C H A P T E R 1 7 G D H E E R E J A L N A
Ishita felt light that evening as she stood in the balcony on the first floor staring into the skies. She needed the solitude they offered. She was tired. She was tired being Ishita. She needed her escape. She was tired of the emotional baggage. Everything was moving so fast.
As Ishita rubbed her arms for warmth she realised that never had she dreamt that this would happen. Never had she ever thought that she would be living a life so away from the one planned out for her. If she had to tell the seventeen year old Ishita that she needed to be try a bit harder and get into MBBS instead of choosing the lighter part and heading for Dentistry, the younger Ishita would have laughed at her face. If she had to tell the fifteen year old Ishita who dreamt of a soccer team of her own that she could never ever have a kid of her own, that Ishita wouldn't believe a word she said. If she had to tell the twenty one year old Ishita that she would one day marry a a decent man who would fix everything and have a family of her own, that Ishita would laugh at her face. If she had to tell the twenty year old Ishita that she would never marry Subbu, the twenty year old Ishita would have scoffed at her face. If she had to tell the sixteen year old Ishita that she would her family over a simple betrothal that Ishita would have laughed at her face.
Yet she stood here. Ishita Iyer. One of Delhi's top pediatric surgeons. Married. Happy. And a mother too.
She was the things she had dreamt that she'd never be. She had survived. Life had gone ahead. And she gone with the flow.
When did she ever consider that she would have a life of her own? That she would be happy? That she would stand up for herself. That she would survive on her own. The girl who grew up surrounded and adored by everyone would stand alone and fight for herself and her self respect. Yet she did all of it. She had lived though her worst. And she needed to live her best instead of passing her by.
So what's the worst that could happen? That she would fall apart again? She would fix her self again. That she would fall down and scrape herself? She would stand up. Her wounds would heal. The scars would fade. That he would break her heart? It wouldn't be the first time.
What was she really fearing? Her assumptions? How was she to know that they were true?
That she would live past them. She always did.
And it was her mother who came along with a shawl. It was her mother who held her close without saying a word. And Ishita hugged a mother. There was nothing to be said. Ishita was finally moving on.
***
So when Ishita was asked to dance with Subbu she felt no resentment. She felt no pain. She thought of no what ifs. He didn't matter to her. He never did. She was immune to him. She had never had felt anything for him to begin with. There was no love, no affection. Nothing. She obviously didn't feel like ripping his clothes off right there and then like she did with Raman. Never had Raman excited her. Never had she felt like she needed to know him. With Raman, there was this want that she needed to know him better. The struggle to match up to him. The admiration for the person he was. He never ceased to suprise her and he had grown to be her role model. Never had Ishita thought that Raman would be a fixture in her life. Never had she thought that she'd grow attached to the man she once vowed she wanted nothing to do with. Yet he had surprised her. And he was right, she didn't know him at all. Prior to their marriage she had judged him based on her assumptions and she was doing the same now.
She was wrong. She had always judged him on her assumptions. Never had she given him a chance to explain himself. Every mistake. Everything in her eyes was judged according to her assumption of him. Be it Shagun or Aditya. Her or Ruhi. She couldn't let him choose between the two of them. There was no choice. Neither were a part of his life. She had understood that now. Raman would never turn to the woman who had betrayed him. Raman would never look at Shagun in the same way like he did when she was married to him. Shagun was Raman's past who he was forced to be with because of his son. And she was his present in his life because of his daughter. Raman had no obligations to either of them. He didn't owe Ishita anything neither did he owe Shagun anything.
But he was always there. The patience he displayed with her. Ishita was a difficult person to live with, she knew. It wasn't a pity party, but mere facts.
Why did he stand by her? Why did he go out of his way for her? Was it because she was wife? Or because he.. There were no other reasons. There weren't many times that she failed to understand her husband, but right here, these were a few of them.
And then she saw him. He hadn't seen her. So she let go of the man whose arms she was held in like she did all those years ago. And she moved ahead to welcome the man who had rocked her world with his presence. Just his presence.
Something in her had changed that moments as she saw him in a different light. She didn't see him as RKB. Or Ruhi's father. Or Aditya's father. Or Shagun's ex-husband. Or even her husband. Instead she saw Raman. Her Raman. The man who was hers to claim. Her best friend. Companion. The centre of her universe. The man who would fight tooth and nail for her without asking for anything in return. She saw her man. Her hope.
And she wiped away the stray tear that crossed her eye as she breathed in and out and pulled on a smile as she approached him.
And when he saw her he smiled. His genuine smile completed her day. Did he feel the same? Did it take a smile from her side to complete his?
There were many things that she wanted to ask him. Many a things that she would like to apologise for. So many things to talk about. So many moments to live. So many memories to create and there wasn't much time in the universe to make up for it all. They had been foolish. Fools who wasted time over their egos.
So she did the next best thing. She held her hand out asking him for a dance. And he? He smiled as he placed her hand in his. He pulled her closer to him as she the her head back and let out a laugh. He placed one arm behind his back and with the other he twirled her around like a princess in a ballroom. And when she did fall onto him, he let her cling onto him and lead the path with her moves. He just held her waist and moved along to her body. And in the moment that he was an emotional fool he placed a light peck on her forehead, right above the red vermillion concealed under her partition that marked her as his - reassuring himself that it was really there and wasn't another one of his illusions. She closed her eyes at his unexpected move, relishing the moment that was hers. And Ishita buried her face in Raman's chest breathing in his scent and letting herself lose herself in all that was him.
And it was Ruhi who ran towards them screaming, "Papa, Mama, daanceee!"
It was Raman who bent down and pulled Ishita along with him as he picked their daughter in his arms. It was Ishita who rubbed her nose against Ruhi's cheek. It was Ruhi's, "Papa daari chubti hai," thay earned a laugh from Ishita," and Raman's, "Ruhi. Papa ne toh shave kiya hai," that caused Ishita and Ruhi to look at each other and burst into fits of giggles.
And in that moment Raman felt blessed all over again. He had his wife and he had his daughter. His life here was almost complete. Now all they needed was Adi.
Or maybe he didn't. And as he held Ishita and Ruhi closer to him, and as selfish as it was he didn't think of anything else that mattered to him other than has two ladies.
Phew! I have two more major scenes then this chapter ends. #longestchapterinhistory
Imma stop here.
See you.
:)
Yes. Feel free to blame Anu. She's evil. đ But I love her.
Edited by AraBearxx - 10 years ago
Cricket
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9