Hey Shilpi.. hugs.. such a beautiful part.. read it a few times by now..Hubby is away for a week come Saturday and then I might just go back and read some o my fav FF's back to back again ..sorry, most of the times my comments are very point centric na.. just realised that today, must be the after effects of being in such a job I guess ;-P
He had always known that meeting this woman again would be the penultimate mistake especially in this city,
Now what does this mean.. what would be the ultimate mistake.. cant be falling in love with her as he knows he already is, has been and forver will be in love with her.. so what would be the ultimate mistake, shilpi?! Admitting his love to her.. maybe..
The manager- how would I know, sir? Give them to your wife. She'll be delighted. Dutta- I don't have a wife.
U broke my heart here Dutta.. well, I did not expect you to just turn around and give it all to the woman sat next to you, but dil mein ek chuban hui whn u said that.. a feeling of despair for you dutta!
She looked away from him in disgust and clenched her hand. He noticed for the first time that Nakkusha was holding a disfigured, bend silver armlet. The chain was broken and the plate was bent at one end,it had a hindi script engraving on it which she was fingering lovingly- it was his name,DUTTA. She was holding his babyhoods jewelry, armlet, anklets, a kumarband, some silver bangles. His ma had held on to his childhood in those bits of accessories. Dutta whispered- Naksh!
She looked away- She was keeping all these for her daughter-in-law, your wife. And she wanted to remold these for her grandchild. Nakkusha lifted the tiny armlet to him.
Men, I tell ya.. all said and done at the end of the day sometimes they can be plain stupid idiots.. he even entertained the thought if at least for a fleeting moment to sell his mum' jewellery.. what she had bought even after Da passed away.. it so takes a woman to understand such stuff.. thank god, I have a daughter as just having men in the house would have driven me up the walls ;-P
She had said that it was brought by her secret Santa. She was a smart kid who knew that her gifts were brought by her dad and mom. But the appearance of this surprise gift had totally baffled and excited her. With time she had figured out that he had been putting away those gifts and she would start hinting what she wanted to him by saying,'Maybe my secret Santa can bring me this, this Christmas.
We have secret santa at work every Xmas Shilpi.. it is very much fun. We pick names out of a hat and buy a gift for the person whom we have picked. The person never knows who bought it for him/her.. usually it is a silly present or something meaningful if you pick someone you know very well in your team. Maybe u can do it at your work next Xmas!
. Fifteen? When had she grown up so much? He shook his head fifteen or not that still left her underage for drinking.
Bingo, suddenly he realises that she has grown up.. the problem is she has been growing up right under his nose and he never realised it.. but now that he has moved onto jnr college and doesn't see her as much , he never realised that she will also soon be in college na..
What are you middle naming me for?
Wow, even in that state, she doesn't take any crap from him!!
Nakkusha- Now I see two of you. Kool. Now one of you can go to that wretched college and other can always stay with me. How sexy is that?
Seriously, this is the line that has stayed with me in this whole part. That one line says a lot more than anything she could have said.. he obviously being obtuse has let that statement go over his head! But, my heart goes out to her here. She is missing him like hell. For all these years, she has been a shadow to him, and suddenly she has no one to follow.. no one to share her thoughts, dreams and everythign in life. How miserable that would be..how lonely that would be for her..felt like giving lil naksh a tight hug here..
Hypocrisy in Indian Democracy!
Ha ha ha
Please tudu. Daddy is annoyed with me too. Please don't scold me. I am seeing you after …she stopped, trying to count the days but couldn't hold her concentration long enough. Nakkusha continued- I am seeing you..after…after…a looong time..please don't scold me. I promise, I'll ask permission for even drinking coke from now on. Promise. She leaned near him pinching her fair throat. She looked up at him with huge eyes and Dutta felt like drowning in them. He looked away- this is digusting, naksh. Nakkusha burst into tears- please don't be like this. Daddy has grounded me and is not allowing me in the Christmas party. I don't mind that as you are here with me but please don't be angry with me.
This whole part including the kiss was beautifully written. She is such a child woman now, isnt she. He never noticed that until tonight.. waise bhi she is always in boyish clothes.. he was seeing her after so long and that too in feminine attire..must have realised a few things today Dutta! Bless her, she sounds so innocent saying she had not seen him for so long, trying to count the days and dressing up for him..
. Wonder, pleasure, fright,anger,shame. He read them all and felt them in his blood in equal measure. He would not have stopped with a kiss, he knew it and it killed him to see in her eyes that she knew it too. She looked at him hurt and scared and fled to her room before he could say anything. But he had seen that look and he knew that he would never forget that look of disgust on her face ever. He felt like a lowlife to have abused her innocence. He walked out slowly wishing someone to be there to ground him, too. He needed to be punished for his sins. She would now always remember her first kiss with revulsion, all thanks to him.
I totally understand the emotions and specially in that right order they are experienced by both. Having been born and bred in India, I can totally connect to why those emotions are in that order..oh, poor boy, thinks she will remember her first kiss in revulsion..sigh..
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. She had her dreams tied to each article in there.
I am sure nakusha also has dreams attached to each item, not juts his mum na.. and dutta is so obtuse here!
And just as the sweet soothed her burn, his concern soothed her fears. He cares. He loves. She resolved again. Dutta got back to his seat after feeding her the sweet.
I feel just like naksh here.. One moment he is oh so detached with her that my heart plummets, but then tum aisa kuch likhthi ho or something happens which brings out the hidden caring, loving part of him, that my heart soars along with nakku here.. it must be so difficult na considering she has so lil time and just her instincts which say that he loves her..
He looked at her somberly- How do you know what those jewels meant to her?
Now she remembers the FB.. but does she tell him the reasons later on.. Or is it just the readers who know why/how she understands the importance of those jewels..
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Nine years ago, 14th November 2001
Dutta's home.
Nakkusha fixed the heavy gold jhumka on her ears and looked at her image in the mirror. She looked ridiculous she thought. Nakkusha- aunty, why do you keep buying these jewelry? You don't wear them. Nakkusha had come with her mom to check out Shakuntala's latest possession this diwali- the jhumkey. Nakkusha was playing dress up as both the mothers discussed the rise in prices of gold. She had also wrapped shakuntala's wedding saree for the full effect of the beautiful jewels.
OMG.. see, I had always thought up of a sequence of naksh in a sari and Dutta seeing her.. but this is just beyond words for me.. she dressed by his mum, in his ma's weding sarik, wearing his ma's traditional jewels..brings me to tears here..Ahmazing Shilpi!
Loved jhow both the mums are so practical yet rooted. They both value the traditions but also know that one cannot hang on to the past forever.. loved how shakuntala lapses into Marathi seeing how pretty Naksh looks.. do we ever get a scene where she wishes Naksh became her bahu and where D wil not be a part of that scene as he still thinks it is incestuous! I don't know somehow there is more to the mums and Naksh here in this scene… cannot just finish with her dressing up.. why do I feel Shakuntala aunty and Naksh might have a scene later on.. but then, maybe not as Naksh never realises D's love na.. and she was maybe never aware of his love untill the night he comes bck right.. after that kiss, she knows and tells herself that she SHOULD have known it was him all along.. so hmmm.. not sure.. but I am sure you will surprise me as always!
"My God! Naksh are you dressing up for some cheap fancy dress party? You look ridiculous."
Nakkusha turned to see Dutta lounging at the door laughing at her. Nakkusha- think of the devil. And for your information I was just trying out aunty's collection of jewels.
C'mon, Dutta already knew his feelings by this time.. he has already kissed her twice and knows the place she has in his life..C'mon I expected a croaky voice from Dutta not a cocky answer here.. c'mon seeing her so beautiful in his mum's sari must have some effect on him, c'mon shilpi.. unless u have left that for the next part, huh? I was expecting to see a Dutta with the wind knocked out of him seeing her like that.. I am sure he is putting up a cocky pretense for her benefit that he is least affected..but his real reactions will be a treat to read! I am sure he is trying his best to move on with Avanti and banish Naksh from his heart.. this must be part of all that he has been doing to forget her ever since he fell for her…
And avanti is from kochi..OMG, that is my place.. though Avanti is not a Mallu name.. but I guess now a days, you cannot say any particular name comes from a particular part of India right?!
Anyway, it was a treat to read.. not sure if I can read next part as will be with a heavy heart esp now that this Avanti female has come in.. But would love to see how D cannot stay away from Naksh in spite of Avanti being there! Chalo enuf of my bashans! I beter go and do some work now ;-)
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
