SS:Papa and his Pari(Dev-Soha Bonding)*COMPL* EPILOGUE pg124 26/3/2017 - Page 71

Originally posted by: Anjali333

Fir to mil hi jaegi

CHAPTER-4

Dev walked to Soha's room after having a word with Sonakshi... His eyes were leaking, he was hurt... But his daughter didn't need to know all the details... He decided that he will live the moment whatever he gets with his daughter, and thus, he spent the rest of the time with Suhana, just the way she wanted. He played with her toys... She had a Barbie... He learnt how to braid those hairs on the doll first and then he braided his own doll cum daughter's hair... She looked a little funny, since her papa had not had as much neatness at she had when her Mumma braided her hair, but nevertheless, she loved it since it was the first time her papa made her hair...

He saw her notebooks and her report cards till now, a sense of pride puffed his chest up... His daughter really is a smart, Golu didn't over said when he told that Miss. Suhana Bose considers herself very smart, because she really is very smart... Not just academic studies, but her drawing... His eyes leaked with happiness, she had a hand in doodling just like her mother had... All her drawings for a six-year-old were adorable and beautiful...

It was nearing dinner, and Asha came to call them for the meal... He though sat on the dining chair, but didn't make a plate for himself... Instead, his daughter climbed on his lap, and he fed her all the dinner... Asha insisted him for dinner, but his eyes politely refused, he didn't want to waste time eating his food... He was happy to make her eat with his own hand while her sitting on his lap... His stomach was filling with his heart filling with happiness and love...

"Soha, chalo it's sleeping time..." Sonakshi advised Soha after dinner. What she had expected for Soha to climb down his lap and get into her room... Instead, she asked her father to take her to the room and read her a bed time story... Sonakshi and Bijoy looked agape, while Asha smiled at the indulgence her granddaughter was doing for her new-found father...

Sonakshi stood quietly at the threshold of the room she and her daughter shared... Dev was sprawled all over the bed on her side... her pillow supporting his back, just like the spine he never had... As if it had her touch to back him up with whatever the situation was. Soha had her head on Dev's chest, while her entire body was sprawled all over Dev... Her breathing was even... She had dozed off in a deep slumber... Dev still had the story book open, and was narrating the story... He looked down at his little bundle of his joy and kissed her pretty head, that was all easy in his arms... He slowly turned on his sides holding her close to himself, to make her sleep on her back... His girl didn't squirm... She was peacefully asleep... He patted on her lightly for more times... His fingers removing the fringes from her eyes that might disturb her... kissing once again, he got up from the bed... Sonakshi dispersed immediately, before he sees her... And he left the Bose House in a jiffy, without a single word to anyone... Both Dev and Sonakshi had tears rolling down their eyes like a rain pour... As if, the clouds had decided to free themselves from the heaviness... He was too overwhelmed to strike any sort of a conversation, and she was overjoyed seeing what she had dreamt all these years... Both could not speak even if they were asked to...

Sonakshi settled herself beside Suhana, the place where Dev occupied some minutes back. She could feel his warmth... His cologne was as if dispersed in the air and she could feel his presence even when he is not around... She kept playing with the ring in her finger, thinking about his visit... She could not believe her eyes... It was as if she knows neither Dev nor Suhana. Suhana grew up very quickly as a kid and never allowed anyone to feed her, make her sit in their lap, read story or put her to bed... She didn't even allow her Dadu and Dida all this, but obliged and wilfully indulged Dev and even requested to lift her up in his arms as if all these years she was reserving her tantrums for her father. As if nobody but he could explore that part of her... Her daughter missed her father so much, and they never realised...

Dev, Sonakshi was confused beyond limits with his behaviour... The Dev she knew would have shouted and confronted her right away but this was something new. He was calm, he was composed... He indulged Soha like none of them could... What was up with him?

Both, Dev and Sonakshi stayed up till dawn, still both couldn't understand their feelings... Sonakshi was confused and scared of Dev's reaction whereas Dev was swinging between being too happy and too hurt. He did not understand which side of his emotion weighed more...

It was a normal day for everyone next morning... Except for Suhana... She had springs in her feet and unlike everyday, Suhana was too cheerful and excited to go to school before time... Sona wondered it correctly, it was because she was to meet her papa there, who will come to drop Golu... Not just Sonakshi, but this didn't go unnoticed by anyone else at Bose House either... Bijoy was angry in the first place seeing Dev at his home the entire last evening, and now Soha was getting attached to her father invariably. There was a unsaid tension in the environment. Everyone knew how ruthless Dev can be if he wants to and Dev's silence has added to everyone's misery, no one knew what storm this silence had hold. Nevertheless, they need to cross the bridge only when it comes... With an unsaid approval, Sonakshi went to drop Suhana... Dev was already waiting with Golu. They all spent some time before the bell rang for the commencement of the day and the kids ran to their class kissing both the adults a good bye...

Sonakshi was about to leave, when she heard Dev say- "Sonakshi, I need some answers and I need them right now. Could you spare some time for me?" he asked... Sonakshi turned to have a look at him, Dev had read her confusion... He immediately interjected- "Neither I did not want us to argue before on Suhana nor I wanted to stress the child with our strained relationship... But now as she is in school and we can have our much-needed conversation." He spoke... The look in his eyes and his voice were proofs of the fury he was holding. Sonakshi didn't ask anything further knowing now was the time for some answers and Dev deserved to know why she did whatever she did.

On a mutual consent, Dev and Sonakshi went to the Bose House into Sona's room and after telling everyone to not disturb by Sonakshi, Dev locked the room to have their much-needed conversation. He needed to know why Sonakshi hid his baby from him... "Sonakshi, I thought whole night as to why and what were your reasons for hiding Soha from me,but could not reach any conclusion." Both well silent thereafter... There was painful silence ensued into the room, both trying to break it but failing in their attempts. Finally after what it seemed like eternity it was Sonakshi, whose voice was cracking with an uncertain fear- " Look Dev, I know it wasn't right hiding your baby, our baby from you and I will do anything that can rectify this mistake but please, don't take Suhana away from me, please Dev, I won't be able to survive without her." She told him pleadingly.

Dev looked at Sonakshi as if he was looking at her for the first time, he was numb... He didn't know what to ask anymore and didn't even realise when his tears crossed the barriers of his eyes. His eyes were clouded with tears, just like his brain was clouded by so many thoughts... "Seven years ago, I thought nothing could hurt me more, after you left... But, today, right now I don't know what has hurt me more... Your request? Or the thought that you could think so low of me?" his throat got clogged and his voice was giving away but he would say his part today, and that is what he was doing.

Sonakshi waited for Dev to say something else, but his tears and the extreme sadness on his face were making her more and more restless. She couldn't help but loose the restraint of holding back her tears, ever since Soha's birth...

Dev had moved to window and with his back facing Sonakshi and said- "You always knew I wanted a daughter, I dreamt about her even before we planned our wedding... But still, when doctor said you can never be a mother I happily accepted that I can never be a father too... Because for me if a child calls me papa he must call you maa whether you give birth to him or not; doesn't matter... In Shimla you said ki mujhe koi fark nahi padta ki tum mujhe ek bachha bhi paida karke nahi de sakti, this was right in a way Sonakshi mujhe sach me is baat se koi fark nahi padta tha. Mere liye tumse zyada important kuch bhi nahi tha... I know I hurried for the fertility treatment thing... I agreed for your treatment because at that time I could not find any other way to get maa home and complied to her demands and thought you won't have any problem because earlier night you said it yourself that you want to be a mother, you want to give birth to a baby. I just took your consent as mine since I thought I knew you so well... But I never knew that you can think so low of me Sonakshi... Such low that you would ask me if I will throw you out of my life in case treatment fails. But then it was just not yet... You thought I thought you of a gold digger and I am jealous to think of your success or I don't want you to succeed... Arre pagli, I have been that one guy who must have told you "I am proud of you" more than "I love you" ... A person who at every point have admired you for whoever you are, would not want your success??? On one side I will tell you every time that I can't live without you and on other side I will decide to put the conditions of our separation? But that was also not enough that now you think I will separate you from our daughter or rather separate my daughter from her mother? How can you Sonakshi?? How can you think that a man who could not get separated from his own mother, will even try to snatch a mother from his child? That man, who was fatherless for most of his life or rather knew exactly what it is to have a single parent, will make his child motherless? And just because you thought I will separate you and Suhana, you decided that I don't deserve to be informed about my daughter? Until today you had said me many names Sonakshi but you had never hurt me like today... You are 33 years and still you need your father and you in less than 5 mins decided that my daughter does not need one... How could you do this to your daughter, my daughter, our daughter, Sonakshi? Am I that of a bad human that you think my daughter is better being fatherless than having me as a father? Itna gira hua hoon main tumhaari nazron mein Sonakshi ki you declare that I don't even exist? If it is so kyun aayi thi mujhe bachaane tum? Chod deti main wahin pade-pade mar jaata... I would have happily ceased to exist rather than knowing that my wife chose to make my daughter fatherless." Dev was breathless asking all this...

For the first time in years Sonakshi did not know what to say, she knew this is going to be very difficult but she could have never imagined the extent of raw pain she was witnessing, the magnitude of his hurt... For the first time, she was questioning herself about her decision to not let Dev know about Suhana...

Dev quickly wiped his tears and decided to leave... he did not want any more answers, He was done with whatever he witnessed... If these are the answers he would get he would never want any answers... Not on his lifetime... He was about to leave but when he reached the door, stopped and turned to sona and said- "Be assured, no one will take away Suhana from you not until I am alive . She will always be Suhana Bose as you want but I would like to be a part of her life and will be grateful if you allow me to and if can be cordial before of her." And with that Dev was gone without a backward glance and behind him he left a teary Sonakshi, who could not help but think what it would have been if she had told Dev about Suhana earlier .

~~THANKS FOR READING~~