chapter 12
I froze and looked unsure at robbie
"What do you mean?" I asked nervous.
"Well, the day in the park, when we met and you had to get that phonecall, remember?" I nodded beginning to sweat.
"Well, you asked if everything was ok with Rohan...And I just wondered who he was. Is he your....your husband?" he looked serious at me.
What should I tell him? The truth? No, I just cant tell him that he has a son.
"No, hes not my husband." I explained. robbie sighed in relieve.
"Well, who is he then?"
I looked at the flowers in my hand and smiled to myself.
"Hes my life." I whispered.
robbie looked disappointed at me and sighed.
"Oh, surely you have a boyfriend. Im sorry I asked...Listen, I have to go now. It was really nice to see you..." he got up and walked towards me.
"And thank you for letting me in." I was confused by his reaction, could it be that he was sad?
"Yes, you should go...your wife is will wonder where you are. And thank you for the visit." I answered, he only nodded and left the shop.
I dont know why, but I felt a slight heartache to see him leaving like that.
FLASHBACK:
"Naina, kasturi!!! Come down, honeys. Dinner is ready!" called aunty from downstairs.
"Lets go, kasturi. Im hungry." said Naina standing in the door.
"Gosh, I already feel like a wale, how can I eat and get fatter?" I whined and tried to get up.
"Come on you wale. Ill help you." she giggled and helped me to get up.
"Ouch." I help my belly.
"What?" asked Naina concerned.
"It kicked. Well, I have no idea if its a girl or a boy, but the way it kicks its a boy." I joked.
We walked downstairs.
"Ah, there you are. Sit down." ordered aunty and put the food on our plates.
"Aunty please, Im not hungry." I said.
"What? No way, young lady. Youll be giving birth to a baby in a few days, you need to eat to get through this." she told me off, but uncle stopped her.
"Are you ok, my child? You are so pale." Naina giggled.
"You exchanged the roles. It should me Ma being sensitive and you being complaining." I also had to giggle, but cramped under another kick.
"Is he klicking again?" asked Naina now, I nodded.
Uncle walked over to me and lay his hand on my stomach.
"Wow, hes really strong. I think its going to be a boy."
"Yes, I think so too, uncle. Aunty, dont be mad, but Ill go upstairs and lay down a bit. Im not feeling too well." I excused myself and walked back into my room.
This night I really couldnt sleep, all the time the baby was kicking and wouldnt let me rest properly. In the early morning I felt something wet on my blanket.
"Naina! Naina!!!!" I called.
"What?!" she stormed into my room.
"I think we should go to the hospital." I said and cramped under another labour pain.
"Ok ok, kasturi. Keep cool, just dont panic. First of all....MA!!!!!!!!!!!!" she called so confused that I had to giggle.
"I think you shouldnt panic."
"Whats up?" asked aunty sleepy.
"We need to go to the hospital!" Called Naina.
And then it went really fast. We drove to the hospital and a few hours later I gave birth to a wonderful little boy.
"Ah, where is my nephew?" asked Naina coming in with aunty and uncle.
"May I introduce? Thats Rohan robbie chawla." I smiled proud.
"Wow, Naina. Hes perfect." Naina had misty eyes and hugged me careful.
"Thank you, aunt Naina." We giggled.
Aunty and Uncle stood in the door looking proud at us.
"Do you want to hold your grandson?" I asked Uncle.
He came to the bad and took Rohan really careful, he held him like he could break or something else.
"Hes really prefect, kasturi." He also had misty eyes and beamed at me.
PRESENT:
"Good morning! Have you been here all night long?" asked Emily confused when she entered the shop.
"Good morning, Emily. Seems like. I needed some time to think." I answered.
"Is everything ok? You seem to be so confused." she lay her hand on my arm and shot me a concerned look.
"Yes, Im fine. Its just...Im fine." I smiled at her.
"Well, I dont believe you, but youll tell me when you are ready." I smiled thankful at her.
"Wow, kasturi. Like I see you are done with the order. Great work. Ok, you take the car and drive to Mrs. Taylor to arrange everything and I get the work here done, ok?"
"Ok, I think Ill need about 1 or 2 hours to get everything done."
So I drove to Mrs. Taylor to deliver the order.
"kasturi, you are an anger, I was just about to call you to tell you that we need the flowers earlier." greeted Mrs. Taylor me with a big hug.
"And here I am. So, where are you going to celebrate?" I asked smiling.
She showed me the location and I began with my work.
"Wow! It looks amazing!" called a young woman as she entered.
"Ah, honey. There you are. Its great, isnt it? kasturi was so good to do this all in one day. Come I want you to meet her....kasturi?" Mrs. Taylor stood with the young woman in front of me.
"That is my niece, the lucky bride. This is kasturi, my florist." I smiled at her and offered my hand to her.
"Nice to meet you and congratulations."
"Nice to meet you, too. Thank you. Youre really doing a good job. And thank you for doing it so fast, I know how my aunt can be." we giggled.
Mrs. Taylors niece sonya (akshara) was a really beautiful woman, she was about my age, maybe a bit younger and had beautiful dark brown eyes."
"Im happy you like it."
"Oh, you have to come to my party tonight." she called excited.
"I dont know if I have time. But thank you for the invitation." I hesitated.
"You have to come. Please!!!!!" she looked pleading at me.
"I really dont know, I have to look after my son..."
"Oh yes, honey. kasturi has a son and he had leukemia. She has to care for him as he is just recovering."
"Im really sorry. I hope he is ok." I nodded smiling.
"Yes, hes fine, thank you."
"Ok, you look for your son, but if you want to come you are invited, ok?" she smiled at me and gave me an invitation.
"Sure, thank you again."
when I came back into the shop, Emily sent me home to get some sleep and to visit Rohan as I have been working the whole night.
"Mum!!! I missed you" called Rohan as he saw me.
"Aw, I missed you too, honey. How are you?" I hugged him tight.
"Im great. Uncle Nikhil and aunt Naina have been here and we had so much fun together..." he told me excited.
"And grandpa has visited me, but I dont know. He seems to be sad. Do you know why?" he looked with big eyes at me.
"No, honey. I dont know." I stroke his head.
"Grandpa promised me to come back this evening!!!" he called excited.
Right then Vikram uncle came in.
"kasturi, you are here?" he asked suprised.
"Yes, I had to work the whole night on a order, so Emily gave me the rest of the day off." I explained.
"Oh, then Ill come back later..." He turned to leave.
"Vikram uncle. Please wait. May I talk to you?" I called after him, he looked at me and nodded.
"Well be right back, honey." I said to Rohan.
Vikram uncle and me took a walk in the park, enjoying the fresh air.
"Vikram uncle?"
"Hm?" He looked at his feet.
"You seem to try to get out of my way in the last time. If I did something to upset you or to make you mad Im really sorry." Vikram uncle stopped and held me at my wrist.
"You did nothing wrong, really. Its just...kasturi, what do you feel for this Sameer?" I looked suprised at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean...do you love him?" I thought for a moment.
"Hes a good guy and he loves me..." I thought loud.
"But do you love him?" he asked again, I smiled.
"You know the answer, so why do you ask?"
With that I walked back to Rohan.
"Mum, what is that?" asked Rohan holding the invitation to the engagement party in his hands.
"Oh that...Its an invitation to a engagement party." I explained, taking the invitation from him.
"And when is this party?" he asked courious.
"Its tonight, but I wont go, as I have to play till I fall down with you." I tickled him.
"But I want you to go, Mum. You need to go out and have fun. We can play tomorrow." he said serious.
"But I havent been with you, yesterday because of my work..." I began, but he cut me off.
"Yes, but I want you to go." I shot him a suprised look.
"You are far too adult for your age, young man." I looked loving at him and stroke his cheek.
"Please, Mum. I really mean it. You have been with me day and night in the last months. Please, go out and have fun. You can even go with that Sameer." the tears welled up in my eyes.
"Are you sure you are only 4 years old, young man?"
"Im almost 5! Its my birthday next month!" he called grinning.
I hugged him tight and kissed his head.
"Will you go?" he asked.
"Yes, honey. Ill go."
"Cool, then grandpa can stay with me!!!!" he called so excited that I had to giggle.
"I knew there was something on your mind."
"Ok, you go and Rohan and me will have the time of our lives." Vikram uncle stood grinning in the door.
"I see its time for me to leave." I said, got up, kissed Rohan again and hugged Vikram uncle.
"Thank you." I whispered.
"Go and have fun." he smiled warm at me.
"Naina, Nikhil! Im home!!!!" I called when I came back.
"Hey, whats going on with you, you seem to be in such a good mood." said Naina laughing coming out of the kitchen.
"My son gave me the evening off and Im going to a engagement party, I already called Sameer, hell fetch me later." I beamed at her.
"Wow, really? We are also going to an engagement party, one of Nikhils colleagues is getting married."
"Could it be that the brides aunt is called Mrs. Taylor?" I asked thinking loud.
"Yes, she is." Naina shot me a suprised look.
"Ha, thats the same engagement party!" I called.
"But why are you invited? Do you know the bride?"
"No, I made the decoration for Mrs. Taylor, and I met her niece today when I worked at her house. Shes really nice and she invited me." I told her.
"Wow, so we can go out together! But wait, who will look for Rohan?" she hesitated.
"No problem, Vikram uncle looks after him."
"Ok, then lets get ready!" Naina grinned wide and we burst into laughter.
"Whats that noise here?" asked Nikhil coming home.
"Darling, kasturi is also going to that party tonight and Sameer will come with us."
"Wow, thats wonderful." He smiled at me.
"Yes, I also think that and thats why we are going upstairs now and get ready..."
"Which means I have to stay our, right?" he finished Nainas sentence grinning.
"EXACTLY!" we called in unison and ran upstairs.
1 hour later we were done. Naina had borrowed me on of her Saris.
"Ladies, Sameer is here! Are you ready?!" called Nikhil from downstairs.
"Were coming!!!!" we grabbed our stuff and walked down to the guys.
"Wow, you both look breathtaking." gapsed Sameer as he saw us.
I blushed and looked at my feet.
"Thank you."
"Lets go."
We drove to Mrs. Taylor.
"Ah, you are here! Im so happy you made it." called a man as he saw Nikhil and hugged him.
"Congratulations Mohan( naitik). May I introduce, thats my lovely wife, Naina. And thats her sister kasturi and Sameer....This is Mohan, the groom." He introduced us.
We said all Hy
"I have to say, you really have beautiful women around you." said Mohan charming.
"Yes, I know. But sorry man, you are taken!" We giggled.
"Yes, he is. And I wont let him go, even if he wanted to!" said Mrs. Taylors niece hugging her fiancee.
"Ah, there you are, honey. May I introduce..." he began, but she hugged me, as she saw me.
"kasturi, Im happy you made it!"
"You know each other?" asked Mohan now confused.
"Yes, honey. kasturi is the florist who made the decoration for us. I met her this morning and invited her for tonight...I hope your son is fine." I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, thank you. And its really a wonderful party."
"Wow, the world is really small. These are Nikhil, his wife Naina and Sameer."
introduced Mohan now.
"The colleague, right?" asked the bride.
"Yes, nice to meet you. You have to know. kasturi is Nainas sister." he smiled.
"Wow, the world is really small. Nice to meet you all. My name is Sonya."
I jumped when I heard that name again i realised tat robbie was also married to one sonya.
"Sonya, what a nice name." said Nikhil now.
Naina shot me a shocked look as she remembered me telling her, that the girl, robbies parents had picked for him was called Sonya.
"Ok, I hope you have a good time. Grab some food and just enjoy yourself." said Mohan now and walked to some other guests.
We searched a free table and took a seat. Nikhil took care of the drinks and Sameer got something to eat for us.
"kasturi, are you ok?" asked Naina now.
"Why?" I asked, pretending not to know why she asked.
"I mean because of Sonya. Could it be that she is...." but I cut her harsh off.
"Dont be stupid, Naina. She has nothing to do with that Sonya." I looked around and saw Sonya and Mohan talking to Mrs. Taylor. They looked so happy.
"And here are the drinks." Nikhil brought me back to reality.
"...and the food." added Sameer.
"May I ask for this dance?" asked Sameer later, I accepted smiling.
We began to sway to the music.
"Do you know how wonderful you look tonight?" he asked in a soft voice.
"Thank you, Sameer." I looked at him and smiled.
"Lets go and get some fresh air." he pulled me outside.
"What a beautiful night..." I said outside and looked at the stars.
"But not as beautiful as you, kasturi." the way he looked at me somehow made me nervous.
"Ah, kasturi. Ive been searching for you, my dear." called Mrs. Taylor and hugged me.
"I hope I dont disturb, but I have to tell you that you did such a great job, everybody loves the decoration!" I dont know why, but I was relieved that she disturbed us.
"Thank you, Mrs. Taylor. Im so happy for your niece...Oh, by the way, that is Samer Khanna, my...."
"Oh, nice to meet you, Mr. Khanna." she offered her hand.
"Nice to meet you to, Mrs. Taylor." he took it and kissed it soft.
"Such a charming young man. You made such a good choice with your husband..."
"Oh no, Sameer is not my husband." I corrected her blushing.
"Not? Oh, but he can be in the future." she winked at Sameer, who grinned.
"You never told me that your niece has such a sweet name." I changed the topic.
"Yes, Sonya is really a sweet name and shes all my proud. Im so happy that she finally found her love." she said in thoughts.
"Finally?" I asked suprised.
"Yes, she was engaged a few years ago. It was an arranged marriage, but his parents break it off..." I began to feel uncomfortable.
"Oh, really? Well, but I think shes happy now. I think we should go back to our friends." I said nervous.
"He would have been so good for her. Educated, good looking and Sonyas and hisparents had arranged it in their childhood. Yes, Sonya could have been part of the big sabarwaal family..." I froze. My biggest nightmare was coming true right now.
"Are you ok, Darling? You are so pale." asked Mrs. Taylor concerned.
"No, Im fine, Mrs. Taylor. Just a bit tired. Sameer, can call me a taxi, please?"
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