Thanks for all you love and comments ...feeling blessed.
So finally I am posting my chapter that I had written in December ...when these were written Rheas character was not as strong and colurful as it is now..over the last two months my writing style has changed. Though the core of the story remains the same...
This is an extremely emotional update ...if you have read all the chapters ...you will be able to connect with what Zain is trying to say, maybe you can visualize every scene...I know you all dont like these updates but it is an evil necessity that will move the story ahead. All the knots have to be untied ...the story will have major twists ...and then a new turn ..
I loved writing this chapter and have poured my heart doing it ...even if its bad , please do comment ...its an extremely long update
Dedication: Another special twitter friend Ridha ...she reads each chapter and comments ...and every word brings a smile on my face. This ones specially for you dear.hope you enjoy
Again a special mention to my two good friends ...Ann and Khyati ...love you both
Enjoy
Sim
Chapter 56
Ek Chitthi
Zain got up at 4 am, he knew there would be no one around
his moms room that early. He was restless the whole night, unable to even sleep
for a wink. Rhea had knocked his doors
persistently at 12.00 am...and he had pretended to be fast asleep.
Aree yeh kitkit bhi
naa...kaise ghode bechkar so gaya...Mami ka Birthday hai, she smirked and had
left...
not realizing that the head hiding
under the blanket was pre-occupied with thoughts...thoughts of how to avoid being
around the birthday girl...
Zain knew his mom would not confront her feelings, she
wanted him to be around ...yet her coldness kept him secluded. It was her special
day and if his being away would give her some respite from the constant sadness
that he knew her eyes dwelled on the moment they set on him , then he would go
away.
But how will he avoid Rhea, her enthusiasm for celebrating Suraiyas
birthday was infectious. Being a teacher now, a part of those children stayed
with Rhea, their happiness, their chirpiness.
She had all planned for her Mamis
birthday, cake a special one, inviting all Suraiyas close friends with Nafisas
help. She had meticulously detailed each and every moment for the grand
celebration.
Seeing all her preparations had triggered a panic attack in Zains
heart, what if her Mami refused everything.
He was scared for both of them, Rheas
innocence mixed with Suraiyas hatred this combination was a deadly affair.
Escape or to be more precise walking away seemed to be the best option for the
time being. He was confident that in his absence, her mami would not break her
heart.
He was the soreness and if he wasn't around there will be peace. He had
slowly smiled still holding the blanket tight on his head, not peeking through
the couch.
After getting ready, he walked towards Suraiyas room. Only a
mild warmth from inside her room was
alluring Zain to walk in. Just like every night that he used to peek in through
those glass doors, he looked inside and smiled. Her blissful face was wrapped
with an aura of peace.
Zain looked around... not a single soul...Perfect he thought and
finally stepped in ...
Slowly walking close to her bed , he looked to the sleeping
figure...he missed her so much.
The way she used to move her hands on his face or
recite the Dua, the way she used to hug him and cook his favorite pasta, he
missed those moments...the very core of his existence.
He stood in silence
sucking up the image of his moms face in the mirror...he didn't allow himself to
see her in actual ...the image would not break his promise ...
He silently remembered the last time she ever spoke to him
directly was before he got Rhea to his house...her words not to look at her ...talk
to her or even utter her name ...He couldn't believe it was two months ...and she
had not melted ...not even once the harshness towards him had mellowed down
...
Images started floating around him ...the way he had seen Fahad taking his
place ...being fed ...the sharp tinge of jealousy ...
The gaze that he had on her face when Rhea had chirped her
happiness after the Pune trip ...the only time he had even seen her face ...and she
had spoken indirectly ...how the next two days of loneliness had bitten him ...
the last time she ever
invited him on the dinner table only to
be ignored ..the few times he had run across her and how her eyes had haunted
him ...
Images ...that pained him ...he thought as time passed by she
would accept him ...she accepted Rhea ...for him that was a big step ...her love had
surfaced for Aaliya ...but for him the bitterness stayed.
It was as though it didn't
matter to her if he felt bad or got hurt ..no bond ever existed ...infact
strangers were treated much better than the way he used to be treated by her ...
He smiled at Osmans picture on the wall ...his dads shadow
will always be with him ..and silently whispered Happy Birthday ...
His tears filled eyes refused to part with her reflection,
but he forced himself to turn away and kept a
box near her legs and walked out.
His feet were just walking fast very
fast ...taking him away ...but his soul was forever fixed on that image of her
serene face...
Zain walked out in the corridor, sneaking like a
thief...lowering those eyes that were dripping with tears. Unaware that two pairs
of eyes had already seen him ...
Rehmaan had seen everything.
He was wondering who was this shadow
when he was about to leave for his morning walk and few minutes outside Suraiya
Begums room had given him his answers.
Zains action of just being a mere
spectator around Suraiyas presence, was something he had always warranted an
answer for and seeing the scene of him hiding away from her gave him his reply.
The store room incident and how he always left when she walked in the room
spoke a bitter truth. Rehmaans heart knew that Suraiya had enforced this on
Zain and somehow that thought melted Rehmaans heart a bit.
Over the past two
months, Rheas love for Zain was growing bountily and looking at all the love
and care from Zain was making Rehmaan think. Maybe he should give Zain a chance
...he too slowly walked out of the house clouding his mind and soul with these
twitching thoughts ...
The second pair of eyes that had seen Zain in the darkness,
were all misty.
Her sobs were uncontrollable now. Seeing him, stand near her
and still looking at her reflection , had broken Suraiya. She loved him and wanted to get up and hug him.
Was it a
fine line of her ego that was still binding her to this bed...maybe yes. She had
stayed still waited for him to walk ...and the moment he had turned she had
cried like a baby. Curling into her own stomach. A child gives birth to a
mother... so rightly said by someone.
She sat abruptly on
the bed, her trembling hands pulling the box closer to her. Wiping her eyes, she opened
it.
It was a beautiful sandalwood box, carved and smelling pristine. She peeped
in, a small white paper, she turned it around to see a sketch. Well calling it
a sketch was sort off difficult. Zain was never good at drawing, infact in
School he always hated those Art classes. It was a small boy holding a hand of
a woman...atleast she looked like her. She smiled ...Happy Birthday To the worlds
best _ _ _ and below signed Zain.
Suraiyas heart had already minced in ruthless pain seeing those three blank
spaces. His pain and loneliness were stinging her. She hugged it tight, piling
it with all the love and care she could.
Her hand touched a beautiful necklace.
A green hazel work carved with delicacy, and she remembered how much she had
admired it when they all had gone abroad 2 years back. He had secretly picked
it up...wish she could tell him ...it was beautiful and exotic ...
She took a deep
breath and peeked in further. A letter...but Zain hated to write...he loved to
have a video diary never a written one...It's so tedious to write Mom...his
forever complaining voice pulled her back to the reality...she started reading
...
Dear _ _ _
Happy Birthday
Main jaanta hoon, mujhe izzazat nahi hai ..aapke kamre mai
aane ki...na hi aapka chehre koh dekne ki,
isliye sirf sishe mai aks koh dekhkar jaa raha hu.
kya karu, aaj mazboor tha.
Nahi rok paya khud koh...agar iski keemat phirse us store room ki raat hai...toh
khushi khushi manzaaor hai.
The pain was stinging now like a violent serpent
...remembering how she had punished him two months back for just looking at her,
he never ever had shown his face to her...after that
Aaj aapke liye bahut khaas din hai, Aapki 50th
Birthday, bahut special.
Allaha kare uski rehnumayi aap par humesha bani rahe.
Ek choti si koshish ki hai , kuch drawing jaise banana ki, ummed hai aapke
hoton par ek halki si hasi zarror la chuki hogi.
She smiled and gulped down the growing ball of pain ...and
continued reading ...
Saath mei who necklace bhi hai, jispar aapka dil aa gaya
tha...Dad hote toh wahi dete ...Hum dono ne aapke liye kharida tha...
Apne haton se pehna na chahta tha ...par shayad yeh kabhi
mumkin nahi hai ...Suraiyas fingers curled the paper ...
Aap toh mujhe bhool hi gayi hai...sach boliye ek baar bhi meri
yaad nahi aayi aapko ...
do mahine ...bahut lamba arsa hota hai ...khair jaise maine
vada kiya tha mai intezaar karunga ...
door rehene ki saza di thi na mujhe ...sach
mai aap bahut door chali gayi ho mujh se..
sunkar shayad accha lage aapko par bahut
imandari se bhugat rah ahu ...itne immandari se kabhi padta toh London se pass
zaroor hokar aata ...
Khair ...aapki galti nahi hai ...meri zaroor hai ...sach kaha tha
...ek saath saare rishte nahi nibh paate...humara rishta bhi adhoora hi rahega...
Do teen shikayat thi ...the tears were falling like seeping
raindrops ...
Ek toh who pasta mera favourite hai ...
Fahad bhai koh Italian
pasand nahi hai toh please jabardasti mujhe jalane ke liye unhe khilane ki
koshish mat kariye ...
agar yeh aap jan bujkar kar rahi hai taki mujhe bura lage
...tab theek hai ...
mujhe bahut bura laga tha, apne liye bahut dard mahssos hua
...
She felt she couldn't read more ...it was a dagger slowly being stabbed into her
and taken out with a wriggle ...
Doosri ...Kya mai aapko bas ek baar bhi nahi dekh sakta ...
jisse
zindagi ke itne saare saal har roz dekha kya usse ek pal mai hi gair kar du ...
us
din mai bahut khush tha ...aapko dekhkar apni khushi sirf badana chahta tha
...
galat tha ...par aapse koi gila nahi ...mai bhi ziddi hoo na ...Do din akele rehnse
akal thikane aa gayi ...
doobara yeh bevakoofi kabhi nahi karunga ...
She reminded herself of the painful memory ...those two days that he stayed back in the store room ...waiting for her to open the door ...and forgive him ...he never got her forgiveness ...but that same day ...she felt she had lost him forever ...he had changed a lot
Teesri baat ...Anniversary bhool gaya ...shayad aap sahi hai
...bahut khudgarz ho gaya hoo..
Fahad bhai aaye the sheer kurma lekar par maine
mana kar diya ...aap nahi chahti thin a ...isliye ...
us raat aapka ghussa jahyaz tha
...mai hota toh shayad isse bhi jyada karta ...
Khana nahi serve kiya ...accha kiya ...dad ke liye khaas din tha
...aur mai ...the words were incomplete
Suraiyas eyes were just oogling with pain and tears non-stop...the
blurred words ...she wiped her eyes once again ...
Bahut akela ho gaya hu ...
mai jaanta hoo haq toh nahi raha
...par ek request kar rah ahu ...usne aapke liye bahut tayari ki hai ...uska dil mat
dukhne dena ...
ho sake toh muskara kar ek baar gale lagyega usse ..bahut izaat
aur pyaar karti hai aapse...
Suraiya gulped those words ...they were for his Aaliya ...no matter how much she loved him ...she could never understand why he loved that girl so much ...he could face all humilations and any hatred just to keep her at home ...just to see her smile ...a tinge of jealousy ...a hidden shame ...pinched her now ...he loved her ...but for Aaliya ..he left her ...
Aur Aaj aap se ek beet kehni hai,
Main janta hoon aap waise bhi mujhse naraaz hai ...so
thodi aur narazgi agar sehni pade toh koi parvaah nahi ...
.ab joh aap padhogi
...usse humara rishta humesha humesha ke liye khatam hoga ...
par aapko yeh baat
batana bahut zaroori hai ...
mai jaanta hu bahut der se bata raha hu ...aur yeh sahi
mauka nahi hai ...par ab aapko andhere mai nahi rakh sakta ...
The words after those lines...the hidden feelings...those bitter
and unwarranted truth ...had made Suraiya numb...she just sat there reading
it...unable to move ...why ... Why ...
A distasteful bitterness suddenly filled in her heartbeat,
just re-reading those lines had broken her peace yet again ...She crumpled the
letter and threw it on the floor...how dare he do this to her
She sanked into her bed, her mind unable to assimilate if
all of this was a nightmare...why he was doing it ...how could he do this to her
...his past his present decision was going to change her life forever...
When she opened her eyes again, sun rays were warming her
dried tears ...the ones that had streaked from her eyes touching her lips...
She looked out and put her feet down, touching the white
piece of paper...She lifted it and skipped the bitter truth and just read the
last line ...
Mafi kis muh se mangu nahi jaanta, kya karne se aapka dard
kam ho yeh bhi nahi pata.
Agar aapko meri wajah se dukh hua hai toh sorry nahi
kahunga,
Mujhe tane dene ki bhi koi zaroorat nahi hogi aapko,
sirf bhai koh
bata dena, kya karna hai...ankh mundkar kar lunga ...
koi bhi zidd nahi karunga,
agar umra bhar ki sazaa ho tab bhi.
Aur haa aaj aapka
khaas din hai, aaj nahi dhikaunga apni shakal ...
Mai jaanta hua aapka dil bahut
dukhaya hai maine...
shayad yeh khamoshi ab umra bhar ki ho...
Zain
SIM
Pre-cap: So does Rhea realizes why Zain is missing ...wait and watch
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