CHAPTER 3
Perna thought it was best if she did not tell anyone about Vicky and Mukti's conversation until she found out the truth. She called Vicky's office and found out Mukti's address. She reached Mukti's apartment just in time before Mukti left for work. Mukti invited Perna inside and made her some tea.
Perna: Can I ask you something, Mukti?
Mukti: Sure Chotima.
Perna: Now that everything is back to normal, why don't you live with us?
Mukti: Chotima, in all honesty, I don't think I am ready to face the truth at that house. Besides, this is the first time I bought a house on my own and I would like to stay here.
Perna: If that's what you wish…so what happened with in the past two years?
Mukti hesitated before she gave an answer, which assured Perna that she was hiding something.
Mukti: Um…not much…dad and I moved to Pune where I found a job at Vicky's company.
Perna: Vicky is a nice guy.
Mukti: He is…he's a really good friend of mine.
Perna: Anyways, I'll take a leave…you must be getting late also.
Perna headed straight for Anurag's office. Luckily, Anurag and Sam were there all day. Perna told them about her suspicions about Mukti having some secret that may be related to Prem. The three of them decided to come up with a plan that may be able to get Mukti to speak up.
In the meantime, Prem was having a meeting with an associate at a restaurant. When his client left, Prem spotted Vicky sitting at a table alone. He blatantly sat at that table.
Prem: Hello Mr. Vicky…you may not know me..my name is…
Vicky: Prem Perna Sharma
Prem: How did you?
Vicky: Mukti told me
Prem: Oh…I see you have gotten really close in the past two years.
Vicky: Are you feeling jealous?
Prem: Jealous…who me? Oh no, I never had feelings for Miss Basanti. We just had a one-night stand.
Vicky: She was right about you…you don't appreciate anyone's love…if you did, you would have regretted letting her go.
Prem: You know what? You two are perfect for each other…both of you love the whole emotional talk about relations and love.
Vicky: I don't know about that…but I do know that you don't deserve her at all.
Vicky stood up and poised to leave.
Vicky: Prem, you may think that you are a rich man that has everything. But from where I see things you are the poorest man who has no idea what he has lost.
Vicky left a confused Prem at the table. "What was he talking about," Prem wondered, "what is that I lost?"
CHAPTER 4
That night, Perna gathered everyone before dinner.
Perna: Anurag has invited all of us to come with Basu family to Pune. They are celebrating K Channel's anniversary there.
Kuki: Oh wow! A vacation. We should all go.
Mr. Bajaj: She's right…I also think we should Mukti and Vicky.
Perna: Sam is going to invite them.
After much insistence, Mukti and Vicky agreed to go with the family to Pune. Anurag rented a bus for the whole family to travel on. The elders sat on the front, where they discussed business and other families. Prem, reserved the whole back seat where he laid down with a hat over his face. However, he would once in a while he would gently lift his hat and take a peak at Mukti and Vicky who were chatting nonstop. Every time Prem saw them, he would give a look of scorn. The whole family reached Pune late at night. The whole hotel was quiet and everyone had retired to their rooms and fell asleep except for one person—Mukti. She sat in her room looking through the window. She tried hard to fall asleep but nothing worked. Eventually, she decided to walk around the gazebo. Both Prem and Vicky saw her walking towards the white, circular gazebo in the garden. Vicky knew what must have been bothering Mukti, so he went downstairs to comfort her. Prem followed her, thinking he could give her a hard time. However, Vicky reached there before him, spoiling Prem's plan to annoy Mukti. Prem then decided to eavesdrop since he had nothing better to do.
Vicky: I see you're awake.
Mukti hadn't realized when Vicky arrived, so she turned around with shock.
Mukti: I didn't hear you coming…I just couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a little walk.
Vicky had noticed stains of tears on her face. Mukti tried to wipe them away secretly.
Vicky: You're going to hide your tears from me too…you're now going to shun your pain from me also.
Mukti: No, it's not like that…I've never hidden anything from you, but I can't be that selfish and dump all my sorrow onto you.
Vicky: Mukti you are my friend, and I've never seen your pain as a burden. In fact, I want you to share your pain with me instead of keeping it inside of you…tell me what's on your mind right now.
Mukti: I was just thinking about this place…I was actually missing her…a lot…but I can't see her with everyone else here.
Vicky: I know…I miss her too…why don't we go visit her tomorrow after the party.
Mukti: Really?
Vicky: Really
Mukti: Thank you so much.
Vicky: You can thank me by getting some sleep.
Mukti followed Vicky back to the hotel. In the meantime, Prem's questions and curiosity grew more than ever. "Who were they talking about…I guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow," he said to himself.
CHAPTER 5
During the day, Mr. Bajaj, Kuki, and Perna decided to go shopping while Anurag gave Sam a tour of Pune. The elders went to a nearby temple. Mukti and Vicky decided to go horseback riding since they had already seen Pune before. Despite Mukti's discontent, Vicky invited Prem who was bored to death. They went to a stable where the owner immediately recognized Vicky and Mukti. They each were given a horse. Surprisingly, Mukti rode a dark black horse that seemed to hate everyone except her. Prem was impressed with how she handled the horse. . Mukti was going faster than the two guys: she was actually trying to avoid Prem as much as possible. The three rode around for hours until it was time to get back to the hotel.
In the evening, all the guests gathered in the main room. Anurag gave a small speech commending K Channel's success and thanking his staff. The DJ then started the music. The hosts of the party decided to make the all the youngsters wear a particular ribbon. People with the same ribbon color had to dance together. Coincidentally, Prem and Mukti had the same white colored ribbon, and they had no choice but to suffer each other until the song was over. The DJ put on Deewane hoke hum, the whole time Prem boldly stared at Mukti who had her eyes facing in the other direction. By now, her coldness was starting to bother him. "Why is this bothering me so much? I should be glad that she wants to stay away from me, that means I have less to deal with. Then why can't I stand her hatred?" With every second going by, more and more questions developed in the Prem's mind. The song was over and Mukti walked away as fast as she could.
When the guests started to leave, Vicky approached Mukti. Mukti could tell what he was about to say to her. Perna and Prem who had been keeping on the two through out the whole party got a little closer to hear what they were saying.
Vicky: The guests are starting to leave…I think we should go now.
Mukti: You're right…let's go.
The two blended in with a group that was leaving and sat into a car. Perna and Prem took their own cars and followed them. Vicky drove through dark, narrow, deserted roads for several minutes. Prem and Perna kept up with him without exposing themselves. Eventually, the car stopped in front of a cemetery. Prem and Perna stopped their cars a few feet away, where they couldn't be seen. Vicky and Mukti stepped out and entered the little cemetery. Prem started to walk towards the entrance when he noticed Perna coming from behind.
Prem: Mother India! So you are following Miss. Basanti also. Why don't we go together and find out what she is hiding.
Perna did not want to argue with her son at the moment, so she just gave in. Prem and Perna saw Vicky and Mukti by a tombstone in one corner. They hid behind a tree that was a three feet away from them. Mukti bent down and placed a small bouquet of white roses by the tombstone.
Mukti: How are you sweetheart…I've missed you so much…I'm sorry I haven't been here for some time.
Prem (whispering to Perna): Who's tomb is that?
Perna: I don't know.
Just then, Vicky bent down next to Mukti and put his hands on her shoulders.
Vicky: Control yourself…I know you miss Asha but you have to be strong.
Mukti: I know…but I can't help myself…Asha taught me to live again even before she began her life. She taught me to love again, something Prem took away from me.
Vicky: Are you sure you don't want to tell him?
Mukti: What should I say to him…that I left Mumbai because I was pregnant with his child…because I did not want him to declare this child as some kind of an abomination or mistake…he would probably would have said that I got pregnant from the rape
Vicky: But you conducted a DNA test that proves that Prem is the father
Mukti: Despite that proof…Prem would never understand this relationship…he couldn't prove to be a good son…forget about being a decent father
Vicky: Maybe Prem might not like this truth but I still think he deserves to know that he had fathered a beautiful young girl who died at birth
Mukti: SHE DIDN'T DIE…SOME DEVIL KILLED HER…I was going to have a normal delivery but someone paid that selfish doctor to cause my miscarriage…that was the only reason I returned to Mumbai…to find that doctor
Vicky: We will find him…and we will punish the devil that did this to Asha
Mukti and Vicky stared at the tomb for a few more minutes. Then Vicky motioned the weeping Mukti to get up and helped her to the car. When they drove off, a speechless and shocked Prem stepped out from behind the tree and approached the tomb. Perna stood there waiting to see what her son was going to do. Prem eventually came close enough to see the writing on the tomb: Asha Mukti Deshmukh (2006). He gaped at the letters for a few seconds and then collapsed on his knees. Prem let out the biggest cry every. He was screaming with pain. Echoes of his cries kept on bouncing back and forth. Prem's weeping even shook mother nature: it had started to pour. Prem just continued to cry hysterically with the rainshower. Perna eventually got a hold of herself and took her son into her arms. She tried her best to comfort him: however,t she knew from experience that nothing can heal the pain of losing your child, and Prem's pain was even worse, he never got to see his child. Prem cried and cried, in his mother's arms, for the daughter he never knew.
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