Chapter 48: Mourning.
Soumya's condition had taken the priority in everyone's mind. The mounting anger in Milind's mind about Prachi was forgotten, and PL too was too distracted to notice anything wrong with the fact that Milind and Prachi had not even looked at each other in all this time, let alone speak a word. Even Sukriti had she had tried to remember or at least imagine what she must have gone through to bring Ritwik into the world, as she watched Soumya. Had she been in this kind of pain? Had she been scared? Had she realized that she had delivered her baby? Had she seen Ritwik's face and kissed his small forehead? She couldn't remember such an important moment of her life and she tried to imagine what it would have been like. Watching the other pregnant women in the hospital, she found a new appreciation for her own motherhood. She had given birth to Riwtik. She had carried him for 9 months inside herself. He was a part of her. How could she give him to another woman? And to a woman who had tried to deceive her. How could she cut herself off from her son? She looked at Prachi then, with anger and possessiveness starting to take root in her heart. Prachi was busy calling Vishal in Delhi while Milind was getting Soumya admitted. Vishal had boarded the next flight to Mumbai. Prachi then called Ayesha at home and Ayesha called Neev who left from the office immediately. Ayesha however didn't want to leave Amrita alone with the servants for a long time so she told Neev to keep her informed.
Meanwhile PL sat silently outside the doors of the labor&delivery unit, though she was sure she would have a heart attack soon. Her hands were clasped in a desperate attempt to calm her nerves. Prachi returned and sat next to PL and forced the woman to unclasp her hands. Then she held her mother's hand in her's and PL closed her eyes constantly praying. "Prachi sab theek ho jaayega" PL was talking to herself more than her daughter. "Haan Mamma, Ramji sab theek karenge" Prachi said though she too was sitting with an equally anxious mind. The doctor had informed them that they would do everything possible to stall the delivery as long as the baby wasn't in any distress. If the baby was delivered today the chances of its survival were slim and knowing that, PL couldn't stop her heart from praying that nothing tragic would happen to that child. Soumya and Vishal had been dreaming of this child for the past several months and if that dream broke both would be shattered. Asha tai who stood aside silently also didn't know how to console PL or Prachi. She had been through the pain of loosing her child and she wouldn't wish it on another soul. She too joined the ladies in their prayers. .
Once Neev arrived, Asha tai sensed that Milind wanted to leave and she made the excuse for him of having an important meeting in the afternoon. Milind left and Sukriti went with him saying that she needed to pick up Ritwik from school. Hearing Ritwik's name, PL requested Sukriti to bring him to the hospital later. Sukriti looked at Prachi who understood that Sukriti didn't want to do that. "Maa Ritwik yaahan aakar sab ko aur pareshaan karega." Asha tai had intervened however, "Koi baat nahi Prachi, aane do usse bhi yahaan" Then she walked with Sukriti and told her to bring the boy here as she was sure having Ritwik around would be a good distraction for PL. Sukriti agreed to do so, though reluctantly.
Soon the doctor came out and asked for Soumya's husband. PL replied that he should soon arrive as his flight must have landed by now. The doctor then informed them that Soumya was getting hysterical and was asking for him. They also told PL that they couldn't wait any longer. They needed to operate to deliver the baby, in order to prevent further complications which could endanger both the baby's and Soumya's life. They needed consent however, with the knowledge that the baby's life was at risk with this procedure and if it came down to saving one or the other they would try to save the mother. PL simply looked at Prachi for some assurance when she heard this and Prachi nodded, hiding the fear in her own heart. She told her mother not to worry as such a consent was standard policy and did not mean that the doctors wouldn't try to save the baby. But at this point no words did the work of giving them some peace. Before PL signed any papers, Vishal arrived and the doctor briefed him on the situation. He then went with the doctor to Soumya while the rest of them were left outside waiting in impatience.
After what seemed like an eternity to them, Vishal came out to them and PL stood up in anticipation. She saw him smiling and the heartbeat that had just caught itself in her chest released and she breathed a sigh. She smiled back as he headed straight to her and hugging her he declared, "Ladki hui hai mom" and PL hugged him back looking up and thanking the Gods for their mercy. When Vishal parted he got more serious and told them that the baby was premature and would need to stay in the hospital for a few weeks. Her lungs were still immature and she would need help in breathing and there was still risk to her life. PL, feeling more confident now, told him not to worry as the child who fought with fate to come into this world will surely make it. Vishal, Prachi, Neev and Asha tai looked at PL wondering what she meant. And PL caught herself as she had revealed something that she maybe shouldn't have. She explained that according to their pandit, Soumya was sure to have a difficult pregnancy and delivery and the fate of the child was certainly unpredictable. PL had tried to get several poojas done for the safety of the baby and now she was sure the prayers were heard. "Mom, Soumya bhi theek hai. She is unconscious now. We can see her later, when they shift her to the room" Then breaking the mood Neev congratulated Vishal, "Gale toh mill le yaar, You'r a dad." Vishal laughed and hugged Neev finally the joy of being a father hitting him with such a force, though in the back of his mind, he was still fearful of loosing this joy. "Vaise Neev tu kab khush khabri de raha hai?" he asked and Neev replied "Yaar mere bas mein hota toh aaj hi suna deta. Lekin yeh toh Ayesha ka department hai. Ussi se pooch lena." Everyone laughed and then Neev remembered he had to call Ayesha to tell her the news. Asha tai told him then to inform Milind and Sukriti too, who still had not arrived with Ritwik as she had been told to do.
Hearing the news, Ayesha decided to go to the hospital only to return quickly after seeing Soumya and hopefully getting a glimpse of the baby too. But she was sure it would be hard to do as the baby was in the ICU and under strict observation. When she arrived at the hospital she couldn't help staring at the large photographs of cute little kids hanging on the walls. She tried to imagine what hers would look like. She hoped it would look more like Neev and then she blushed at her own thoughts. When she met with Vishal and the others and congratulated them, Vishal continued to pull her legs on the issue. She shared a look with Neev that explained everything to the those who noticed. Milind too made it back to the hospital with Sukriti and Ritwik in toe. Ritwik extricated his hands from Sukriti as soon as he saw Prachi and Sukriti watched heartbroken, as her son chatted up with Prachi excitedly. Prachi told him that he had a cousin sister now and he asked what a cousin sister was. PL then took him in her lap and tried to explain what the relationship of a brother and sister was in his terms. And she suddenly remembered that it was Rakshabandhan. Then she told Ritwik that as a brother it was his duty to make sure that his sister was safe and to do that he would have to pray to God. And with a surprising maturity, Ritwik folded his arms and closed his eyes and sitting in PL's lap he prayed, "Bhagvaanji, baby ka rasha karna. Kyunki baby small hai'aur..aur' baby ka khayaal rakhna aur'aur Badi maa ko bolo' rona mat. Ok." PL kissed his face with her tears falling on him.
Neev turned to Milind then and told him that Prachi had not eaten anything since she came to the hospital though he had insisted.. She had even forced PL to eat some food as she is diabetic but Prachi herself had remained fasting. Then looking at Prachi he said, "Ab shayad Milind ke kehne par yeh apna vrat tod de." Milind looked at her sternly and walking up to her he said, "Chal," and that's all he needed to say for her to understand that he was not going to make anything obvious to her family just yet. She followed him quietly and he bought her food from the canteen though she had tried to refuse it. He kept staring at something in the space in front of him while she quickly ate a little. When they walked back up to the 5th floor they passed by a sign that said, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Prachi couldn't help herself from going in that direction. No one other than Vishal had seen the baby and she thought she would just like to take a look herself. She came by the nursery and peering through the big glass windows, she saw that a section was dedicated to premature babies. There were three babies in that section and it wasn't hard to tell which one was Soumya's as the name on her crib said the mother's name. Prachi watched and her heart cried at the sight of the small child hooked up to machines and IV. She had a constant grimace on her face as if trying to say that she wasn't happy with the situation. A nurse was caring for her and about a few minutes later, another nurse walked in with a newly born child and handing off the new born to the charge nurse, the new nurse walked up to Soumya's baby. Then looking at it with sympathy, she started chatting with the nurse caring for the baby. "Its really sad yaar'iss bachi ke saath bohot bura hua." "Kya hua?" the other nurse asked curious why her friend was particularly sad about this one when they had seen babies in worse conditions get better and live a healthy life. "I just found out 'isski mom ki death ho gayi hai." The nurse informed shaking her head. "Ab kya hoga iss bachchi ka". Prachi had heard that and she felt as if someone had slapped her and she had gone deaf. The nurse was still moving her lips but Prachi couldn't hear anything'she took a few steps back in a daze and hit Milind's solid chest. Milind had been standing behind her for a while and she hadn't realized. She turned to look at his equally shocked face and she realized he had heard what she had heard too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Part II~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prachi reached her family panting, searching for any sign of mourning on their faces. But she saw only smiles and joy. So maybe the nurse was wrong'maybe they were talking about someone else. Her family turned to her and then they saw Milind sprinting up behind her. "Milind beta, kya hua" PL asked. But Milind's eyes focused on the doctor who was walking up to them slowly. Prachi was in front of the doctor in an instant. Grabbing the lady by her shoulders Prachi was almost begging, "Tell me doctor'please tell me she is ok. Tell me my sister is ok." "Soumya ko kya hua hai di" Vishal asked and when he noticed the doctor's silence, he turned the woman around to face him. "What's the matter doctor. What's wrong with Soumya. Why don't you say something???" he demanded from the nervous doctor. "I am sorry Mr. Sharma", she replied removing his strong hold on her arm. "Your wife was'unstable after the surgery. We tried our best but just couldn't bring her back." she continued to say some words of sympathy but no one was listening.
Vishal refused to believe what he had just heard. "She was fine'I saw her, she was fine'you said she would be ok'you told me that and I believed you." he was screaming now and some other staff of the hospital gathered around. Neev then stepped in to hold him back while still trying to talk to the doctor. PL however, was not interested in the details. The moment she heard that her daughter was no more, she felt like her heart had been crushed by something heavy and her legs had refused to support her. She couldn't believe what she had heard. Her little girl was no more'just like that. Ayesha and Asha tai had immediately reached PL before she fell to the ground and given her the support she needed. Neev had managed to calm Vishal who was accusing the doctor of malpractice and he had gone with the doctor, taking Vishal with him to further investigate what exactly had happened. Ritwik stood intimidated by the sudden outbursts and tears and Sukriti held him to herself as she too tried to come to terms with the sudden turn of events.
None noticed Prachi however, in their own grief, except for Milind who was standing a little behind her watching her intently for a reaction. But she stood still, staring at the devastated faces in front of her. Then she stepped back and Milind prepared to stop her as he knew she was going to run again. And sure enough, she heard PL lamenting and took another few steps back. Then she turned to bolt but Milind had held her by the waist. "Let me go'I need to go" she said trying to take his hands off of her. "Let me go!!!!!!!!!!!" she demanded hitting him now. But he held on. "Prachi, listen to me" he tried reaching out to her but she held her hands to her ears not wanting to hear anything. "Let me go'mujhe jaana hai". "Milind turned her to face and him and holding her face firmly he drilled into her "PRACHI'Soumya is no more" he said tearing up himself. "You have to deal with it'suna tumne'you HAVE to deal with it'you can't run away." She hated him at that moment'and she tried to look away but he wouldn't let her. And finally she burst out crying and he loosened his grip on her. "Why'why did this have to happen, Milind" she wailed and he couldn't do anything more than allowing her to cry on him. "Tum sahi the Milind, koi bhagvaan nahi hota'sab jhoot hai'sab jhoot hai" She kept repeating and then she pulled herself together and started to walk away. Milind didn't stop her this time but did follow her downstairs to the the main lobby of the hospital where stood an idol of Krishna. Prachi stood in front of it and stared for a really long time. Maybe she was cursing at the Gods in her heart and Milind waited patiently, not sure if he should leave her alone in this state. When she turned around and saw Milind waiting for her she looked almost surprised. She seemed much calmer now, Milind thought. "I am sorry" she said, wiping her tears. "You don't have to be" he replied because he understood what she was going through. "I am sorry" she repeated and went back upstairs to be with her family leaving Milind to wonder what she was apologizing for.
When they returned, they found Vishal sitting with PL. Prachi had never seen a grown man crying this way. Her heart went out to him. At least he had accepted his wife's death now. Prachi went to her mother and tried to offer some consolation. Ayesha then got up and walked towards Milind. Then looking at Prachi she said, "Agar tum Prachi ko nahi sambhalte Milind toh shaayad phirse voh'" and Milind held her fainting form. "Ayesha, Ayesha are you ok" she heard Milind's voice but couldn't see anything as everything went black. When she woke up she was on a hospital bed and greeted by Asha tai and a nurse. "Hi, can you hear me" the nurse asked and Ayesha blinked trying hard to move her mouth that had gone dry. Then she tried sitting up instead and was stopped by the nurse. "I am fine" she replied and sat up anyway but she was feeling really weak and lay back down. Asha tai then went to inform everyone else that Ayesha was fine leaving her with the nurse who then grilled her with questions to figure out why she had fainted and Ayesha answered them all impatiently wondering where Neev was. He was probably not aware that she had fainted, and that meant she hadn't been unconscious for long. Then suddenly the nurse asked her a question that hit Ayesha like lightening. She sat up straight and looked down at her tummy. The nurse smiled then and asked, "would you like to take a test?" and Ayesha looked up shocked. Then seeing Milind, Prachi and PL walking in she replied quickly, "NO, I am fine" and she got off the bed. "Kya hua tujhe" Milind asked and Ayesha brushed off his concern. This was the wrong time'totally the wrong time and she didn't want to find out now. The news of her pregnancy was something she was waiting to hear'but she just wouldn't be able to celebrate that right now and so she didn't want to know or even think of it.
Neev was still trying to finish the formalities required by the hospital before they could release Soumya's body to her family. And considering that Vishal had had raised a question on the doctor's practice, they had wanted to perform a post-mortem on Soumya to clear the hospital of any lawsuits later. So it was going to take time and Neev has asked the ladies to go home while he and Vishal stayed in the hospital. Milind agreed with them and as they all headed home, he noticed Sukriti missing with Ritwik. He was sure she was still in the hospital and thought that maybe she had gone to get Ritwik something to eat, so they waited while he went to look for her in the canteen.
Sukriti, however, was standing where Prachi stood a while ago, by the large window of the nursery looking at Soumya's baby and Ritwik held her hand peering in through the window curiously. "Sukriti mama hum yahaan kyun kade hai" he asked and Sukriti pointed out the baby girl to him. "Voh dekho Ritwik" she said holding him up for better view, "Voh tumhaari behen hai." Ritwik pressed his small palms on the window and peered at the crib that Sukriti had pointed at. "Dikhta nai hai" he complained. Suddenly the mother and son were interrupted by a friendly voice. "Would you like to see your sister?" she asked Ritwik. Ritwik looked up at Sukriti who accepted the offer. The nurse brought them inside and after scrubbing their hands, they were allowed to come near the baby and the nurse opened the hood to the crib. The nurse put Ritwik up on a chair so he could reach the height to see the baby. It was a tragic sight to Sukriti. Not just because she was looking at a new born who had just lost her mother but because it was the first time she had seen a premature baby in all its vulnerability. She put a finger on the baby's grimaced face and the baby turned to face Sukriti. A tear fell from her eyes as the baby opened her mouth to cry but soon was heaving her chest to breath. She can't even cry, Sukriti said to the nurse who nodded. "She will. She'll make it. She's a fighter." The nurse assured her. And what happens when she survives this stage'she'll live a motherless life, Sukriti thought still unable to stop her tears. Life is just too cruel she determined. She couldn't stay there any longer and left with Ritwik to meet up with Milind, who was not too surprised to see her there.
Milind was driving the Shahs home and Ayesha came home in her car. During the journey, Ritwik asked everyone why they left his sister at the hospital and didn't bring her home. This brought new tears to all their eyes and Prachi explained to him that the baby would come home soon. They all got out of the car and walked tiredly towards the mansion and were surprised to hear loud noises coming from inside. They all entered and were shocked to find Alaap and Premlata's brother and his entire family in the living room. But from the appearance, it seemed that they didn't know anything. Alaap was surprised himself to see all of them together and asked the same. All her anger at her son was forgotten for the moment and PL simply flung herself in his arms and started crying again. Slowly Prachi explained everything to her uncle and Alaap who reacted in the same manner that they had done in the hospital. Milind, however, was suddenly aware of the fact that he was extremely uncomfortable with Alaap's presence and didn't want to be at the Shah's with him around. Even Sukriti kept standing by the door with Ritwik unsure of whether she should enter the house or not. But they couldn't stand there for long, and Asha tai eventually had to ask them to keep their differences aside for now. Due to the overwhelming situation, no one had asked Alaap why he had suddenly shown up at home with his uncle's entire family'without so much as a phone call and Alaap had decided it best not to share the reason for his visit at this time. Soon they all had busied themselves preparing for what needed to be done and as first priority, Vishal's parents, Bobby, and Anjali had been notified.
Several hours later, Vishal had arrived at the mansion with Neev looking stressed and broken and about 10 years older than he was. None of them had had dinner, though Sukriti fed Ritwik a little before he went to sleep, oblivious to the sorrow that the rest of them were feeling. Milind, Sukriti and Asha tai stayed at the Shah's that night though no one at the mansion slept much. The next morning, Neev, Vishal and Milind went to the hospital. None of them had eaten anything for dinner the previous night and were not even going to have a morning tea. But PL needed to eat something due to her diabetes. Prachi tried her best but PL just wouldn't listen. She was on a self destructive mode. Finally unable to take the weight of her own emotions along with the difficulty her mother was putting her through, Prachi exploded, "Kisi ke chale jaane se zindagi nahi ruk jaati mamma" but she immediately regretted what she said and the way she said it. She left the plate of food at the table and headed straight to the garden outside as the rest of her family watched her in surprise but she stopped at the door when she saw Anjali. "What is this Prachi' maa se aise baat karogi tum" Anjali glared at her and Prachi didn't answer. Anjali sighed as she had expected Prachi to be acting this way. She had done this when Inder had died. She had shown her grief through her anger. She had pushed everyone away and detached herself. Anjali then walked inside the house and that's when everyone including PL noticed that she was limping. PL stood up and came to Anjali looking concerned. The girl had become half the size she was when she had left and on closer look, PL saw the scar that was still visible on the side of her face. "Anju..yeh..yeh sab kya hai beta'kya hua tumhe'kya haalat bana li hai tumne apni" Anjali looked at Prachi who also came back in the house and looked equally concerned about Anjali's scars. Suddenly Prachi remembered her conversations with Anjali, and remembered that Anjali was hiding something from her'so this was it'she had gotten hurt and she didn't want any of them to know. "Mein toh theek hoon badi maa'lekin aap Prachi ki baat kyun nahi maan rahi. Aapka khana khana zaroori hai'aap jaanti hai na." PL started crying again and that was something neither Prachi nor Anjali could tolerate'but they couldn't stop her either. They shared a look of helplessness and after much pleading PL ate a few morsels with great difficulty.
Soumya's funeral was delayed further because they were waiting on Bobby. They didn't want to deny him the chance of seeing her for the last time, as he was the closest to her out of all the siblings. Soumya and Bobby had been more of friends than siblings because of proximity of their age. Bobby was inconsolable when he finally did arrive. At the end of that night, all of them wallowed in their own grief, remembering their own memories with the bubbly girl that once used to light up the room she stepped into who had now turned to ashes. Milind, took Asha tai, and Sukriti back to their home and Prachi and Ritwik stayed behind at the Shah mansion. Sukriti had tried to insist that Ritwik should go back with her but Prachi had denied the necessity for it. Sukriti had kept quite because she didn't want to create a scene in Soumya's wake. It didn't seem odd to anyone yet as they had expected Prachi to stay with her family in this time of grief. But eventually they would start questioning, and Prachi needed to come up with an answer to their questions. How could she tell her devastated mother that her marriage was a pretense...that she had left Milind forever and was not going back. How could she break this news to them now? And she also needed to talk to Alaap about a few things. It wasn't that Prachi wasn't grieving for Soumya'but Prachi needed to get some things done. Those that were gone were not coming back'but the things that needed to be done required Prachi to be strong and to move on from her grief stricken state.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Part III~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am not familiar with Hindu rituals regarding death'please excuse the mistakes.
Sorry no Michi/Neesh in this part.
It had been four days since Soumya had passed. Her ashes had been collected and sat at the center of the large hall in front of her life size photograph which was now adorned with a garland. A small gathering of friends and relatives sat in the hall while a member of the community spoke a few words of sympathy and comfort to the family. Sukriti came in a bit late as she had gone to the hospital again. The child kept haunting her thoughts and she had visited again this morning to see how the baby was doing. She came in and sat behind everyone quietly but unfortunately noted too late that she was sitting near Alaap. And to further her irritation, Alaap kept receiving calls on his cell phone, that he constantly had to ignore. Finally she told him to turn it off. How could he sit there playing with his cell phone when everyone had gathered for his sister's rites. He had walked away then, confirming Sukriti's thoughts that he simply didn't care enough.
Her eyes had then gone to Soumya's photograph in the front and Vishal who sat silent and unmoved like a stone in front of it. The sorrow he felt was clearly written on his face. And Sukriti wondered why everyone couldn't be more like that'why the world had people like Alaap who were two faced'who didn't show what was truly in their hearts. Once the gathering dispersed, Vishal had walked to his room like a zombie carrying Soumya's photograph with him. He had set it up in front of him and sat on the bed staring at it when Sukriti knocked on the door cautiously. She wasn't sure if it was her place to interfere but the mother in her compelled her to speak to Vishal. Vishal didn't respond to the knock because he really didn't want an intruder, but Sukriti walked in anyway pushing the open door. Vishal didn't respond to her presence in the room either, and finally she had to start speaking in order to avoid feeling like she was invisible. "Vishal, I don't know how you might feel about this, but I had gone to the hospital today." Suddenly his eyes reflected some spark of life and he looked at her surprised and curious. "I went to see your daughter" she said feeling a bit less uncomfortable now that he was listening. Vishal lowered his eyes in guilt for not having visited himself in the past 4 days. "The nurse told me that the baby's father was the only one who hadn't visited yet'and she asked me to tell you that'the baby would do a lot better if her parents'.I mean if you were there to spend some time with her." Vishal suddenly had fallen in his own eyes. What kind of a father was he. He had left his sick daughter in the hands of hospital staff and hadn't even tried to find out how she was doing. And here a stranger was reminding him of his duties. His parents had visited, Soumya's siblings had visited and they all had come to tell him that the baby would be alright'but he hadn't gone to see her. He remained silent unable to find an excuse for his neglect. "I was going to go" he said finally as if he was trying to convince himself of that. "I just'" "I didn't mean to sound like that" Sukriti explained. "I can only imagine what you must be going through. But I hope you realize that Soumya didn't leave you to live a lonely life'she left you a daughter to love. And she needs you the most right now." Then she took her leave from him and headed to find Ritwik.
Sukriti could only imagine what Ritwik must have gone through in her absence'how had he survived those initial days. Who had cared for him. Then she stood in the hall watching Prachi in the kitchen feeding her son and a guilty pang rose in her heart. Prachi had been there for her son'she had been there for Ritwik in his most vulnerable condition. That's the reason why he always loved Prachi the most. The bitterness of the truth made her look away. It was no fault of hers that she wasn't able to care for him when he was a baby. She was sick'she couldn't have helped it'but it was her fault that he had been born into such conditions, that he had no parents to care for him. She was the one responsible for it. Prachi had merely taken the opportunity that presented itself. But why? Why had Prachi taken care of her son like that. Why didn't Prachi get married and have kids of her own to love. Hadn't her brother handed Ritwik's responsibilities to Ayesha'then why had Prachi stepped in. If she hadn't then Ritwik would not be so attached to her right now. Then Sukriti felt foolish for thinking that way. If Prachi hadn't stepped in, Ritwik would have been deprived of a mother's love too. Her eyes were filled with tears now and before anyone saw her crying she sprinted out of the mansion unnoticed. She was standing in the corridor and wiped her tears, thinking no one else was there but soon she heard someone talking and turned around startled. It was Alaap talking on the phone with someone and thankfully he hadn't noticed her because his back was turned to her.
Alaap: "Aap samajhte kyun nahi hai. Mein aapke paise lauta doonga. Mein koi bhag kar nahi aaya hun. Mumbai mein hoon. Meri behen ki death ho gayi, achchanak'varna aapke paison ke silsile mein hi aaya tha mein Mumbai. Aap bus kuch vakt aur deejiye mujhe'kisi bhi tarah aapka karz utaar doonga."
Alaap hung up the phone then and turned around to find Sukriti glaring at him. "Hi Suk.." he stopped when Sukriti held up her hand to silence him. Sukriti: "Tumhaare iraade mein ab samjhi hoon Alaap. Achchi tarah samajh gayi hoon. Yeh toh tumhaare ghar ka mahaul aisa nahi tha ki mein kuch kehti'varne mann toh tha ki tumhe..."
Alaap: "Sukriti yeh tum kaisi baatein kar rahi ho."
Sukriti: "Jyada naatak mat karo Alaap. Bhaiya tumhaare baare mein hamesha sahi the. Tum jaise log kabhi nahi badalte. Lekin mein hi bewakoof thi joh ek baar dhoka kha kar bhi nahi samjhi. Tumko paise hi chahiye the na'apna yeh..yeh jo karz ki baat kar rahe the..isko uttarne ke liye. Ab tumhe kisi amir ghar ki ladki se shaadi karni thi, joh dahej mein dher saara paisa laaye jisse tum apni problems solve kar sako. Aur kisi amir ladki ko phasaane ki jagah apni puraani girlfriend ko patta lena jyada aasaan laga na tumhe. Aur phir mujh se shaadi kar ke Ritwik ko bhi toh tum apni behen Prachi ko gift kar sakte the, right. Sentiments ko pakad kar achcha khel khel lete ho tum bhai behen."
Alaap listened slightly shocked and confused. He wasn't surprised with Sukriti's anger towards him or that she had misunderstood him. Listening to the conversation he just had and the history that he shared with Sukriti, it was reasonable for her to come to that conclusion. But what he didn't understand was what his sister had to do with any of it. But before he could ask or explain anything, Sukriti had displayed her disgust for his character and left. Surprisingly he didn't go after her. Instead he wondered if he'd ever be able to completely win her trust back. Would he ever be able to win anyone's trust back. No matter how much he tried, no one would believe him completely again, even if they try, an iota of mistrust will always remain in their hearts and so he felt it was no use'it was no use trying to convince anyone of anything. It was his punishment to be shunned and hated by everyone'and he sighed. "This is what you get for breaking so many hearts," he told himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night after, when the rest of the family had retired to their rooms Bobby came out to the family room and started searching for something in the dark. Hearing the fumbling noises, Anjali too came out.
Anjali: "What are you looking for in the dark Bobby'Tumhe need nahi aa rahi hai kya?"
Bobby: "Tumhe aa gayi neend?" he questioned and Anjali was silenced.
Anjali: "Need help?"
Bobby: "I am looking for the slideshow I made for her."
Anjali brought a flashlight and they both went through dozens of DvDs till they found the one. "But we can't play it here, lets go to your room" she suggested and the two of them tiptoed into Bobby's room which was close to the kitchen.
They had only started playing the Dvd when Alaap came in behind them. He had gotten up to drink some water and seeing flashing lights in Bobby's room he had come in to check. So the three of them sat on the bed and watched a homemade slideshow that Bobby had gifted to Soumya on her graduation. It was a complete memory of her, from her childhood till her graduation. "Kitni khush rehti thi na Soumya" Anjali commented trying hard not to cry. A picture of Bobby came up where he had caked Soumya's face on her 7th birthday. "Haan, aur mein itna chidta tha usse'hamesha pareshaan karta tha usko." Bobby remembered. "She used to go crying to mom or Prachi di and I would laugh at her so much'aur ab saara badla ek saath le gayi." A tear fell from his eyes and Anjali hugged her cousin from behind and he lay down on her lap. Suddenly Anjali sat up straighter and rewinded a little. "Oh my God, Alaap that was you'" she said pointing. "Oh dear God" came his reply in embarrassment. "You did that to me" he complained at the ridiculous clothes he was wearing. "Well you lost the bet" she defended herself'serves you right for taking on the girls.
Alaap: "See'only Soumya appreciated my singing talent. That's the only reason I sang for her birthday." A video of Soumya's 14th birthday was playing.
"Even at that age, you were still trying to charm the ladies" Bobby commented pointing out the way Alaap was eyeing Soumya's friends.
Alaap: "And I was so focused on her friends that I didn't even see how happy she was that I sang for her." The camera focused on Soumya's happy face as she clapped away for her brother. Alaap was surprised to see Inder standing behind Soumya saying to someone next to him, "Mera bada beta hai" "He is very talented" the stranger had replied patting Inder on the back. The proud smile on Inder's face was unmistakable and Alaap wondered why he had never seen that look on his father's face.
Anjali: "Alaap I'll be honest'you won't win a talent show for singing'lekin guitar toh achcha baja lete the. Chod kyun diya?"
Bobby interrupted: "Tumhe yaad nahi Anjali? Dad se kitni maar padi thi isse'maths mein fail hone ke baad Dad ne hi toh gitaar tod diya tha iska."
Anjali: "Oh yes, I remember now. Aur badle mein issne hamaara piano kharab kar diya tha. You were such a rouge Alaap."
Alaap: "Shayad ab bhi hoon".
Anjali: "Shayad..?" Anjali said mockingly but Alaap didn't take it seriously either.
Bobby: "I used to hate Prachi di for protecting you everytime. Ghar mein saari shaitaani tum karte the..aur punishment hum sabko milti thi..kyunki Prachi di used to make us promise not to tell."
Anjali: "Prachi toh hai hi aise'mother goose type'she's always protective of those she loves'isme khud ko bhi bhool jaati hai." Alaap knew that the best now...but unfortunately he just couldn't tell anyone'he had promised her not to'and he hated the moment that he had made that promise.
The night continued with bitter sweet memories, making them cry and laugh and eventually helped them deal with their grief.
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10 days later:
"Alaap, come with me." Prachi said heading out after breakfast.
Alaap: "Where are we going?"
Prachi: "Hospital. We have an appointment. And I need to talk to you."
Soon Prachi and Alaap were headed to the hospital with Ritwik. On the way Prachi confronted him about the video Milind had shown her. That's when Alaap realized why Sukriti had been so enraged with him a few days ago. "How could you do that to Sukriti'again'voh bhi mera naam lekar???" she asked getting angry. "Prachi its not what you think. Mera iraada bilkul galat nahi tha'lekin shayad meri kismet hi kharaab hai'kuch sahi bhi karna chahun toh ulta hi hota hai." Alaap then shared his problems with Prachi. "Now you tell me Prachi, how can I marry her under these circumstances. And if I tell her this, she'll continue to believe that I only proposed because I was in need for money." Prachi understood his dilemma but also knew that there was no use to this talk. Alaap and Sukriti were just not destined for marriage'even if Sukriti understood Alaap, Milind would never agree. She put a supportive hand on her brother. "Don't worry Alaap, sab theek ho jaayega. Main hoon na." Alaap turned to her sharply. "NO, no Prachi'You have always solved my problems'not this time. Yeh meri khud ki banayi problems hai'and I'll have to solve it myself.
Prachi: "But if you don't take help from us, then where will you get it from?"
Alaap: "Prachi mein yahaan company ko bechne ke baare mein mom se baat karne aaya tha."
Prachi: "what??"
Alaap: "Don't worry, meine iraada badal liya hai. Prachi, Dad gave me his company'it wasn't the most successful one..but it was the first one he ever started. Kuch toh umeed rahi hogi unki mujhse'he must have thought that I would appreciate his hard work and take that company to new heights. But I never cared, I only saw it as injustice. But now I know better. I have to save that company Prachi, at any cost. And i'll do it myself."
Prachi: "Par tum karoge kya Alaap?"
Alaap thought for some time'then he looked up as he suddenly remembered Sukriti's outburst. "Ek rasta hai Prachi" he said getting hopeful. Then immediately he looked unsure' "but'"
Prachi: "But what???"
Alaap: " Sab ko bura toh lagega Prachi'shayad mom phir mujhe kabhi maaf bhi na kare'"
Prachi: "Aisa kya karne waale ho tum?"
Alaap didn't reply and smiled at his concerned sister sadly. "Don't worry Prachi, I won't create any new problems for you."
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Sukriti had once again come to the hospital to see Soumya's baby girl. But this time she was pleasantly surprised to see Vishal at the nursery. She didn't feel the need to interrupt the father-daughter bonding time and left quietly from outside the door. However as she was leaving she thought she heard Ritwik's voice and turned to see if she was just missing her son too much. But sure enough Ritwik was walking out of a doctor's office and Prachi and Alaap walked out after him. Sukriti wondered why they were her to see a doctor and not to visit Soumya's baby. Then she worried, thinking that Ritwik was sick. She walked over to them quickly and demanded an explaination. "Aap yahaan kya kar rahi hain?" she asked Prachi. "Hi Sukriti, voh'voh hum toh baby se milne aaye the. lekin yeh doctor hamaare family friend hain..isliye bas baat kar rahe the." Sukriti didn't buy that lie seeing Prachi stammer. She knew Prachi was lying..but why? She looked over at the board on the door of the doctor's office that read, Poornima Chawdhry, Neurologist.
Before she could ask anymore questions Sukriti heard Prachi call out to Ayesha. Sukriti turned to see a flustered Ayesha walking their way. "Ayesha what are you doing here," Prachi asked. "Voh mein..mein toh baby se milne aayi thi" she also stammered out. "Nursery toh uppar hai Ayesha, tum iss taraf kahaan jaa rahi thi," Sukriti questioned wondering why the Shah sisters had suddenly started to stammer. "Haan voh mujhe yaad nahi tha" Ayesha explained. "Vaise tum log yahaan kya kar rahe ho" she questioned them. "Yeh log bhi nursery ka rasta bhool gaye the" Sukriti replied, "haina bhabhi" she said and Prachi remained silent. "What a co-incidence'hum sab alag alag ghar se nikle the..ek hi jagah aane ke liye. Lets go then" Ayesha suggested and they all headed to see Soumya's daughter. When they all reached there, Bobby too was present with Vishal peering at the baby inside the crib. "Bobby, tum bhi" Ayesha said laughing. "Haan mein bhi apni bhanji se milne aa gaya." Bobby was holding a file in his hand that Ayesha recognized to be the file that had Soumya's post-mortem reports and death certificate. She had seen that file when Neev had gotten it from the hospital. She wondered why Bobby was carrying that file around but didn't say anything because she wanted Vishal to enjoy his time with his daughter without being depressed about the wife he just lost. Surkti too noticed the file in Bobby's hand and read the label on it. She tried to see if the file Prachi held in her hands had a label that would tell her what was inside. Prachi was definitely trying to hide that file from Sukriti and that made Sukriti even more suspicious. It angered her further that Prachi was possibly hiding something regarding Ritwik from her'she was his mother after all..she had the right to know if something was the matter with Ritwik. But she didn't say anything because she didn't want the rest of Prachi's family knowing the incidents of the past few days. Asha tai had specifically instructed her not to bring up the topic in front of any of the Shahs.
After they all returned home, Vishal retired to his room. The others had tried to keep him company and not let him alone'but now a days he really just wanted to be alone. Vishal was still not sure how he would live without Soumya. Soumya had left a big void in his life. But his daughter needed him. He couldn't punish that little angel for no fault of hers. He couldn't deprive her of a father, just because he didn't have the will to live himself. She was part of Soumya and him'she was the part of Soumya that was left with him'and he would love her. He would give her all the love that he had dreamed of giving her'and he would give her the love that Soumya had waited to shower on her too. She would never regret not having her mother, Vishal told himself. He'd make sure of that. Then he remembered that PL had told them not to buy anything for the baby till the baby was here'it was bad luck to buy things for the baby before it was born. So they hadn't, but Soumya had secretly shown him that she was making baby clothes for their little one. She had hid it from her mother, in one of the drawers of her room. Vishal went looking for it. It would probably be the only thing Vishal could give to their daughter as a gift from her mother. Soumya had hidden it well in between her clothes in a plastic bag. The bag had a few other baby items that seemed like they were used before. Vishal guessed that it belonged to Soumya as a baby. Then he found a piece of paper inside the bag. He opened it curiously and was surprised and pleasantly shocked to find baby names written on it. There were several but all were crossed out save for one. He remembered the conversation he had with Soumya regarding the names and how she had refused to tell him the name she had selected. It was supposed to be a surprise that she never got to tell him. But this probably was it, he thought. He read the name that Soumya had selected for their baby. "Saayah"' "Saayah Vishal Sharma", he repeated out loud'it was perfect.I was planning on adding more to this part... but as i was writing i realized that what i wanted to reveal needed a bit more background...and couldn't just be stated in a short paragraph...that would mean that this part would get unbelievably long and i wouldn';t be able to update tonight...and since i had promised to...here is the update.
I'll most likely update again by Wednesday...most likely.
JC
Translations
"Prachi sab theek ho jaayega" Prachi everything will be alright
Haan Mamma, Ramji sab theek karenge" Yes mom Ramji will make everything fine
"Maa Ritwik yaahan aakar sab ko aur pareshaan karega." Mom Ritwik is going to trouble everyone if he comes here
"Koi baat nahi Prachi, aane do usse bhi yahaan" That's ok Prachi Let him come
"Ladki hui hai mom"It's a girl
"Mom, Soumya bhi theek hai. Mom Soumya is fine too. She is unconscious now. We can see her later, when they shift her to the room"
"Vaise Neev tu kab khush khabri de raha hai?" Well Neev when are you going to give us the good news
"Yaar mere bas mein hota toh aaj hi suna deta. Lekin yeh toh Ayesha ka department hai. Ussi se pooch lena." If it was up to me I'd tell you today but its Ayesha's department. Ask her.
"Bhagvaanji, baby ka rasha karna. Kyunki baby small hai'aur..aur' baby ka khayaal rakhna aur'aur Badi maa ko bolo' rona mat. Ok." Dear God keep the baby safe because the baby is too small and take care of her and tell badi mal not to cry ok
"Ab shayad Milind ke kehne par yeh apna vrat tod de." Maybe if Milind insists she may break her fast.
Its really sad yaar'iss bachi ke saath bohot bura hua." It sad what happened with this child. "Kya hua?"What happened?
"I just found out 'isski mom ki death ho gayi hai." Her mother passed away
"Ab kya hoga iss bachchi ka" Whats gonna happen to her now.
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"Milind beta, kya hua" Milind what happened.
"Soumya ko kya hua hai di" What happened to Soumya?
Tum sahi the Milind, koi bhagvaan nahi hota'sab jhoot hai'sab jhoot hai" You were right Milind. There is no God. Its all a lie.
"Agar tum Prachi ko nahi sambhalte Milind toh shaayad phirse voh'" If you hadn't taken care of Prachi maybe she would have once again' and Milind held her fainting form.
"Kya hua tujhe" What happened to you? Milind asked
"Sukriti mama hum yahaan kyun kade hai" Why are we standing here?
"Voh dekho Ritwik"See there Ritwik
"Voh tumhaari behen hai." She is your sister
"Dikhta nai hai" I can't see
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"Kisi ke chale jaane se zindagi nahi ruk jaati mamma" Life doesn't end when someone leaves us.
"What is this Prachi' maa se aise baat karogi tum" iS this the way to talk to mom?. "Anju..yeh..yeh sab kya hai beta'kya hua tumhe'kya haalat bana li hai tumne apni" Anju what happened'what have you done to yourself.
"Mein toh theek hoon badi maa'lekin aap Prachi ki baat kyun nahi maan rahi. I am fine Badi maa but why are you not listening to Prachi. Aapka khana khana zaroori hai'aap jaanti hai na. You know its important for you to eat on time".
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Alaap: "Aap samajhte kyun nahi hai. Why don't you understand. Mein aapke paise lauta doonga. I will return your money Mein koi bhag kar nahi aaya hun. I haven't run away. Mumbai mein hoon. I am in Mumbai Meri behen ki death ho gayi, achchanak'My sister passed away suddenly'varna aapke paison ke silsile mein hi aaya tha mein Mumbai. Otherwise I had come here for the purpose of getting your money Aap bus kuch vakt aur deejiye mujhe'kisi bhi tarah aapka karz utaar doonga. Just give me a bit more time, I'll return your money somehow."
Sukriti: "Tumhaare iraade mein ab samjhi hoon Alaap. I understand your intentions now Alaap. Achchi tarah samajh gayi hoon. Yeh toh tumhaare ghar ka mahaul aisa nahi tha ki mein kuch kehti'varne mann toh tha ki tumhe..." its due to the situation in your house that I am silent otherwise'
Alaap: "Sukriti yeh tum kaisi baatein kar rahi ho." What are you saying?
Sukriti: "Jyada naatak mat karo Alaap. Don't act innocent. Bhaiya tumhaare baare mein hamesha sahi the. My brother was always right about you. Tum jaise log kabhi nahi badalte. People like you never change. Lekin mein hi bewakoof thi joh ek baar dhoka kha kar bhi nahi samjhi. But I am the fool who didn't learn from being deceived once. Tumko paise hi chahiye the na'apna yeh..yeh jo karz ki baat kar rahe the..isko uttarne ke liye. All you wanted was money for this'debt of yours. Ab tumhe kisi amir ghar ki ladki se shaadi karni thi, joh dahej mein dher saara paisa laaye jisse tum apni problems solve kar sako. You only needed a rich girl who'd bring lots of money in dowry. Aur kisi amir ladki ko phasaane ki jagah apni puraani girlfriend ko patta lena jyada aasaan laga na tumhe. And you thought getting back with your ex would have been easier. Aur phir mujh se shaadi kar ke Ritwik ko bhi toh tum apni behen Prachi ko gift kar sakte the, right. Besides you were going to gift Ritwik to your sister if you married me right. Sentiments ko pakad kar achcha khel khel lete ho tum bhai behen." You play a good game on sentiments.
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"Kitni khush rehti thi na Soumya" She was always so jovial.
"Haan, aur mein itna chidta tha usse'hamesha pareshaan karta tha usko." Yes and I used to tease her so much'it irritated her.
"She used to go crying to mom or Prachi di and I would laugh at her so much'aur ab saara badla ek saath le gayi." And now she has taken all her revenge in one go.
Anjali: "Alaap I'll be honest'you won't win a talent show for singing'lekin guitar toh achcha baja lete the. Chod kyun diya?" You used to play the guitar so well. Why did you stop.
Bobby interrupted: "Tumhe yaad nahi Anjali? Don't you remember Anjali Dad se kitni maar padi thi isse'maths mein fail hone ke baad Dad ne hi toh gitaar tod diya tha iska." Dad had been so pissed with him for failing in maths. Dad was the one who broke his guitar.
Anjali: "Oh yes, I remember now. Aur badle mein issne hamaara piano kharab kar diya tha.In retaliation he had ruined our Piano You were such a rouge Alaap."
Alaap: "Shayad ab bhi hoon". Maybe I still am.
Bobby: "I used to hate Prachi di for protecting you everytime. Ghar mein saari shaitaani tum karte the..aur punishment hum sabko milti thi..kyunki Prachi di used to make us promise not to tell." You did all the naughtiness around the house and we'd all get punished.
Anjali: "Prachi toh hai hi aise Prachi has always been that way'mother goose type'she's always protective of those she loves'isme khud ko bhi bhool jaati hai." She'll even forget herself sometimes.
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"How could you do that to Sukriti'again'voh bhi mera naam lekar??? Using my name.." she asked getting angry. "Prachi its not what you think. Mera iraada bilkul galat nahi tha'my intentions weren't bad'lekin shayad meri kismet hi kharaab hai'but maybe my luck is bad kuch sahi bhi karna chahun toh ulta hi hota hai."Even if I try to do something right it backfires.
"Don't worry Alaap, sab theek ho jaayega. Main hoon na." Everything will be alright. I'm here right.
Yeh meri khud ki banayi problems hai'This is my own created problems'and I'll have to solve it myself.
Alaap: "Prachi mein yahaan company ko bechne ke baare mein mom se baat karne aaya tha." Prachi I had come here to talk to mom about selling the company
Alaap: "Don't worry, meine iraada badal liya hai. But I've changed my mind now.
Prachi: "Par tum karoge kya Alaap?"But what are you going to do Alaap
"Ek rasta hai Prachi" There is one way "
Alaap: " Sab ko bura toh lagega Prachi'shayad mom phir mujhe kabhi maaf bhi na kare'" Everyone will feel bad Prachi and maybe mom may never forgive me for it.
Prachi: "Aisa kya karne waale ho tum?" What are you going to do
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"Aap yahaan kya kar rahi hain?" What are you doing here? she asked Prachi. "Hi Sukriti, voh'voh hum toh baby se milne aaye the. lekin yeh doctor hamaare family friend hain..isliye bas baat kar rahe the." We came to see the baby, but this doctor is a family friend so we were just talking casually.
"Voh mein..mein toh baby se milne aayi thi" I came to see the baby tooshe also stammered out. "Nursery toh uppar hai Ayesha, tum iss taraf kahaan jaa rahi thi," Nursery is upstairs Ayesha why were you going this way?
"Haan voh mujhe yaad nahi tha" yes I forgot Ayesha explained.
"Vaise tum log yahaan kya kar rahe ho"what are you guys doing here?
"Yeh log bhi nursery ka rasta bhool gaye the" They forgot the way to the nursery too.
"Bobby, tum bhi" bobby you too?Ayesha said laughing. "Haan mein bhi apni bhanji se milne aa gaya." Yes I too came to see my niece.
Edited by jinc118 - 16 years ago
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
