chapter 14
"Ma…Ma…Ma where are you?" Shreya demanded as she wandered from room to room looking for her mother. As luck would have it instead of her mother she bumped into Garv and Rishi.
Garv smiled brightly at her and asked, "Hey Shreya what's up? Where have you been? I haven't seen you in college for the past few days. Lali was getting really worried." Shreya blushed under Garv's grinning gaze and looked away. Her reaction to Garv had Rishi raising a quizzical brow at her but he kept silent, thank god thought Shreya.
"Oh yah I actually got caught up with a few things so I was busy doing that. I'll talk to Lali as soon as I can. By the way have you guys seen my mother?
Garv shook his head and said, "No but I think she might be in the garden chatting it up with my mother. I'll go get her for you." Garv ran out leaving behind an awkward Shreya and a curious Rishi.
"So you like him huh?" asked a teasing Rishi.
"None of your business."
"Ah but it is. This is interesting. Who would have thought Ms. Hoity Toity Shreya Sarkar actually had a heart that pines for someone else." Rishi continued teasing her when his glance fell on a relatively large envelope in her hands. Before Shreya knew what was happening, Rishi quickly grabbed the envelope out of her hands and slyly commented, "What is this, a love letter for Garv?"
Shreya ran after Rishi and demanded, "Rishi give that back to me! Rishi give it back now! You have no right looking through my things. Give it back!" Rishi just laughed at her and raising the envelope above his head and out of her reach, he quickly looked through its contents.
"I see that I was wrong. Its not love letters but pictures of yourself for him…" Rishi laughed and continued his search, "These are very nice pictures, I am sure Garv will enjoy them. Oh and what is this? Ah finally a love letter!" Rishi began reading the contents of the piece of paper out loud much to Shreya's annoyance.
"Dear Ms. Sarkar…"Rishi frowned and continued, "We just recently received your portfolio and were extremely impressed with it. We believe that you have the ideal face and statistics for our agency and we would love to work with you and build your career as a model. We have complete faith that you have what it takes to become a super model. We have sent you a check, which should cover your travel and moving expenses. We are impatiently awaiting your arrival and cannot wait to sign you on." Rishi turned to Shreya with a stunned look. Shreya stood there quietly, shifting from foot to foot under Rishi's inquiring gaze. Finally she asked, "What? Why are you looking at me like that? You all have always known that this is my dream."
"And what about Mayama and all the dreams that she has seen for you? You know why she doesn't want you to do this. All this modeling, glamour and fame will destroy who you are. Girls like you cannot handle it and you will be destroyed." Rishi replied
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I am glad you don't work the agency. The agency has faith in me. What's wrong with me? Why wouldn't I make a good model? I am beautiful and young and ambitious…"
"And you are innocent and nave and sheltered." Rishi finished for her.
"Your mother was a model and a successful one. If she can do it so can I" declared an angry Shreya
"Shreya…" Rishi continued calmly, "Look at my mother. Look what this so called glamour and fame has got her so far. She has a washed out career and a family that dislikes her. She is a bitter woman Shreya, something that none of us want you to become." He stepped closer to her and reaching out, he laid a gentle hand against her cheek, "You are very beautiful Shreya but your beauty lies in your innocence, something that people are always going to try take advantage of. Shreya don't let petty jealousies drive you to make the biggest mistake of your life."
Shreya frowned and asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"
Rishi smiled and said, "I know how much you like Garv and I also know that Garv and Lali have always been made for each other. But Shreya, you are young and beautiful, you will find someone much better than Garv I am sure. Don't let that drive you to make such a huge mistake."
Shreya stepped away from him and said, "If you think that's why I am doing what I am doing then you never knew me at all. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go pack."
Rishi reached out a hand to try and stop her but Shreya stepped around it and ran away toward the little cottage that she shared with her mother and now her sister. Rishi stared after the young girl for a long time and in the distance he could his brother strumming away at his guitar and singing softly:
Sheeshe Se bani ek ladki
Pathar ke nagar main aayi
Who dhund rahi thi moti
Aur pather se takrayi
Sheeshe se bani yeh ladki
Is baat se hai anjaani
Jab reth chamkti hai to
Lagti hai door se pani
Yeh phool hai sab kaagaz ke
Lekin who samajh na paayi
Sheeshe se bani ladki se
Keh do e naa baad mein rona
Kuch log hai jo petal ke
Kehte hai who khud ko sona
Yeh jhoot ka pul tootega
Aur gehri hai gham ki khaayi
Sheeshe Se bani ek ladki
Pathar ke nagar main aayi
Who dhund rahi thi moti
Aur pather se takrayi
(Film: Dastak)
"Wow that was lovely. Who inspired it?" Mehar asked her husband curiously.
"Who other than you would inspire my music Mehar?" Shiv asked in an amused tone.
"Gauri…" Mehar quietly replied.
"What?" Shiv asked a bit taken aback, "why would you say that?"
"Relax; what I meant was that you two have always been the musical geniuses in the family so I figured you inspire each other's music."
Shiv let out a sigh of relief and put his guitar away. He pulled his wife onto his lap and toying with her soft hair he replied, "It's true that Gauri and I grew up sharing a common passion for music. But things have changed and we have grown apart and so has our music." He turned Mehar's face gently towards him and said, "Today my music has matured and the music I make today is inspired only by the woman I love."
Mehar smiled at his beautiful words and allowed him to pull her into a loving, passionate hug. Tears gathered in her eyes as the true meaning of his words registered in her shattered heart. The woman he loved, he had just said, she only wished he had truly meant her.
*FLASHBACK*
"What are you thinking about Radhika?" Radhika snuggled deeper into her husband's arms and said, "I am thinking Kavi did we do the right thing?"
Kavi pulled away from his wife and turning her around to look into her eyes he asked, "Right thing about what?"
"About our daughter, do you think we were selfish?"
Kavi looked away and wistfully he replied, "I don't know Radhika. The same thoughts and the guilt nag at me all the time. But what else could we have done? I am grateful for their sacrifice and I promise you that once…" he broke of, tears gathering in his eyes, "I promise that their sacrifice will not go to waste. God is always watching Radhika and he will find a way to reward them for their deeds." With those words Kavi once again pulled his wife into his arms and both of them prayed silently for their loved ones' happiness.
"Mama…Papa…whose sacrifice are you talking about? Who sacrificed what for me?" Mehar asked interrupting the private moment that Radhika and Kavi had just been sharing.
"Mehar beta why are you awake so late? Are you feeling okay? Where is Shiv?" Radhika asked rushing over to her distraught daughter.
Mehar stepped back and repeated her question, "Don't change the topic Mama, I want answers. Who sacrificed what for me?"
Radhika looked helplessly at her husband and quietly lied, "I don't know what you are talking about beta."
Mehar scoffed at her mother's blatant lie and said, "Mama…please I am sick not stupid. The disease is in my heart and not my brain. Please just tell me what is going on, why were you both selfish?" Radhika began sobbing and Mehar turned to her father with tears in her eyes and begged, "Baba please…please I need to know."
Kavi wiped away his won tears and gently taking his daughter in his arms he said, "Mehar we are so sorry. You have no idea how sorry we are but we did not know what else today." He pushed her away and looking into her eyes he continued, "All we wanted was for you to be happy."
Suddenly realization seeped into Mehar's grief stricken conscience, "That's why she left so abruptly without a proper goodbye." Mehar turned to her mother and demanded, "Did you make her leave? What did you do? How could you Mama, she called you her Choti ma. Oh my God! I always felt that there was something…oh my God! How am I ever going to live with myself?" Mehar fell on the floor sobbing.
Radhika rushed to her daughter and tried to hug her, to ease her pain but Mehar pushed her away, "I can never forgive you. In your selfishness you destroyed three lives."
Radhika sobbed harder and said, "We did this for you Mehar. You are everything to us and we could not bear to see unhappy."
"But I am Mama. I married a man who is in love with someone else. I ruined my best friend's life and punished her with so many years of pain and misery. Till this moment I was looking forward to living. I believed that I married a man who loved me so much and who I loved in return. My best friend had finally come back after so many years. I was angry at God for giving me the disease and making me leave all this behind." She looked at her parents, her eyes endless pools of sorrow and said bitterly, "But now I cannot wait till the day I breathe my last. At least that way I can correct the mistake my parents made. At least in my death I can give my two favorite people, the joy they deserve." With those words a broken Mehar got up and walked out the door, leaving behind her sobbing parents.
"What have we done Kavi? What have we done?" sobbed Radhika.
*FLASHBACK*
"Hey there…how was your trip?" teased Shiv
Mehar frowned and asked, "What trip?"
Shiv chuckled and tickling her he replied, "The one you just took to your dreamland so far away from me."
Mehar smiled and slapping him lightly on the arm she replied, "Very funny Mr. Clown Singhania…" Suddenly Gauri's lone figure at the window caught Mehar's eye and she continued, "Shiv…will you do me a favor please?
Shiv smiled and said huskily, "Your wish is my command."
Mehar chuckled and said, "My dear Mr. Romeo can you take Gauri to the music shop today? I had promised her I would but I just realized that I have a doctor's appointment today so I am not going to be able to."
Shiv frowned and asked, "What doctor's appointment? Mehar is everything okay? I am going with you; I can ask Chachu to take Gauri."
Mehar gently caressed her husband's face and pushing him toward the door she said, "You worry too much. I am fine; it's just a routine check up. Go, hurry, destiny awaits you!" With those words Mehar closed the door on a confused Shiv.
