FF: Unloved (Complete) - Page 19

A large plaque on one of the stone pillar bared the name of the place. They were at Second Chances, an orphanage located within Delhi, not far from Parvati's home. The area was gated, providing much security for the children that seemed to be constantly running around. The entrance gates were open, and Rudra had pulled in. He parked his bike on the dirt pathway. As Parvati let go of his shoulders and hopped off, he looked at their surroundings.

Beyond the gates, Rudra hadn't expected such a large space. There was one large building located in the far corner of the area. To the far right was a white gazebo, where tables had been set, most likely for crafts. A little ways from that was a large play area, with swings, slides, and sandboxes. The rest of the place was open and grassy. Children were running around everywhere, at least a dozen were visible. Some older women, probably caretakers, were watching over them. Rudra wondered if there were more. These children were up for adoption for reasons unknown to him. They all sought parental love and craved a home just like any other child. He remembered that Parvati had said she used to live here. The thought made his heart ache slightly.

Rudra was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by Parvati, who placed her hand on his shoulder. He jerked his head, and saw her looking at him slightly confused. He caught a flicker of concern in her eyes as she pulled her hand back.

"Are you okay?" Parvati asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm fine. Umm...is this...where you grew up?"

She nodded.

"I see."

Parvati fidgeted nervously, "You don't have to go in if you don't want to."

"What?"

"You seem hesitant. So I just thought that you don't want to-."

"Paro. Stop."

She quieted.

Rudra got off of his motorcycle and stood right in front of her, "I want to see this place."

"Are you sure?"

"I didn't drop you here and ride off. I'm here, aren't I?"

Parvati nodded, understanding that he wasn't going to go anywhere. She turned around and began heading towards the children. As she glanced back, she caught sight of Rudra following behind her. She wondered if he really was going to stay here with her. It wasn't like she asked him to stay, but he didn't seem to have any intentions of leaving. Parvati was giving him a chance, to let him into her world a little bit, but she was still scared. The orphanage was a big part of her life, so even bringing him here was a huge step on her part. But this was better than disclosing the darker parts of her past. She hoped that she wasn't making a mistake by bringing Rudra to the orphanage.

Just then, the sound of a small boy's voice reached her ears, "Pari Didi!"

She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a group of six children stop from their game and look at her. Parvati looked at each of their excited faces, and a huge smile erupted on her face, her pearly white teeth were visible. One by one the group of six (four girls and two boys, ranging between the ages of four and eight) came and hugged her. Parvati dropped her bag and notebook on the ground as she knelt down and hugged each of them. The children chanted Pari Didi is here' over and over again. Parvati flung her head back and laughed as they all fought to talk to her and get her attention. It had been days since she had been to the orphanage, and it was obvious that she was missed. She was oblivious of Rudra standing a few feet away from her, completely shocked at the sight before him.

Rudra felt like he was dreaming. He stared at Parvati's side profile in utter disbelief. He had definitely died or entered a parallel universe. It was the only explanation for the sight before him. Parvati was smiling...and...and laughing?! He found himself completely lost in her. It was as if everything suddenly began happening in slow motion. The children hugged her as one unit. When they moved away she was still on her knees, watching them with a smile. Parvati moved a strand of hair from her face as she listened intently to the children all vying for her attention. This was a different side of her that Rudra had never seen before. He felt that he was peeping in to a private moment, one that only few people had the privilege of witnessing even once in a lifetime. Not even in his dreams had he imagined her laughter and smile to be so awe-striking. He tried to engrave the moment of her smile and laughter in his mind, knowing that it was such a rarity. Rudra wasn't paying attention to what the children were saying to Parvati.

An older girl, around the age of eight, named Sita, jumped up and down as she cheered, "Pari Didi is here! I am so happy!"

"We almost thought you wouldn't come," seven-year-old Aman said. The hint of sadness was visible in his words.

Parvati's gaze softened as she cupped Aman's cheek and said, "How could I not come? I made a promise to you all."

Five year-old Madhu looked at Parvati with a cheesy smile, but that disappeared quickly when she saw Rudra. The strange man stood like a statue, staring at them. His demeanor was completely stiff, and his stance was menacing in the eyes of a small child. One by one the children noticed Madhu's frightened expression. They looked over in the direction she was staring and saw the strange man watching them. Silence filled the air as the children all moved a behind Parvati. She observed their careful, cautious movements and their confused, stern gazes. She looked over in the direction their stares were locked to see what they were looking at. When she found Rudra standing there, Parvati realized that the children were on-edge because of his presence. To them, the man was a complete stranger that was staring at them like he was going to pounce on them.

She turned to the children and said assuringly, "Everyone, it's okay. He won't hurt you. His name is Rudra. He...he is...my friend."

Rudra snapped out of his thoughts as her words made it to his ears. This was the first time Parvati had addressed him as her friend. She was looking at him, the smile was still there, but he could tell she was waiting for some sort of reaction from him. It was then he noticed the unsure expressions on the children's faces, and realized that they seemed scared of him. Parvati was just assuring them that everything was okay. He wiped the serious look off of his face and replaced it with a cheerful smile. He didn't want to frighten the children into thinking he was some sort of monster that was going to eat them, because from the looks on their faces, that seemed to be the majority thought.

Parvati felt a tug on her arm. She turned her attention to the little girl in front of her. Four year-old Naina looked from her to Rudra then back at Parvati before asking hesitantly, "He is your friend?"

"Yes, he is," Parvati replied as she patted Naina's head.

"Is...is he nice?"

"Why don't you ask him?"

The little girl looked at the other children beside her, who gestured her to go forward since she was the one who asked the question. She gulped before she slowly walked to Rudra. Her gaze shifted to everywhere but him. The children looked at her like she was a small goat being offer to the mighty lion as a sacrifice. The little girl's initial resistance faded as she watched Rudra kneel down so that they were now at eye level. She stopped directly in front of him. His smile made her feel a little more comfortable. The other kids all held onto each other as they watched with bated breath for what was going to happen next. Even Parvati was curious to see how Rudra would behave.

When the little girl stopped before him, Rudra waited for her to say something. However, she didn't. Her bright blue eyes locked with his inviting, brown ones. Her mouth remained agape as she searched his face, trying to ask him the question she had asked Parvati, but wasn't able to once again bring to her lips. Seeing this nervousness, Rudra took the first step. He slowly extended his hand out and patted the girl's cheek. She flinched at first, unaccustomed to his touch. But then she immediately relaxed and took in the warmth from his hand. She looked at his hand before looking back at him.

In the softest, gentlest voice he was capable of, Rudra said, "Hello beautiful. What is your name?"

In that instant, the small girl was won over. Her heart melted and she immediately relaxed, grinning from ear to ear at the compliment. The man was very nice, despite the serious way he stood just moments ago. She didn't expect anything less from a person who was friends with her Pari Didi.

Her cheeks turned beet red as she softly replied, "Naina."

"Beautiful girl. Beautiful name. I didn't expect anything less," Rudra moved his hand from her face and took her hand in his. Slowly he brought it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. "I'm Rudra."

Naina pulled her hand back and ran to Parvati. She dug her face in the crook of her neck, smiling and blushing at the simple gesture. Parvati let out a soft chuckle as she patted Naina's head and looked over at Rudra. He smiled back at her, unashamed at being seen doing such a tender act. It was obvious that he had won one child over in that instant.

After witnessing such gentleness of him, the rest of the children went up and introduced themselves to him. He happily greeted them all, some with high-fives, some with handshakes, and some kisses on hands as well. Parvati stood up and watched from a short distance at how Rudra seemed to be winning their hearts. The children did not get along with new people very easily, so for Rudra to make such a good impression was surprising. They seemed to consider him a friend already. Parvati remembered how she wasn't sure bringing him here was a good idea, but now it looked like it was a good idea. She made her way to Rudra and the children, who were all trying to get his attention.

"Rudra Uncle," Aman said as he tugged on Rudra's shirt. "You have to see my drawing of a race car!"

"No he has to see my painting of a rainbow!" Sita protested.

"But I wanted to show him my new doll!" Madhu chimed.

"Rudra Uncle doesn't want to see those girly things!" six year-old Rehaan stated. "He wants to play with the boys! Girls have cooties!"

"We do not!" six year-old Taani defended.

"Yes you do!" Aman repeated.

Parvati chimed in, "Everyone settle down. First of all, girls do not have cooties. There is no such thing, Rehaan. You shouldn't say those things about girls."

Rehaan looked down at his feet guiltily, "Sorry Pari Didi."

Rudra smiled at the young boy's acknowledgement of his mistake. It reminded him of the way he behaved when he and Aman would get in trouble. They, too, looked down at their feet and mumbled an apology. He stood up and all the children's attention turned to him.

"Your Didi is right," Rudra said. "Girls don't have cooties. And as for all of you, I would love to see everything you want to show me, but one at a time. That way, everyone has a chance."

The children seemed to be in an agreement with Rudra's statement. However, they all looked at each other, wondering who was going to get to go first. Sensing the impending brawl that was about to transpire, Parvati spoke up.

"Why don't we all show Rudra all the arts and crafts you all have been doing?" she suggested. "We also have to introduce him to the babies. So shall we take him?"

"Yeah!" the six children shouted in unison.

The next thing Rudra knew, he was being pulled and tugged around by six pairs of little arms. He went in the direction he was being taken, not complaining once, but instead smiled as he saw the little eager faces looking up at him. He looked over his shoulder and found Parvati trailing behind them. The smile was still lingering on her face as she watched, completely amused. Rudra smiled at her, wondering what was going on in her mind. He was still sure that he had entered a parallel universe, because her smile was something else. This smile completely reached her eyes with a glow and sparkle that he had been desperate to see. However, he knew that this smile was not for him but for the children around him, and he didn't mind. As long as she was happy, he found himself happy.

~

The children were eager to show Rudra around. They left no part of the orphanage unexplored. They took him down the halls, showing him the bedrooms, craft room, kitchen, dining hall, and so on. Along the way, they introduced him to other children in the orphanage and the caretakers. Parvati explained to them how he was a friend and was just visiting for the day. The older women were surprised hearing this since Parvati was not one to bring people, especially men, around the orphanage. However, they watched with great interest as Rudra was genuinely paying attention to all the children and what they were saying.

Seeing the babies was hard for Rudra. He walked into the small nursery with only Parvati, as the infants were all just put down for their naps and didn't need to be disturbed by the little children. Some of the caretakers walked around and checked in the cribs, making sure that all the babies were properly tucked in and fast asleep. Rudra peered into the cribs as he tiptoed passed each other, and he gazed at the bundles of innocence that slept away.

He didn't know the circumstances that forced these infants into the orphanage, but the thought of a parent not wanting their child, or losing their child, upset him. There were women in the world the struggled their entire lives to have children, and then there were those people who just left their newborns on temple steps or on the streets. He hoped that all the children here would find a home someday. Parvati walked up next to him and watched Rudra as he stared at the sleeping babies. His mind was somewhere else, she could tell by the lost look in his eyes. It was the same look she had when she held these infants in her arms. She patted his shoulder to break him out of his thoughts, knowing that he shouldn't worry himself with such thoughts. As they exited the nursery they were greeted by the original six children, who quickly tugged at Rudra again to take him to the next destination.

For almost an hour, Rudra had gotten caught up amongst the other children when they showed him the arts and crafts. Children were drawing and painting, and they were all eager for him to see. As work was put on display for him to see, Rudra found himself partaking in a little arts and crafts, as he began coloring in a coloring book with Madhu. He was so distracted with the task that he failed to notice Parvati sitting next to him, watching in awe and wonder at witnessing this new side of Rudra. It was in the middle of this that one of the caretakers came to her and told her that Mami-sa was there and wanted to talk to her. Rudra gestured her to go, saying that he would be fine with the kids. Parvati left them in the middle of the tour to talk to Mami-sa, who was in the main office.

Parvati now stood in the main office, looking out the window, watching the children play with Rudra outside. She folded her arms across her chest as Mami-sa came next to her and caught a glimpse of what she was looking at. More and more kids began joining the original six as they began playing soccer with Rudra. He was running around and cheering as though he were a child himself. Mami-sa heard from the caretakers that Parvati had brought a man with her to the orphanage, but didn't believe it until now. She was surprised to see Rudra there, getting along with the children, since they didn't take to strangers so easily. Parvati told Mami-sa that she convinced them that he was not a stranger.

"He seems to like the children," Mami-sa said with a smile.

"And the children seem to like him," Parvati added.

As Rudra knelt down, the children piled on top of him, causing him to fall to the ground. Even though they couldn't hear it, Parvati and Mami-sa saw Rudra laughing along with the kids. He made no effort to take them off, since he was clearly strong enough to. Instead, he pretended that the children were too strong for him, and he gestured his surrender. Parvati giggled softly as she watched the scene unfold. Mami-sa saw this and looked at her with tenderness. This was one of the rare times that Parvati ever smiled and it always warmed her heart to see it. She looked back and forth between Rudra and Parvati before looking directly at Paro.

"And you?" Mami-sa asked.

Parvati looked at her questioningly.

"Do you like him?"

Her smile suddenly faded. She stared at Mami-sa for a good minute before turning her attention back to the scene just beyond the window. She didn't stiffen nor did she deny anything, which made Mami-sa all the more curious.

"Bringing Rudra here is not just a small matter," Mami-sa said. "And it certainly wouldn't be without reason."

"It's nothing like you think Mami-sa," Parvati answered honestly.

"Then?"

Parvati watched Rudra run around with the other children. Her gaze remained focused on him while she talked to Mami-sa, "You were right. He is trying. The least I could do is give him a chance."

"And bringing him here?"

"It's my attempt at trying to give him a chance."

"Paro, I'm glad that you are doing this. Are you going to tell him the truth...about your past?"

She tore her gaze away from the window and turned to Mami-sa. It was clear to Mami-sa that Paro was struggling with the question herself. Uncertainty and fear clouded Parvati's eyes as she spoke softly, "I don't know."

**********

Okay, I officially love Rudra...I wish he kissed my hand like that *sighs dreamily*. Anyways, let me know what you thought by leaving your lovely comments and feedback below!

Next update: Rudra's parents learn about Paro...this will be interesting!

Thanks for reading!