TS: The Third Person~ completed - Page 25

Originally posted by: Shinning_Stuti

If only I feel to increase the parts i will convert it into ss.😃

Originally posted by: Shinning_Stuti

I wish I could but the story is getting unnecessarily longer na? 😭

Originally posted by: moni_06

okay so after reading this part all my sympathy for jalal is in gutter

🤣Poor Jalal! 😆]

the way he chided jo only because she corroborated him

He was habituated to do it with Ruqaiya na so... 😛

the last line which jo spoke was heartbreaking

Yeah!

you are taking me over a roller coaster of emotions

reading this I feel sympathetic, angry, happy ,jealous when I read jalal missing rukaiya not exactly jealous but feeling that she is impoverished

this story makes my brain go something we call choc a bloc and I mean it in a good way

OMG! Don't know what are you going to tell at end. 😆 I myself have become skeptical about the end. 🤪

jo is irreconcilable, so supportive and caring still love less

Really!

now I feel she did a mistake by marrying jalal

Yes she did. And she is gonna feel it in her whole life! 😔

really a very well written update by an amazing writer like you

Thank you dear. 😊

Originally posted by: anu012

Nice update

Originally posted by: lashy

Stuti... I am literally packing to leave on holidays, when I'm writing this reply... so forgive me for the non-detailed approach.

No problem di. I am so happy that you managed your time for reading and adding your 2 cents.😳😳

You are going for holidays it means a longer wait for HBAS!😭

I liked this instalment a lot... it spoke of the emotional carnage that Ruqaiyya has left behind ... a broken Jalal, whose effects are being weighed over onto his (supposedly) new bride...

Thanks di.🤗

One does feel sorry for Jodha at the end of this... but never marry someone to rescue them, unless you are ready to go through a possible lifetime of misery...

Hmm 😔

as for the medicines - does he only feel guilty he gave it by mistake or was it something like 'he turned a blind eye' when he knew there's a possibility she might take it to suicide...

Closer. 😆

as other comments said, I realised there's no way the story can end in one more instalment..

waiting to read further

Hoping to end in 2 more parts. Though couldn't think about any proper happy ending even after banging head a lot. 😆

THIRD SHOT

PART 1:

After lunch, Jodha was half-lied in her bed to have a beauty-nap of lazy noon. Though she was tired due to the workload of last night, sleep was long way far from her eyes. The disgust and anger on Jalal had been reduced with time, but the surprise for his sudden changing attitude has increased along with that! Fortnights have passed only since they have married, and within this period Jalal seems to be a stranger to her. This man is not the one whom she had loved, with whom she had dated for long 4 years; this man is not the one whose memories had never let Jodha to choose any better person as her life-partner in so many years! He seems to be a completely different person now... vulnerable, lost and most importantly, despite being her husband, acting like husband of any different woman! 6 years can change a person in such a way? But he didn't seem so much unknown when Ruqaiya was alive. That time stress was much, the medical condition of wife with financial tough time had burdened on his head which he was bearing all alone; but that time also he was not like this... he never used to look stranger to her! In fact his gentle and sober attitude with the same smile and gestures of old days had given Jodha confidence that he is not happy with his wife and loves Jodha till today, and so the greed of getting him back rose in the deep of heart. But after marriage everything changed so drastically!

Though in the noon Jodha was not thinking this way rather she was trying to understand the situation from Jalal's perspective. Maybe she was wrong to understand Jalal's love to his former wife! Maybe Jalal too had never understood that love before she left; and that guilt is eating him up after second marriage. Maybe he feels uncomfortable to her due to that reason only. Maybe time will make everything alright! She should not have raised Ruqaiya's topic again today; his mood was fine, but the discussion about Ruqaiya's death made him dejected again. She should have been more careful. It's very normal for any man to react such way if the shadow of the former marriage reflects in the new married life again and again... But all her thoughts scattered, when his eyes flashed in front of her.

There were hardly any shade of lost gloom and agony in his eyes... there were only scare of getting caught along with a burden of guilt! Even when he shouted at her for no reason his eyes were not freed from the same shadow...the dilemma and doubt of a criminal after getting caught red-handed!

What has Jalal done whose guilt is not letting him to come out from this loop?

Her eyes stuck to the cupboard at the corner of the room while moving her lazy glare all around. The whole incident of morning reflected in front of her eyes again. His attitude had drastically changed when Jodha casually asked that how Ruqaiya got the pills. The same question started toiling in her head now. How did she get the pills to commit suicide? The apparent distance from the bed to the cupboard is not too short that a last stage cancer patient will walk to that, will open the lock, the drawer and find the foil of particular pills from the number of same looking foils! At least Ruqaiya's condition, which had been checked by Jodha herself before some days of the incident, was too weak to lose so much energy all alone! Only thing is possible that the foil was near the bed, near her hand, and something had tempted her to take such a step all of a sudden! Who gave her the pills? Meena? The nurse? Or...

"Madam!" Meena peeped into the room. She is not accustomed to call Doctor Jodha in any other name other than madam in this short time!

"Meena?"Jodha smiled. "You had anything to tell?"

"You yourself had told me to meet you before going home..." Meena uttered in a very low and shy tone. "You told that you will give medicine for stomach pain..."

"Oh I had forgotten. Come in..." Jodha sat straight smiling.

Meena with shy steps entered into the room and Jodha started enquiring her about her health. Soon her spoilt mood turned normal while talking, though she was becoming unmindful again and again. Meena had watched it, and as per her habit, started putting her valuable comments. "You are sad as Sab has shouted on you, isn't it? Sab is always like this! Loses his temper when he gets angry! But he does not know how to tame anger inside. I have seen a lot of all these!"

Meena told a new thing! Sab is always like this! Jodha was amused. "So you mean you are accustomed with this angry form of Jalal?"

"Those had been daily stuffs madam!" Meena chuckled. "I am working here since they have come, and I have never seen Sab and Mem-sab quarrelling! They used to fight in every petty matter... Mem-sab was too... she used to start with each and every thing, and sab used to get angry then... off! Even they used to start throwing things out of rage; used to fight literally-when quarrel used to touch the peak! Now wasn't it funny? I know sab used to love mem-sab so much... else none cares their ailing wife like this... but still..."

Meena was blabbering more, but the little was getting access inside Jodha's ears. She was thinking something else...

"I don't think they used to fight when Ruqaiya was ill, did they?" She suddenly questioned. And in reply Meena blabbered out a lot of things. "What are you telling! They didn't fight? No way. All time I remember, Mem-sab fussing in rage and Sab shouting on her in anger! When enraged sab perhaps used to forget about mem-sab's health; and Mem-Sab was too! Aree your husband is doing so many things for you, be grateful to him...no!! And Sab perhaps had become too much stubborn at last days; else why he used to do such acts much which were not liked by her. Can any wife bear his husband to roam around with some other g..." She stopped suddenly understanding that she is crossing limit! Jodha was staring at her. To avoid that piercing gaze perhaps she changed the direction of her talk... "Even the evening before her demise, both were quarrelling like insane!"

"The evening before she died?" Jodha repeated with doubtful gaze. "Yes Madam! Mem-Sab was abusing sab very badly, and he was also losing his temper. I had fled just that time..." She giggled as if she was talking about any funny incident. "Sab's anger is such a dangerous thing that he can even kill someone in rage. So why to take risk when you love your life and ears?"

Her words stung Jodha's ear suddenly. "Was the reason of their fight me?" Her direct question made Meena quite uncomfortable. And her silence gave the answer on her behalf. Jodha sighed for once. What she would have been done if she was in her situation?

Is this the only reason behind the burden of Jalal's guilt? Being the reason of her decision of ending her life?

She decided to throw these thoughts out of her head for sometimes, and concentrated on Meena. After prescribing the name of the medicine she got up and got the key of the cupboard. "Wait for a while before going. Let me give your salary of this month!"

"Sure Madam." She said and was about to go out of the room but Jodha stopped her. "Hey, where are you going? First take your salary."

"No you were opening the cupboard so..." Meena chuckled. "Actually Mem-Sab never used to allow me inside the bedroom when she is opening cupboard or keeping the important keys somewhere or..."

"Really?" In spite of her promise of not thinking about all these anymore, she had to ask this question. "Meena, had you handed your Mem-Sab something that morning from the cupboard? Some medicines... like tablets..."

"Medicine? That too from cupboard? No!" She told smiling. "Yes I had given her an album from the bookshelf; and also the writing pad and pen... She had wanted that just after Sab left for office. Then..." She tried to remember. "Then she told that she will sleep and I went to kitchen. After some time the doorbell rung and I opened the door; the nurse came... She entered into the room and then discovered..." She sighed huge. "If I would go for once to her before the nurse came!"

"The nurse came, and found her already consuming pills! You have not given her the pills then from where did she get them!" Jodha murmured. Meena didn't give her the foil of sleeping-pills. It was never a carelessness of nurse as she had no access to the cupboard of bedroom... and she was not present in the meantime! So... who gave her pills? Jalal? Maybe unmindfully he left the foil near Ruqaiya's hand and she got those... maybe that the reason of his hidden anxiety and self-condemnation!

But another question arose in her mind again. Why the hell would Jalal need to get the pills out of the lock? Ruqaiya was never prescribed to be given any dosage of any type of nervous drug; and hopefully Jalal was not showing his medical knowledge over doctors... And also Jalal would not seek a sound sleep at those crucial nights. Then why? What the foil of sleeping-pills were doing near Ruqaiya's hand?

After returning home from office, Jalal was totally confused to see the profound darkness inside his flat. Even none had opened the door for him in spite of ringing calling bell more than 5 times! Where have the people gone?

"Jodha..." he called out. No one answered. The suspicious environment of the house was bringing fear in mind now. He switched on the light and found everything alright in the drawing room. Only no one was there.

"Jodhaaa..." This time he called louder. Luckily he got answer this time. "I'm here!" Jodha's voice flowed from inside.

"What are you doing in dark?" Jalal got inside the bedroom. The room was also dark; the moonlight coming from the opened door of the balcony had fallen on the bed, enlightening the room with a dim yet enchanting glow. This darkness seemed intolerable to him; the silence of moonlight was going to grab him. Getting irritated, he threw his purse and mobile on the bed; and again called out. "Where are you?"

"Right here!" As expected, Jodha's cold, expressionless voice came from balcony. Jalal sighed and moved towards her. The small balcony attached with the bedroom... Jodha is standing alone in the dark, staring at sky! Her uncombed open hairs are flowing in the gentle breeze; she is looking like stony idol standing in the river of moonlight... Jalal gulped, tried to touch her... his hand got the touch of her shoulder, but it seems her heart has gone too far away to be touched!

"I am really very sorry for the incident of morning Jodha!" He uttered in a guilty tone. "I am very sorry!"

Jodha did not reply.

"What happened Jodha? Are you still so much angry on me..." Jalal tried to pull her closer being intimated with her, but she did not respond. Her eyes formally contacted with his eyes, and she asked. "What do you want? Tea? Coffee? Or dinner?"

I want you! I want you like my old days! His heart cried out, but the shield covering the heart readily absorbed the vapour of emotions. Lips wedged rebellion, and the words of heart remained inside the heart. He cannot desire her from his heart... the reflection of the pale, listless ailing ugly face stands in front of him each and every moment... I will be there between you both! I will not die so easily!

"Where's Meena?" Jalal asked somewhat casually! Jodha slowly put Jalal's hand down from her shoulder- "I told her not to come in evening."

"Oh!"Jalal did not question anything more. Neither did he find anything to move the conversation further... especially after Jodha put down his hand and again stared at the luminous sky. Nor could he go away from there... he kept staring at her, sighed! He never should have indulged her in his troubles of life! He is making her life hell while burning his own soul in the furnace for no reason! He actually has exploited her unconditional love towards him... He is ditching her... just like he did with...

Jalal gulped to stop the direction of his thoughts; and simultaneously Jodha raised a topic to talk about... and her voice had something to stun him! "Go and get fresh! I need to talk with you..." She asked without shivering her voice.

"What... tell..." Jalal was stammering as he was tensed. Jodha's answer to his shout of the morning was ringing in his ears. Does she want to leave him forever? "I am really very ashamed for morning Jodha... I promise it will never repeat!" He said, and simultaneously promised to try his best to set out a normal life-journey with his Jodha! But when Jodha looked at him everything lost their way! Those piercing eyes were parching his heart- was reading out all from his soul through the eyes. She has such a personality with dominates even without uttering a word!

"I want to talk about something different."

"What?" His voice rose as he was not able to stare to her glare anymore.

"How did Ruqaiya get the sleeping pills when those were inside the cupboard?"

Jalal felt someone whipped him cruelly. The earth under his feet vibrated, and he managed to hold his balance while his legs were trembling. He rubbed his lips for once, gulped and then triggered harshly- too harsh to be abnormal. "How would I know?"

"Who else would know other than you? You are the owner of the house; the keys of the cupboard were with you always. Isn't it fishy that Ruqaiya got those pills in her hand for suicide when she had no strength to get those from own?"

"I... I..." Jalal tried hard not to stammer. "Why are you asking these? That chapter is over!"

"Is the chapter really over?" Jodha's stern voice echoed in darkness. "Then why can't you sleep peacefully at night? Why do you stay unmindful all the time? Why you need stress-relievers? Why the time seems to be burden on you? Tell me?" She came closer. "Why do you try to hide from yourself all the time? Why can't you just move on?"

"Is it your problem that I have not yet got out completely from my past?" Jalal's voice was rising with his inner strangulation.

"No. But I need to know why you fear from your past; but can't get rid of it!" Jodha was as cool as before. "I need to know what is the reason which is eating you up from inside. I want to know..." Her voice was as low as a whisper "if that has any relation with Ruqaiya's suicide!"

"What do you mean? What do you mean?" Jalal shouted.

"I don't mean anything. I just want to know the dark part behind the truth of Ruqaiya's suicide."

"I don't want to discuss about that!"

"But I want." Jodha had a firm determination in her eyes. "As her doctor I have the right to know."

"Are you accusing me??" Jalal clutched her shoulders in blind rage. The vapour of condemnation had gathered together inside his heart, and were going to burst out any time as a volcano of fury and rage! But Jodha had no change in her expression. "Why are you taking it as an accusation? Why are you reacting so much?" She asked. "Don't you want to know who opened the door of your cupboard to give your wife those pills? It was neither the maid, nor the nurse and that's confirmed. Then there is one and only possibility..."

"Jodha!!" Jalal was trembling in a strange excitement! "You yourself had signed the death-certificate of normal death!"

"Yes I did taking a grand risk for my professional life in your request only to relieve you from the problems of police case..." She stated. "But you know better than me that her death is not normal. And there IS a part in the story which we do not know! The part whose load you are bearing in all those days which does not let you breath- does not let you sleep!"

"Stop these and come inside Jodha!"

"It's not the agony of her death Jalal which I used to feel at first! No! You were not much broken- rather was feeling kind of relieved when you got the news of her death... now what happen suddenly Jalal that you are unable to get out of the loop?" Is it only a self-blaming? Or some bigger...

"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY???? THAT I KILLED HER?" Jalal screamed out and the voice pierced the night sky!

"I never said it! Don't scream. Why are you reacting such way?" Jodha's voice shivered this time. "I want to help you out Jalal! I want to live with you!"

"You mean to say it na?? What do you want to hear? What do you want to hear? That I have... that I am a murderer isn't it??" Jalal lashed out like a mad. "Okay I am telling you truth! I have killed my wife. I... I admit... I had mixed the pills in her glass... so that she sleeps forever!" His face became violent, eyes became vicious. In an almost soundless voice which had broken due to scream, he whispered coming closer to her. "Yes, I took the foil of pills out of the cupboard; mixed those in her water... not by mistake but deliberately... because I wanted freedom from her! That's what you want to hear na? Yes I have... I have..."

His voice sank suddenly as he had knelt down clenching his hairs in front of Jodha... And an owl hooted nearby...

Originally posted by: Kavya_P

me first