PR reloaded-FF-Pt 66 Pg 148, 27/4/11 - Page 83

@bonnefille:

Hi! Thanx for commenting. I'm glad you like the FF. The comment that it does not give the gloom that TV PR gives really made my day, cos this is exactly what I had intended. PR could have been a nice romantic story, the initial plotline and twists were very good. But they ruined it by making it too melodramatic. Somewhere the social and ethical importance of the twists also got lost.

PR and Manav cannot be resurrected now, I agree. Somewhere I had seen it coming, long back, at the time of the Manav Shravani sindoor scene, that from here, Manav would just go downhill. That is when I had started writing the FF. And today, I'm glad I did it.

Keep reading!

P.S. The kiss and the first night parts were the most difficult ones for me to write for obvious reasons. I still don't know how I will be able to write about 'ahem' when we come that part.

Congrats Nikki for completing the 50th Part !!! u r fiNr. Awesome job

PAVITRA RISHTA reloaded MAHAEPISODE TONIGHT- 21st September

Preface:

<It is ironical the way life goes on. While one decision may give a ray of light to a person, it may also spell disaster for someone else. While on the one hand, you feel contented that it benefitted someone, there is a nagging sensation that it also spoilt a lot of things.>
The night was one of the most depressing ones Archana had ever seen. Even though the preparations for festive celebrations were on, yet with her current state of mind, all she could see was doom. The ambience, the people, omens- everything seemed negative.
As she sat in the taxi with Vinod Dada, making her way to Manav's chawl, she focused on everything that had been told about Manav having a fight and getting hurt. She hoped and prayed he was alright. There was a lot of questioning to be done, and she wanted a lot of answers, but now was not the time. They could easily look into the court issues and their personal problems later. The most important thing was for Manav to return home safely.
She looked at her watch. 8 'o' clock. Hmm..She rested her head on the window of the taxi, a silent prayer escaping her lips to keep Manav safe. Where would he be now??

Hi people! I'm back with part 51. This one got too long, and couldn't be made into one part- the balance was not being maintained. So I split it into two subparts- kind of a Mahaepisode. The first one deals with a sort of backlog about what Manav and Varsha did while Archana and gang waited at court. The 2nd part deals with Archana's arrival at Manav's chawl.

Enjoy!!!





So where had Manav been all this while, since afternoon to evening, while Archana and the gang waited at court?

He was still with Varsha. At about 4 'o' clock, he reached the Bandra hospital with her in the ambulance. . Dr. Feroz, the person towards whom Shinde Bhau had diverted him, was waiting for him and Varsha.

Manav fulfilled the formalities that the hospital administration told him to. In the meanwhile, Dr. Farhan admitted Varsha in a special room, and went ahead with the checkup of his patient.

"You're perfectly fine now." he said, opening the curtains for her. It was bright and sunny outside. "You'll have to stay here till the narcotics team come here to make sure things are alright. After that you can go."

Varsha nodded. The doctor tried to make small talk, but she didn't seem to hear him. She didn't know when he closed the door and left.

Slowly she got up and sat at the window sill. The hospital garden could be seen below. She saw the kids playing there, and she smiled at their banter and antics.

"You look better when you smile."

She turned. Manav was standing at the door, smiling at her.

She got up, but Manav indicated her to sit. He pulled a chair closer to the window sill. "Finally, we are on our own now." he said, massaging his head. Varsha gave a small smile. "You must be very tired na, running about since morning."

He shrugged. "I go through more severe physical labour everyday in the garage. This is nothing. Yes, the mental stress was definitely more."

Varsha seemed reflective. "I know." She said quietly. "I have given a lot of stress to you. And my family members will go through even more stress and disappointment now- when they see their daughter, who had so big dreams and ambitions, coming home like a deflated balloon- all spunk gone, all dreams broken, and a criminal record to her credit."

Manav felt sad to hear her words. This was downright depressing and oh-so-not-Varsha like.
They were silent for a few minutes, and then Manav decided to talk about something else. "Umm.. you know, I think I need specs."

Varsha looked up at him. "Specs?"

"Spectacles." He clarified.

"I know that specs means spectacles." Varsha frowned. "But what for?"

"I get headaches all day." Manav said. "At first I thought it is because of my sinus problem, but recently someone said that I should get my vision checked. I am most probably hypermetropic."

Varsha gave a small smile. "You mean you can see things at a distance, but not nearby. Far sighted, but can't see things going on under your nose."

Manav smiled. "Not really. Its just the headaches. It happens in not so severe cases of hypermetropia."

"Hmm.."

"What hmm..???"

"Nothing. Just imagining how you'll look in specs." Varsha said.

"I'll probably break them in the garage, getting under cars again and again- I'm so rash." He frowned. Varsha giggled. "What will Tai say.." she said aloud.

The mention suddenly brought them both to ground zero. Both were quiet again. Finally Varsha spoke, "You missed your court hearing because of me, right?"

Manav did not answer, but instead looked down. Varsha rested her head on her hands. "I'm so sorry.."

"Leave it now Varsha." He said. "Right now, there is no use thinking about all this. What has happened has happened. I'm happy that this narcotics case has ended well though."

"What about the court case?" Varsha asked in a small voice. "What was its outcome?"

"I don't know." He said truthfully. "I haven't been able to contact them. I don't even have my cell. But I'm sure Tarun must have managed things. We had proof and we had witnesses. Till one night before the hearing, Ajit was begging me to take the case back, so I don't think things could have gone wrong." He looked at Varsha. "You don't worry. I'll handle it. You have enough troubles of your own as of now."

Varsha gave a sarcastic laugh. "My troubles will never end here on." She said. "All good things have ended for me. With a criminal record to my name, I can never go out of India now or work abroad. I will be getting discharged in a few minutes, so as to say, but I won't be free, cos everytime I will be under the fear whether the narcotics people are keeping watch in the hospital and have come to know that I'm not there. Add to it, my family shall be thoroughly embarrassed cos of me now. They are simple, traditional people, not used to all this. If this whole issue leaks out, their reputation is gone. And my Aai.. I can't even begin to imagine how worried she will be thinking about my future. Since she equates future with marriage, she will die thinking of who will accept me now."

She sighed. Manav felt sad.

"Its okay." She said. "No use wallowing in self pity. It was my wrong decision that has led me here. Again and again Dada had told me, 'there are fraud companies that can harm you, go into full enquiry first' , but I had such blind trust on my friends and their confident decisions that I found his sensible caution to be unnecessary grumbling. Even Aai had told me that I was not mature enough to handle things on my own as of now. But I didn't listen, cos I'm so used to Aai's grumblings on every issue ranging from jeans to late night movies, that I surpassed it. And now, I'm in a royal mess!!!"

"I guess it was meant to happen. I have always been like this- stubborn. Protesting whenever things don't go my way. Fighting over not being given freedom, fighting with anyone who tried to impose restrictions on me. Aai wanted me to marry and get settled and then work, but NO!! I was literally in the air, wanting to go abroad and working and all. Everyone had told me- your blunt attitude and modern views will land you in trouble one day. And they have!!!"

Manav, who had been listening silently to her, now started speaking. "Listen to me Varsha," he said, drawing his chair closer. "Your mistake is not in the fact that your views are different from that of your conservative family. You are not wrong in trying to be modern, breaking away from the mould, fighting for freedom- no! You are not wrong in demanding to be allowed to see late night movies and go with friends and not get married and go abroad even. The only point where you went wrong is that you could not understand your family's thinking. If they protested on such matters, it was not so much cos of their traditional thinking- their 1st worry was not about what people would say- rather, it was cos they WORRY about you. Cos they are family and concerned about your security. Unlike your friends, who belong to the same age group, they are more experienced and know that the world outside home is a jungle. That is why they feel scared. And that is why they worry more. I'm not saying that your friends are fools, or that they don't care for you, or that they are selfish junkies. I'm just trying to say that there is a difference in the level of thinking between your friends and yourself on one hand, and your parents on the other. It is just a misfortune that this whole narcotics scam occurred, and now you are blaming your decision of deciding to go abroad. There is nothing wrong in going abroad alone before marriage, nor are all such companies frauds. No Varsha- your mistake was that you assumed Aai-Baba were refusing cos they were orthodox, you didn't sit down with your parents and relieve them of their fears and understand that their worry is very much justified- you and your parents never came at a common consensus. They should have tried to understand how much the job meant to you and tried to make things easier for you, and you should have relieved their fears by looking into all the security arrangements and assuring them that you will manage fine, and made sure that the company was a genuine one and not run by a bunch of frauds, what reputation it had, etc. just like Vinod had said. But no- they refused, citing reasons of marriage and immaturity (security concerns), and you stormed off angrily, branding them orthodox and curbing freedom. Now see what has happened."

A tear rolled down Varsha's eye. Each and every word Manav had spoken was true- absolutely true. Her mother was conservative, and worried more about marriage and reputation than other things like career, enjoying life with friends etc., but behind all these curtains, her biggest worry had always been about her daughter's security. She could somehow accept the fact that her daughter wanted to marry late and live in foreign lands away from good old Maharashtra, but she couldn't accept that her daughter would live ALONE while she would be worrying back home.

And what had she done? She had accused them of not wanting her to progress in life, impeding her success, restricting her freedom. Never had she behaved in a mature manner, trying to convince them by words and actions that she would manage in a nice way there. She hadn't understood their security concerns and made enquiries even, about Prasanna job agencies. She had blindly gone along with her friends who had looked only into the fat package being offered by the agency and had decided to go.

The fault had been from both sides, she agreed. But what could be done now? The damage had been done. Her stupid resolution of 'I will do what I want' had ruined everything.

"I have been very immature," she agreed. "But now all is over." She wiped a tear that was threatening to fall. "No use speaking on this."

Manav fell silent. "So, where do you go from here?" he asked a while later.

Varsha looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Manav cleared his throat. "I mean, what are your plans after all this? When you go from here..?"

Varsha looked out at the garden and exhaled deeply. "I have limited options. I'll follow them. I guess, as of now, the best one would be- to go back home, tell Aai-Baba everything, and then do whatever they tell me to. I suppose Aai-Baba would try and get me married at the earliest and then send me away from Mumbai. After this disaster, I don't think I will be ever be allowed to do things my way. I was never trusted much anyway." There was a lump in her throat as she said this.

Manav felt bad. From an ambitious, spirited girl who wanted to live life to the fullest, what had Varsha become? He couldn't identify her as the same girl who had always said that she wanted to live life on her terms and make all her dreams come true. Her spirit seemed to have been totally crushed. He looked at her again. The fire in her eyes had gone. A strange, sad softness had taken its place.

Varsha looked back at him. "What?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing." He said. "Both of us haven't eaten anything since yesterday. I badly want something to eat."

Varsha nodded. "Me too. Lets check out the hospital cafeteria."

"No hospital cafeteria." Manav said firmly. "I have had enough of hospital cafeterias- first your Aai got admitted, there was nothing worth eating there. Then Vaishali got admitted, and that hospital cafeteria was equally bad. Better eat rat poison to kill the hungry rats in my stomach than eat hospital food."

Varsha laughed and nodded in agreement. "I hate hospital food too."

Manav stretched his legs. "You know, I hate hospitals." He said lazily. "I hate the smell, the eerie silence, the troubled faces, the humming voices of these strange machines- everything. A hospital is a very bad place to be in. Even if you are not sick, you feel sick. I hope I never get admitted- I'll run away the first day itself."

Varsha smiled. Manav was very cute when he started chattering on random topics, she thought. "Okay, then what do we do?"

Manav moved forward. "Lets go and eat outside after the narcotics people go after their rounds. Anyway, we have to go from here. Instead of straightaway going home, we can eat outside first. This way we will get to discuss how to reveal the news to your family. We also need to plan."
Varsha gave a quizzical look. "What is left to plan?" she said in a dismayed voice. However, for Manav's sake, she agreed.

*************************

At 6 'o' clock, both Manav and Varsha left the hospital.

Everything had gone well. Dr. Feroz had handled matters really well. The narcotics team was
satisfied with the security arrangements. Dr. Feroz had assured them that the patient would be returned to custody when her condition improved.

"Don't worry," he later told Manav. "I'll submit a report in a few days that Varsha has been diagnosed with some disease and her stay needs to be prolonged. In the meanwhile, you get Varsha out of Mumbai. In a few days, the case will lose steam. The narcotics team will forget that there was even a girl called Varsha. It always happens."

Free birds now, Manav and Varsha walked out, not knowing where to go in particular. "Home?" asked Varsha.

Manav shook his head. "CST" he said. "I have to claim my things from the Narcotics Centre- wallet, cell etc."

*********************

"It's really nice here."

Manav smiled at Varsha. She seemed to be less depressed now that she was out of hospital. I always knew it- he thought to himself- A hospital is the most wretched place in the world. Makes you feel pathetic and sad and nothing else.

They had gone to the Narcotics Lab in CST with the little money Manav had in his pocket. While Varsha had waited in the auto, Manav had gone up and requested for his things to be returned to him. The old office clerk had asked him to come back a little later, since most of the staff had gone for a tea break. Grunting, Manav retreated.

Now they were at the Pav Bhaji stall in CST, waiting impatiently for the waiter to serve them steaming hot, butter laden, spicy Pav Bhaji. It was exactly what they needed after a mind boggling, depressing day.

As they sat waiting, Varsha was suddenly reminded of something. "Do you have money to pay for this?" she asked hesitantly.

Manav gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry," he said. "The owner of this stall knows me. I often come here." He blushed a little. "You know, this is the place where Archana and I went out together for the first time. Before marriage."

Varsha was confused. "Before marriage?" She suddenly remembered the pictures that had sprung up at Archana's engagement with Varun.

"Yeah!" Manav said. "She herself called me here to discuss about the garage. Man, I was so nervous that day- going out with someone whose brothers scooty I used to repair and help in other odd jobs of the house- I sweated like a pig!"

Varsha laughed at the confession while Manav blushed some more. He looked around with content. "I and Archana always came here after marriage as well. She could never finish her plate and I had to help her finish it!!!"

Varsha laughed again, thoroughly amused. "That's why you are getting FAT!!!"

"Hey!!" said Manav in a protesting voice. "I'm NOT fat!! Just been a bit out of shape recently. Archana said that I look weak and have lost weight."

Varsha raised an eyebrow. "Bahut baatein karte ho dono chup-chup ke milke." She said. Manav gave a sheepish grin. "Tai always feels that others are getting weak and thin. And then she serves them loadfuls of food, coaxing them to eat. She's a sweetheart."

"Yeah, that she is!" said Manav bobbing his head up and down. Varsha smiled again and he looked away, blushing.

The waiter came and served them. "Okay Varsha," said Manav. "Now tell me what you have thought of regarding your future."

Varsha looked shocked. "We just had a talk over it- remember?" she asked.

Manav shook his head. "We had a talk over what you will be told to do- not what you WANT TO DO."

Varsha looked depressed. "It doesn't matter now." she said. "I have limited options.."

"Don't give me that crap." Manav said sternly, raising his voice a little. "What's got into you Varsha??? You WERE NOT like this!! Today you have become so defeated, so miserable, I can't even identify you as the girl I had known for so long!"

"Circumstances change us." Varsha said sadly. "The way my decisions have ruined my life, I think I have been a big loser."

"You are NOT a loser." Manav protested. "You are a modern, successful girl, who has a positive outlook to things and want to make all her dreams come true. Just one small setback doesn't make you a loser. Varsha, you had so much of confidence and spunk. Where has it gone today when you need it the most??"

Varsha sighed. "I don't know." She said, looking at the plate in front of her. "I feel.. lost. I feel that my thinking all these years was wrong. I shouldn't have been so bold and outgoing, or insolent. I should have been like other girls. At least I wouldn't have fallen into trouble. I don't know right from wrong.. and.."

Manav made a pained face. "Varsha.. Varsha!!!" he muttered. "These things are the very strong points of your character. Your bold, outgoing nature- that is what we require today in other girls. Varsha, do you remember the time my Aai asked your parents for a gold necklace as dowry? Till date, you are the only person who has blasted me for it- neither your parents nor Archana ever said a word about it, despite the fact that dowry is a serious criminal offence. You were the only person who tried to convince your parents that instead of getting Archana married to an undeserving guy, they should think of educating her. In fact," he hesitated, "much as I am sad at the fact that none of you trusted me when the whole fiasco happened and blames were made against me, I give you credit for behaving sanely and practically in the situation and taking your sister away- thinking in your shoes, I think my actions did resemble someone who was a predatory stalker, and would desert your sister after the physical act was done. I even give you credit for the fact that you forewarned your sister from the very beginning not to talk to me, a person whose character, as you had pointed out before, was always a mystery from the very beginning. It is because girls don't take precautions like this, that we hear of so many cases of RAPE on TV every night. From your point of view, you were always justified. ALWAYS!!!"

Varsha was silent. She didn't know what to say.

Manav softened down. "What has happened to you Varsha?" he said. "Why are you so defeated? See, shocks are a part and parcel of everyone's life. But these shocks can be good teaching experiences. They can actually make us discover our strong side- dimensions to our character that we didn't even know, existed." Varsha opened her mouth to argue, but Manav silenced her. "I haven't finished yet. Varsha, you are running away from yourself. You might be making this decision today, but tomorrow you will repent thinking that you crushed yourself and did not do what you actually wanted to do. Okay, tell me one thing. What would the old Varsha have done if she had been in your place???"

Varsha seemed to be in a daze. "Old Varsha???"

"Yes." Manav said emphatically. "Our bold, spunky, firebrand, no-nonsense Varsha. The one who had warned me that she would kill me if I ever made her Tai cry. What would that Varsha have done had she been in your place???"

Varsha was silent. For a very long time, she did not speak, as she tried to control her tears. Manav waited patiently for her to regain control.

"The old Varsha wouldn't have accepted defeat." She said finally, her voice heavy. "The old Varsha would have fought. She would have kicked and lunged and shouted and made her voice heard. Even if she had to go through hell, she would have tried to find out who trapped her and why. She would have tried to prove herself INNOCENT!!!"

"ABSOLUTELY!!!" said Manav. "Varsha, you absolutely cannot live under the shadow of false criminal charges against you. Even though Shinde Bhau has convinced us that nothing will happen to you now, and the case will eventually lose steam and be forgotten, but we CANNOT TAKE A CHANCE. What is someone comes for investigation and discovers that you are not in the hospital??? Both of us will be caught and put in jail, this time for far more serious offences. Remember Varsha, it's a WE, not a ME anymore. I haven't risked my name and my life just so that you can get away easily and run away and lead the life of a fugitive in a boring, mechanical manner- so different from what you really are. We have to get to the bottom of this whole matter. We need to find out who used you for drug trafficking, and that too before the narcotics team finds out that this whole hospital thing was just a sham to get you out of police custody."

Varsha seemed to be thinking furiously. Manav tried again. "Varsha, remember one thing. You are not their first target. These type of things keep happening- its in the newspapers all the time. But the victims never get a chance to exonerate themselves. You have got a precious chance Varsha. At least make a try!!!"

Varsha looked at him. "I don't know." She said. "I'm scared."

"Scared of what???" Manav exploded. "Varsha, stop behaving like a sissy!! Tell me, you want to clear your name from this case or live the life of a runaway??? You were squealing about freedom in your Aai's home, don't you want your freedom now???"

Varsha looked up at him, and two tears came in her eyes. "I do!!" she said. "But how?? Its near
impossible. And I don't know if the family members will think it worth to take all this trouble!!!!"

"Stop crying first." Manav said sternly. Varsha rubbed away her tears. Manav's voice softened. "Now listen to me. I do not know about anyone else, but I'm sure that at least Archana will support you. And Tarun too. He's family now, remember??? At least we can think of making an attempt in this direction. Sit and eat peacefully. And with a calm mind, think!! Battles of life are not won by crying. They have to be FACED and FOUGHT."

Varsha nodded. Over their meal of Pav Bhaji, Manav and Varsha sat and thought about what they could do in this regard.

*****************

"I have thought about something."

Manav looked up at Varsha. They had finished their meal and were walking on the roads of CST, through the area called The Fort. There were numerous Victorian style buildings there, and street vendors crowded the area, selling anklets, watches and books. The ambience was chirpy and they could see big hotels and markets on the other end of the street.

"What??"

Varsha started speaking, more composed now. "If we have to get to the bottom of the matter, we need proper guidance and help. Maybe we will have to hire a detective as well."

Manav nodded. "That agency- the one which gave you the job- it must be having a branch here right?? We must start from there."

Varsha shook her head. "As soon as the scam took place, they closed their Mumbai branch. During the police interrogation, I had given the address of Prasanna job agencies. The police sent their men, only to find the place deserted. Looked like they vacated it in a hurry."

Manav thought about it. "Seems tricky." They stood at a traffic signal, waiting to cross.

"Well, there IS a way, actually." Varsha said, after they had crossed. "The people who were accompanying us to London- agents from the company- had come from Delhi. That is where the headquarters of this agency are. All my transaction, letters, interviews- everything was from Delhi."

"Its simple then. We need to investigate in Delhi. But how.."

They racked their brains for a while. Suddenly Varsha had a brainwave. "HE can help us!!!" she squealed.

Manav was taken aback. "Who??" People on the streets looked at the mindless duo.

"Abhimanyu Karmarkar!!!" said Varsha excitedly. "Oh yes!! Why didn't I think of him before???"

Manav was totally confused. "Varsha, who is this Abhimanyu guy??? I don't think I've ever heard of him."

Varsha looked at him, her face glowing with confidence. "Abhimanyu Karmarkar was the guy to whom Aai- Baba wanted to get me married." She said. "He had come to see me two months back. He's a CRIMINAL LAWYER, and he LIVES IN DELHI. He can help us. He's my friend!!!"

Manav looked confused. "When did all this happen?? Your marriage fixed?? Archana never told me!!"

Varsha looked at him irritatedly. "Don't be a tubelight now!" she said. "Of course I'm not getting married. I asked him to refuse marriage to me, and he did exactly that. He's a sweet, decent chap, very work-oriented. I'm sure he can help us."

Manav looked unsure. "Varsha, do you think it is right to involve a stranger in this matter???"

Varsha nodded furtively, taking faster steps forward. "A stranger will go by our terms and conditions- taking the help of a known person always has the risk that more people will come to know- in this case, our friends and relatives. Abhimanyu is safe, and its not just that," she stopped to look at Manav. "If I remember right about our last meeting, he said he worked in a law firm. He has plenty of exposure."

Manav looked doubtful. "I'm really not sure.."

"Oh comeon!!" Varsha was exasperated now. "We have to make a start from somewhere Jiju.. haven't we??"

For a minute, Manav thought he hadn't heard right. Had this, had this girl actually called him Jiju??? After such a long time, he had heard it from her lips. He could not say anything. He just stood and gaped.

Varsha moved her hand in front of him. "What????"

He came back to his senses. "But how will you contact him? Do you have a phone number or something??"

She was in full form now, taking confident, determined steps forward. "No, but still I know how to contact him. I just need a little money, and an internet cafe."

Manav didn't understand anything. What was this girl doing??? As if in response, Varsha tugged at his hand, pulling him ahead. "Come na Jiju, lets go!!!!"

**********XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX************

(To those who have forgotten about Abhimanyu, I recommend that you go through Part 33 on page 60. Here's the link:
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1328933&TPN=60)

Subpart 2 coming up in a few minutes.

Nikiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii now I will b reading ur update instead of managerial accounting😆

Awesome bonding. Look frets to read more cheers

Wow Niki👏 U make all relations so lovely. I m really liking Manav-Varsha bonding.

I agree with Manav abt the hospitals😆 😆 Acha khasa banda beemar ho jaye🤢 U know we kept our dadi mostly at home instead of the hospital. She lived a lot longer than she wud hav in the hospital. It was soooo sad to see her in the hospital for a few days😭

Y do I hav a feeling that Ajit's confession will get erased from Manav's cell🤔

PART 51

SUBPART- 2

Disaster within close vision

Archana got out of the taxi as it stopped at the chawl. It seemed the same as it had been the day she had left- lighted, cheery and full of activity.

It was nostalgic to return to the same place which she had left a couple of months ago. She remembered the day she had walked out, Manav's troubled and disappointed face, the gloomy faces of the Deshmukh folks. It had been the day they were supposed to go on their honeymoon. Today she had come here again after a hiatus, but there was no Manav. Tears came in her eyes again as she remembered him and Tarun's words about his condition.

She wiped her tears quietly as she waited for Vinod to pay the taxi driver. He looked around. "Nothing seems to have changed. Same place."

Archana nodded, looking at the block of the chawl which was HER home. She started walking towards the stairs, and she could see that the few people who were sitting outside their houses at that time of night were surprised. Vinod walked with her, ready to defend her if someone said something bad.

They had reached to the foot of the stairs when Vinod looked around. There was a telephone booth nearby. "Archana," Vinod called out. She turned. "I'll make a call at the no. of the agency worker that Varsha had given us, and confirm whether the troop reached London safe and sound. ISD call." He said, pointing to the phone booth. Archana nodded, and started walking up the stairs as Vinod crossed the street to talk at the phone booth.

She felt nostalgic as she walked through every stair and every turn, wondering if all this was happening bcos of her. She should not have pressurized Manav so much for the evidence. Maybe it would have been better if she had trusted him when he had said that he was innocent, but then again, the proofs had been so strong. Any woman in her place would have done the same thing, she thought.

Lost in her tumultuous thoughts, she finally reached the Deshmukh quarters. To her surprise, the front door was ajar. She walked in, and found it strange that there was no one around. "Aai..??" she called out hesitantly. There was no answer. "Vedant?? Vandu??" she called out, feeling a bit awkward and out of place. WHERE WAS EVERYONE???

"In here!" A voice came out, and it was then that she reflected that the voice had come from her bedroom. She immediately walked towards her bedroom and opened the door. She was surprised to see someone whom she had not expected to see at all.

"Sharavani!!??!!" Archana said, more out of shock than surprise. What was she doing in someone else's bedroom???

"Oh hi Archana!" she said, not at all embarrassed. "How come you are here???"

Archana seemed taken aback at this question. It's my house, she thought to herself. I may not be living here right now, but still its my house and my family members.

"Um.." she tried to control herself. "I actually.." she moved closer to see that Shravani was leafing through a photo album. The open page showed a photo of her standing with Manav and Girishji. "When was that taken?" she asked, intrigued.

Shravani looked down. "Papa's 50^th b'day." She said. "We had a small function at the garage. Manav had made all the preparations."

Archana nodded as Shravani flicked through the album. "I like this one," she said. It showed a pimple faced, teenaged boy wearing dirty, greasy clothes and a little girl with braces standing next to him, giggling. "Papa took this when we were little."

Archana seemed surprised. "We???"

"Me and Manav." Said Shravani. "We have always been such good friends."

Archana nodded in understanding. Somehow, things were seeming strange to her. She started leafing through the album. "Shravani I never saw this album before when I was in this.."

"Oh yeah! This is cos I gifted it to Manav on his b'day. Memories of our precious, happy moments. It took a lot of effort to get all these old pictures. See, so many of them are in black and white." Said Shravani. She recollected the day Manav had shown her pictures of his and Archana's wedding in a similar way. She remembered the day she had seen a romantic pic of them together as Archana's screensaver at the office computer. How much it had hurt her!! Her voice shook slightly. "He liked it very much." She said, taking the album back from Archana's hands.

"Hmm.." said Archana. "Where are Savita Aai and Vedant-Vandu??"

"Savita Kaku has gone to a neighbours home for some errand. And Vedant- Vandu go for extra classes these days- they are in XIth now, you would not be knowing I suppose." She said. Archana sat back abruptly. "Of course, I know that." she said indignantly. "Manav had told me." She suddenly remembered everything again. "Shravani, what was Manav's condition when you left him last night?" she asked in a worried tone. "Was he.. was he alright???"

Shravani gave her a questioning look. "Of course, he's fine. Why should anything happen to him?? He was hale and hearty.. just a few wounds here and there.. nothing serious. He even got discharged yesterday."

"Thankgod!!" Archana muttered. "Then why hasn't he come back till now?? He isn't even picking up his cell."

Shravani's eyes narrowed. Manav must still be with Shinde Bhau regarding Varsha's case, she thought. She took one look at Archana and her worried face.

"I don't know." She said flatly.

Archana looked disappointed. "You have no clue where he went??"

"He seemed pretty gloomy to me." She said, turning her face the other side. "I guess he was scared of losing the court case."

Archana felt bad. "Why didn't you bring him with you, or why didn't you tell someone from the house about him? We all came to know pretty late."

Shravani gave a sigh. "Manav is pretty obstinate Archana. I told him to go, but he didn't listen. He said he would go home himself a little later." She omitted the fact that Manav had asked her to inform everything at home.

"And you agreed?" Archana asked in surprise.

Shravani gave a small smile. "He never listens to me. Always takes all the decisions on his own. If he had listened to me, he wouldn't have been in such a sad state today. Nor would I have been miserable."

The words came out so suddenly that Archana gasped for a moment. She tried to smile. "What.. what.. is that exactly supposed to mean?" she asked.

Shravani gave a small laugh. "Leave it now, Archana. Come lets go and sit in the living room." She got up to leave.

"No wait, Shravani." Archana stopped her by the arm. "What were you speaking about?"

Shravani looked at her. "These are old matters Archana.. forget it now."

"No, I want to know." Archana persisted. "What were you speaking about?"

"The abrupt end to our relationship." Said Shravani quietly. "Almost a year back."

The words hung about in the air as Archana tried to grasp them. Manav and Shravani- relationship???

She tried to laugh nervously. "What are you speaking about Shravani? Is this.. is this.. some kind of a joke???"

Shravani gave a small smile. "That is why I didn't want to tell you. Come, lets go." But Archana still held her by the arm. "I WANT TO KNOW." She said.

"Archana, I suppose Manav hasn't told you anything. Its better we drop this matter.."

"Shravani please.."

Shravani was silent for a few seconds. Archana waited with bated breath. "Manav and I were in a relationship.. well, it was a relationship from my side, but maybe not from his. He never even acknowledged it in front of anyone."

The words stung Archana deeply. "How long??" she asked quietly a few moments later.

"Umm.." Shravani thought hard. "Two months??"

Archana was shocked. "Just two months??"

"After two months I asked him about marriage, but he said, he had never promised marriage to me. Never at all." She looked at Archana sadly. "And he was right. He had never promised me anything. I was the fool who was so besotted by him that I crossed all limits."

Archana was breathing deeply now. "Limits??"

Shravani did not say anything. She merely looked down. Archana, suddenly realizing what she was trying to say, cupped her hands around her mouth. "Oh my God!!" she said, horrified.

"That is why I had said that its better we don't talk about all this." Said Shravani. She freed her hand from Archana's hold and walked out.

****************************

Alone in the room now, Archana stood alone stupefied. The conversation that had taken place left her numb. Her worst fears were starting to come true. Manav had always been blamed for being a womanizer- A visitor of brothels, he had stalked her and finally succeeded in getting married to her- was what had been claimed. Her parents had taken her away from Manav's place since they were scared that a person like him would dump their daughter after the physical act was done. Evidence had been shown to her, but she had denied it.

But THIS??? What the hell was this??? Here a young girl was relating the truth about her life- which echoed exactly what her parents had feared all along- that Manav had been in a physical relationship with her, and dumped her when the surge ended or she started pressing for marriage. And then had got diverted to other 'targets'?

Is that why he had gone against all odds to get married to her- she thought- stalling her engagement with Satish and then Varun in a most humiliating manner, since he knew she was traditional and demure and not bold and outgoing like Shravani, and hence wouldn't agree to get intimate unless married? Was it a safe attempt to get the physical pleasure under the 'license' of marriage or consentious sex- so that no court could pull him by the collar later in the day?

No, no, NO!!! This couldn't be true- Archana's mind screamed. She rushed outside agitatedly and faced Shravani. "I know you are lying." She said angrily. "I know very well. Manav wouldn't have done all this."

Shravani gave her a wry look. "Fine. Its upto you. Don't believe me." She turned away.

Archana wasn't satisfied. She faced her again. "I know you are lying." She said in an accusing tone. "If Manav had been so bad to you, then you wouldn't still be hanging around him, trying to be part and parcel of your life."

"Oh yeah!!!" said Shravani. "Have you ever heard of a phrase Archana- to be weak in love??? Well, that's what everyone becomes, after a period. Manav has not been fair to me, despite this, it is my weakness that I'm not able to forget him. He has sort of 'got under my skin'. Even today I'm hoping that he will come back to me after all the support I've rendered to him so far. And why not? Has he ever stuck to one girl?? Before me, it was brothels, after me, it was you- so who knows he might revert back to me again? He needs me, this much I know. Whenever he is in trouble he always calls me, uninhibited, like 1 'o' clock last night. He knows he has that hold on me. And he uses it well."

Archana was shocked. She remembered Manav's words in Mahabaleshwar that Shravani never refused him for anything. She remembered how upset Shravani had been at their engagement. She remembered how Shravani had given her a job on Manav's recommendation. She remembered how she had always been part of the family- Manav had even given her charge of Sachin's presentation when he had been away at Mahabaleshwar. She remembered how Shravani had tried to lap up Manav's attention when he had come to the NGO office and he had not given any, since Archana had been around.

No woman in the world could speak falsely about being wrong and shamelessly in love with a married man who had used her, Archana thought. If she had, then it must be true. Archana looked perturbed now. Things around her seemed to be going round and round.

"Shravani," she said in a small voice. "Is that why he called you yesterday at the hospital and not any of us?"

Shravani hesitated. Manav had called her since he needed her help in Varsha's matter. He had even asked her to inform the rest of the family members about the circumstances. "Yes," she lied. "And, now that I've told you all this, I'll tell you one more thing, something about which I'd lied earlier. You were asking where Manav is and why I left him alone after discharge, right? Don't worry about him, he was in my house till morning. He rested and was perfectly fine when he went away. Don't worry."

Archana could hold it no longer. "Then why didn't he come to court this morning?"

Shravani shrugged. "Who would like to come and take charge of a losing battle??"

Archana did not know what to speak. She looked on the floor, which seemed to be reverbating. Her heart was pounding heavily. Breathing seemed to have become difficult. She held the back of the dining room chair for support, since she felt she would fall down any minute now.

"You're lying," she said weakly, struggling for breath. "Manav had promised me.. he is innocent.. he said that he had proofs against Ajit.. and.."

"Archana!" said Shravani exasperated. "I have already fallen so badly for him that I cannot move ahead. But why aren't you moving ahead??? Truth is- Manav tried to blackmail Ajit to get you back, failed and so didn't show up in court. That's it."

A tear rolled down Archana's eye. No, it couldn't be true, she thought. Her Manav couldn't do this. No..

Her thoughts were suddenly disturbed by the sound of singing. She identified it immediately.

"Aai.."

**************************

Savita Aai entered the home slowly with her unsteady gait. How could Shravani leave the door open, she thought. She came inside, and was shocked to see the sight which presented itself.

"Aa gayi Archu Rani!" she said sarcastically and then her tone hardened. "What are you doing here???"

Archana was scared. She tried to speak. "Aai, woh.. Manav.."

"What are you doing here in this house???" she asked angrily. Archana gulped. Things seemed to be getting worse.

She rushed forward. "Aai, look at all these lies Shravani is telling about Manav." She said, half sobbing. "She says Manav and she had a physical relationship some time back, and he denied marriage; that he is a brothel frequenting guy who can never stick to one woman; that he cheated me.. she is saying.. she is saying.. the whole case was a sham.. Manav purposely didn't come to court today.. despite knowing how much I was looking forward to seeing him there.. he knew he was going to lose.. he gave me all these hopes and then.."

Savita thrust a big finger in front of her. "QUIET!!" she roared. Archana stopped crying almost instantaneously. "If she is saying the truth, what is the harm in it? Ultimately the truth had to come out in front of everyone one day.."

Archana felt as if the sky had fallen on her. The whole world accusing Manav was one thing, but HIS MOTHER laying blames on him was another thing. There could be no stronger testimony.

"Aai.." she said sobbing. "Aai.."

"I AM NOT YOUR AAI!!" Savita shouted. "And what are you doing in my house in the first place??" She pulled Archana by the arm even as she tried to protest, and dragged her out. Archana shouted for help, and slowly the neighbours came out of their houses. Shravani simply turned her face away.

Savita dragged Archana to the centre of the chawl and shouted, "You were the one who had left this house, right? You went away with your parents calling my son characterless?? As if you are a 'dudh ki dhuli hui'. You should be grateful that whatever my son is- at least he accepted you. GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE- ungrateful wife!!!"

She snatched Archana's mangalsutra and threw her with force out of the chawl. Archana, losing control, thought she was about to fall, but was suddenly caught by Vinod, who- unknown to her- had come running to her after his failed phone call.

****************************

Vinod's anger was on the eleventh cloud. "HOW DARE YOU!!!" he growled, pushing a weeping Archana firmly behind him. "How dare you treat my sister like this? Have you no shame???"

"Does your sister have any shame?" Savita asked aloud as the chawl listened. "She has made a mess of my whole family's future- we have lost everything due to her. Bad omen she is- on this house and on my Manav's life!!"

And Savita started with a string of horrible words for Archana. Archana closed her eyes in fear and shame. She wanted to die.

Vinod, shaking with fury, showed an indignant hand to Savita Aai- "BAS!!!!" he shouted. "We had come here cos we were genuinely scared about Manav inspite of the truth that has come up in court about him, but it seems there is no use having even an iota of sympathy for anyone in this family. It's a family of DEVILS, that's it. Things end between us tonight." He said angrily, supporting Archana. "MY SISTER WILL NEVER COME BACK TO THIS HOUSE. I WILL GET HER MARRIED TO A BEGGAR ON THE STREETS, BUT I WILL NEVER SEND HER TO THIS HELL AGAIN WHERE A WOMAN IS NOT RESPECTED."

And with this, Vinod turned back, supporting Archana, as Savita continued rambling. They got into a taxi and left.

****************************

In the taxi, Vinod tried hard to control his tears. It was a horrible scene- to see his sister go through abuse of this kind. Especially when she had only been concerned for her husband. She had gone there for him, not herself.

He turned to look at Archana now. She wasn't crying any more. Her tears had dried up and she was looking blankly outside the window.

"Don't worry Archu!" he said, holding her hand. "Your Dada is there na. You don't worry at all."

Archana looked at him. "It was true Dada."

Vinod seemed mystified. "What was true Archu???"

"Everything." She said, still looking into space. "Everything that you had forewarned me about- it was all true. Manav has the worst character we could have ever imagined- womanizer, cheating people like Ajit off their money, manipulative, cheat. That's what he is. I was wrong. You all were right."

Vinod was shocked. "But Archu, how did you.."

"His Aai told me." She said quietly, still hypnotized. "A mother can't say such lies about her son, come what may. The beast that he is- he didn't even spare his childhood friend."

Anger rose in Vinod's heart like a volcano. Manav- that scoundrel!!! He had yet again cheated his innocent and gullible sister by giving her hopes and showing dreams that had absolutely no future. Vinod wished he had a gun or an axe. He wanted to kill Manav then and there for making a joke of his sister's life. He took out his specs and wiped his tears quietly as he looked out through the open window. He didn't want Archana to see him crying. He only prayed to Bappa to make Manav pay in the most horrible way possible.

*****************************

Savita came back to the house. Shravani was sitting quietly on the diwan.

"You did well," beamed Savita. "Ultimate story you made. Now Archana will never come back in this house. Today is a day to celebrate."

Shravani however, did not answer back. The social worker in her did not like the abuse she had just witnessed. Neither did she like the mother who had called her son characterless. Would Savita go against her tomorrow in a similar fashion??? She stayed mum.

"What happened?" asked Savita, sitting near her. "The thorn has gone permanently from our lives. Why are you so thoughtful now?"

Shravani looked at her. "Kaku, when Manav returns home and meets Archana- then in her anger, frustration etc. she will obviously mention whatever I told her. Manav will come to know of everything."

Savita's eyes widened. She had not thought of it. "You don't worry." She said confidently. "Arey I will convince Manav. We will twist the story. He has so much of respect for me, you just see- he will listen to me. And even if he comes to know," she lowered her voice. "Men are such babies Shravani. He will whimper and cry for a while, but later on you can win him over. Its not difficult for a woman to win a man over. Don't worry at all. Just one thing.." she said hesitantly. "Don't take my name okay. Manav loves me very much and won't stand anyone saying anything against his Aai. Understanding na beta?"

Shravani looked at Savita's wide smile, and immediately understood. 'You save me and I save you', was what Savita was trying to say.

"I understand Aai." Said Shravani, trying to smile, and appear normal. "But I really don't want you to cover up for me. Really. Don't worry, I won't take your name, but I'm prepared for what to say to Manav in case he does find out everything that I told Archana."

Savita heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time she felt intrigued. "What will you say to Manav??"

"The truth." Shravani said bluntly. "Cos someone needs to give Manav a reality check about his so called Pavitra Rishta."

**************XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX******************

Alright people, that was subpart 2 of part 51.

Quick clarifications.

1.) Tomatoes are welcome. Please throw ripe ones.

2.) Uptil now, Shravani has been shown as Manav's good friend, who gets possessive and slightly irritated on seeing him with Archana. She has been manipulated by Savita into believing that Manav needs her to come out of this depressing Rishta and so she should step back in his life. From Part 53^rd, (which will showcase Manav-Shravani confrontation) everyone will have a different viewpoint about Shravani and I will accept it. Basically I tried to keep her in character as on the show- very emotional, easily manipulated, staying quiet to Savita's abusing of Archana despite being a social worker herself- but not necessarily a villain. I guess things will get clearer in part 53.

3.) A lot many people might be disappointed with the direction the story is taking. Many of you might even have guessed what is going to happen in the next part. Many of you might even be thinking 'why did Nikita have to apply extra brains and bring in these twists for TRP's.' I would request you to wait till part 53^rd to understand why I did it. Its not a matter of TRP's, rather it is a case of giving a reflective touch to the story, something which leaves a mark and makes us think, so that the story turns out to be meaningful and not just romantic.

4.) Lastly, I'm sorry for the abuse part. I wanted to ignore it, or not write it at all, or simply describe in short, but it didn't work out well. The whole abuse issue was a much debated and discussed thing in PR, it was part of the character of Savita, and we simply can't leave it out in PR reloaded. I tried to mellow it down a little, by reducing Savita's dialogues and avoiding the usage of the horrible words she used.

Comments and feedbacks are welcome as always.

I skimmed through the part as I hav to attend my lecture now😭

My comment...

why did Nikita have to apply extra brains and bring in these twists for TRP's

Just kidding Niki! 😆 I m loving this Ur story has a lot of twists!! I love them and u🤗

@Lekha: thanks buddy!

@Sid: Phew! One positive comment on this new twist. Thodi jaan mein jaan aai. I love you too Sid!!!

Hospitals can be very depressing places if you are not surrounded by family and friends. Especially the smell of medicines.