FF Biwi Ho Tum Meri (COMPLETED)

It was late in the evening, a dull and dismal monsoon evening, rain pelting down from the heavens, turning the dusty gullies of Mumbai into dirty slippery brown streams. In his luxurious hotel room in the Taj Mumbai, Raman Bhalla was oblivious to the storms outside his safe haven. It was the stormy weather in his heart that gave him more cause for concern this night.

Three weeks had passed since the night when Ishita had brought Shagun home with her, had given her use of the bed which she, Ishita, still had not yet truly shared with him. That night had been followed by the whole Mihir Mihika Registry wedding fiasco, more drama with that pervert Parmeet, and yet more tension due to the whole Sarika Romi issue. Amidst all the dramas, however, one thing had been constant - his estrangement from Ishita.

He had been truly hurt by her insensitivity, her sheer fool headedness in bringing that Shagun home with her that night. The sight of that woman in his home, in his bed, had triggered off an avalanche of despair which, try as he might, he had not been able to hide from Ishita. He had finally started to shake off the yoke, the burden, of all those years of hatred and insecurity that Shagun's betrayal had caused in his heart. He had finally started to smile again, to learn to live again, even to hope to love again, and it had all been because of her, his stubborn foolish Madrassan. And yet the very woman who had ushered that long overdue spring into his frozen heart had now blown an icy breeze over his budding emotions. And try as he might, Raman had not been able to forgive his Ishita.

So for the past three weeks, he had ignored her, ignored those pleading eyes, turned away from the entreaties on those soft lips. He had spent most of his waking hours at work, going home to have a meal and sleep. If she was waiting when he arrived home, he would walk past her to get to their room; he ate the meals she served in silence; would wake up in the morning to get his clothes, ignoring the ones she had laid out. He kept his face turned away from her silent form on the sofa, and his heart closed to the hurt on her face. He was not proud of his behaviour, he knew she was hurting too, he did not know why he was still acting in this way, or what he or she could do to get things back to normal; - how could he explain something that his own heart was not yet ready to accept?

He had thought about going away for a few days, but the fact that the pervert was still living in his home meant he could not even do that.

Three days ago, however, an opportunity had presented itself. Parmeet had announced his intention to go to his hometown for two weeks with Simmi and Ananya, and the trio had departed that very day, to sighs of heartfelt relief from the entire Bhalla clan.

Straight on their heels, Raman had declared to his parents that he had work in Mumbai and would be away for a few nights. He had then packed his bags and left that very night, without any explanations or even a backward glance at Ishita.

"Aap kab aaoge Papa?" Ruhi had asked as he paused at the door.

He had knelt then, taking his little daughter into his arms for a fierce hug. "In a few days, beta" he had answered. "Papa needs some time to sort some things out"

And with that he had left, with no specific goal or aim in mind, only knowing that he had to get away from those eyes, from her, so that he could start to unravel to himself the mysteries of his own heart.

Three days had now passed.

He had spent the days in the hotel, going over the events of the past few days, as well as everything that had happened in his life since the fateful day that he had met her, or rather, the fateful day that she had met his daughter. Their fights, their hatred of each other, their marriage "sirf Ruhi ke liye", their gradual getting to know each other, their growing friendship, their acceptance of each others foibles, their liking for each other, their understanding, right until that day when she had brought first Param and then Shagun back into their home...

He had sweated out his frustrations in the gym, each stride on the treadmill one step back in his escape from her; had lain awake at night, his closed eyes imagining her across the room from him; had stood on the balcony for hours, the droplets of rain caressing his face reminding him of the time he had taken her in his arms to show Ruhi, the time she had supported him and taken him upstairs in his drunken travails, the shower that had forced her into his arms...

In short, everything reminded him of her - he was no closer to any answers now than he had been three days ago, but he knew he would achieve nothing by trying to run away from her. It was time to go back home.

He picked up his phone and dialled ...

Three weeks - three weeks since Raman had spoken to her. His last words still sounded in her ears - the hurt and anger that had erupted on her like a volcano after Ashok had taken Shagun home that fateful morning. His anger, borne out of hurt, had been no less devastating even given its justification.

That anger had shattered the fragile equilibrium of their relationship and had given way to a stony silence on his part. She had no words with which to pierce that veil of silent anger, no words with which she could explain her motivation. She thought that he understood why she had brought Shagun home, but she had underestimated his vulnerability - had not been sensitive enough to him, as a man, to understand how her desire to help another, a woman who had done her best to destroy him, would hurt him.

She knew now, and she knew also what the utter devastation that his hurt and his silence caused to her meant - it meant that she loved him. She, Ishita Bhalla, loved her husband, that charming, irritable, loving, angry, complex Raavan Kumar, her Raman. She loved him. And yet, she could not tell him, could not let him know, because the hurt that she had caused him had meant that all the barriers that they had pulled down together had gone up again. His heart was once more encased in ice, and she had caused it to be.

And now he had left town - had waited until Parmeet was out of the house, until he could be assured of her safety, before he had taken himself out of her sight altogether. He had not called since he left, had only texted Mummyji and Romi, to ask how things were at home. Had never once asked about her.

How was she to make things right? What could she do?

Ishita put her head down on her hands and wept... " Raman" she cried out in the silence of their room "Please come back to me. I love you Raman."

Mrs Bhalla looked sternly at her gathered family. She had just looked in on Ishita in her room, and had seen and heard her forlorn tears and her anguished cry for Raman.

She had been very angry with Ishita when she had brought Shagun home, when she had seemingly not supported her in her quest to remove Sarika from Romi's life, but she had accepted Ishita as her daughter from her heart.

Over the past three weeks, as she had witnessed the distance between Ishita and Raman, had seen the regret in Ishita's eyes and the pain in Raman's , her heart had gone out to both her son and her daughter in law. Her demeanour towards her daughter in law had softened, and she had started to think of ways in which she could help her children to get past their pain and anger. But the look in Raman's eyes had put an end to her tentative attempts to broker peace. She had been wondering what to do, how to help, when Raman had abruptly taken off for Mumbai.

Well, he had just called to tell her that he was coming back tomorrow. Something had to be done, and she would have to be the one to do it. With the help of her family and her friends.

Mr & Mrs Iyer, Mr Bhalla, Romi, Vandita, Bala, Mihir, Mihika and Pammi aunty sat and looked expectantly at Toshiji. Only Shravan and Ruhi were missing, playing with Pammi auntys grandson in the garden.

"Kya hua Toshiji. Kuch batao gi bhi kya?" Mr Bhalla voiced all their concerns.

"Ha, suno" Toshiji finally spoke. "Mere paas ek plan hai. Raman ka phone aaya tha, wapas aa raha hai kal. Lekin wapas aa kar bhi, bas yeh dono phir apni khamoshiyaan mein ghum ho jayenge. Hum sab ko ab kuch karna padega, inhe in ki pyar ka izhaar karane ke liye."

"Lekin hum kya kar sakte hai Toshiji" Mr Bhalla tried to reason. "Raman abhi naraaz hai, lekin dheere dheere sab thik ho jayega."

"Kuch thik nahi hoga" Ms Iyer interjected. "Santoshi is right. We have to do something."

"Lekin what periamma" Mihika asked in a dejected tone. "Jiju wont even look at akka. Aur akka is feeling so guilty, that she has just lost her spark. Who toh ab kuch kehti hi nahi."

"Isi liye toh maine aisa plan banaya hai" Mrs Bhalla cut in to Mihika's objections. "degree shegree nahi hai mere paas, lekin mein apne bete ko jaanti hoon. Woh Ishita se bahut pyar karta hai, lekin uske saath jo hua hai, iske baad who pyaar ka izhaar karne se darta hai. Aur in dino jo hua, uske baad toh who aur dar gaya hoga. Us ko uski pyar ko recognise karne ke liye, ek jhatka chahiye. Aur who jhatka hum usko denge. Ab suno sab..."

"No way" Mihir exclaimed. "Yeh kaise hoga? Bhai will never fall for that."

"I don't know Mihir" Mihika looked thoughtful. "It just might work. Lekin akka cooperate karegi kya? Aur Ruhi yeh kar payegi?"

"Ishita se mein baat karoonga" Bala said thoughtfully. "If this is what it takes for Raman to realise his love, toh chalo ise bhi try karte hai. After all, somebody has to do something."

"Aur Ruhi ko toh mein samjha loongi" Toshiji piped in. "Sab samajhthi hai meri bacchi. Aur phir ek do din ki toh baat hogi. Isse zyaada nahi ruk sakega mera puttar. . Toh phir theek hai? Sab cooperate karenge, na?"

The enthusiastic yeses lightened Toshiji's heart. Even Mihir's doubtful assent could not dampen her spirits. Finally, she was going to get her son and daughter in law to acknowledge their love for each other.