FF: Love, Cherish me ~~ Epilogue ~~ - Page 36

As usual my bestie was to my rescue and she glued my writing together.

A shout out to Chickee bear ❤️ meanwhile I am going to hide just in case. Enjoy!!

The Storm

Bihaan followed Vasundhara nervously to the Pandey Nivas Mandir where she stopped in front of Matarani. Bihaan was feeling edgy, what was Ma upto? Does she want to send me out of city again? Maybe this time for months... he wondered nervously.

But instead of telling him anything of that sort, Vasu looked at Bihaan with a smile and offered him a manila envelope.

Not taking it from her, he instead asked calmly "What is this Ma?" However inside he was feeling anything but calm, the moment he saw the huge envelope his heart started to beat fast and he started to sweat. He began to pray earnestly to Matarani that the envelope did not contain what he think it contains.

"See it yourself."

"Do I need to deliver it somewhere for you?" Bihaan asked still not touching it.

Vasu took hold of Bihaan's hand and put the envelope on his hand. When Bihaan didn't close his hand around it...Vasu made his fingers close around the envelope herself, "No, It's for you Beta, this holds your ticket to freedom"

"Ticket to freedom? What do you mean by that??" Bihaan still played dumb.

"Open it and see it yourself...you will be very happy" Vasu urged him to open, a sly smile on her face.

Bihaan suddenly slapped his forehead, "Main kitna bhulakkad huun" He moved to drop the envelope at Matarani's feet, "I have to go to Mr Mehta's house by 11 am and I am already late. Thank you Ma for whatever that is inside the envelope but I will open it once I come back." Bihaan turned to leave.

Vasu stopped him by grabbing his arm. "If you are already late it won't matter if you become late few minutes more. Waise bhi, it will only take few minutes to finish up this business. Now pick up the envelope and open it."

Seeing no other way around, Bihaan picked up the envelope and started to open it grudgingly.

It was his and Thapki's annulment papers. What a surprise! He groaned.

Bihaan looked around to see was there anyone around who could help him get out of this mess right now. No one except Matarani... Help me Matarani please!... Is that a pen in her hand? Think Bihaan Think...Think hard...

"Oh! It is my and Thapki's annulment papers" Bihaan tried to fake surprise...

Vasu nodded, "Yes, and today in front of Matarani I want you to end your pretense of the relationship you share with Thapki once and for all" She offered him the pen.

Bihaan started to read the document instead, trying to stall for time. It was 36 pages of full legal documentation.

"Oh stop it Bihaan, you don't have to read it now... just sign at the allotted places" She pointed at the documents.

"But how can I just sign like that, Ma?? I have to read it, understand it, and check whether there are any mistakes----" Bihaan said matter of factly.

"I have read it and there are no mistakes... you trust your Mother, no beta? NOW SIGN" she urged him to take the pen again. If Bihaan was playing a game so was Vasu and she seemed fast losing patience.

"I was thinking maybe Thapki and I should read it and sign it together", he mumbled looking desperately for a way out.

"Don't worry about her, she will be taken care of...now sign"

"Ma, let her come back with Dhruv today after that..."

"JUST SIGN AS I AM SAYING"" Vasu's sweet and motherly facade seemed to slip.

Bihaan looked around again for help...

With a huff Vasu began to jab the pen into Bihaan's hand with vicious force. "Sign it ...sign it right now, I am ordering you to sign it now..."

Bihaan noticed the crazed look on her face...

She began to bark, "HOLD THE PEN BIHAAN, SIGN THE PAPERS...YOUR MOTHER IS COMMANDING YOU TO SIGN"

"No." Bihaan said simply. He won't sign it and his decision was made long time back. Saying no was just a formality.

"What did you just say?" she looked at him incredulously.

"No Ma, I will not sign these papers" Bihaan said firmly again.

"TERI ITNI HIMMAT, MA SEY ZUBAAN LADATA HAIN??"

Bihaan remained silent.

Seemingly crazed, she again started to jab the pen into Bihaan's hand not caring it was hurting him. "SIGN KAR, MEIN KEH RAHI HUUN"

Bihaan shook his head, remaining silent but standing firm in his decision.

Vasu slapped him, Bihaan didn't make a noise, and he kept looking at the floor... She slapped him again...

"I will show you how you will not sign," *Slap* * Slap*

Bihaan's silence seemed to inflame her further. She gripped Bihaan's hair and began to tear them out... SIGN KAR, SIGN KAR she kept saying.

"No I won't, and these papers won't work for us anyways... we can't go for annulment anymore, we need to get divorced" These words flew from Bihaan's mouth before he could think better of it.

Vasu stopped her mauling at that piece of information. She was calm for a moment and she nodded her head. She looked around her as if searching for something her eyes shining with an unnatural glaze.

Then she suddenly stopped as if she knew what to do. Reaching down she picked it up; the medium sized solid brass diya which was burning at Matarani's feet. Picking it up she swung it right into a stunned Bihaan with brutal force, sending him reeling backward. Witht a glazed look in his eyes he fell with a thud into the floor. The hot ghee sloshed into his face but thankfully the fire was out before the diya could hit him.

Vasu hit him repeatedly with it... a manic look in her eyes. Bihaan began to crawl backwards, he felt dizzy because the first blow has hit his head...he could feel blood trickling down his eyes...his vision was becaming hazy... he kept retreating slowly, painfully, but Vasu kept advancing shouting fiercely "APNE BHAI KI BIWI PAR DORE DALTA HAI TU? USKE AMANAT PAR? NAMAK HARAM" *strike* "KUTTE" *strike*

"No she is my wife and I love her" Bihaan must have got a death wish to be still talking.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A STREETDOG, YOU DARE TO LOVE A GIRL LIKE THAPKI, YOUR BROTHER'S LOVE?" *strike* "TERI AUKAUT KEYA HAI?"

Bihaan had crawled back to living space by now and Vasu's voice could have brought the dead back.

"Thapki is mine" Bihaan spit the blood from his mouth and braced himself for the next blow... He saw Vasu lunging the diya but instead something soft and warm hurled towards him, enveloping him.

He smelled her before he could see her. He tried to throw Thapki away from him before Ma could strike but he was too late. Vasu's strike fell on her back...Thapki flinched at the strike but didn't make a sound...she kept covering Bihaan holding his bloodied face into her bosom trying to protect him with her body as much as she could.

Vasu dropped her weapon on the ground with a clank.

"Thapki Beta, yeh kya kiya tumne, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you...move away...move away from this dog...don't get yourself dirty" she muttered incoherently, trying to reach out towards the crouching figures on the floor.

Thapki didn't hear anything... She was looking at her Bihaan, she cradled his head and caressed his beautiful face gently with one hand, not trying to hurt him. His left eye was swelling shut, a viscous gash continued from corner of that eye to his temple, his hair was slick wet with blood, and there was another slash on his right cheek... Thapki looked down to his chest... the bright yellow t-shirt Bihaan was wearing was dirty brown colour now clinging to his body wet with blood... Thapki tried to blow gently on his wounds; his head seemed to be lolling on her hand. However, he was still conscious and he tried to smile at her baring his red stained teeth to assure her he was fine...

Everyone had gathered in the living room by now, hearing the ruckus... Bauji, Dadima, Preity Bhabi, Suman Bhabi, Ashwin Bhaiya, Sanjay Bhaiya...she could hear sobbing...it must be the bhabis...Thapki spied Dhruv sir standing on the balcony overlooking the living space shock etched his face...

"Thapki beta, move away from him, you are ruining your dress, you have to go out remember?? Dhruv must be waiting...let me deal with this animal-don't concern yourself" Vasu spoke in a calm voice, as if nothing had happened.

That did it! Vasu's voice finally pierced through her mind. Thapki turned towards Vasu, gently laying Bihaan's head gently on her shoulder.

She looked at Vasu and laughed, though tears wear pouring down her eyes, "Animal?" she questioned softly. She pointed towards Bihaan and asked, "Animal? L-Look again Ma... Look who is the animal h-here..."

"Thapki beta, don't worry your poor little heart, nothing happened to him...he is overacting trying to trap you by gaining your sympathy...You are innocent and naive...you don't know the likes of him...the cunning minds of street trash...they don't have any values, compassion, morals...they are selfish, disloyal treacherous and they only know how to trap young innocent girls like you and fleece them of their innocence----" Vasu said in an eerily sweet voice.

"And y-y-you have them?"Thapki asked.

Vasu looked perplexed for a second.

Thapki elaborated, "D-Do you h-have compassion, v-values, m-morality inside you?" Not waiting for an answer she continued, "Do know what a person who is selfish, t-treacherous, and disloyal is called?"

Someone gasped in the living room, but Thapki was too furious to notice or care.

"That p-person is c-called VASUNDHARA PANDEY" Thapki finished in scream.

"Thapki stop it, Ma sey aise baat nehi karte. She is my mother, she can beat me as much she likes...it's her right to beat me...her blood flows in my veins...its for her I am alive" Bihaan wheezed, trying to put a stop to this drama.

"No I w-won't stop it today B-Bihaan. You c-can't stop me..." Thapki shook her head, " You think she gave you blood because she loves you,out of goodness of her heart? WRONG...she gave blood because she made a bargain with me...she agreed to give you blood only if I gave you divorce...she made a deal with me."

Everyone present gasped at the revelation...but Thapki wasn't quite finished yet,"This lady is not your m-mother...She n-never was... she n-never will be...even if y-you give your life for h-her she will n-not accept you as her s-son...get o-over it Bihaan...she w-will never a-accept you..."

"Thapki shut up" Bihaan made to sat up without her support.

Thapki gave a harsh laugh, "Don't be d-dishearten Bihaan, be g-glad she is not your m-mother...think of D-Dhruv Sir see how un-unlucky he is...he g-got a mother like her, a w-woman who doesn't have any c-clue about the meaning of the word 'mother' "

"These b-bruises??" She pointed at Bihaan's wounds, "These are n-nothing ..these will h-heal...but just look at D-Dhruv sir, she is all set to k-kill him for l-life... T-This woman, she is r-ruining his life bit by bit.. first she forced the girl he loved out of his life, then r-ruined his life further by g--getting him married to a g-girl like Shraddha, but she is still not s-satisfied, now s-she is all set to ruin w-whatever life remained in h-him by forcing a g-girl in love with someone e-else back into his l-life...so see B-Bihaan, you fared better than D-Dhruv sir...shukur manau aisi g-ghatiya , k-khudgarz aur ehsan f-farmosh aurat t-tumhari-- "

Bihaan clamped his hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking. "Thapki for god's sake shut it now, don't say any more. You can see she is not herself ... she needs ... "

His words were stalled as they heard a soft thud.

They both turned to look towards where everyone moved as if in slow motion, to Vasu, crumpled in a heap on the floor.

-----------------------------------**********---------------------------------------

Chapter 17 - The Aftermath