Great Expectations-Epilogue Pg 69 (14/6) - Page 3

Part XXX

After lunch, the three families left for Alappuzha, also known as Allepey. The place is known as the Venice of the East because of its labyrinth of canals, dotted with houseboats called 'Kettuvellam'. The picturesque canals, backwaters, lagoons and beaches make this place one of the popular tourist destinations of the country. Milind had hired two large air-conditioned houseboats to spend two leisurely days, cruising up and down the palm fringed narrow canals and experiencing the microcosm of life on the water side with panoramic view of the water, land, birds and human habitations.

Ishan and Sahana were very excited to see the houseboats and ran in to check them out. Each of the boats, which were aesthetically designed and were eco-friendly, had two bedrooms with attached bathrooms, luxurious furnishings and fittings, sun deck for tanning and basking in the sun, kitchen facilities and cooks' services. The Mishra family were housed in one boat and the Shergills and the Khans took the other boat. During the day though, all three families congregated in one of the boats to chat and spend time together. The boats wound through the vast expanse of paddy fields and the neat tiny hamlets lined up along either side of the canals, affording unforgettable and breathtaking sights.

Inside of a houseboat:

As they meandered through the canals they saw a herd of goats being loaded into a small boat in order to be ferried from one of the tiny hamlet to the mainland. The goats were trying to balance themselves in the boat as it wobbled in the backwater.

Seeing this, Ishan yelled out to Sahana, "Sis, come and check this strange sight! Goats in a boat!" he emphasised each of the last four words for effect.

"Aren't they cute?" exclaimed Sahana and brought out her digital camera to capture the view for posterity. The boat also had a CPI(M)(a political party in India) party flag, possibly a symbol of the recent election fever. Swimming near the boat was a flock of ducks.

Prachi who was watching the scene remarked to her husband, "Milind, does this scene not remind you of your favourite book Animal Farm? See, there is a communist flag to give the political flavour. Then there are the goats and ducks to give the farm flavour."

Ayesha, who was standing nearby, was amused hearing Prachi's comment. "So Milind got you to read his favourite book too? And that too a political satire! I thought you hated politics."

"I still do, but I thought that Orwell was a clever writer who used allegory to convey a deep political message which was quite unpopular during his times but which was borne out by time later on."

"Wow, Prachi. You seem to know quite a bit about Animal Farm, then!"

"All thanks to Milind's tutorage," said Prachi looking proudly at her husband.

"With all that, I still could not get her interested in politics," said Milind, smiling ruefully.

"Well, one needn't be interested in everything that is of interest to one's spouse," said Neev, defending Prachi.

"Well said Mate!" said Ali. "Milind you should be thankful that Prachi has at least imbibed your other interests such as swimming and chess."

"Don't get me wrong, guys. I am not complaining. I love my wife as she is!" Milind hurried to explain himself. "I was only just pulling Prachi's leg."

Prachi smiled knowingly and rewound to the day her husband enlightened her on the nuances of his favourite book.

Past (Prachi's Flashback)

It was a Sunday afternoon. Milind was taking a short nap after lunch. Prachi was in Milind's study, cleaning up the shelves when her eyes fell on Milind's favourite book, Animal Farm. There were several occasions in the past when she was tempted to ask Milind to explain the mysterious book to her. She had read the book fully but still did not understand how this book related to communism. She genuinely wanted to understand what it was about the book which made it so special that it found its way into her husband's lists of favourites. How she wished she too was amongst his favourites. She knew that Milind cared very deeply for her and was strongly attracted to her. Her female intuition told her that he may have already fallen for her but she was not too sure about it. Even if he was in love with her, going by his behaviour, he seemed to have not realised it yet. After her past experiences of getting rebuffed whenever she took the initiative, she was in no mood to repeat the mistake. She, however, enjoyed the camaraderie which had developed between her husband and her. For the time being she was willing to settle for it until Milind himself takes the first step and admits that he loves her.

As she was fairly at ease with her husband now than she was before, she decided to ask him to explain the book to her. So she picked up the book and waited for her husband to wake up. After half an hour, Milind came down looking refreshed after his nap. Prachi served him his tea and while he was having it, she came up to him with the book. She smiled at him sweetly and asked him, "Milind, can I ask you a favour?"

"Anything for you, Prachi. What is it you want?" he asked.

"Can you explain to me this book?" she asked, shyly extending the book to him.

He looked at the cover and read aloud "Animal Farm! So you want to know what this book is all about? Are you sure you will be interested in the topic?" he asked teasingly.

She nodded her head vigorously, prompting a smile from him.

"OK, sit here." He said and drew up a chair close to him.

When she took her seat he asked her what she has understood of the plot of the story.

Prachi began narrating the story, "Well, there is this farm run by a farmer, Mr.Jones who is a heavy drinker. The animals in the farm feel neglected and following the ideals set out by Old Major who is a prize winning boar, there is a mutiny where all the animals overthrow Jones, take over the farm and rename it Animal Farm. The mutiny is lead by three pigs Snowball, Napolean and Squealer who formulate seven commandments for all the animals to follow. At first, Animal Farm prospers. Snowball works at teaching the animals to read, and Napoleon takes a group of young puppies to educate them in the principles of Animalism. However, soon there is a power struggle between Napoleon and Snowball. At this point of time, Mr.Jones and his men reappear to try taking back the farm. Although Napolean and Snowball do not see eye to eye, they come together to banish Jones who is their common enemy. Jones is defeated again by the animals. They take the farmer's abandoned gun as a token of their victory.

After the battle, the rivalry between Napolean and Snowball becomes more open. Snowball's plan of building an electricity generating windmill is declared as 'nonsense' by Napoleon. He also chases Snowball from the farm with the help of his fire dogs. He assumes leadership of Animal Farm and asserts that the pigs alone will make all of the decisions, supposedly for the good of every animal. Although he had initially opposed the windmill plan of Snowball, he puts forth the same windmill project as his own. The animals devote all their efforts to completing the windmill.

One day, after a storm, the animals find the windmill toppled. Napoleon claims that Snowball returned to the farm to sabotage the windmill. Many animals alleged to have participated in Snowball's great conspiracy were to meet instant death at the teeth of the attack dogs. With his leadership unquestioned, Napoleon begins expanding his powers. Napoleon's reign of terror is severe and many animals suffer under his rule. They are terrorised into confessing whatever the authorities want and say that they have been scheming with Snowball as his agents.

Napolean and the fellow pigs start acting more and more like human beings-sleeping in a bed, drinking whisky. Napolean even negotiates 'trade' with his human neighbours after setting them against each other. The original Animalist principles strictly forbade such activities, but Squealer, Napoleon's propagandist, justifies every action to the other animals, convincing them that the rules must be changed to prevent Jones from returning to control the farm. He also brainwashes them into believing that Napoleon is a great leader and is making things better for everyone despite the fact that the common animals are cold, hungry, and overworked.

Frederick, a neighbouring farmer, launches an attack called the Battle of Windmill, against the animals. During the fighting, the windmill is blown off. The animals reconstruct the windmill but the pigs are the only beneficiaries. Ironically, the pigs start to resemble the humans that they hated. They carry whips and walk upright on their hind legs. All the seven commandments are broken by them. The only rule that exists is, All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. The novel ends with Napoleon entertaining his human neighbours, and all the animals find it impossible to distinguish the pigs from the men."

"Prachi, I'm impressed! So you seem to have finally read the whole book without skipping pages like you did the first time."

Prachi went red in the face remembering the initial foolish comments she made on the novel.

Milind then gave her a discourse on Animal Farm.

"Animal Farm was written by Eric Arthur Blair," he began.

"I thought it was George Orwell," said Prachi, surprised to hear this.

"George Orwell is his pseudonym. Did you know that he was born in Bengal, in pre-independence India?" asked Milind. Prachi shook her head in the negative.

He continued, "Anyway, coming to the story, although it is set in an unspecified time period, Orwell wrote it with reference to the Russian Revolution between 1917 and 1945. Animal Farm refers to the socialist state set up after the Russian Revolution. Although this may appear as history now, at the time that Orwell wrote this book, which was in 1943, the events were more in the nature of current affairs rather than historical."

Prachi asked the burning question, "How is this animal story related to communism?"

Milind smiled, "The entire novel is an allegory. Orwell's characterisation is one of the most interesting aspects of the novel. Each character helps play a central part in establishing the farm's mirror image of communist government. Old Major who was the founder of animalism is very similar to Karl Marx. Old Major died before the animal revolution just as Marx died before Russian revolution. Mr. Jones depicts Czar Nicholas II, the Russian King who was overthrown in the revolution. Snowball is Orwell's pure Animalist. He is a direct follower of Old Major. Now this character is similar to the Russian leader, Leon Trotsky who was overshadowed by Joseph Stalin, who in this story is depicted by the character Napolean. Squealer is a reference to Molotov, who was the trusted deputy of Stalin. Some say Squealer could also refer to the Soviet newspaper, Pravda, which was the mouthpiece of the government. Mr.Frederick represents Adolf Hilter, the German dictator. The dogs which were trained by Napolean are a reference to the secret service agency, the KGB."

Prachi nodded her head understandingly.

He continued, "Animal Farm depicts the corruption of a well established community where a single power took over without competition. It uses animals to show the human nature and the exercise of power within societies. The book discusses a number of conflicts-animals versus Mr. Jones, Snowball versus Napoleon, the common animals versus the pigs, Animal Farm versus the neighbouring humans-but all of them are expressions of the underlying tension between the exploited and exploiting classes and between the lofty ideals and harsh realities of socialism.

The book draws attention to the distortion of socialist ideals in the Soviet Union. The animals initially rebelled because they felt they were treated badly and they only existed to enrich the humans. The animals wanted animalism. They made up the seven commandments. They obeyed only themselves and what's right. But none would have ever thought of the horrible outcome of Animal Farm.

The pigs ultimately end up doing exactly those things they opposed initially. This is a reference to the communist leaders behaving like the capitalists. The humans (read capitalists/monarchs) were overthrown by the animals (read communists/socialists). The superior class was replaced by the proletariats or the working class, but soon power went into the head of some in this class and they started abusing it. This is one of the central themes in the book - power corrupts. Humans can't resist the desire for more power and the wrong use of power. When one has all the power and total control over everyone, he or she will depend on others to do everything for them because the need to be self-proficient has been dominated by the power to control others. We have governments and parliaments to make sure that it does not happen. But no society is perfect. The many themes and symbols in the book all show flaws in every society.

The story also warns of the dangers of being ignorant. As long as people are ignorant, they can be manipulated. The animals were manipulated by the pigs by the use of clever but misleading propaganda. Abuse of language is used as an instrument to the abuse of power. Initially the first commandment given to the animals was All animals are equal. Since the pigs wanted to do things which other animals could not, they changed the commandment to All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than the others. Since the animals were not intelligent enough to question them, the pigs were able to get away with such blatant misuse.

Although the book discussed what was happening in Soviet Union at that time, the message it brought out is applicable for all times and in all situations, for the book attacked fraud and hypocrisy which exists in every society. As Winston Churchill said, 'Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.' There can be no better novel which has succinctly put across this well accepted truth than the Animal Farm."

"Wow, now I understand why this book is your favourite. It does carry so many messages in the narration of a simplistic fable," said Prachi admiringly.

"Did you know that the book almost did not get published in Britain because at the time the Second World War was at its peak and the Russians under Stalin, were Allies of the British? So although Britain did not subscribe to the communist ideology, many of the publishers were wary of publishing such a politically sensitive book as it was a critic of Stalin and his style of functioning. They felt that Hitler and the Nazis were a bigger threat to world stability and as long as communist Russia supported the Allies in their fight against Nazis, the inconvenient truth about the way communism was being practiced can be swept under the carpet. The book finally got published only on August 17, 1945 after the Second World War was over. It became an instant best seller."

"How do you know so much, Milind? You truly are a repository of knowledge. I have learnt so much from you in just an hour. How lucky I am to be spending the rest of my lifetime with you to be able to learn so much more during the course of it," she said with wide-eyed admiration and regard for her husband.

Milind smiled and pinched both her cheeks and said, "The pleasure is all mine, my dear dear Prachi. I couldn't have hoped to get a more avid listener to my drab lectures!"

Prachi then said in a more serious tone, "Milind, I am sorry to say that inspite of all your illuminating talk, I still cannot bring myself to develop an interest in politics. Hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind. Each one of us has the freedom to like or dislike things. As long as you do not dislike me, I am prepared to live with anything else," he said in a lighter vein.

"Dislike you? You do know how much I love you, Milind," she said with great feeling.

Milind nodded his head and quickly looked away. He seemed to be disturbed by something, although what it was she did not know at the time.

Source for Animal Farm discussion: 1.The book Animal Farm by George Orwell

2.http://www.exampleessays.com/essay_search/power_corrupts.html

3.http://books.google.co.in/books?

4. SparkNotes: Animal Farmhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/ \

Part XXXI

Present

Having spent two days in the backwaters of Allapuzha, they returned to the shore. Their next halt was Kochi. They checked into another one of Milind's hotels there. As they were coming out of the hotel the next morning, they caught sight of Sahana's friend, Swati who was there with her father. Seeing her, Ishan's face brightened and he hurried to greet her. Sahana elbowed her mother and said "Mama, look at Ishan. He seems to be in greater hurry to meet my friend than I myself am. I'm pretty sure something is cooking between the two of them."

Prachi tapped the back of her daughter's head lightly and turned to see her son excitedly talking to the girl. Sahana quickly walked up to them.

"Swati! What a pleasant surprise! So when did you come to Kerala?"

"We came here yesterday," said Swati and introduced both of them to her father. Prachi and Milind had joined them soon and there was another perfunctory round of introductions. Since Milind did not know about Swati's background, he innocently asked her where her mother was. Swati's face shrunk and she said in a small voice that she was still in Mumbai. Prachi, who knew that Swati's parents were separated, quickly changed the topic. She asked them where Swati and her father were planning to go that day. They said that they wanted to visit the Athirapalli and Vazhachal waterfalls.

"What a co-incidence! We are going there too! Why don't you join us?" she asked.

"Yes, please join us. I'll arrange for another vehicle," offered Milind.

"Would it not be a trouble for you?" asked Mr. Vinay Majumdhar, Swati's father.

"No trouble at all." insisted Milind. When Mr.Majumdhar nodded his head in agreement Milind noticed Ishan's elation. He sensed his son's interest in the girl and suggested that the youngsters can come in the second vehicle while the oldies will take the Honda CRV to which Swati's father agreed. Thus, Sahana, Ishan and Swati travelled in the Honda city.

Although Sahana sat between Ishan and Swati in the back seat of the Honda City, she could feel the strong attraction between her brother and her best friend from the sideways glances they kept exchanging each other. She decided to pay cupid and midway through the journey she insisted that she wanted the window seat as she suffered from motion sickness. So Swati ended up sitting next to Ishan, who excitedly engaged her in conversation throughout their trip to the falls which was about 80 kilometers from Kochi.

The two falls, nestled amongst thick forests, presented breathtakingly beautiful sight. Athirappally waterfalls, the larger of the two, looked majestic and wild, falling from a height of 80 feet through gorges overhung with trees. The Vazhachal waterfalls, located at a distance of about 5 kilometers from the Athirapally falls, are a part of the Chalakudy river stream. The waterfalls are surrounded by flora and herbal plantations.

Vinay Majumdhar and Neev soon found out that they had a common interest of hiking. They left behind the rest of the group and went hiking into the forests. Wanting her brother to spend more time with her friend, Sahana latched on to Rehana, asking her to share her culinary secrets. Taking the cue, Ishan never left Swati's side throughout the day, much to the amusement of the rest of the group.

Seeing the two of them together Ayesha remarked to Milind, "You son seems to be smitten with the girl, Milind."

"Yes, I noticed. I've never seen Ishan so much at ease with any girl. I think he is pretty serious about her. Prachi tells me that the girl is a very intelligent, bright and loving girl but her parents' recent separation had affected her deeply so much so that she had withdrawn into a shell. Ishan seems to have successfully brought her out, for she looks much more cheerful around him."

"Is that so? Well, I shouldn't be surprised, for your son is a sure charmer. As long as the two of them are happy, who are we to complain?"

Prachi joined them just then and Milind told her what they were discussing. She smiled and said that she wouldn't mind having Swati as her bahu someday.

"Well, if I have to settle for one of Sahana's friends as my bahu, I'd rather go for Swati than Mandhira."

"Why, what is wrong with Mandhira?" asked Milind, faking ignorance.

"Nothing. Only the girl has such a huge crush on you that if she were to come as my bahu, she may spend more time ogling her father-in-law and in the process neglecting my son !" she laughed.

Milind guffawed at that. "Is somebody feeling threatened?" he asked teasingly.

"No way!" she smiled linking, her arm in his. "I know the hold I have over my husband," she said confidently. Milind pinched her cheek and agreed with her.

After a fun filled day, they returned back to the hotel and had their dinner together. Milind silently observed his son whose conversations with Swati seemed endless. Later after they bid good night to Swati, Vinay, Ali, Rehana, Ayesha and Neev, Sahana and Prachi sat down to watch their favourite T.V. show, Bandini while Milind and Ishan went for a walk around the lawns of the hotel.

"Papa, can I ask you something?" asked Ishan hesitatingly.

"Yes, son. What is it?" asked back Milind although he had an inkling of what it was going to be.

"What do you think of Swati?"

"Well... she seems to be a nice girl. Why do you ask?"

"Papa, I like her a lot. I have met her only on a few occasions and we have got along famously. I enjoy her company and miss her when she is not around but I don't know whether I am in love with her yet. How does one know for sure? When did you realise you loved Mama?"

Milind laughed out loud. "Son, you are asking the wrong person. I must be one of the dumbest men on the face of the earth when it comes to recognising love. It took me nearly six months to realise that I was already neck deep in love with your Mama."

"Six months, Papa?" asked Ishan in surprise.

"Yes, I let my mind rule over my heart for a long time. It is only much later did I realise that in love you should let your heart do the talking. So my advice to you is to listen to your heart in matters concerning it. You will find your answer."

Milind then lapsed into thoughts of how and when he realised he was well and truly in love with his sweet wife.

Past (Milind's flashback)

Milind was on the flight to Istanbul to set right a problem which had cropped up in his first hotel there. He was selling off the property as the hotel was grossly mismanaged and was making huge losses. However, he had received a call the previous night from his manager there informing him that a last minute hitch had crept in to the agreement and if he does not set it right, the entire deal may fall through. He was keen that it does not, because the merger of the Mishra and Shah Group of hotels was finally shaping up and would be completed in less than a month. He wanted to keep his own house in order before the ultimate merger. He explained the position to Prachi and told her that he may be away for at least a week. He could say from her face that she was unhappy about it. He was half tempted to ask her to join him but then stopped himself. He felt that this temporary separation was a blessing in disguise for it will give him time to think about his relationship with Prachi and figure out where he stands in it.

Of late he has been feeling a myriad of emotions towards her. What had started off as a task of making his marriage work did not seem like a task anymore. He was beginning to enjoy himself in the so-called task of getting to know his wife and spending time with her. Every day he was discovering a new facet of his wife and loving it. What used to irritate and infuriate him earlier was now enjoyable and adorable. He had always cared for her as a fellow human being. He could not bear to see her suffer. He was also attracted to her as any warm blooded man would be towards a beautiful woman but he had wanted more than just care and physical attraction to make this relationship work. He sought love which he could not feel for her at the beginning of their marriage because she was the antithesis of his ideal life partner. But as a man who believed in the institution of marriage he was determined to make this relationship work and Milind Mishra has never till date failed in anything he had set out to achieve with single minded determination.

He worked doubly hard on his marriage and he seemed to be seeing the results of it. At the start of his marriage he could not bear to spend more than a couple of hours with her without feeling suffocated, for he found absolutely nothing in common between them. Taking into consideration Ali's advice, though, he made time for her in order to understand her, to appreciate her, to help her understand him, to get her interested in his hobbies and try to cultivate an interest in hers. With both of them giving up a little of themselves to be a part of the other's life, they seemed to have made their way towards each other.

He was now at a critical juncture. His feelings for her have deepened over these past months but he couldn't be sure that it was love. He did not know what love feels like. He thought he was in love with a woman for ten years, but it turned out to be mere infatuation, a pretty strong one at that. Although he did not love that woman anymore, he had held on to what she represented. As a consequence he could not look beyond those qualities he wanted in his wife but could not find in Prachi. Once he stopped looking for what he wanted and started seeing what he had, he found peace and contentment, but had he found love? He did not know and he did not want to play a guessing game. He needed to know with absolute certainty that he was as much in love with his wife as she was in him.

That evening, at the end of the discussion on the Animal Farm, when she had reiterated her love for him, he felt disturbed. Was he right in making her wait so long for him to start loving her, knowing fully well just how much she loved him? At the same time he did not want to hurriedly take their relationship to the next level. He wanted to be in a position to fully reciprocate that love. He did not want to start something without knowing its outcome. He did not want to repeat the mistake he made last time. He will make her his only when he is sure that he will be able to give her as much as she was prepared to give him. Otherwise their wait would be meaningless. He could have consummated their marriage on that fateful night itself, but he had then wanted their union to be purely out of love and not out of compulsion and so it shall be. For that he needed to sort out his own feelings. He felt that this trip to Instanbul would help him do so, for it would create a physical distance which would make him look at things more clearly and objectively.

As soon as he landed in Istanbul he got caught up in work but even in the height of all his work she kept invading his thoughts in the most unexpected manner. Her serenely beautiful face would suddenly flash before his mind's eye. Her tingling laughter would suddenly resonate in his ears. Memories of her wide-eyed admiration of him, her innocent and trusting gaze, her dimpled smile and her naive queries kept haunting him. It was the first time after their marriage that he was away from her and he missed her badly. He missed her daily company in swimming. He missed discussing things with her. He even missed the silence that prevailed between them whenever each of them did his/her task but in the company of the other. He felt a deep sense of longing for Prachi. He was in constant touch with her, calling her up at least a dozen times a day but it did not seem enough. It finally dawned on him that he was irrevocably in love with his wife. The knowledge of this truth brought with it tremendous amount of joy. He wanted to scream out to the world that he was in love. Although he wanted to proclaim his love, if not to the whole world, atleast to the woman in his life, he decided to wait till he gets back to confess his love in person.

It was two days after he reached Istanbul. The date in his watch indicated that it was October 28^th. He suddenly realised it was their six-month wedding anniversary that day. He wanted to surprise his wife with a gift. Not knowing what to buy, he stepped into an Indian jewellery shop there. He looked around the shop trying to decide what to gift her when his eyes fell on a gold pair of anklets which had delicate tiny round gold bells. He immediately liked it and got it packed. He tried calling her up the whole day but was not reaching her. Nandu kaka had informed him that she had gone to the home for the aged that morning to spend time with the inmates. He also informed him that she had said she will be visiting her parents that afternoon. He was surprised to learn that Prachi spent time with the aged people. His regard for her only increased after hearing this. That afternoon he called Shah Mansion but was told that Prachi and Prem Latha had gone shopping. He tried again in the evening and was told that they had gone to the mandir. As the day progressed, his frustration at not being able to speak with his wife was building up. He finally managed to speak to her that night at 9.00 o'clock (IST) at their home. She picked up the phone after several rings.

"Prachi, why did you take so long to answer?" he asked barely managing to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Sorry, Milind. I was having my bath. In fact, I came out to answer the phone in the middle of it."

Milind nearly dropped the receiver hearing this. His throat suddenly felt parched.

"Yyyou mean to say you are wearing nothing right now?" he stuttered.

Prachi laughed out loud "No, silly. I wrapped my soapy body in a towel before I stepped out. Although no one is in our bedroom, I should show some respect to the caller, shouldn't I?"

"Not to this caller! Wish I was there to see you now" he said half jokingly.

"Milind!" she moaned.

"Anyway, I called to wish you on our six-month anniversary."

"Thank you, Milind. Wish you the same."

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I want nothing. I just want you to come back home as soon as possible. Missing you very much Milind."

"Missing you too. Will be back in two days. Good night."

"Good night" she said and blew him a kiss.

He smiled and blew her a kiss in return. From the sounds he was hearing on the other side, he guessed that it was now Prachi's turn to nearly drop the receiver. Smiling at the thought he replaced his own receiver.

"I simply love these anklets, Milind. They are beauuuuutiful," she said.

She got up and hiking her saree up a little so that he can see her feet, she paraded up and down in front of him. The jingling sound made by the anklets as she walked brought a broad smile to his face. He got up and quickly covered the few steps between them. Holding her face between his hands, he enveloped her lips in a deep kiss. She was startled by the suddenness of the act and took a couple of seconds to respond, but soon her lips became pliant and she let him invade her mouth. Nandu kaka had just come into the house from his outhouse and seeing his malik engaged in a liplock with his wife, he covered his face with the palm of his hands and was about to leave. Prachi, who was facing the door, noticed him and quickly broke the kiss, blushing a deep red. Seeing the look in her face, Milind turned around to see Nandu kaka and he too ended up blushing.

"I'm sorry. I did not see anything, for I covered my face. I'll leave right away," Nandu kaka assured the adorable young couple as he hurried to leave.

"It's OK, Nandu kaka. You can come in," Milind smiled warmly at the old man.

Turning to Prachi he said, "I need to take a shower. We'll go out for a drive after that."

Prachi nodded her head and they quickly went up to their room. Just as he came out of the bathroom, the phone rang. Prachi picked it up and heard her father on the other side. He had wanted to speak to Milind. She handed the phone to him and looked at his face expectantly.

"Yes, Papa. How are you? ....I came just a few minutes back. Yes, the problem is sorted out and the sale went through without a hitch. ...No problem.. tell me.... OK.. I'll have to leave for Delhi tomorrow? What time is the meeting? At 9.30. a.m? Then I'll have to leave by the first flight out. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Take care of your health. That is more important," he replaced the receiver.

Prachi looked at him in confusion. "I will have to go to Delhi tomorrow morning to meet an important client regarding the first project which will be taken up by the Shah-Mishra Group of hotels after the merger. The client is leaving for the States and will not be back for the next six months. Your Papa was to attend the meeting but he has not been feeling well since this morning. He asked me if I can go in his place, for in any case I will be handling the project after the merger."

Prachi's face fell hearing that her husband will again leave her alone.

Seeing her disappointed expression, Milind lifted her chin with his forefinger and said. "I've not finished yet. I am not going alone. You are coming with me."

Her face immediately brightened up.

He continued, "Yes, I cannot bear to be separated from you even for a day. We will also visit Agra and Jaipur before returning back. What do you say?"

"I'd love to come, Milind," she said excitedly.

Milind pinched her cheeks fondly and immediately called up his travel agent to book two tickets to Delhi.

They went to bed early that night as Milind said they had to wake up by 4.00 a.m. to catch the early morning flight to Delhi. Prachi could not sleep for quite some time as she kept playing back the events of the day in her mind. Milind's actions and words left her stumped. Has her husband finally realised he loves her? He has never kissed her lips before, even on that night of their heightened but unrealised passion. So his lip-lock came as a surprise although she enjoyed the kiss thoroughly. He also said that he could not bear to be separated from her even for a day and wanted to take her to Agra and Jaipur. Could this be a mini honeymoon? She had her hopes up.

The next morning, on the flight to Delhi, Prachi gave Milind a full account of her activities during his absence. Milind patiently listened to her, smiling occassionally.

After they reached, they checked into their hotel. Apart from the meeting with his client, he also had to meet his auditors regarding the finalisation of the merger.

"Prachi, I may be busy till evening. What do you intend to do till then?
Will you be in the room?" he asked as he got ready to leave for his engagements.

"Milind, my friend Gurdeep Kaur from school days lives in East Delhi. She is in the family way. I would like to meet her and spend some time with her. I'll be back by 5 o'clock" she said.

Milind nodded his head absent-mindedly and left. Little did she expect she will not get to see him till the next night.

Part XXXIII

Present

Prachi was preparing breakfast in the kitchen that morning when she screamed and ran out into the hall. Ayesha and Milind who were involved in some serious discussion stopped and looked up to see what the problem was. Prachi ran to Milind and clutched his shoulder tightly.

"Milind," she wailed.

Seeing the fear in her eyes, Milind guessed what the problem was.

"So, have you been paid a visit by our special guest? What does he want now?" he asked in an amused tone.

Ayesha wondered who could be the special guest who managed to sneak into the kitchen without their knowledge.

"Who is this guest?" she asked in confusion.

Ishan who had just then come from his room asked curiously, "We are having guests so early in the morning?"

Milind winked at him and said, "You know our guest, don't you? Your Mama's special friend?"

Ishan picked on the cue and laughed, "Oh, you mean OUR guest."

Prachi's face turned red and she hit both her husband and her son.

"Can somebody explain to me who this mysterious guest is?" asked Ayesha, quickly making her way to the kitchen.

By now Sahana, Ali, Rehana and Neev had also come down and all headed into the kitchen leaving the still terrified Prachi back in the hall.

"There is no guest here," declared Ayesha and turned around to look at Milind. "Why do you guys talk in riddles?"

Sahana pointed to the wall she said, "Look there Badi ma! There is our special guest! Mama's dear friend!!!"

Ayesha looked up and saw a lizard on the wall.

"You mean that lizard?" she asked. She then understood the joke. "Oh, so Prachi has still not got over her fear of lizards?"

"Mama is simmmply terrified of them," said Ishan, widening his eyes for emphasis.

"Milind, how come you could not get her out of this fear? You managed to get her out of water blues."

"Well, I guess I did not try too hard."

"Why?" she asked him but he merely laughed.

He then thought back on the first day he came to know of his wife's unusual and irrational fear of lizards.

Past (Milind's flashback)

Milind and Prachi immediately returned back to Mumbai after their traumatic experience in Delhi. They skipped their plans to visit Agra and Jaipur, as the situation had still not returned back to normal. As soon as they returned, Milind arranged for an all-expenses-paid one-week trip to Switzerland for the Kapoors as a token of gratitude for taking care of the most precious person in his life. They also went to meet Inder and Prem Latha Shah to assure them that they were both safe and also to appraise Inder of Milind's Delhi meeting with the client. Milind soon got busy with his work as the merger of the two hotel giants was to be completed in about month's time.

One morning as Milind came into the hall, Prachi ran to him from the adjacent kitchen. "Miiiiliiiind" she yelled and flew into his arms. She jumped up, wrapped her legs around his waist, clung to his neck tightly and buried her head in his shoulder. Milind was taken aback by this strange behaviour and holding the back of her head, he brought it forward to look into her eyes.

"What is the matter, darling?" he asked her with concern.

She did not say anything but with fear clearly written in her eyes, she pointed her hand to the kitchen. Wondering what could have scared his pretty wife so much that she hopped on to him like a baby, he held her tightly against him in the same position and walked to the kitchen. He looked around and couldn't see anything unusual.

"What is it, Prachi? Everything seems to be normal. What are you scared of?" he asked her in a gentle tone.

With her face still buried in his shoulder, she pointed to the wall in front of him. His eyes followed her finger and settled on a big fat lizard on the wall, tut-tuting to let people know his presence. He seemed to be pleased to be ruling the kitchen walls.

"You are scared of the lizard?" asked Milind with a mixture of astonishment and amusement.

Prachi nodded her head, refusing to look at him or the lizard.

Milind couldn't resist smiling at his timid wife. He gently put her down and holding her by her waist, he kept looking around the other walls.

"What are you searching for?" asked Prachi in a small voice, her head turned up to him. "Do you want something to get rid of it? There is a stick behind the door. Don't hit it though - just use it to threaten it so that it will go away."

"No, I am not looking for a stick. I am looking for Mrs.Lizard."

She looked at him in confusion.

"Mrs.Lizard?" she repeated.

"Yeah, Mr.Lizard's wife. I presume she must be around somewhere here too!"

Prachi let out another scream and jumped up on him again.

"Why do you want to look for another lizard?" she asked, pouting her lips.

"Well, if there are two of them, then there are chances that there will be some baby lizards as well," he said in a matter of fact tone.

"Do you want to chase them all?" she asked hopefully.

"Chase them? Are you crazy? Why would I want to chase my allies?"

"Your allies?" asked Prachi in puzzlement.

"Yeah, see they managed to get you on my hip like this. I owe them one, don't I?"

He then turned to the lizard and said in a serious tone, "Don't worry Mr.Lizard, I'll get you some fat flies to feed on tomorrow. Don't ever leave the kitchen wall when my wife is around and I am home."

Prachi punched him and ran out screaming, "You will not get your breakfast, Mr.Milind Mishra."

Milind laughed out loud from behind her.

Part XXXIV.1

Note: This part will have two parts. The second one will be a continuation of the same theme (Milind's flashback) and hence will not have a seperate present scenario. Sorry if this update appears drab and maybe even inconsistent. Can't think straight. Have not proof read either.

Present

Milind had turned on the FM the next morning to hear the song from Ghajini playing. He immediately turned up the volume and caught hold of Prachi's hand as she was trying to make her way to the kitchen and dragged her into a slow dance to the song. He held her close to him and looked deeply into her eyes throughout the song. As soon as the song was over, they broke free to the sound of thunderous applause from the entire family and friends who had gathered around them by then.

The song

"Yes, the lyrics of this song best express my feelings for my beloved wife, Prachi. It is pure destiny that brought us together," said Milind, looking at his wife with loving eyes and making her blush.

Past (Prachi's flashback)

Milind was very busy with the merger, leaving home very early and returning very late. He insisted that she should not wait up for him. Many a night, Prachi would be fast asleep when he came in, letting himself in through a duplicate key, but however late he came, he always hugged his sleeping wife around her waist and slept with his face buried in the gap between her shoulder and her neck.

As part of the merger strategy, Milind had come up with alternate plans for those hotels of both Groups which were located in the same place. In the metros and bigger cities, one of them was to be converted into a hotel catering to pure business interests and the other, catering to tourist interests. In tourist spots, one hotel would convert into an economy Five-star hotel and the other, a premium Five-star hotel, depending on the facilities available in each of them. He ensured that employees of both groups of hotels got the same treatment irrespective of these conversions. As all this would require refocusing of strategy towards the changed group of customers, he had called all the top personnel in each of the hotel for a Seminar in the city which he presided over. He then made a whirlwind trip around the country to those places where the conversion has already taken place to oversee how they were functioning.

It had been nearly a week since Milind had left for his trip. As Prachi had gotten so used to his cuddling she found it difficult to sleep in his absence. Although she never told Milind of her problem in all his frequent calls to her, she finally blurted it out that night when he called her.

"Prachi, how are you, darling?"

"I'm fine except for my insomnia problem. I've not been able to sleep well in the past one week."

"You've not slept well for one week? Why?" he asked with concern.

"Because I don't have my teddy bear," she lamented.

"What teddy bear? I've never seen you sleeping with one," remarked Milind, confused by Prachi's complaint.

"In the past month I've gotten used to sleeping with my live six-foot teddy bear cuddling up to me. I'm missing my teddy and his cuddles," she said mournfully.

Milind laughed out loud. "So you miss your teddy and his cuddles, do you? Don't worry. Be patient for one more night and your teddy will be back tomorrow to cuddle you up. Are you happy now?"

"You are coming back tomorrow?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, I am."

"I'll be waiting for you. I have some wonderful news to convey to you."

"Really? What is it?"

"I can't tell you over the phone."

"OK, I'll wait for tomorrow then. I have something important to tell you too."

"Wow. What is it?" she asked excitedly.

"Aaahaa, not so easily. You too will have to wait madam. I want to be present with you when I say this to you."

"OK." She sighed. "I'll have to wait till tomorrow, then. Now I'm definitely not going to be able to sleep tonight wondering what it is you want to tell me."

"Shall I help you sleep?" he asked eagerly.

"Please.... but how are you going to do that? Are you planning to sing me a lullaby?" she asked sceptically.

"Lullaby? You know what an awful singer I am. If I sing, you'll lose whatever sleep you may otherwise get and even if you manage to sleep, you will end up having nightmares."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"I'll show you. Would you keep the phone receiver wherever I ask you to? "

"OK," she said, wondering what he had in mind.

"Keep it on your forehead."

She took the receiver up and kept it on her forehead and she heard the loud smack of a kiss. Understanding that he intended to replace his cuddles with his kisses, she excitedly brought the receiver back to her ears to hear his next instruction.

"Now take it to your eyelids and wait for a second on each of them while I kiss."

She did as she was told.

"Now take it to the tip of your nose."

Again she followed his instruction.

"Take it to you ear lobes. First left.......Mmmwaah.....now right...mmmwaaah. "

"Now your supple lips. Hold it here for a little longer. I want to give you a nice deep French kiss."

As soon as she took the receiver to her lips she heard a loud Mmmmmmmmwaaaaaaahhhh. She shyly licked her lips.

"Take it now to your chin."

She took it there and heard another smacking kiss.

"Bring it down to the hollow of your neck."

She gently placed it on her neck to receive his kiss.

"Now, take it straight down 6 inches and turn left."

She did as she was told. When she realised where the receiver had landed, she turned red.

Quickly she removed the receiver and taking the mouth piece to her lips she admonished him, "Milind, you are getting really naughty."

"Naughty?" he feigned ignorance. "What's so naughty about wanting to kiss my wife's beautiful heart?"

"Heart?" she repeated, wondering whether she heard right.

"Yeah, heart. Is it not stationed to the left side of you exactly where I traced it? I am sure by now your heart must be beating twice as hard, waiting in clear anticipation of my kiss. "

"So, did you sleep well last night?" he asked her.

"Splendidly, thanks to your marathon kisses."

"So my kisses worked, did they? I don't want you to sleep right after I kiss you tonight, though. There is much more I've planned for you."

Prachi's ears became hot at the implication. Smiling at her, he started the ignition of their car. On the way home, he apprised her about the developments on the business front. All formalities were through and the merger would be announced in the next board meeting to be scheduled for the coming Friday.

"So what is it you wanted to tell me about?" asked Prachi eagerly.

"I'll tell you after dinner," he said."What about you? You wanted to tell me something too."

"Well, I'll tell you only after you have told me your secret," she said, not wanting to be the first to reveal her little secret.

Milind smiled at her and said that he will wait.

She got busy clearing up while Milind waited for her in their room. After she was done for the day she slowly went up to their room when she overhead him talking to his friend over the phone.

"........I love her Ali. She is my life, the reason for my living. She has become a part of me. I can't hide the truth from Prachi any longer. I do not want to keep her in the dark. I have to come clean with her and tell her that the woman who had dominated my thoughts for nearly 10 years was none other than her sister, Ayesha. I had agreed to marry her under the impression that I was marrying Ayesha whose name I thought was Prachi...."

As Milind was on his way back from his whirlwind trip around the country he was deeply contemplative of his life with Prachi. He had never been comfortable with the fact that he was still hiding from her the truth that the woman he fell for ten years ago was her sister. He could have told her the whole truth on the night he begged her to give him more time to work on their marriage but he would have risked his entire marriage then. His wife was in an emotionally vulnerable state then, rejected as she was just a couple of nights before that because of his own insensitivity. If she had been told that his rejection partly stemmed from the fact that he had past feelings for her sister and that he had married her only by default it would have been a severe blow to her self confidence. He knew her enough to know that the two sisters were extremely close. So there was no way he could have softened the blow unless he could have assured her of his own undying love for her. At that point in time he was unable to do that because he was barely managing to tolerate her and was desperately trying to find ways to make his marriage work.

He had, therefore, settled for revealing only so much as she needed to know in order to be able to give their marriage a chance for survival. He admitted to having been in a one-side love affair before and marrying her on the rebound. He also told her how he was disappointed that she was different from his concept of an ideal woman but he refrained from revealing the real identity of the woman he loved. He had truthfully acknowledged that all he can assure her is his sincerity in his efforts to love her as she deserves to be loved. She handled this partial truth much better than he expected. In her typical naivety she even concluded that he married her because her name matched with his dream girl. Although at that point he felt bad about taking advantage of such an innocent girl, he knew there was not much of an alternative left to him if they have to make any progress in their relationship.

Over the months, he discovered his wife's inner beauty and strength and started appreciating her more. His earlier trip to Istanbul had also brought with it the realisation that he was irrevocably in love with her. He had wanted to celebrate his love by first cleansing his heart of all his secrets but fate had other things planned. The Delhi trip was memorable in more ways than one. Their tumultuous union in the immediate aftermath of getting caught in the riots left no scope for rational thought. Their second union that night was geared towards showing her that what he felt for her was not merely lust but deep seated love. In all this, he had temporarily forgotten that he had not yet revealed the whole truth to her. On their return from Delhi, he had been extremely busy with the merger that he barely managed to speak to his wife. However, at the back of his mind something kept niggling him. He knew that he had to come clean with his wife if he wanted to further strengthen their relationship. As the matter was delicate he needed to be present with her while breaking the truth. He needed to assure her that his feelings for her sister is strictly in the past tense because he now loves only her and no one can ever take her place. He was sure that he can make her understand even if she struggles with the truth. Such was the confidence he had in his own love. It was with this hope that he looked forward to meeting her and finally be free of this burden of truth.

When he met her at the airport, he was happy to see her all excited about her own little secret. He had no clue what it was, but he enjoyed seeing her bubbling to reveal it but holding back because she wanted him to be the first one to divulge his secret. It was this childlike quality which made her so endearing to him and he vowed to never ever break her spirit. He decided to prolong the anticipation for a little longer so that he could put his own thoughts in order and break the truth as gently as he can, making sure that she was absolutely certain where his heart lay. Although he had already made up his mind to reveal all to Prachi, he wanted to confide in someone before he took this major step. So he called up Ali, the only person aware of his past, to inform him about his intention, not to seek his permission.

"Ali, this is Milind, how are you?......I am fine, how are Bhabhi and the kids?......Yes, everything is going just great both in the business front and more importantly in the personal front. I am in love, Ali. .....Yes, you heard me right. I am finally well and truly in love with my wife. My marriage has never looked more wonderful, thanks to your advice and Prachi's patience. She is an amazing person, beautiful both from within and without. I love her, Ali. She is my life, the reason for my living. She has become a part of me. I can't hide the truth from Prachi any longer. I do not want to keep her in the dark. I have to come clean with her and tell her that the woman who had dominated my thoughts for nearly 10 years was none other than her sister, Ayesha. I had agreed to marry her under the impression that I was marrying Ayesha whose name I thought was Prachi.............. You cannot understand why I want to rack up the past when everything is going great? But Ali, I believe that there should be no secrets between husband and wife. I am sure I can make her understand that Ayesha is a closed chapter, not one I want to revisit either now or ever. In fact, I now realise that I never really loved Ayesha. Yes, I was strongly attracted towards her but my feelings for her pale in comparison to what I feel for Prachi. It is Prachi who taught me the meaning of love without even knowing she was doing so. She..."

Before he could continue further, he heard a loud thud and Prachi's shrill voice calling out to him. He dropped the phone and ran out of his room and to his horror he saw the love of his life roll rapidly down the stairs. He rushed after her but before he got to her, she had already hit the bottom of the stairs. For a moment his entire world stood still seeing her like a crumpled rose lying motionless at the foot of the stairs. As if waking up from a trance, he grabbed her in his arms and pulled her onto his lap. He patted her cheeks repeatedly and called out to her but she remained unresponsive. He checked her pulse and found it to be weak. As her forehead was bleeding, he quickly dug out his handkerchief and quickly tied it around the wound to stop the bleeding. When his efforts to revive her again did not work, a cold fear gripped his heart. He knew he cannot afford to waste a single moment. He buzzed Nandu kaka at his outhouse asking him to come to his car. Picking up his car keys, he quickly swung Prachi in his arms and rushed out towards the garage. The old man was already standing next to the car and was shocked to see his master hold a flaccid Prachi in his arms. He quickly took the keys from him and opened the back door. Milind slid Prachi on the seat and asked Nandu kaka to sit with her while he drove them to the hospital. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Nandu kaka did not question him but quietly sat in the car, taking Prachi's head on his lap and holding her tight. Milind quickly took the driver's seat and backed the car out.

On the way to the hospital he apprised Nandu kaka of Prachi's fall down the stairs. Nandu kaka kept muttering his prayers for his malkin's safety. Once they reached the hospital Milind quickly opened the car door, picked up his wife and literally ran into the hospital with her, with Nandu kaka close at his heels. Prachi was immediately admitted and wheeled into the emergency room (ER), with a team of doctors working on her. Milind stood helplessly outside the ER, running his trembling hands nervously through his hair. Nandu kaka came up to him and asked him if he had informed the Shahs. Milind shook his head in the negative, looking completely lost. Nandu kaka volunteered to call them up and quickly went to the reception to place the call. A few minutes later Inder and Prem Latha were with Milind.

"What had happened, Milind" asked Inder in alarm. Prem Latha looked like she had been crying ever since she heard the news.

Milind looked at his father-in-law with vacant eyes and shook his head.

"I don't know, Papa. I saw her tumble down the stairs right before my eyes and I couldn't stop her from falling."

Nandu kaka assured them that the doctors were doing their best to save her.

As the minutes ticked by Milind became increasingly agitated. Prem Latha rushed to the shrine inside the hospital and knelt before the deity with folded hands and tearful eyes. Milind slowly made his way to the shrine. He stood behind his mother-in-law, not knowing how to pray. It wasn't like he did not believe in God because he did. But all his life he had never asked God for anything either for himself or for others as he believed in achieving whatever he wanted with his own efforts. He had only offered thanksgiving to God from time to time for all that he has received from him without his asking. So he did not know how to ask him. He tried repeating whatever chants his mother-in-law was uttering. After sometime he gave up and fell on his knees and pleaded with God, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"You cannot do this to me, Lord. You cannot show me a glimpse of heaven, lead me to my angel and then snatch her from me like this. Please Lord, please don't this to me. I cannot live without her. I've never asked you for anything before but I ask you now. Please keep her safe Lord. Give me all her suffering but please spare her Lord. I need her, I need my wife. Please return her to me."

Prem Latha was moved to tears hearing her son-in-law's pleas. She understood the depth of his love for her daughter. She went up to him and pressed his shoulder reassuringly. He looked up to see her standing next to him. The emotions he had been controlling till then frothed up and burst out as he rose up and clung to her, soaking her shoulder with his hot tears. Son-in-law and mother-in-law stood there in silence for a few minutes, clinging together for emotional support. Milind then pulled himself together and wiping his tears, he straightened up. He then wiped his mother-in-law's tears too and holding her by the shoulder, he led her to the ER. All four of them waited outside anxious to know what was going on inside. Prem Latha asked her husband whether she should call Ayesha but Inder shook his head saying that there was no point in worrying that poor girl when she was thousands of miles away from them. She had already troubled her once regarding the riots. They should all hope and pray that Prachi will be safe.

After nearly two hours, finally one of the doctors came out.

"Mr.Mishra, your wife is out of danger although she is still unconscious. She has suffered multiple fractures but is otherwise stable. She should regain her consciousness soon. "

Milind heaved a sigh of relief and silently thanked God.

The doctor continued, "We could not save the baby, though."

"Baby? What baby." asked Milind in shock.

"The baby in her womb. Your wife was nearly seven weeks pregnant when she had the fall."

Milind felt like somebody had just punched him in the gut. His breath constricted in his chest as he struggled to breathe. He desperately held the wall nearby to keep from stumbling. His wife was carrying their baby? He came to know of his baby's death even before he knew of its existence. He couldn't imagine a worse plight for any man. What should have been the moment of enormous celebration has turned into a moment of intolerable grief. This baby was so eagerly awaited by both of them but before it could make its presence felt, its life has been sniffed off. He wanted to cry out loud at the injustice of it all but his voice stuck in his throat. Inder and Prem Latha hugged each other and cried hearing about the fate of their first grandchild. Nandu kaka shed his own tears, wiping his eyes with his knotty fingers.

Inder led him to the hospital canteen and bought him a cup of tea.

Milind did not drink a drop as he kept staring listlessly at the cup.

"Look Milind, you need to be strong for both of you. If you crumble like this what will become of Prachi? You know how delicate and vulnerable she is. Her physical hurt will heal soon but her emotional hurt will take time. It is not easy for a woman to come to terms with the loss of her child, however short a time it resided within her. To be able to help her, you need to help yourself first. You need to regain your strength. Please drink this tea. It will at least refresh you a little."

Milind tentatively held the cup to his lips and slowly sipped it. When he had finished they went back to the ER. They were informed there that Prachi had regained her consciousness and had been shifted to the ward. Getting the ward number, they hurried there. Nandu kaka stood in a corner and Prem Latha was trying to talk to her daughter who just stared back at her with vacant eyes. Seeing them, Prem Latha looked both relieved and worried. She told them that although Prachi was conscious, she was unresponsive. The doctors had said that she appears to be bottling up a lot of emotions within herself. She will recover from her numb state only if she lets out her feelings which may take time. Milind quickly went up to her and sitting beside her he patted her cheeks.

"Prachi, this is Milind, your Milind. Please speak to me," he begged her but she did not respond.

After repeated requests he saw her yawn widely. He made her lie down and she went promptly to sleep. He checked the time. It was well past mid night. He asked his parents-in-law and Nandu kaka to go home while he stayed back with his wife and took care of her. Prem Latha volunteered to stay back but he declined the offer politely saying he wanted to be around his wife. He stretched himself in the couch next to the bed and closed his tired eyes although he could not sleep. In the middle of the night he heard Prachi muttering in her sleep and he was quickly by her side. She was thrashing her head from side to side and mumbling something in her sleep that he could not make out. He brought his ear close her lips to catch what she was saying. When he heard her words, his eyes widened in shock.

"Mmmmiliiiind,.... yyyou... lllove.... Ayyyesha... dddon't you? AAyesha... iis ...yyyour ddddream...gggirl, isn't she? I....I... know.... ffffor.... I....I.... heard... yyyyou...ttalk.... with Ali. How....naive of..mme....tttto... tthink... that ....yyyou...mmmarried...mme...bbecause.... mmy......nnname....mmmatched....wi...with....yyyour......ddream.....ggggirl's. You... ..yyou...mmmmust have had a.... hhhhhearty laugh at....mmmy expense...hhhearing that."

"No, Prachi no. I did not laugh at you my darling. I am ashamed at myself for taking advantage of your innocence. You are not in the wrong here, sweet heart. It is me. I should have told you the whole truth that night I revealed my past to you but I was scared that you would not give our marriage a chance," he said with anguish.

"WWWhy....dddid.....yyou... nnot.... confide... in....mme....Milind? I....I....wwould....hhave ....somehow.....ttried.... to....convince.... Ayyyesha....into....accepting....yyour...llove. You...and....and.....Ayyesha.....wwould.....hhave.....mmmade..... a....ggreat....ppair......Why, Mmiliiind, ....wwhy.....ddid .....yyou......ttorture.....yyourself.... into.... accepting..... a....ggirl .....wwho.... is....sso.....unworthy....of....yyou?" she said mournfully.

"Who said you are unworthy, darling? I could not have got a better girl than you, my love. You are the one for me, darling. You are my love, my life, my treasure. Without you, I am nothing. With you, I am everything. You are my better half and I wouldn't dream of having it any other way," he said fervently, pulling her up and hugging her tightly to him.

He held her head and brought it forward so that he can look at her face in the dim moonlight that streamed through the window. She still appeared to be asleep. He kissed her forehead and laid her back against the pillow. When he was sure that she was in deep sleep, he went back to his couch. His heart felt heavy with guilt now that he realised the cause of her fall. So far he was under the impression that in her excitement to share the news of her pregnancy with him she must have hurried up the stairs, missed a step and tumbled down but now it was clear that the fall was after she had overhead his conversation with Ali. The thought that he was in a way responsible for not only her suffering but also for the loss of his child tore him apart. His heart bled for the two most important persons in his life, his beloved wife who was physically and emotionally broken and his unborn child whom he lost even before he knew him/her. He kept tossing through the night unable to sleep a wink with the sorrow and guilt weighing him down.

Early the following morning Inder and Prem Latha were back at the hospital. They were alarmed to see Milind's dishevelled appearance and blood shot eyes which clearly indicated his sleeplessness. Prem Latha assured him that she will take care of Prachi while he goes and freshens himself up and has something to eat. Inder handed him a fresh set of clothes that Nandu kaka had given him. Milind reluctantly went to have a shower and change his clothes. Inder later took him back to the hospital canteen. Milind picked at his breakfast listlessly. Inder asked him whether they should postpone the merger announcement given Prachi's condition. Milind shook his head and said that their shareholders were eagerly awaiting the news, so Inder should go ahead and preside over the meeting on Friday. After all he would still remain the Chairman of the merged entity, although Milind would be the Managing Director. Milind said that he himself would be away from work till Prachi was completely fit both physically and emotionally. Inder patted his back and expressed his pride in having a son-in-law who loves his daughter so much. He assured that he will take care of everything and that he need not worry about anything as far as the business was concerned.

Part XXXIV.3

Note: Although I said that the earlier part will have only two sections I realised I have overstepped myself yet again. So kindly put up with one more section before I wrap up this part. I think there will be two more parts before I wrap up the entire fic.

Past (Prachi's flashback)

Prachi felt someone patting her cheeks to wake her up. She opened her eyes and stared back at the face of her mother. She looked around to see unfamiliar white walls around her. She looked down at the unfamiliar hard mattress she was lying on. She tried to figure out where she was but her head ached badly. She took her hand up to her head and felt the bandage. She tried moving her legs but they felt heavy and numb. She looked down and saw them encased in plaster. Her mother seemed to be desperately mouthing something to her, going by the rapid movement of her lips. She strained hard to hear what she was saying. Although she could not hear anything at first, she finally heard her but her voice seemed distant, as though coming from the depths of a well.

"Prachi beta, can you hear me? This is your Mama, darling. How are you feeling? You gave us all the scare of our lives. Milind was the most affected. He had never left your side throughout last night. The poor guy was so shattered to see you in this state that he appears to have not slept at all."

Hearing her husband's name, her eyes searched for him. Not finding him around, her face fell.

"Your Papa has taken him down for breakfast," her mother explained his absence. "Milind truly loves you beta. Even I did not realise the intensity of his love till I witnessed it yesterday. You are lucky to have such a man as your husband. Together you will see this through."

Although Prachi could now hear the words, however faint they sounded, she could not comprehend their meaning. Where was she? Why was she not in her own bedroom? Why was she all bandaged up? What was her mother doing here? What did she do to scare them? Why was her mother saying that her husband never left her side throughout last night? Do they not always sleep on the same bed whenever he is in town? Why did her husband not sleep last night? She looked at her mother in confusion. She tried to ask her but there seemed to be some disconnect between her brain and her mouth as she could not act on her thoughts.

Her mother propped her up on the bed and tried to feed her something. After some resistance she gave in and quite mechanically chewed the food which seemed tasteless to her. Just as she finished her breakfast she saw her husband and her Papa come in. She stared at her husband who rushed to her side and holding her face between his hands asked, "Prachi, honey, how do you feel today?"

Her mother assured him that there appeared to be some progress because she seemed to be aware of her surroundings; she even had her breakfast but she has still not said a single word. Milind seemed relieved to hear that she was at least showing signs of improvement.

"Prachi, do you hear me?" he asked eagerly.

She stared back at him but could not respond. She could see his eyes start to cloud up.

"Prachi, your teddy bear is here. He misses you very much. He feels lonely without you. Would you not cuddle this poor teddy of yours?" he asked plaintively.

Hearing her fond endearment for him from his lips, something snapped within her. She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, her eyes streaming with tears. She then started showering his face with kisses, unmindful that her parents were still in the room. Seeing their daughter and her husband caught up in an emotional moment, Prem Latha and Inder quickly left the room to afford them their privacy. Milind hugged her back and reciprocated his wife's ardour but suddenly she pulled back, as she recollected something. She dropped her arms to the side and turned her face away from him as if to avoid his kisses. Milind immediately noticed the change in her behaviour and asked her what was wrong. She refused to meet his eyes. He held her by the chin and turned her around to face him.

"Prachi, look at me. What is it? What is troubling you, baby?"

Her lips trembled as she tried to form the words. After struggling for a few minutes she finally found her voice.

"I do not deserve you, Milind. You need to be with Ayesha whom you love," she whimpered as her eyes started filling up fast again and hiding her face in her palms, she sobbed uncontrollably.

Hearing this, Milind's face darkened.

"Listen to me, Prachi," he said softly but firmly as he pried her fingers from her face and wiped her tears.

"Let me make this crystal clear to you. Look into my eyes and watch my lips," he ordered. She slowly lifted her eyes to his.

Locking his eyes with hers, he rounded out each word as he said slowly, "I LOVE YOU AND ONLY YOU. I DO NOT... I REPEAT.... I DO NOT LOVE YOUR SISTER."

"But I heard you say...heard you say....." she stuttered as she tried to recollect where exactly she heard him say that Ayesha was the woman he loved, who was his dream girl of 10 years, but it kept slipping her mind.

He hastily put his finger to her lips.

"Sh....don't strain yourself to think. I will explain everything about what you heard and what you did not, when you are more fit. Suffice it for now that I love you from the depths of my heart. Can't you feel my love for you, darling?" he asked, holding her face and looking deeply into her eyes.

She searched his eyes for confirmation of these words as she knew that eyes were the windows to one's soul and they cannot lie. She did not want sympathy love. She wanted him to love her for herself, for what she was. She did not mind not being his first love but she wanted to be his only love from hence forth. As she looked into his eyes, she felt herself being drawn into their magnetic depths. His love for her was starkly visible in them. There was no trace of sympathy there, just pure love. She let out a huge sigh and flung her arms around him again.

"I love you too, Milind. I love you so much that it hurts. I cannot live without you."

"Neither can I. How can you even think of surrendering me to your sister, darling?"

"I am sorry, Milind. I wanted your happiness."

"My happiness is with you, my silly baby!"

Hearing the word 'baby' she realised that she had not yet confided in him about their baby. She looked at him and said excitedly, "Milind, we are going to have a baby. I am carrying your...." she struggled remember the word he had used, "....your love symbol," she said triumphantly.

The minute the words tumbled out of her mouth his face shrunk and he quickly turned his head away so that she could not see his expression. She wondered why he was looking so upset by this news. Was he not the one who was so keen that they start a family right away? She tried to ask him what was wrong when she was hit by a sharp jabbing pain in her lower abdomen. Clutching her stomach, she cried out. Milind turned back towards her in alarm and held her by her shoulders.

"Prachi, are you alright?" he asked, concern written all over his face. She nodded her head as the pain left her as suddenly as it appeared.

Before she could regain her composure though, she abruptly saw the events of the previous night flash before her mind's eye; overhearing her husband's telephonic conversation with Ali outside their bedroom; leaving the place in a dazed state and finally tumbling down the stairs, calling out to her husband. Everything came back to her. She finally understood why she was in the hospital in bandages and plaster. Suddenly a fear gripped her. Her baby...what has happened to her baby? Her eyes asked the unspoken question to her husband as she looked at him fearfully. The pained expression on his face said it all. It was all over. Her beautiful dream has been shattered. She froze in shock for a moment. As the bitter fact that their baby was no more finally sunk in, she let out a loud heart wrenching scream of anguish and collapsed in his arms, howling in deep emotional pain. He held her tightly in his arms, caressing the back of her head in comfort and letting her express her grief freely. She cried till she could cry no more. Her heart felt heavy as a lead with sorrow and guilt.

aall....these....ddays....yyou....hhad...ddone ...nnothing....bbut....sshow......hhow....mmuch...

yyou.....lllove....mme?Our.....nnight....together..in...Delhi...shshould....have..........bbeen....

ppproof.....enough....fffor.....mme. After.... exxxperiencing....bboth... your....pppassionate.. as well...as..your...ttender.....llove,...how....did.....I....I...even....tthink....tthat...you....ccould.... sstill....llove....anyone....else?Why....dddid....I....not....listen...tto..my....heart...which...knew...

that....you...lloved...me....even....bbefore..you...yourself...realised it?" she lamented between hiccups of dry sobs tossing her head from side to side on his broad shoulder.

He lifted her head from his shoulders and looked at her sympathetically.

"Darling, don't blame yourself. It is not your fault," he tried to console her. "If I had confided the whole truth about my past to you before and assured you that nobody can take your place in my life, maybe all this would not have happened, but I couldn't find the right moment to do so. I was planning to tell you about everything last night and assure you of my undying love for you, but fate seems to have had other plans."

"Were you planning to tell me? If only I had waited and heard the entire thing instead of hastily jumping to my own conclusions. Is it not ironic, Milind, that I was the impatient one here? Prachi who is always known for her patience was impatient for once in her life and paid a heavy price for it," she said ruefully, shaking her head in dejection. Her eyes started filling up again.

Milind dragged her back into his arms. "Sh....sh...Baby, we both need to forgive ourselves and move on. What is important is that we love each other and know how much each of us means to the other. We will be each other's support through this dark hour. We can never replace what we lost but we can always be instruments in the creation of another new life in future. No matter how many babies we may have, though, this baby will always hold a special place in our hearts for as long as we live, even if it has been with us for a very short time, for after all it was the fruit of one of our first two unions." He tried hard to hide the pain in his voice and look at things more positively. Prachi took solace in her husband's comforting words and laid her face on his chest. As she was emotionally exhausted, she closed her eyes and the steady beat of his heart soon put her to sleep, although it was still morning.

For the next one week Prachi was in the hospital and Milind was with her throughout this time. Her parents visited her daily to relieve him from time to time to take care of his personal requirements. Both Milind and she forbade her parents from telling about the miscarriage to Ayesha, knowing how upset she will be hearing about it. They reasoned that there was no point conveying this sad news in the midst of her busy semester. She may want to immediately rush to be by her sister's side which, in turn, may disrupt her studies. She could always be briefed about it when she comes during her next break. Prachi's parents agreed that it was a sensible decision to tell Ayesha when she would be back with them in a little over two months.

As Prachi's legs took time healing, Milind carried her around the house, as he did not like her being confined to the bedroom all the time. They played chess everyday and she was thankful that Milind had taught her the game, for it gave them something to do together. They shared each other's childhood experiences. They watched old movies together in the video cassette recorder ' Rajesh Khanna starrers to cater to her tastes and Amitabh starrers to cater to his. While Milind gave her company in watching her favourite T.V.shows like Hum Log and Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, she sat through Milind's favourite show, Yes, Minister, the highly acclaimed BBC serial which was also supposed to have been one of Mrs. Indira Gandhi's favourite. After the show though, Milind had to translate the British English dialogues into Indian English for Prachi's comprehension. The two of them enjoyed each other's company so much that they wished this blissful period would never end.

***

"Milind, you look like a sage from the Himalayas with this the overgrown moush and beard. So far only I was forced to see this beary face. Since I am blindly in love with you I can tolerate you anyhow but think of the poor pretty nurses in the hospital. We wouldn't want this beary face to become a scary face to them, would we?" she asked sweetly as she went about neatly trimming her husband's facial hair.

Milind smiled and asked her, "Are you sure you want me to look handsome? Those pretty nurses will then end up swooning over me."

"I don't mind, for I know that my husband will only swoon over me," she said confidently as she returned the scissors back to him having completed her task.

They drove down to the hospital where Prachi's plasters were removed and she was asked to practice walking with crutches for some time till her legs strengthened. She was also taught a few physiotherapy exercises to strengthen her muscles. Milind helped her in these activities.

Shaking his head, he said, "No, no, no madam. You cannot fool me so easily. I refuse to be swayed by your dimpled smiles."

She pushed his palm down, and retorted, "OK, if you cannot be swayed by my dimples then why are you avoiding seeing my face?"

"Well, I am not taking a chance, considering the potency of that killer smile," he laughed and moved his queen next to her king. "Check," he said confidently.

She tried protecting her king but in two moves the game was over.

"Well, I may have lost this king," she smiled ruefully, toying with the chess king in her hands, "but I have a much stronger, more handsome and extremely loving king by my side. So why should I fear." She then leaned forward to kiss his lips. Milind held her face and reciprocated the kiss with equal fervour.

It took nearly two months for Prachi to be up on her feet on her own again. Although it was a tragic event which had literally thrown them in each other's company twenty-four hours a day for nearly sixty days, they were both grateful for the precious time they got to build their relationship and take it forward. They both came out of this painful experience as stronger individuals and more importantly as a stronger couple.

Part XXXV

Present

It was May 23^rd, 2009, Ishan's 23^rd birthday. Prachi got up early in order to prepare Ishan's favourite breakfast, the south Indian Iddiappam. As she approached the kitchen she got a whiff of freshly baking cake. She hurried in to check who was in the kitchen before her and she caught Sahana bent in front of the oven, checking to see if her cake was done. Prachi went behind her and twisted her ear.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" she asked her daughter.

"Sorry, Mama. I invaded your territory but I was trying to bake a cake for Bhaiyya on his birthday."

"Really? What a sweet thought. You could have called me. I would have helped."

"But Mama, I wanted to do it on my own!" said Sahana, even as Prachi tried to step in.

"Oh my God! Sahana, why have you turned up the heat so high? The cake will get burnt." exclaimed Prachi but it was too late. By the time she put off the oven and opened the oven door the cake was fully burnt.

Sahana burst out in tears. "Oh Mama. What will I do? I so wanted this cake to be Ishan's surprise gift."

"Don't worry, we'll help you bake your cake," she heard the booming voice of her Papa from behind her. Milind who had just entered the hall had heard his daughter's wails and came to the kitchen to check on her. "Mama, tell us what to do and we'll carry out your orders."

Prachi smiled and said. "Let me first give you all the ingredients and then you can prepare it. As we do not have much time, I'll go with the simplest of recipes."

She quickly took 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 cup maida, 1 teaspoon baking powder, teaspoon soda bicarbonate, 400 gms of condensed milk, 1/2 cup melted butter and one teaspoon vanilla essence.

She asked her daughter to sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and soda bi-carbonate. While she was doing that, she asked Milind to get a bowl. She then asked Sahana to combine all the ingredients with 1/2 cup water in the bowl. She asked Milind to mix this mixture with a whisk. When he had whipped the mixture until it had blended well, she brought a baking tin of 6 inch diameter and greased it. She then asked him to pour the mixture into the tin. She had in the mean time preheated the oven at 180C (360F). She put the tin into the oven and allowed it to bake for 20 minutes. She then opened the oven door to check whether the knife she inserted into the cake came out clean. Once the cake was baked, she took it out, unmoulded it on a plate and left it to cool on a wire rack. Sahana heaved a sigh of relief seeing the well formed, aromatic cake.

Ishan was awoken by a knock on his door. Yawning widely he went up to the door and opened it to find the entire Mishra, Shergill and Khan clan. Before he could react he was hugged in turns and wished a very happy birthday. Sahana then brought out the cake they had baked together that morning. Seeing it, Ishan's eyes widened in surprise.

"You baked this cake?" he asked, squeezing his eyes in disbelief.

"Well,..." she dragged.

"Yes, she did." Milind quickly interjected.

"I did bake a cake but not this one. I am too ashamed to even show it to you," Sahana admitted truthfully. "This one was jointly prepared by all three of us for you."

Ishan hugged his sister and his parents and thanked them.

"Give me a minute to freshen up," he said and rushed to finish his morning routine.

He then cut the cake and fed each one of them.

That evening Milind had thrown a huge party to celebrate his son's birthday. Ishan's grand parents had also attended it but Ishan's eyes kept searching for someone. When Milind asked him if they can start the party, Ishan asked them to wait for sometime. Milind and Prachi exchanged a knowing look. Finally the person he was awaiting made her appearance. She looked radiant in a white churidhar kurtha with beautiful embroidery work done in silver thread. Her hair was left lose. She wore no make-up, save eye-liner which enhanced the beauty of her lustrous doe eyes. Her naturally pink lips parted in a broad smile seeing him.

"Sorry Ishan. Had to take my Mama for her usual medical check-up. It took longer than I anticipated," she said and handed him his gift.

"What is this?" he asked curiously.

"Open it," she said, excited to see his reaction.

Ishan couldn't wait to see what was in it. He ripped open the wrapper and saw a portrait of himself.

"I drew this myself. Do you like it?" she asked apprehensively.

"Wow, I did not know you were so talented," exclaimed Ishan. He showed it to the rest of his family.

"Swati, that is a remarkable portrait. Looks so life-like," exclaimed Prachi and hugged the girl.

After the party both Ishan and Swati were missing. As the guests wanted to leave, Prachi went searching for Ishan to call him for seeing them off. She finally found him in the garden. Ishan held Swati close to him and tilting her face up by her chin, he enveloped her lips in a tender kiss. Prachi turned away shyly and bumped into Milind.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Well, Mama. Our son has grown up. It seems like he was born only yesterday but now he is a full grown man courting his girl!" He then gently bit her ear.

Prachi nodded her head in agreement and buried her face in his chest. As he held his wife, Milind's thoughts went back to the time when he first set eyes on his son.

Past (Milind's flashback)

As Milind walked up to Prachi's ward the day after her fateful fall down the stairs, his father-in-law's advice to be strong to help pull Prachi through this tragedy kept ringing in his ears. He used her endearment for him to shake her out of her trance but the relief in seeing her respond to him was short lived when he couldn't meet her questioning gaze about their baby. Hearing her howl like a wounded animal when she realised the fruit of their love had perished even before it could ripen, he felt like his heart was ripped apart. He had held her tightly in his arms, making no move to stop her from venting her anguish and sorrow as he hoped that her tears would be cathartic and help ease the pain. When her sobs finally stopped he was appalled to hear her blame herself for their tragic loss. He reassured her that nobody was to blame and that they needed to move on, drawing strength and comfort from each other. In the two months that followed he ensured that she was made whole again, not only physically but also emotionally. It was the best phase of his married life and he never tired of taking care of her even for a single moment.

They resumed normal marital relations once Prachi was fully fit but they decided to postpone baby plans for some time as he was extremely busy at work, setting right all the teething problems of the merged hotel group. His absence from work for two months, particularly at a crucial phase, had taken a toll on the smooth functioning of the gigantic hotel group. On resuming work, Milind went about meticulously taking care of each problem.

On the personal front, things could not be better. Ayesha had come down during her spring break. He had gone to the airport along with Prachi and his in-laws to receive her. Seeing them, she had flung her arms around them in happiness. She had given him also a warm hug like she did for the rest. Milind, however, quickly extricated himself and looked in the direction of his wife to check her reaction, but Prachi's broad smile indicated that she did not feel the least bit threatened or uncomfortable by her sister's public display of affection. By batting his eye-lids, he thanked his wife for her unwavering faith in him and their love for each other. Ayesha was oblivious to the silent exchange between her sister and her jiju and engaged him in a lively conversation all the way to Shah House.

"So guys, when are you planning to make me a badi ma? Does jiju want to monopolise all your affection?" asked Ayesha cheerily and winked at her sister.

Although Prachi tried to mask the sadness in her eyes, Ayesha was quick to notice the change in her countenance.

"What is it, Prachi?" asked Ayesha eagerly and Prachi broke down and recounted in brief how she had lost their baby. She did not elaborate on the circumstances that led to it for obvious reasons. Ayesha was shocked to hear about it and was angry that none of this was conveyed to her. Milind and Prachi then explained that they did not want to unnecessarily trouble her with this news when she was busy with her academics.

"I am sorry, Ayesha. I knew hearing this news you would be very upset and take the next flight back to be with me. It would have only disrupted your studies. Moreover, I had Papa, Mama and more importantly Milind to take care of me. This tragedy has drawn the two of us very close to each other, Ayesha. We are stronger as a couple now."

Although Ayesha sulked for some time, she could not hold on to her anger against her little sister for long. She said that she was very happy to see the deep love between her jiju and Prachi and prayed that they may soon be blessed with a child. She left for Harvard after a month to resume her studies.

After struggling for nearly six months, Milind finally got things under control at work. That morning he had a meeting with Inder who asked him to take his well deserved break.

"Son, I think you need to now go on that long overdue honeymoon with your wife," he said.

"But, Papa....," Milind tried to intervene.

"No buts." Inder wagged his finger. "I've already made all the arrangements for your trip to Switzerland. I hope you use this week-long vacation productively. I am getting on in age and would like to see my grandchild soon. So, don't make me wait for too long." He then thrust the tickets in his hand.

Milind thanked him for his thoughtfulness and rushed home to his wife to convey the good news.

The next day they took the flight to Zurich. Days were spent in passionately exploring the beautiful country and nights were spent in passionately exploring each other. They returned after a week, exhausted but exhilarated from all their hectic day and night activities.

A month later

Milind came home from work to be greeted by his wife with an exuberant hug. Surprised by her sudden display of affection, he caught her in his arms and raised his eyebrow quizzically. She did not respond with words but instead took his hand in hers and laid it gently on her lower abdomen, her eyes never leaving his while she did so. Milind's puzzled look soon turned into delight as the meaning of his wife's non-verbal communication dawned on him. He immediately knelt before her and, lifting up the saree covering her stomach, he kissed her tenderly. Tickled by his facial hair, she squirmed and holding his head between her hands, she dragged him up in level with her lips and kissed him deeply. Milind carried her to their bed and proceeded to show her how pleased he was in his impending fatherhood.

The young, good looking and very-much-in-love couple spent the next seven and a half months in eager anticipation of their first born. Milind personally decorated the nursery for his baby and stocked it with toys of all shapes and sizes. Prachi had made it clear to him, though, that the baby will sleep with her for the first six months as she intended to put the baby on a complete diet of mother's milk. He was happy that his wife was keen to give his kid a head start in life by providing it with nature's best care. Prachi was also keen on attending the Lamaze classes. He was told that the Lamaze technique, named after a French obstretician, Fernand Lamaze, is designed to promote safe birthing by avoiding artificial interventions. There were very few places in Bombay where these classes were offered but he took the effort to find the best one and regularly attended the classes with her. In the early mornings and late evenings they went on long walks together, with Prachi leaning on his arm as she slowly ambled by his side. As the months went by Prachi lamented her ballooning figure but Milind assured her that in his eyes, she kept growing in beauty as she kept growing in size.

As his palm was always placed protectively on Prachi's stomach while they slept together, at around the six month of her pregnancy, he got to feel the baby's movements and he woke her up in his excitement. Prachi smiled at his childish exuberance and let him believe that he was the first to feel his baby even before she did. Over weekends, he lay on Prachi's lap and endlessly talked with his unborn baby, educating him on a wide range of subjects including the burning topic of the day - perestroika and glasnost. Prachi who usually fell asleep during his long discourses heard these two strange words and woke up to ask him what did they mean. He then explained to her that perestroika meant restructuring and glasnost meant openness or transparency in Russian. These were the new buzz words in U.S.S.R as it was going through a peaceful revolution of its entire political set up. His face fell seeing Prachi's valiant efforts to control her yawn, but he took consolation in the fact that his baby seemed to be actively listening to him, going by the lively kicks.

Although Prachi's pregnancy was hassle free and she was spared of morning sickness problems, closer to the D-day the young parents-to-be became increasingly nervous. Milind never left Prachi's side in the last weeks of her pregnancy. Around the 40th week, Prachi developed labour pains in the middle of the night. Milind immediately rushed her to the hospital, asking Nandu kaka to call the Shahs and inform them. Inder and Prem Latha landed at the hospital in less than 20 minutes but Prachi's labour lasted for a torturous twelve hours. She kept moving up and down the labour ward, leaning heavily on his arm and panting and puffing as she tried to cope with painful contractions.

Despite the blinding pain, as advised by her Lamaze instructor, she refused to take the epidural, even though it could have given her some relief. When the pain became acute, she squatted on the labour table. Milind was with her right through her ordeal, holding her hand tightly, wiping her brow and encouraging her to breathe in and bear down. Prachi bit her lower lip till it bled as she valiantly tried to bear the pain. Milind rubbed the blood from her lip with concern and asked her not to hold back her screams. Prachi refused to give in, though, and bore the pain in silence. Unable to see her silent suffering any longer, Milind begged the doctor to give her the epidural, despite Prachi's reluctance to take it. The doctor had declined, saying that Prachi was past the stage of taking pain killers as the baby had begun its descent. As she was hit by rapid waves of pain she kept slipping in and out of consciousness. After what seemed like eternity to Milind, his son finally made an appearance, announcing his arrival with a deafening scream.

Milind's joy at seeing the bundle of joy knew no bounds. He kissed his wife's forehead and thanked her for the precious gift as the nurse laid the baby in Prachi's waiting arms. Prachi looked at her son and then at her husband and said that the baby was a replica of his Papa, making Milind's heart swell with pride. Her parents and Nandu kaka who came in to see the baby also agreed with her. Soon the baby whimpered in hunger. While the rest of them left them in privacy, the nurse showed Prachi how to feed her son. Milind looked indulgently at his son as his tiny lips eagerly grabbed the source of his nourishment and began to suck. He then gently caressed the downy hair crowning his son's tiny head with one hand and held his wife's shoulder with the other, contented with his little family.

"Thank you Papa, for making it possible," she whispered back.