||ManYa FF - Against all odds|| Epilogue Pg 45 Updated-12.10.15 - Page 17

Originally posted by: ..Steph..

THIS FF is the only reason why I come to this forum !!! the sole reason !

Res.

Originally posted by: loveleen12

Same!! The true gist of marriage, the working couple of the 21st century! It is fabulous!!! Love that Amaya can come home after a long day at work and have Mantu just hold her and them having dinner together!!

Thank you! Thank you! and Thank you! everyone for your continued love and support for this FF. This FF is the sole reason I even come to IF anymore and your love and enthusiasm and encouragement is what drives me to find the time to write the best I can! This is a rather long chapter so consider yourself warned!

Cheers,

Neet

Chapter 18

Uma was in an auto on her way to college when she spotted Mantu and Amaya on his bike. "Bhaiyya, follow that bike," she said impulsively. "I thought you said you wanted to go to Sharda College?" the auto driver asked. "Forget that. Just follow that bike," she instructed. She could see the easy comfort with which Amaya's held Mantu and leaned into him as she sat behind him on the bike and Uma felt all kinds of venomous jealousy burn its way up her throat.

When Mantu rode into the gates of Dev Enterprises, she asked the auto driver to stop outside and wait for her. Uma pressed herself against the wall and peeked in. That firangi chudail looked so happy and content and she was wearing the mangalsutra and sindoor that Uma had dreamed of all her life, that rightfully belonged to her! Uma punched against the wall angrily, wishing it were Amaya instead of the wall, unmindful of the pain that shot up through her knuckles. Amaya and Mantu were saying something and since she was so far away, she couldn't hear what they were talking. They waved bye, Amaya turned to go in and Mantu started his bike but then, Amaya came back and pecked Mantu on his cheek before running back in.

That made Uma see red. How were they so bloody darn happy? How dare she kiss Mantu? And why was Mantu smiling at her? How was Mantu so happy with her? If Amaya had been in front of her right then, Uma would have torn her apart with her bare hands, that's how much she hated her. As Mantu started his bike and turned to leave, Uma hid in a corner to make sure he did not spot her. She had hoped that in this time, Mantu would have realized how he only thought he was in love with Amaya, that he would realize her worth and come back to her. But it looked like the firangi chudail had cast her spell well. Uma gritted her teeth as she sat back in the auto and asked the driver to drop her back home.

On her way back, she contemplated how she could make Mantu realize that Amaya was nothing compared to her, how could she make him miss her enough that he would come back to her? They passed by the lane to the Krishna Mandir and Uma saw hoardings for Janmashtami up. "Bhaiyya, when is Janmashtami?" Uma asked the driver. "Its tomorrow Madam," the driver replied. Suddenly, a plan started forming in Uma's head and she grinned viciously.

***

Mantu woke up bright and early. He peeked into the room and found Amaya and Chiklu fast asleep. It was the weekend, he would let her sleep in. It'd been a hectic week for Amaya. She would work long hours in the office and then she'd come home and despite his protests, she would help him with his work for the Chai pe charcha and Tourism Festival. And yet she would complain that she should be doing more. Mantu shook his head. She could be so darn silly at times. Maybe in her head she envisioned herself as a TV serial bahu - the kind who could do it all. But he didn't want her to be that kind. He just wanted her to be her - the silly, crazy, sensible and ever lovable Amaya he knew and loved. With that thought in mind, Mantu headed to the kitchen to get tea and breakfast going.

He had just about finished making breakfast when a knock sounded on the door. Wondering who it could be this early in the morning, Mantu quickly wiped his hands off on a dishcloth and headed to the door. "Sunanda Kaki? Kishori Mausi? This early in the morning?" Mantu said as he bent to take their blessings. "Of course, now that you have gotten married, and that too to a vilayathi girl, without informing anyone, you are bound to forget all of us, aren't you?" Sunanda Kaki replied. "No, no Kaki. There is nothing like that. Please come in," Mantu ushered the women in. They cast a glance around. "It smells really good in here, is bahu making breakfast?" Kishori Mausi asked. "Oh! Please take a seat. I'll just turn the gas off and be right back," Mantu remembered that he hadn't turned the stove off and rushed into the kitchen. The women exchanged disapproving glances at each other.

"Can I get you something to drink? Tea?" Mantu asked politely. "Tell me something Mantu.. Has the new bahu turned you into a house husband or something? Why are you doing all the work in the kitchen and playing host? Where is your wife?" Kishori Mausi asked. "There's nothing like that Mausi. Amaya is just a little tired so she is still sleeping. She has had a really hectic week so I thought I'd let her rest. That's all. And as it is, who says the work around the house is meant only for the wife?" Mantu asked smiling.

"What? Your wife is still sleeping? Its almost 9 o'clock! What married woman sleeps in till 9 o'clock? Is this the norm in the house now? Does she even take care of Chiklu at all? Or does she let him starve too?" Sunanda Kaki exclaimed and the women exchanged looks of utter disbelief. "There is nothing like that Kaki. Amaya works really hard and takes very good care of Chiklu and me. She is just tired," Mantu gave up even trying to explain since he knew it was something the older women could not even fathom. But the next comment they made turned Mantu's defenses for Amaya right back up. "Arey! What if she goes to work? Our Uma bitiya.. She had to go to college too. But remember, she would be up at the crack of dawn, do the work around her own house and come here and cook for Chiklu and you too. In all these years, I don't remember a single day that she hasn't cooked and cleaned and taken care of Chiklu and you," Kishori Mausi said. "But that was our Uma bitiya na, Kishori behen. Mantu's bride is a city girl. I bet she doesn't even know cooking to begin with. Poor Mantu and Chiklu," Sunanda Kaki chipped in and both the ladies looked at Mantu sympathetically.

He had two options, one was to tell the older women off and the other was to ignore whatever they said. Considering how he called them Kaki and Mausi, Mantu opted for the second option. "Kaki, Mausi, was there a special reason why you are here so early in the morning?" Mantu asked as politely as he could. "Oh yes! We forgot! Every year we get invited to the Janmashtami Pooja at your house but this year we didn't get an invite so we thought we'd come by and remind you that we are still alive," Sunanda Kaki said. "Every year Uma bitiya would organize this Pooja with so much devotion. You couldn't find fault even if you wanted to," Kishori Mausi added. "Does your vilayathi wife even know what Janmashtami is? I bet she doesn't. I still don't understand why you married her Mantu beta? You would have been so much better off with a typical, homely Banaras girl, like our Uma," Sunanda Kaki said.

"Kaki, Mausi.. You don't know Amaya yet. How can you form all these opinions about her when you don't? Being born and brought up in the city does not immediately make a person a certain way. It's the values that you are raised with that matter. And Amaya knows very well how to respect and value relationships. Something that a typical, homely Banarasi girl might not have. And that is what matters to me," Mantu replied in as polite and respectful a manner he could. "As for the Janmashtami Pooja.." he was cut off when he sensed Amaya. He turned and found her standing at the door to the bedroom. Oh dear! Had she heard whatever Kaki and Mausi said? Surely she knew better than to take whatever they said to heart.

"We will definitely have the Pooja," Amaya said, the smile on her face faltered just a little as she made her way to the older women. She folded her hands in a Namaste and greeted them. "Hmph! Your wife does not even know that we greet elders by touching their feet and seeking their blessings here. And she is going to organize a Pooja for Janmashtami? Is this what you meant when you said we don't know her well enough yet?" Sunanda Kaki commented. Amaya immediately went over to the women and bent to touch their feet. They said nothing. Amaya smiled nervously at them as she spoke, "Kakiji, Mausiji, I am so sorry. I didn't know that it was Janmashtami today. But if there has been a Pooja in Mantu's house for Janmashtami all these years, we will definitely have one this year too. We will stop by your house to invite you ourselves." Kaki and Mausi exchanged disbelieving smirks. There was no way this vilayathi girl would get around to organizing a proper Pooja. "It'll be good if you could," Kaki replied. Amaya simply smiled in response.

"Can I get you tea or breakfast?" Amaya asked. "You know to make tea? Or does Mantu make tea for you in the morning as well? We know Mantu has already made breakfast but its 9 in the morning. We have breakfast before 8," Mausi replied. "Had Uma been here though, she wouldn't even ask us if we need anything. She'd always know and take care of everything. We didn't have to even say anything," Kaki chipped in. "Amaya isn't Uma, Kaki and I am glad she isn't," Mantu said, trying hard to reign in his temper. He knew that if he did say the things he really wanted to, the way he wanted to, Kaki and Mausi would place the blame for his "changed" behavior on Amaya too and he did not want that. Amaya had to bite down on her lower lip to stop her eyes from tearing up. The truth was, she'd been feeling horribly incompetent in managing the house and her work and everything that Kaki and Mausi were saying was hitting straight home. For a moment, she was envious of Uma. She had, after all, in all these years, effectively juggled her own home and Mantu's home and never given anyone a chance to complain.

"Anyways, we are leaving now. If you do organize a Pooja, I hope you remember Mantu that you do have people around who used to be your own other than this vilayathi girl you've married," Kaki gave a parting taunt as the two of the left.

When Mantu bolted the door behind them and turned, he saw the tears brimming in Amaya's eyes. "Amaya," in quick long strides he was in front of her and hugged her tight. "I.. I am sorry.." Amaya sobbed softly against his chest. "I.. I am just not good enough.. They were right.. Maybe you'd have better off being married to someone like U.." She did not get to finish the sentence before Mantu placed a finger on her lips and shushed her. "Don't! Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" he said. "Why don't you get it Amaya? I don't want you to be the all-knowing, all-doing kind of idolized bahu. I want you to stay the same - slightly crazy, slightly sensible, caring, loving Amaya that I love. What matters to you more, Amaya? What I want from you or what the rest of the world expects from you?"

Amaya looked at him with tear filled eyes. "But.. I.. I want them to like me.. I want them to accept me because they mean something to you. I don't want to alienate you from them. They've been your family all these years Mantu.. If they don't like me, I don't want you to have to listen to taunts because of me. I want to be able to do it all. Everything that is expected of me," Amaya explained. "If it really matters to you, then who said you can't do it all? The Amaya I know is crazy enough to go to any lengths to get what she wants. You risked your life during the Shravan Puja race. And this is just about organizing a Pooja. You can do it Amaya. I know you can. I trust you and I am here for you. We can do it together," Mantu said, lifting her face so he could look into her eyes as he spoke. He leaned in and kissed the moisture from the corner of her eyes as he whispered again, "We can and we will. We are two halves of a whole Amaya. Isn't that how its supposed to be? You for me and me for you?"

****

"You were right Uma! That vilayathi girl knows nothing! Can you believe it? She was sleeping when we went over! And poor Mantu, he was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for that Madamji," Sunanda Kaki informed Uma. She was right! Uma thought. Mantu was suffering being married to Amaya! It gave her a sadistic sense of satisfaction and yet at the same time, somewhere in a corner of her heart, she felt bad for Mantu. Poor Mantu, as if he did not have enough responsibilities already, now he had to cook and clean for that city bred chudail. "But she is rather beautiful, I must admit," Kishori Mausi said. "Arey! Not as beautiful as our Uma though," Sunanda Kaki said. "No. No. Definitely not," Kishori Mausi agreed.

"She has no respect for him. He is just a time pass for her. I tried so hard to tell Mantu but he wouldn't listen to me. I don't care that he does not love me. I can live with that. But knowing she is not right for him, I can't just sit back and watch my dearest friend's life get destroyed na? That's the only reason I came to you for help. He is not happy with her. I know it. But he won't say it, because now he is in this marriage and you know how Mantu is, he values relationships above everything else. And she has no value for relationships. Otherwise, why would she alienate him from all of us as soon as they got married," Uma put her acting talents to good use as she tried to convince Kaki and Mausi of her noble intentions. Kaki and Mausi nodded their heads in agreement. "You have such a pure heart and soul bitiya. I wonder why Mantu couldn't see it," Mausi said. "Lets see how she organizes the Janmashtami pooja. I bet she doesn't know a single thing and she'll fail miserably. Don't be sad my child, I am sure, sooner or later, Mantu will realize your worth and accept you," Kaki said, running a hand over Uma's head. Uma smiled as widely as she could, her face contorting to look like the Cheshire cat as she sought blessings form the older women.

***

"We should make use of this opportunity. God has gifted us this opportunity. We need to make sure that the Chaubey's and Mathur's never unite," Kaushalya whispered to Rudra as they sat in their room conspiring. Rudra, however, was lost in his own thoughts. Dev babu was using him to get updates about the happenings in the Mathur-Chaubey haveli. And the only reason he could do that was because he had way too much information about all of Rudra's misdeeds. And that made Rudra uncomfortable. This was a game after all. No one wished well for anyone. If the situation came up, he was sure Dev babu would not bat an eyelid before stabbing him in the back. He needed a safety net to fall back on. He needed a back up to ensure that he wouldn't ever have to pay for his misdeeds. And he needed someone powerful and influential on his side for that - by hook or by crook. As Rudra contemplated his options, his eyes fixed on the road outside, his mother went on harping about using petty kitchen politics to destroy the Mathurs. Just then, Rudra spotted someone walking towards the house and an idea struck him. Ignoring his mother completely, he bolted out the door.

***

It couldn't be possible, Mantu mused as he watched Amaya out of the corner of his eye. It couldn't be possible to find himself falling in love with her more and more with every little thing she did. Maybe it was the way her big chunky jhumkas danced merrily in her ears as she nodded her head while talking to her mom; or maybe it was the mischievous smile that lit up her face as she sneaked a laddoo from the Pooja thaali for Chiklu. It had to be the genuine warmth and affection with which she interacted with all the guests who had come for the Pooja - be it Barfi Miyaan, Manohar Bhaiyya and his family, Atom, Rano, even Sunanda Kaki, Kishori Mausi and their families. Or maybe it was the color that stole across her cheeks every time she looked at him and found him watching her. It could also be the way she tucked the pallu of her saree at her waist as she hauled the vessel with the Prasad over from the kitchen. She delegated work to Rachita as well, who seemed a lot more relaxed and at ease now. Rama had been talking to him for the past 15 minutes or so but Mantu could not seem to focus on anything but how gorgeous Amaya looked in the yellow saree as she scurried around the house making sure everything was in perfect order for the Pooja. Jazz handed her a paper and he saw Amaya disappear into the room with the paper in hand, casting furtive glances. Curious, he excused himself from Rama and followed her in.

He found her studying the paper intently. "What's this?" he asked, trying to reach for the paper but she quickly hid it behind her and stuttered and stammered a reply, "Its.. Its.. Nothing.. Just.. Some.. Information.. For a work assignment." She quickly folded the paper and started to walk outside but Mantu sensed something fishy and caught her hand just in time. He wrestled the paper out of her grip even as she protested and tried to free her hand. He smoothed it open and couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips when he saw what it was.

"Amaya.." he turned to her smiling. "I.. I don't know any prayer songs and I remembered Neeti had sung a Krishna Bhajan for the Pooja at home last time. So I asked Jazz to get me the lyrics to the song from Neeti," Amaya said embarrassed. It was because she was so adorable and lovable, Mantu realized as he pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead.

"Amu, the Panditji.." Rachita trailed off when she walked in to see Mantu hugging Amu. "I'm sorry.. I'm sorry," she said, turning away and covering her eyes. Mantu and Amaya jumped apart. "I swear I didn't see anything. Please continue. I'll handle the Panditji," Rachita said laughing as she started to leave. "Rachi di! Stop!" Amaya hurried to Rachita. "What did the Panditji want?" Rachita opened her eyes and gave Amu a teasing smile. "I can handle it, Amu. Just tell me where the clothes and ornaments for the idol are. I can see you have more.. Urgent matters to attend to.." Rachita cast a quick, knowing glance at Mantu. "I.. I'll go check on the guests," and with that, Mantu left the room. Rachita elbowed Amaya teasingly and Amaya blushed prettily. "Come on now. The Panditji was saying its almost time for the Pooja," Rachita tugged Amaya along.

***

"Who will lead the bhajan?" Panditji asked as he started the preparations for the Pooja. Mantu and Amaya were sitting right in front, ready to do the Pooja. Amaya looked at Mantu nervously. Mantu placed his hand over hers and squeezed it reassuringly. "Manohar, Radhika knows to sing bhajans, doesn't she?" Sunanda Kaki asked. Manohar Bhaiyya said nothing. "I don't think Mantu's city bred wife knows any bhajans. Lets just have the kids sing some bhajans," Kishori Mausi added. They hadn't had a single opportunity to find fault with anything that Amaya had done so far and if they'd let themselves be honest, they were quite impressed by her too. But Uma had said Amaya was a no good city girl. Surely, she couldn't have been wrong? Before they could say anything more though, Amaya made a quick, silent prayer to God that she doesn't goof up the song entirely and started to sing. In her mind's eye, it was Mantu and her and she was singing for him. After all, didn't all the Gods stand for love? Love of all kinds and love for all times? Her love for Mantu was her devotion. And the depth, sincerity and honesty with which she loved him was her prayer. Soon, she forgot all about the people gathered and she poured her heart out into her song. When she was done, she became aware of the wetness on her cheeks. She opened her eyes and realized she'd been crying. She turned towards Mantu and saw that his eyes were moist too. Everyone, including the Panditji, sat in silent, rapt attention. Chiklu broke the moment by bursting out in applause and everyone gathered followed suit.

"You sang beautifully bitiya. Like you have a connection with the Almighty himself. The depth of your devotion came through in your song. God bless you my child!" the Panditji said, before he returned to making arrangements for the Pooja. Amaya and Mantu smiled at each other happily.

****

Uma paced the length of her room angrily. How dare they? How dare they? With an angry swipe of her hand, she toppled over the vase with flowers by her bedside. It landed with a crash and shattered. Not satisfied by the wreckage, Uma reached for the long stemmed flowers and tore at them till she'd destroyed them. Even then, the rage in her could not be contained. How dare Kishori Mausi and Sunanda Kaki sing praises of that chudail? How dare they? She'd sent them to Mantu's place to make him realize how Amaya was not the right one for him and how happy he'd been with her. But they'd attended the Pooja and come back singing praises of how well-mannered, respectful and good Amaya was. The Pooja had been perfect and they had been absolutely smitten by the devotion with which she sang her bhajan. Bhajan my foot! Uma thought angrily and squished torn flower petals mercilessly beneath her feet. She was so sly, that Amaya. There was no way Uma was going to let her win. No way! And she had made that clear to Kishori Maasi and Sunanda Kaki as well. She just needed to figure out a plan.

***