||ManYa FF - Against all odds|| Epilogue Pg 45 Updated-12.10.15 - Page 13

Chapter 14

"Sneha.." Sneha turned to find her mother standing at the door of her room, a plate of food in hand. "Maa.. Please come in," Sneha said as she led her mother in. "Are you okay?" Pushpa asked. Just that one question from her mother made Sneha burst into tears. Pushpa hugged her tight and Sneha cried uncontrollably against her chest. "Cry as much as you want. I won't stop you. I have seen how hard you have been struggling to hold your composure in front of your daughters. But you don't have to do that with me. I am your mother. I know your pain even when you say nothing at all," Pushpa said as stroked Sneha's hair lovingly.

Sneha spent long moments, resting her head on her mother's lap as she told her about everything that had happened in her past. How she fell in love with Dev but did not have the courage to speak about it in front of Babuji, how Rishi, Babuji's accountant, was the only other person who knew about Dev and her, how Dev mustered courage to come talk to Babuji but Babuji turned him down and insulted him and they had an altercation, how Dev and she got married in secret and planned to elope but Dev did not come and she found out she was pregnant. She was afraid if she told Babuji, he would kill her or the baby or both and she couldn't take that risk. The only person she could go to who knew the truth was Rishi and he agreed to take her away with him since he was planning to leave his job anyways.

Pushpa paled a little as she heard Sneha's story. The hand that was gently stroking Sneha's hair stilled in place but Sneha did not notice. Pushpa debated whether to tell Sneha everything that she knew and decided against it. Sneha was already under so much stress. It wouldn't be right to subject her to more.

"Whatever had to happen has happened beta. Let bygones be bygones and just keep moving forward. That's all we can do. Nothing is in our hands. Neither what happened nor what will happen. All we can do is deal with things in the best way we can. At least, both your daughters are married now. You found grooms for your daughters who love them irrespective of whatever their past holds," Pushpa said. Sneha nodded her head, "I don't know if Rachita will ever forgive me." "She will. You have raised your daughters well. They know right from wrong. Rachita will forgive you," Sneha caressed her daughter's face as she wiped away her tears. "As it is, you need to invite your daughters to their pag phera today. I came to remind you that and it completely slipped my mind," Pushpa said, smiling. "Pag phera?" Sneha sat up. "Yes! The new bride comes to maayka and has food and water here. Then her husband comes to takes her back. It's the last rasam of the wedding," Pushpa explained. Sneha smiled at the thought that she'd get to see Rachu and Amu again, but her face immediately fell, "I don't know if Rachu will come, Maa." "You won't know till you call her," Pushpa said.

***

"Rachitaji! Congratulations on your wedding! I didn't expect you to be back so soon," the director of the institute rose to greet Rachita as she walked in. "I am cancelling the rest of my leave," she announced without even acknowledging the congratulations he had offered. "No problem. No problem. Its your institute. You can come whenever you want," the director replied in his broken English. Rachita nodded at him, signed her name in the roster for staff and headed to class. On her way out the director's room, she ran into their peon who stared at her. Rachita ignored him and walked by.

"Sirji! Rachita madam is back? She has amazing guts," the peon said as soon as he stepped into the director's cabin. "Guts? Why?" the director asked. ""Sirji, did you not know? There was such a huge hungama at her wedding yesterday. The whole of Banaras is talking about it. Turns out, she is not her father's daughter. Somebody else is her father. No one knows who. And you know Ramashrey Gupta? He is a student here and in fact, studies in her class.. He was her groom and his family wanted to call off the wedding when they got to know. Then, you know Mantu na? Arey apna Mantu guide? He married her younger sister in that same mandap and there was so much drama. We hear Ramashrey married her against his family's wishes. If he took such a drastic step, there must be some reason behind it. Maybe she is also like her mother, you know.. Pregnant before marriage.. I myself have seen her talking to Rama after class so many times.. Girls these days I tell you, as soon as they learn a few English words, start behaving like westerners.. Chee chee.." the peon filled the director in, adding some extra tidbits of his own to the story. "Listen, Sundar. We have nothing to do whatsoever with anything that happens in Rachitaji's personal life. She comes here to do her job and as long as she does it well, that's all we should be worried about. And you are here to do your job and that does not involve spreading gossip so go back to your job," the director said sternly as he sent the peon out.

"Good morning class. Today, we will learn about adjectives," Rachita said, as she tried to block out everything else and focus her attention solely on what she had to teach. "She got married yesterday and she is teaching a class this morning? How did her husband and in laws allow her?" she heard one of her students whisper. "Arey! I am surprised she even wanted to come to class today after all that happened." That definitely was Mrs. Dubey's voice. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" Rachita asked, turning away from the blackboard towards Mrs. Dubey and the other girl. "Sorry Rachitaji, but we are family friends, right? I just wanted to tell you I am sorry about whatever happened yesterday. Have you talked to your mother? Do you know.." Mrs. Dubey was cut off abruptly by Rachita, "Mrs. Dubey, I am sure you don't pay the fees here to learn about me or my life. You pay your fees here to learn English and same goes with me. I get paid here to teach you English and not update you about whats going on in my life. Can I please expect all of you to respect your hard earned money, if not me and concentrate in class please?" There was pin drop silence in response. "Thank you, now lets continue with the class."

***

Amaya found Mantu sitting on a bench outside the office. She went and sat by him, both of them lost in their own thoughts. "I am sorry Mantu. I asked you to.." Amaya started to apologize. "No Amaya.. It isn't your fault," Mantu replied. "I wonder what enmity this Dev Babu has against our family. I swear if it weren't for the bond I signed along with my promotion, I would have resigned right now! I cannot work at a place where they insulted you," Amaya said, her temper flaring. Mantu smiled at her, "Kar di na wohi waali baat? Remember what I told you? What others thing shouldn't matter to you, as long as you know me and love me, I don't really care what anyone else says or thinks." Amaya went thoughtfully silent and so did Mantu. He did not want to admit it to Amaya but the way Dev had called him a roadside hooligan had for some reason hit a raw nerve. Maybe it was because Amaya's Nanaji had called him the same too. Never before had he had this overwhelming urge to prove himself and prove all of them wrong. It never mattered to him what people thought of him. But now, Amaya's life was joined with his. Amaya's honor and respect were joined to his and he couldn't take disrespect from anyone anymore.

"I just realized, that there is so much I don't know about you!" Amaya said, the tone of her voice reflecting wonder. "What do you mean?" Mantu asked. "We've been married for less than 24 hours Mantu, but I've known you and been in love with you for months now. And to think that I just got to know that your real name is Abhimanyu Shrivastav and that you are a BHU Gold Medalist in Computer Engineering and a university topper and that you speak 6 foreign languages! I mean, I don't know how I feel about that," She replied. Mantu laughed heartily at that. "You are so adorable Amaya. This just means that you fell in love with me just knowing who I am as a person and not the extra accessories like my family name or my qualifications," he told her as he tucked a strand of hair that had fallen on her face behind her ear. "And look at me, I knew everything about you, yet my insecurities and ego stood in the way of actually knowing you," he said a tad bit sadly.

"Oh Mantu! There is nothing like that. It was as much my fault as it was yours. We were both pawns at the hands of destiny. If it were your insecurities that stopped you, it was my foolish need to prove my love for you to Uma that stopped me," Amaya said. Amaya saw Mantu stiffen at the mention of Uma's name. "I want you to know what happened Mantu," Amaya said softly. "I already know. Uma asked you to promise her that you would never tell me about your feelings," Mantu stated. "How did you get to know?" Amaya asked. "They say the truth is like the Sun, Amaya. No matter how hard you try to hide it, it will always come out," Mantu said as he stared ahead, remembering Uma's vicious words.

Amaya saw the look of pain and anger on Mantu's face and thought of a way to cheer him up. "You know, coming to think of it, its good that both of us won't be working in the same place," she said. Mantu looked at her puzzled. "If we were working in the same place, it'll be so hard for me to concentrate on my work with you flirting and romancing with me all the time!" she stated. "What? You know that I won't do anything of that sort," Mantu replied. "I was just teasing you. I know that you won't do anything of that sort. But why won't you?" she asked. "Huh?" "Nothing.." Amaya covered up her slip embarrassed.

"Now that this option isn't going to work out, I need to start looking for other jobs. How will I ever prove myself worthy enough to your Nanaji if I don't even have a stable job?" Mantu poured his heart out to Amaya. Amaya took Mantu's hands in hers and said, "Mantu! You don't have to do anything extra special to prove yourself to Nanaji. Be who you are. Be the Mantu I fell in love with. Don't try to be someone else. Do what you want to do. You are the best tourist guide in the whole of Banaras. You are the best computer guy in the whole of Banaras. You could've taken up any job you liked. You stayed here because you love Banaras. I remember how fiercely passionate you were when you talked about Banaras when we first met. If Banaras is your passion, follow that. Who said you need a 9-5 job to prove yourself?" Amaya told Mantu.

"But how?" Mantu asked.

Amaya thought about it for a minute. "I have an idea! Lets organize a Tourism Festival here!" Amaya exclaimed. "Tourism Festival?" Even though the words left Mantu's mouth as a question, he was starting to get excited about the idea. "Yes! A Tourism Festival! There is nothing that Banaras lacks - there is art, history, culture, tradition, crafts - everything. Lets showcase it all. Lets have a whole week of showcasing Banaras and its various hues! Imagine the kind of revenue it would bring in! Imagine the opportunities it would bring in! Not related to any specific religious festival but just a celebration of Banaras," Amaya said, her face lighting up with excitement.

"That's such a great idea Amaya!" Mantu said as he cupped her face in his hands in excitement and planted a big kiss on her cheek before hugging her in excitement. Amaya's eyes widened in surprise. He had given her rather chaste kisses on the forehead before but this was a surprise. When he realized what he had done, he quickly pulled away embarrassed. "Shall we leave?" he asked and Amaya nodded her head.

***

Rachita sat in the staff room, textbooks and notebooks lying open in front of her, but her mind was elsewhere. She constantly replayed the previous day's events in her head. How was she not her dad's daughter? She had known Rishi Mathur to be her dad ever since she could remember. Her mother had admitted yesterday that it was a mistake. She didn't doubt for a second that her mother or her father.. She paused in her train of thought. She didn't doubt for a second that her mother or Rishi Mathur loved her, she corrected herself. She had had a loving, caring wholesome family life growing up. Which was why it was so difficult for her to believe that she wasn't a part of this family. Her phone rang, startling her and Rachita looked at the bright screen flashing "Mom." She took a deep breath. Was she ready yet to talk to Mom?

"I am sure, whenever you are ready to talk to Sneha Aunty about all this, she will give you honest answers to all your questions. Till then, please don't form any opinions in your mind. We only know one line of the story. The whole story could be anything at all."

Rama's words from last night whirred in her head. He was right. Mom would answer all her questions but she found herself unwilling to talk to her right now. So she let her phone ring but did not answer.

**

After the call got disconnected without answer the third time, Sneha looked at her mother with teary eyes and shook her head before giving up. "Give her time Sneha. She will come around," Pushpa said, placing a reassuring hand on Sneha's shoulder and Sneha nodded her head.

**

"I want to buy sarees," Amaya announced when Mantu and she reached the market. "Sarees? But why?" Mantu asked puzzled. "Don't all women wear sarees after marriage? Naani, Dimple bua - all the married women I know wear sarees," Amaya explained. "There is no such rule Amaya. You can wear whatever you are comfortable in. You don't have to wear a saree all the time," Mantu said. "Fine. But I still want to buy a saree. To get that married feel," Amaya said smiling. Mantu looked at her like she'd gone a little cuckoo in her head, "Okay fine."

"Which one do you think looks better? Red or pink?" Amaya asked as she held up two sarees for Mantu's approval. Mantu shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. I think you will look beautiful no matter what you wear." "Aww.. That's so sweet of you Mantu." Amaya said and leaned in and pecked his cheek. "Hisaab barabar," she whispered into his ear with a naughty smile. The salesgirls at the shop sniggered and Mantu blushed profusely. "I.. I'll just wait for you outside," Mantu tried to escape but Amaya caught his hand and made him sit. "Help me select Mantu!" she complained. Mantu had no option but to comply. "I think I'll go with pink. It's a nice, simple yet elegant style," Amaya said before Mantu could say anything at all and handed the saree to the salesgirl to bill.

Just then her phone rang and Amaya fished around in her bag to find her phone. "Mom!" she exclaimed before answering.

"Mom! How are you?"

"I am okay beta. How are you?"

"I am good mom.. Did you have food on time? Did you take your medicine?"

"Yes Amu. Jazz and Maa have been taking care of me very well. I called to tell you that you have to come home today for your pag phera."

"Pag phera? What's that Mom?"

"It's a wedding ritual beta. The newly wedded bride comes to her maayka and has water and food from her maayka. Then her husband comes to take her back home."

"Oh. Okay. What time should I come Mom?"

"Anytime beta. And Mantu can come pick you up later in the evening."

"Okay Mom. I will let Mantu know and I'll be there soon."

"Okay beta. Come soon. I miss you.."

"I miss you too Mom.."

"Bye.."

"Mom.."

"Yes Amu?"

"Is.. Is Rachi di coming too?"

There was a short pause at the other end as Sneha fought back tears. "I tried calling her beta, but.. She must be busy.."

Both of them went silent for a long minute.

"I'll be there soon Mom"

"See you.. Bye.."

"Bye.."

Amaya worried her lower lip as she disconnected the call. Mantu waved his hand in front of her face to get her attention. "What happened Amaya?" "Mom called to tell me I have to go home for my pag phera," Amaya told Mantu. "Oh that's great. You should definitely go. I am sure Sneha Aunty would like that. But why are you worried?" Mantu asked. "Mom tried calling Rachi di too. She has to do her pag phera as well. But I guess Rachi di didn't answer Mom's calls. I could tell Mom was upset and trying to hide it." "I really think we should give your Rachi di more time Amaya but if you want to, we can go to Rama's place and you can try talking to Rachita?" Mantu suggested. "Lets try that. But before we go see Rachi di, can we stop by Barfi miyaan's shop? I want to get this saree's blouse stitched so that I can wear it to my pag phera," Amaya smiled at Mantu. "As you say Madam, I'm your driver from now on," Mantu teased her and Amaya swatted him playfully as they headed off.

**