RiKara TS: Yet Another Chance [Last Part - page 5: 01/03/2018] - Page 3

Omkara felt numb. It's been hours since Gauri left but he was sitting in the very place lost in his own thoughts. Where had he gone wrong? What has happened to him? Was he too occupied with other responsibilities that he totally took his wife for granted? Was he too blind to realise that he had been inconsiderate of her feelings? Wasnt he the one who went on his knees and confessed her his love? Promised her a life together? Was he ever a good husband? He thought of all the incidents and of the tantrums she had to endure after coming back from Bareilly. Did he get yet another chance? Can he afford to make another mistake at this point? Definitely not. Not this time. Every time, it was her who put efforts to make their marriage work. It was high time he mends his relationship with his wife.

He returned to his room at around 4 in the morning only to find her sleeping. He went near her and placed a loving kiss on her forehead whispering an anniversary wish. A lone tear trickled down his cheek while looking at her innocent face. What had he put her through? He thought while wiping his tear.

Gauri woke up at around seven in the morning. She looked around for her husband but ended up getting disappointed like always. Wasn't this common? Wasn't it the case with every single day? Then why did she feel bad today? Maybe because it was their wedding anniversary? She then came out of her thoughts and went to get ready for the day.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if the family members knew about it. She didn't know what was expected of her. And she didn't know how to face her husband after the last night confrontation. She never wanted to burst out on him but then in the moment of weakness, she ended up speaking her heart out to the only person she loved dearly, her husband. With all these things running through her head, she got dressed and was frantically searching for something.

"Kuch doond rahi ho? She heard her husband ask

"Omkara ji..Aap? She turned towards him surprised. "Haan..Mein..Woh.. she fumbled with words and that was when she saw him taking out sindoor box from his fist.

He then took a pinch of it and filled her maang and she felt a sense of belongingness wash over her.

"Happy wedding anniversary Gauri he said with a smile while she smiled teary eyed.

He then took her hands in his and made her sit on the bed while he sat on his knees in front of her.

"Gauri! Aaj tak jo bhi hua tere saath, uske liye agar mei maafi maangu, toh bhi kam pad jayega. I am really really sorry Gauri. I failed as a husband He said while she kept her hand on his mouth nodding her head in a no.

"No Gauri! That is the truth. Let me talk today. From the time we came back from Bareilly, I have done nothing, nothing worthy of calling me a good husband. Gauri, I claim myself to be a truthful and honest person right? I was wrong. I was wrong all the while. When I couldn't stand by my own words, how can I call myself truthful?

Tears trickled down both their eyes.

"Gauri, you know how ironic this is! The man who preaches his brothers and everyone out there to treat women with high regard and respect is the same man who doesn't even know how to treat his wife properly. He sniffed.

"I have always taken you for granted Gauri. Meine pyaar toh kiya hai Gauri. Par nibha nahi paya he said. "Nibha nahi paya.. he whispered looking at her hands.

"Shayad iss duniya mein mei ek hi insaan hoon jo meri biwi, meri pyaar ke shraadh hote hue dekh kar bhi chup raha aur usi ghar mei waapis aaya(May be I am the only man in this world who stayed silent even after watching my wife's, my love's funeral rites happening right in front of me and I came back to the samee place again) he cried with his head in her hands while she sat there with tears rolling down her eyes unable to see him in that state.

"Gauri...Gauri, I did not even ask you once. Not even once of how you felt. Every single time I took you for granted. And for hiding things from you, for making you go through the turmoil, for making you worried, for your every single tear I am so sorry Gauri. I am sorry. I will never justify my actions because there's no justification at all. The fact is I did not even think of you Gauri. I never thought of what you would be facing back home every time I left the house. I was too blinded by all the problems to even think about telling them to you. To think about what would you have had been feeling all this while.

"Haan..." he choked "Haan it's true that we never spent time knowing each other. But even after what you have been through, how can you be so forgiving Gauri? How can you forget everything and decide to give me another chance? He spoke his heart.

Gauri by then composed herself.

"This is the beauty of marriage Omkaraji. We will have times where we feel dejected, we feel sad, we feel frustrated, we show anger and we even pull our hair. But for one minute, if we sit and think about the problem or the situation, we will be able to avoid taking decisions in haste. She said while he looked at her like a lost kid.

"And it applies to all the relations Omkaraji. Maa, Papa, Bhai koi bhi ho. And when it comes to us, we have come a long way and we still have a long way to go. So I thought of being selfish for once and taking the last chance. Because at the end of the day, all that matters is if we are happy or not. She smiled teary eyed.

"And it is true that I felt bad. I felt very bad. But it is also true that I am happy because you decided to be honest with me. Now I don't feel bad anymore she smiled again wiping her tears.

Om looked at his wife admiringly thinking how he got so fortunate.

"Gauri. Today is our anniversary. And I have only one thing to give you. A life together. A life away from this place. We have a long way to go Gauri. I want to live every minute with you. I want us to have a journey of our own. I want us to discover ourselves. I want to give you a life you deserve. And I want us to be happy He paused for a while "Gauri, will you please come with me?

"But the family? Nahi Omkaraji...Sab ko bura lagega. And this is not right either. And where will we go?

"Woh sab mujh pe chod dho. I will take care of everything. And there's nothing wrong in deciding what we want in life Gauri. And if it really bothers you, we will come back later on. How and where you would eventually know. Will you come with me Gauri? he asked again hoping for her to agree.

His happiness knew no bounds when he saw her nodding her head.

He stood up and pulled her up into a tight hug.

"Thank you he mumbled. "Thank you.. he whispered while placing a kiss on her forehead. A lone tear trickled. But this time out of happiness.

He felt as if he got his life back. He would be a fool if he lets go of this chance. The whole night he was awake thinking about the possibilities and after a long conflict with himself, he took a decision to move out. He knew it would break his family. He knew it would break his brothers. He knew he would have to face a lot of questions. But he wanted to be selfish. He chose to be selfish. He knew he loved his wife more than anyone. He thanked his wife's shankar ji for he came into the senses at the right time. He shuddered at the thought of losing her. And this time, he would never repeat the mistake.

He knew he wasn't perfect. But he knew he would be alright with his wife beside him. It was now his turn to mend the relationship for he got a chance. Yet another chance. And probably the last one.

________________

Please do leave your feedback 😊