FF:Destiny's Children (Pgs 1 to 5) Also ck Pg 84 - Page 69

Originally posted by: optimist

I don't know Shubs, the show has become quite boring for me and I no longer watch it. Maybe I'll start a topic at the end of the show once I know how it will end, maybe to capture what could have been and what was in each of the tracks. That may be my parting shot but that depends on whether I have the time given this big interview which is looming large over my head.

Originally posted by: dreamyanjali

U completed ur ff opti............Actually i m not expecting that u wind up so soon...............i went to my studytour for 12 days ...........n when i came..........i saw ur ff's epilogue..........i m still in shock.😲.........jo bhi ho.........

You wouldn't believe it. Just a couple of minutes back I was thinking where is Anju, no comments from her in a long while and here you are. I tell you, you'll live for a 100 years!

congratulation👏..................u completed destiny's child succesfully..................i enjoyed a lot ur story from first part to last one...............n u r a wonderful writer............

Thanks. Glad I could hold your interest in this mammoth piece.

due to ur amazing story line only i cant control my urge to reply on ur ff.........before that i was merely a silent reader........

Glad that you decided to comment.

ok now i m commenting on ur parts for last time................

neev is great.................due to him only ayesha's parents met........Yes, Neev is a darling, found Ayesha's father and got her a family.

Alap finally punished for his dids..............but milind save him from jail..........??ok milsi is right in his point... Milind is a righteous man who would not let a man be punished for a crime he did not commit.

n i m happy 4 michi babies........finally they came.....Yeah, finally they arrived.

how much i m waiting 4 this moment........u give them nice name........ishan,meghna,sahana...........thanks.

earlier I worried for prachi ....how will she going to handle three kids...........thanks to milind...........he handle everything................With Milind and the rest of the family around her, she has nothing to fear.

saket n sukriti matter also solved.......Yes, and they are happily married.

ganpat n mala r also happy .............They are a cute couple

ur epilogue.is just minddddddddblowing................Thanks again.

poor milind everybody came to know about his secrets behind kids name.........Yeah, they have a fair idea what they could mean although they may not know the details.

cant stop my laugh........

Ishan is lovely.............he is the sher...........just like his father.................He is a carbon copy of his father in all respects.

u also posted future pics of michi babies ..........lovely.....ur casting is perfect..............how u get perfect matching pics 4 michi kids..........u r great...............👏👏So do you think that the girls look like their father or mother?

What i loved in ur story is........u focused equally to everyone's life...........every couple is happy..............

but want to know wat happened to veena sukla................?She is leading a lonely discontented life in the chawl. Her husband passed away the previous year unbale to bear this woman's bickering I guess.

that lady is not important at all...........but a question arises in my mind................

Going to miss ur ff very much........................😭😭😭finally Thanks a lot u wrote such a wonderful ff........unforgettabe michi moments........I always consider this as a amazing gift 4 a michi lover like me........Opti u r a genius..........May god bless u..........Thanks once again Anju. Your comments are as usual spirit lifting.

Originally posted by: dreamyanjali

Aap mujhe yaad kar rahe the..............So sweet of you...............😊sorry 4 the delay.........

the girls look like their mother..........they have straight hair just like prachi........

And All the best 4 ur interview..........👍🏼👍🏼

Originally posted by: Black cat

Optimist, that was a great ending to a great story. Thank you for giving us the pictures of babies. As little ones they are adorable and the grown ups resemble Milind (one is a carbon copy :D).

One month later

Ayesha moved back to Mumbai and assumed charge of the Mumbai unit. Milind and Prachi were very happy for her. Ayesha did not share with them an important detail about who her new boss was, knowing that atleast one of them would not be happy to hear about it. In fact the first time she met him, even she was not looking forward to working for such a man, a man who was responsible for a lot of calamity in her best friend's life. But something about his melancholic look tugged at the more compassionate portions of her heart. Interacting with him she understood that he was not a bad or irresponsible person after all. He did not come across as a person who would deliberately mislead someone and mess with their lives. Then why was there so much confusion which resulted in the loss of a life? She was convinced that there has to be some valid answer to this. However, it was not in her nature pry into other people's lives. She was not his friend nor was she a relative to intrude into his privacy. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Even otherwise, their relationship was strictly official, that of employer and employee. As long as he respects that she had no problem working for him. He was quite competent in his job and she realised there was a lot of potential to grow under his guidance. For now that was all that mattered.

*****

It was April 4 2007, Milind's birthday. Prachi woke up at the crack of dawn. As the sun's rays slowly encroached into the darkness, all other stars in the sky faded gradually. Prachi could not help but compare her husband to the sun. With his entry into her life everything else faded into insignificance, for he had become the epicentre of her life. His brightness warmed her and allowed her to grow into a strong, confident and independent woman. There was only one thing which she wanted to make her feel like a complete woman and that was to bear his fruit. The previous night her husband had given her the most wonderful piece of news. The preliminary numbers showed that his hotel has finally turned around and started posting profits. Along with the success in business she wanted them to succeed in expanding their family too. What better way than to make a beginning on his birthday? She glanced at her husband, at his distinct jaw line which was covered with stubble, his wavy and slightly longish hair lying spread out on the pillow, his long lashes lining up hemispherical eyelids, his cute pug nose, his thick black moustache and the well formed full lips below it. Although his body was covered in a thin white bed sheet, the ripples of his masculinity were still well defined through the sheet. She leaned in and gently kissed her husband's lovely kissable lips. He slowly opened his eyes and saw his wife's beautiful serene face lying inches away from his. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss fervently, not bothered about the morning mouth.

When he finally freed her, she whispered, "Happy birthday, my darling. Many happy returns of the day.'

"Thanks, my love." he whispered back.

"What do you want for your birthday?" she asked him, propping her right elbow on his chest and holding her face on her palm.

'There is only one thing that I want and that is you,' he said and holding her shoulders he turned her over on her back and looked over her from above. He proceeded to nuzzle her neck and nip at her ears. Prachi giggled and said that as he already has her, what more does he want. He slid his hand across her stomach and said he wanted a beautiful baby girl exactly like her mama. She smiled and said that was precisely her idea of a gift too but only her idea is to give him a baby boy who is a replica of his papa. He shrugged and said that they can have both their wishes fulfilled if she gives him a double bonanza.

"Twin?"she shrieked.

"Why not?" he asked, raising a brow quizzically.

"You may have to wait for nine months for your gift to be delivered," she warned.

"No problem, the wait will be worth it. So let's not waste anymore time in setting things in motion," he said hurriedly.

He sealed her lips with his and got busy in making sure he gets his gift soon enough. When they were done, Prachi looked at the clock and whispered it was time for giving Baba his morning tea. He reluctantly let her go. She quickly brushed her teeth, had a shower and rushed into the kitchen to prepare the morning tea before Baba wakes up and asks for it. Milind finished his morning routine too and went to take his Baba's blessings on his birthday. Baba was up and in his wheelchair, having his tea when his son came to him. He blest him and in a slurred and stilted voice said that he hoped to see him grow in his business and also give him a grandchild soon. Milind assured him that he has taken efforts on both fronts and hoped to succeed in both. He turned around and winked at his wife, who bent her head shyly. All three of them then had their breakfast together.

Milind and Prachi then left for the orphanage. The previous day, Prachi had got a list of names of the kids in the home and their ages. She then bought gifts for each child according to his/her age. She gave Milind the gift hampers so that he can distribute it to each child. Milind was amazed by her thoughtfulness and thanked her for it. He called each child by name and gave him/her the gift. When Chottu's turn came, he asked the little boy how was the wound on his knee. The boy shrugged his shoulders and said "Gaayab (disappeared)". Milind's eyes then searched for the small baby girl whom he had fed and changed nearly five months ago. As his eyes kept looking for her in one of the sister's arms, he felt a small hand tug at his trousers. Looking down he saw a cute little baby girl in pigtails holding on to his leg with one hand and trying to balance herself up. He swung her in his arms and asked her name. She looked at him unwaveringly with large round eyes. He immediately recognised those eyes.

"Guddi!" he exclaimed. "My, my my...you have grown up, haven't you !"

"Milind it is nearly five months since we last came. Five months is a long time is a baby's life. She changes a lot during this time. She must be eight months now, isn't it?" she enquired with Sister Clara.

"Yes, she is," said Sister Clara.

On returning home, Milind was about to get dressed for work when Prachi handed him a hanger. Removing the plastic sheath, he uncovered a well cut beige business suit and a snow white shirt. He smiled and changed into the new clothes. She then asked him to extend his left hand. When he did, she slid in a Rolex watch on his wrist. With her eyes, she silently asked him how did he like it. He brought his thumb and index finger together to form a perfect 'O', indicating he was happy with her choice. She then asked him to extend the other hand. Asking him to close his eyes, she slid a silver bracelet in it. The bracelet spelt her name in full. When he opened his eyes he was surprised to see it. Although he did not like jewellery of any sort, he was happy to wear a bracelet gifted by his wife, especially one with her name on it. He mouthed that he loved it. Just as he was about to leave, she asked him to wait and brought out a grey silk tie. She slung it around his neck and proceeded to knot it. Milind held her by her waist and looked intently at her as she concentrated on her task. He refused to let her go even after she had finished knotting his tie, asking her to first kiss him. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. Not being satisfied with it, he held her chin and locked his lips in hers in a deep kiss before finally leaving for work.

That night Prachi invited PL, Sukriti, Mala, Ganpat, their parents, Ayesha and Manju's family for dinner. Once Milind returned home, the cake was cut and Milind fed Prachi the first piece. He then fed every one and was in turn fed by them. He took the blessings of the elders. Prachi then sang a song for Milind who was again mesmerised by her voice. They all later sat down to have the sumptuous feast of all Milind's favourite dishes prepared by his beloved wife. After the guests had left and Baba had retired to bed, Milind pulled Prachi into their room to start from where they left off that morning. Later as they gradually drifted into sleep Prachi hoped that his gift was on the way.

"Arey Pagli. Why are you crying for this? If it didn't happen last time, we'll try again next month. Remember, the poem 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again'?"

The next month they tried again. Prachi psyched herself so much that she was too tensed and rigid. Milind did his best to relax her by joking around but nothing seemed to work on her. For the first time their union lacked the 'zing' that was always there.

XXXIV

On the same day that Milind and Prachi celebrated their anniversary, another couple was breaking up for good. That morning at the family court the two petitioners presented themselves for the final hearing. Dressed in a grey suit which reflected his mood, he looked weary and drained and just wanted the whole process to be over fast. While she too was equally impatient to get it over, she looked relatively more composed in the arm of her new live-in Kenyan boyfriend, with whom she had flown down to Mumbai to finalise the severing of marital ties. While their U.K. marriage was dissolved more than a year ago, the tedious divorce laws in India had prolonged the entire process by more than eighteen months since their separation even though they had sought a divorce under mutual consent. With both parties remaining firm on their decisions the court did not have much say and went ahead and issued the divorce which legally separated Mr. Neev Shergill and Ms.Annabel Hayes.

He reached his office late and slumped on his swivel chair, holding his throbbing head in his hands. He tried his best to concentrate on the work at hand but found it difficult to do so amidst all the thoughts that whirled in his head. He could not eat his lunch when it was served to him at the usual time and sent it away after picking at it for a few minutes. His headache was on the assent as the day progressed and by 3 o'clock he was unable to sit any longer. He buzzed in his secretary and asked her to cancel all the appointments for the day. Slinging his coat over his drooped shoulders, he made his way out of his office. He drove down to his house which was empty, as empty as his life. His father had taken sanyas and was in one of the ashrams in Kashi for the last one year. His mother had gone over to the U.S. to spend time with her sister for a few months. He has virtually been living a lonely life in the palatial house for the past four months, with only his loyal servant Nandu kaka for company. Nandu kaka had left for his village that morning to solemnise the marriage of his niece and was not due for another week.

He went to the bar cabinet and poured himself a glass of vodka. Soon he downed glass after glass, loosing count of the number of pegs he was having. The liquor scorched his throat; although he was desperately trying to numb his senses, bitter memories kept haunting him. He did not know how long he was sitting there nursing the drinks. Suddenly he heard the doorbell ring. Wondering who would call on him at this hour, he slowly stumbled to the door to open it. His blurry eyes took some time to focus on the object in front of him. It is only when the object opened its mouth and uttered his name did he recognise it.

"Mr.Shergill, I tried calling you on your cell but it was switched off. You had asked me to prepare a detailed report on our latest stocks of fashion garments and their price quotation along with the prevailing market prices, as our esteemed French clients will be coming over tomorrow to meet you to examine our samples and place their orders. I had come over to your office to submit the report but was told by your secretary that you had left for the day. As the report is important for negotiating the deal, I thought I'll drop it at your place before going home, Sir," she spoke rapidly and extended the report to him.

Beyond his name he did not catch on to anything that she had just said. Inviting her in, he asked her to take a seat on the plush sofa at the centre of the huge hall. Hesitatingly she took her seat and looked around the house before returning her gaze to him. He slowly staggered to the other end of the sofa. Turning around to look at her, he asked her if he can offer her anything. Seeing his intoxicated state, she politely declined and kept looking at her watch to indicate that she was getting late. He, however, did not take the cue as his mind was on a different plane altogether. He flopped on to the sofa, threw back his head and closed his eyes. Tears stung his eyes as he slowly opened them and looked at her again.

"Ms.Singhania, have you ever been in love?" he asked out of the blue.

She looked distinctly uncomfortable at the question and kept shifting in her seat.

Sensing her discomfiture, he asked her not to answer that question.

Nursing a drink in his hand, he looked intently at the liquor in the glass and said ruefully, "Today is the day my marriage which has been dead for over a year and a half has finally been buried. I should be celebrating, but strangely I feel a sense of defeat, a sense of failure, a sense of emptiness. Do you understand it?" he asked her, looking at her expectantly.

She remained silent, trying hard to mask her apprehension at being cornered alone in the house of her boss who was evidently very high on drinks. Although she was curious to know his past, especially since that past had changed the course of many lives, her fear overcame her curiosity. She was about to sprint out but sensing her attempt to move, he swiftly stretched forward and held her arm, pressing her back on the sofa.

At the mention of name of her best friend's father, she decided to stay back and hear his side of the story. She knew he would never reveal his personal life to anyone if he was in his senses. In his inebriated state, however, he loosened his tongue and rambled about his past. While she was aware of some of the incidents he narrated, most of it was news to her.

Neev's flashback

Neev had married a Briton, Annabel Hayes, his classmate at the London School of Economics. They had a long courtship period in London before they finally walked up the altar. He knew that his conservative parents would not approve of a videshi bahu (foreigner daughter-in-law). Hence he did not ask their consent before marrying her. He thought that he can convince them after he returned to India. Unfortunately the day they landed in Mumbai, he was told that he was getting engaged to his childhood friend Prachi, daughter of his father's best friend, Inder Shah, CEO of Shah Group of Hotels. Although he always had an excellent friendship with Prachi he could not picture her as anything but a good friend and certainly not as his wife. When the engagement broke, Inder suffered a massive heart attack and died. He had confronted his parents about how they could have made arrangements for his wedding without consulting him first and was told that there was some communication gap. His father could not come to terms with the loss of his friend and refused to speak to him for over a month. Finally he made peace with him but insisted that they conduct an Indian wedding for their satisfaction. The wedding which was conducted after a month was a small affair, restricted to the immediate family. His father had inducted him in his business and he slowly began to get acclimatised to the business environment. His education came in handy to make improvements and expand the business.

The problems in his marriage surfaced from the day his wife walked into his house as the bahu of the family. His mother could not adjust to her at all. Initially Annabel tried to impress her mother-in-law by learning to wear sarees and cook Indian dishes. She even learnt to follow the Indian rituals but Niharika would not let her anywhere near the kitchen or the puja room as she considered her an outcast. Neev tried his best to reason with his mother but failed. There was a fight everyday between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law which he had to solve as soon as he returned tired from work. Not being able to put up with this added stress any longer, he finally decided to move away from his parents and live separately with his wife. Although this caused a lot of heartburns in the beginning considering that he was their only son, his parents eventually agreed that it was for the best. Things started improving after some time. As Annabel was also equally qualified, he had taken her in an executive position in the company. Although on the surface Annabel seemed happy, she was actually deeply dissatisfied. The city's oppressive heat followed by the long wet monsoon made her miss her English weather. She could not adjust to the country, its people and their lifestyle. It is only then he realised that her problem was not only with his mother but everything that was Indian. They had arguments and fights practically every day till on the day of Diwali that year, they had a huge showdown at the end of which she just packed her bags and left for her country.

Although he was very angry on that day and did not stop her from leaving, he later relented and tried to call her up. She refused to answer his calls. Frustrated that he could not reach her, he decided to meet her personally and left for London. There he had frantically searched for her as she had changed her residence. Finally he located her address and met her. He tried to reason with her. He begged her to resume life with him, promising to make any adjustment she wanted of him but she was firm in her decision not to return to him. She wanted a divorce and nothing less. It was only then that his eyes fell on a paper lying on the table. He picked it up and read it. It was the pregnancy report which confirmed that she was six weeks pregnant. He couldn't contain his happiness on knowing that he was going to be a father. He begged her twice as hard, asking her to get back with him in view of the life that is on the way. She laughed hysterically and asked him what life. She had just had an abortion the previous day as she did not want to carry his baby. He felt that a dagger was driven into his heart and twisted in. The day he came to know the existence of his baby he also was painfully made aware of its demise.

End of flashback

As Neev recounted this bit of his life, he smashed the glass of drink in his hand in anger and agony. The sharp pieces sliced his palm, making them bleed. The dripping liquor burnt his skin, making him wince in pain. Ayesha was alarmed seeing the deep gash and rushing to him, she removed her dupatta and tied it round his bleeding hand. As she tightened the knot around the makeshift bandage, he continued with his narration.

Flashback continued

Realising that his marriage was dead and that there was nothing to fight for, he agreed for the divorce. They filed for a divorce in the U.K.court on their anniversary day and obtained it in a couple of months. In India they could file the divorce petition only in October 2006, after the one year separation period. The case came up for hearing after the mandatory six-month waiting period. After the preliminary hearing, a date was set for the final hearing. That morning his marriage of two years, in which he had lived with his wife for barely six months, was finally dissolved.

End of flashback

After this marathon recounting he was breathless and stopped to look at her. She was still holding his wounded hand in hers as though to reassure him that everything will be alright. She met his eyes and her eyes mirrored the pain and agony in his, as she empathised with him. For the first time he noticed the depth and beauty of her eyes and the compassion in them. He always thought of her as an attractive woman but he had kept his senses on a tight leash as he did not want to complicate their relationship. Today though his guard was down on account of the alcohol and his emotionally vulnerable state. He ran his eyes down her body. Her kameez was figure clinging and without the dupatta, all her curves were accentuated. Following his gaze she realised where his eyes were and she quickly crossed her hands across her chest. He swallowed hard and returned his gaze to her face. He trained his eyes on her trembling lips and impulsively leaned forward and captured them in his. Before he could taste them, he felt a stinging blow on his cheek. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked at her in astonishment. As he held his cheek, she got up with a start and sprinted out of there. She opened the large teak front door and banging it shut, disappeared into the night.

"Ms.Singhania, I do not want to lose an able manager like you because of my foolish act yesterday."

"Foolish act, Mr.Shergill?You want to dismiss it off as a foolish act?" she asked angrily.

"I am sorry Ms.Singhania. That was a poor choice of words. My behaviour last night was unpardonable. I had no right to take liberties with my employee and my offence can be construed as sexual harassment but believe me, Ms.Singhania, I had no intention to behave in that manner. I am neither a womaniser nor a molester. My only excuse is that I was not in my senses but it will not happen again. I promise you that I will not violate the sacred line between an employer and an employee. Please reconsider your decision."

"Will you join me, Ms.Singhania?" he enquired before leading her out of his office.

(3)

The next morning Prachi went to meet Alaap at his office to confront him about the appalling way he was treating Sukriti. As she opened the door to his cabin she saw him with his back turned to her, talking to someone over the phone. "Yes, Mr.Bansal. Continue to keep a close watch on his activities and report to me whatever you come to know. The guy is bound to slip up sometime."

The name Bansal sounded familiar to Prachi but however much she racked her brains she could not recollect where and in what context she had heard it. Sensing the presence of someone in the room, Alaap cut off his conversation and turned around to see his sister. Recovering from the initial shock of seeing her, he smiled sardonically and asked her what had brought 'her highness' to his office, a spiteful reference to Inder calling Prachi his little princess. Prachi ignored his sarcasm and said that she has come to speak about Sukriti.

"Sukriti? Now what has that dumb wife of mine done this time? The last I heard she lost my baby," he said tapping his finger on his chin.

Prachi was fuming hearing this.

"How dare you, Alaap? A man who left his pregnant wife behind on some supposed business trip and did not even bother to attend the baby's funeral should not be pointing an accusing finger at the woman who bore his child and went through the agony of losing it," she admonished in a shrill tone.

Alaap rolled his eyes and smirked, "So you have come to pull me up for something that happened seven months back?"

"No, I have come to ask you why you are ignoring your wife's needs. I have come to ask you why you had not bothered to keep her happy even on your wedding anniversary."

"Wedding anniversary? When was that?" laughed Alaap mockingly.

"Well, if you must know, it was yesterday. Where were you, by the way?"

"Where else? I was here working my butt off for that dumb wife of mine you are defending. I think you are forgetting that I run a Rs.600 crore business. I am not a flash in the pan businessman like your husband who has only one pathetic hotel to run. I have a whole hotel chain to take care of. I can't be waiting on my cry baby wife hand and foot and shirk my responsibility here. By the way, why are you interested in how I treat my wife?"

"Because that 'dumb cry baby wife' as you call her is also my sister-in-law. By hurting her, you are hurting my husband who is her only brother and by hurting my husband you are hurting me." Her voice increased to a peak.

"Oh, so you are now taking up for the worthless Mishras and going against your own flesh and blood?"

"You don't talk about sibling love, Alaap. It is a sacrilege coming from your mouth."

"Meaning?" He looked at her quizzically, not understanding what she was trying to convey.

Prachi did not elaborate further but wagging her finger at him, she warned him that if ever her sister-in-law sheds a tear he will have hell to pay. She then stomped out of his office.

As the months went by Prachi's anxiety at not being able to conceive only grew, because all their efforts were not yielding the results they were expecting. Prachi's desperation heightened after the Godh Bharai ceremony they held for Mala. Seeing a glowing and pregnant Mala, Prachi was even more desperate to have a baby. When the focus shifted to making babies, somehow the spontaneity of their lovemaking was lost. Every month, the day Prachi knew she had not yet conceived, she went into depression, calling for all of Milind efforts to cheer her up without much success. It was tearing him apart to see her emotionally tortured state. Although he too wanted a baby very much, he couldn't bear to see his wife subjecting herself to so much mental and emotional stress for it.

He finally decided he had enough of it and decided to take her on a second honeymoon, this time to Mauritius. He timed the trip in August in the most fertile period of her cycle. He told her that they will focus only on expressing their love for each other and not think about making babies. "No more baby talk. If it has to happen, it will happen. Leave it to HIM", he said pointing heavenwards.

On reaching Mauritius they checked into the La Plantations hotel. During day time they went on sight-seeing tours around the beautiful island nation. In the south, they visited the Black River Gorges National Park which is the home of 150 plant species and 9 bird species which are unique to Mauritius; the Seven Coloured Earth at Chamarel, which presents an astonishing view of colourful sand dunes of earth formed by the erosion of volcanic ash; the Le Mornes peninsula where one gets a spectacular view of the turquoise sea and the surrounding land; the Rochester Falls, where water gushes over lava rocks; Gris-Gris where waves crash against cliffs and the white sands of the Flic en Flac beach. In the North they visited the beaches at Grand Bay, Pereybere and Balaclava. They indulged in adventure sports such as paragliding, wind and water surfing and scuba diving. They also went on board the Blue Safari submarine which explored the ocean bed filled with corals. The colourful marine life around them gave them the feeling of being one with nature.

Le MornesGris-Gris

Rochester FallsPereybereGrand Bay