it. I too want to break these doubts in me but its clutches are too strong….. Too strong for me…." My hold loosens & realisation sinks in deeper. She just thumps down on the floor.

Few moments pass by but it seems to be ages since we're fixed to our positions. It seems as if a storm has passed us leaving behind just bits & pieces left to be collected. But then the question is can we build ourselves and our relation back from the scattered remains & add strong pillars & stronger foundation so that no storm can ever have the power to cause destruction within us however destructive it may seem to the external world.

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Chapter:7

This chapter, like I've said earlier, was like a pause. Even though there were activities going on, the basic feeling of restlessness in Maan and hollowness in Geet overshadowed it all.

In the start, the excitement Maan feels reached out to me and I did have a little bit of hope that things ae at least going to begin improving between them with Maan's surprise. I could feel the impatient wait and I could feel the disappointment on not getting much of a reaction from Geet.

In retrospect, the dinner date went great. They had a nice, quiet time, he gave her flowers, gifted her a ring, talked to her a little but a little closer look makes it seem like the opposite of great.

It won't be exaggeration if I say I was very surprised with Geet's cold response. It's not cold as such but it's detached. From Maan's thoughts and his views about Geet, we have only found her to be a lively person, bubbling with excitement, with a caring nature and who loves to surprise and be surprised. So yes, the detached, aloof Geet, who didn't appreciate the efforts that her very introvert husband took to rectify his mistake was certainly surprising.

But if we really think about the Geet we know from Maan's thoughts and the difference between the one we have been witnessing from the beginning, I can say that she isn't someone who'll prefer materialistic things over familial love. She would be happier with Maan's care and attention towards her rather than a very expensive diamond ring...

Chapter:8

So it's all out in the open now.

You've introduced me to a new phrase here. 'Seven year itch'. I wasn't aware that such a phrase existed for people who feel detached from their marriage after seven years. I'm curious though. Why seven years? Anyone can feel indifferent at any stage of marriage then why is there a special mention to the seventh year of marriage?

All of what was bottled up within Geet, the feelings she has been experiencing, trying to suppress and cover, it has all burst out like an eruption. It was meant to be because there is a limit to the amount of pain one can hold within oneself.

When it comes to relationships, I'm probably not even an amateur to comment on what should be done and what shouldn't. But I am aware that after a certain time, we tend to take people for granted, we let them take us for granted and we don't realise when we fall into a routine which only becomes a habit. The moment we introspect, we realise how much of a change has happened without us taking notice. That has happened with the two of them. They let themselves be driven by routines rather than enjoying every single day of togetherness. They let it all go the way it was going so everything stays just the same and goes without a hitch, day after sluggish day. And that's where the biggest fault lies. At this point, my mind immediately recalled what Geet's father had written in his note, about constant building of a relationship.

All said and done between the two, I am glad that it's all out and Maan knows what exactly Geet feels about their relationship and where they stand at the moment. She has made him see that he has changed and that will urge him into action to really rectify all that has gone wrong.

One thing that this chapter made me realise was how much I love the title of the story. It's The Seven Year Hitch and not Itch, so I am very content with it, knowing that this whole falling apart between Maan and Geet is a storm which they shall pass. Together. 😊

Thanks for writing this story Onir! I'm yet to learn a lot from you and from the writers around me about what brilliant writing is! And I'm really sorry for being so unpunctual in commenting. But just know that I love the story and sooner or later, I'll come around. 🤗