EPILOGUE
Ishwari Niwas was buzzing with activity and enthusiasm today... What with the fragrance of fresh flowers in the air that decorated each nook and corner of this house, and what with the settings and decorations done to accommodate the auspicious occasion of the Naamkaran Ceremony of the youngest member of this family... Tiny Obhodro who was named Ansh by his elder sister Suhana; was a baby born after 8 years in this Dixit household, and it held a lot of importance as this one was Dev and Sonakshi's child that was born with them together this time... To say everybody was happy, wasn't a lie; but happiness could not be described what Dev and Sonakshi felt right now... To become parents is something they had already felt with Soha, but they still knew no words that could express what they felt right now... No words existed in any dictionary that could justify the emotions they felt in the last 18 months... The emotions that they thought did not exist in them anymore... The feelings that had got buried in the ashes after the fires in their hearts because of their separation... But they existed in the most prominent way, and it did find its own path...
Both could not help but go through their journey which started as a compromise to make their baby girl feel good and happy in real sense and today they were sitting for a family photograph with Dev and Sonakshi also... Dev always had this pang in his heart that Sonakshi wasn't included in their family photographs ever... He had struggled so hard to get Sonakshi that place and position in his family, where he failed miserably each time, in the process hurting Sonakshi the most... But today was a different day, different time and a totally different equation... Sonakshi was rightfully sitting for the family photograph with Dev... Their Tiny Khargosh, Suhana in Dev's lap and their Tiny Obhodro in Sonakshi's lap... The best thing was that Golu, Dev's junior, he didn't have to be compromising on the love of his Big Cha or for that Bigchi too, because he was rightfully pulled up on Dev and Sona's lap, equally...
Facing the camera, they couldn't help getting lost in their own memory world, Dev and Sonakshi thought about the day where things started taking a turning point... After their talk at his office, Dev had moved partially to Bose house, much to Bijoy's annoyance and Ishwari's fear... Bijoy was so highly miffed that he was hardly talking to even Sonakshi, much to her chagrin, but nothing had stopped Dev, he was determined to give both the children all his love and had organised his schedule and living arrangements such, daily that it could accommodate both Soha and Golu's demands, without any one of them feeling neglected... He instead neglected himself... But did everything solely for both the kids who loved him without a condition...
Sonakshi at times could not believe the man he has become... Is he really the same man with whom she had lived 7 years back? She wondered quite many times... He was a total change. Right from managing all his chores on his own, to his cupboard, he didn't need anybody's help for anything... She had once opened his cupboard in the Bose House to take some of Soha's stuff that she had kept in her father's almirah, Sonakshi was astounded... Clothes neatly stacked, shirts free of creases, hanging in a line... Work clothes separated, Home clothes in a different section... Night clothes neatly put... Drawers had his socks and stuff... Everything as precisely done as if he had called someone else to do this work... But she knew, nobody did his chores here... It has become his own habit... She could see that...
Sonakshi also marked that he hardly ever talked to Ishwari or entertained any of her unreasonable demands like calling Soha to Ishwari Niwas permanently instead of him living at those strangers' place... Sonakshi knew him well enough, and knew when his mother would present with another abstract thought of hers and how he will react through his uncomfortable body language... But he never responded to them as if he turns deaf every time his mother makes any of those IF-PIGS-COULD-FLY thoughts of hers... Sonakshi could hardly recognize the man she married... For all the good reasons, of course... He wasn't a bad man earlier either. But he has tried to forgo with some of his drawbacks, and Sonakshi couldn't help wonder this huge change in him...
If seeing Dev Sona was restless regarding the change in him, Dev was no better either... He would constantly try finding his old Miss. Khargosh in Dr. Sonakshi Bijoy Bose, mother of his child; with whom he was living these days... She has turned very practical... A lot more no-nonsensible... Nothing but Suhana could make her smile a few days back... She was in short holding up the exterior of the old Mr. Dev Dixit, that he was until Sonakshi met...
It was hard for them to live and survive the last 7 years... Only they both know what they have went through the hardships of life... But now this was getting even harder... Harder than the entire full of thorns during those 7 years... because it was hardest to stay indifferent... They had not even succeeded in really hating each other all these years when they were apart, and it was even more difficult now, since they now lived together, they worked together, and even provided for their daughter together... More than curiosity, the care and friendship they held many years ago, made them want to know each and everything about the times of each other's absence, but how to ask and let the other one know that they cared and they still care was a big question... They can't after all just jump on this extremely difficult topic, and start talking randomly... Both did not have that strength right now to delve into another confrontation and heart to heart conversations... Their staying together for their daughter in such tough circumstances was anyway draining them... Procrastination is after all for less courageous people... And they were trying to hide until the shields break down...
But they say, man proposes, God disposes; since he has better plans... Dev and Sonakshi had a consensus without a word, and they kept postponing to have a conversation about all these years... But when God has his plans, nobody else's plans and consensus work... That is when one fine day Elena crashed into Sonakshi on their ways to home when both decided to talk over coffee in the nearest cafe. Both the sisters missed having those lively chats long ago, and thus they began chatting at leisure... Golu was to go to the park with Dev, and Suhana was already with him... Both the mothers had no hurry to reach home, and thus Elena began talking about all these years... What began about talking about their respective motherhood, turned into eye openers for Sonakshi... Elena, first of all has changed a lot, she has matured over time... And what made her mature left Sonakshi astounded... "Sona, tu sahi kehti thi... Ye Dixits and Tripathis bohot ajeeb hain... I mean, jo log khud apne apno ke nahi hain wo tere ya mere kya honge..." Elena spoke with a tired tone...
Though Sonakshi had no interest in knowing about her ex-in-laws, but it still is Elena's family, and thus she held her curiosity intact: "Matlab, Dev ne kuch kiya kya tum logo ke saath?" Sonakshi though knew very well, Dev was not the one to hurt his own family... But she didn't think she holds any rights on any other member of that house other than the man, who is her daughter's father...
"Dev Bhai ne nahi, Dev Bhai ke saath... Kya kuch nahi kiya Dev Bhai ne apni family and relatives ke liye... Aur kya kuch nahi karte... He doesn't deserve such people Sona... They in return gave him nothing but pain, deceit, heart break, distrust, and loads of tears..." Elena spoke in a sad tone...
"I didn't get you Ele! What did his family do?" Sonakshi was non plussed...
"Ask me instead what they didn't do Sona... Right from breaking your relation with him to making Dev Bhai's business come down to the roads... They did everything... You left Dev Bhai because of that Prenuptial Contract na? You think Dev Bhai made it? No Sona! It was all Buaaji's, his mother's doing... She made that contract without his knowledge... You don't know how angry Bhai was when he came the next day of your divorce... He broke every fine thread of love, respect, and devotion he had for his mother... He blamed her for everything... He is no longer that Dev Bhai anymore... Nothing and no one but Golu and now Soha melt his heart... He has become such stone hearted..." Elena shared the first piece of information...
Sonakshi's mouth would open and close... She wanted to speak, but knew nothing to say... His words still ring in her ears- "Maine nahi banwaya ye Sonakshi... Ye toh maa ne diya... Mujhe yaad bhi nahi, maine isey kab sign kiya tha..." She had not trusted him for his slurred words after drinking... But all he was doing was speaking truth... But he had thrown her family out of the house at midnight, and she was highly miffed at that... "Jo bhi ho, jaise gharwale, waise hi Dev... Can you believe Ele, he threw us out of our own house at midnight, sending Vicky... Does he have any humanity in him or not?" Sonakshi complained...
Elena sighed tiredly- "Trust me when I say, I am a coward at times... I am so ashamed to be a part of such a family, to be the wife of such a crass man, that I dread facing Dev Bhai... I can't lie to you Sonakshi... I guess my silence costed the most... Costed you your marriage...A few days ago I overheard Vicky and Mummyji hissing about this eviction... They boasted the fact that if Soha ever comes to that house, it's no big deal throwing her out as well, how they had done 7 years ago to you and our family, Sona... He was so sure that Dev bhai will again not come to know, as he will again drown in alcohol to realise, he never gave any orders of any eviction... Can you believe how greedy these people are Sona, that it is okay for them to forego humanity too..." Elena's eyes were glazing with tears...
"You can't be serious Elena... Itna kuch ho gaya, and I and Dev have been fighting over things that never happened?" Sonakshi was aghast...
"Sona, that's not all... I eavesdropped more... I need to learn how low have they gone... You remember the tax scam that happened in Dev Bhai's office? He was very angry at you for that? You think he did that scam... Any rewards for the guesses who must have done that when Dev Bhai was propounding that he never worked unfair?" Elena had a cocked eyebrow...
"Vicky again?" Sonakshi asked... She wondered if she could get any more surprised...
"Well... Yes! Dev Bhai wasn't lying... His own brother was holing in his pockets... Wonder how Gareeb ki Beti became an Ex-Gareeb ki Beti?" Elena was in a mood nobody could decipher, if she was furious, or she was saddened, or was she amused or did she feel numb?
Sonakshi blew out a heavy breath- "Is that it? Or am I going to be surprised anymore?"
"Abhi kahan... Listen more... You are mightily connected to Dev Bhai... He was beaten up by goons, and you landed there to save him... God knows how. Vicky had sent those goons Sona... Can you believe? The brother who made him eat even without making him move an ass... Vicky tried to kill him so that he doesn't investigate the scam he was fruitfully working in... Vicky is that kind of a scoundrel!" Elena was disgusted...
"What is the use of telling me all this Ele! Do you realise I and Dev have moved so much apart...? We can't pull back to where we were 7 years back... How much ever we want..." Sonakshi felt dejected...
"Someone said- I am a firm believer that whoever is meant to be in your life will always gravitate back towards you, regardless how far they wander... Sona, this cannot be a mere and sheer luck that even after separation, a miracle happens and you find yourself pregnant... You give birth to his child and grow her up, and one day land up in the same city as of his... Not just that... She is the classmate of the very child who is closest to him... He comes to know about her despite all efforts to protect Soha... He leaves everything aside to give his daughter what he had missed all his life- A FATHER... This is not luck, it is destiny Sona... You needed to know what a gem you had found as a life partner, and what his family made you believe... Sona, trust me, he is loving Soha with all his might... But he needs you with the same intensity... Dev Bhai doesn't cry, but he desperately needs a shoulder... And not the people who cheated on him can give him a shoulder... He needs you Sonakshi... And I know you very well... However independent and all that you profess yourself to be, you seek his dependence when Soha doesn't listen, when you are emotionally vulnerable, when you need a partner to listen... Don't you think you need him as well?" Elena asked her sister... A person who has always been level headed... But circumstances have befuddled her...
"Thank you Ele, for everything... I will see you soon... I need to get back home..." Sonakshi hugged her sister and then sat in the waiting car that swished out for the Bose House...All the way through Sonakshi couldn't help twist her kurta and then untwist it in her own mental struggle... It's no rocket science to realise that last 7 years were nothing short of a nightmare for Dev and had it not been for Golu, he might not have even survived just like her... What all he was going through, and she thought she had the biggest sorrows of being left by her husband midway when she needed him the most... Did she even stay with him when he needed her the most? She had a tough period for those nine months without him, after that she had Suhana... But did his struggle end even with Golu's birth? He was amidst turmoil, and she never knew what all he was enduring in her absence, and she called herself to be the strongest person? She would have broken into pieces had she been in his place... Sonakshi was thrown forward with the car putting on brakes, the driver had brought her to Bose House...
Sonakshi reached home and went straight to her room, without a single word... Suitcases and bags all were out and she had started packing... Her, Suhana's and even Dev's stuff... She was in a great hurry... Asha came up to the room hearing the commotion and slowly the rest of them joined... Even Dev was back with Suhana, dropping Golu at Ishwari Niwas... Everyone was confused seeing her pack... She wasn't answering if they were leaving for a trip or something... But they were left shocked when Sona declared that she along with Soha and Dev is moving back to Ishwari Niwas...
"Shona, ki bolcha tumi?" Asha was unable to understand what made such a sudden decision in her daughter...
"Soha, go down and ask Gunni di to make a glass of glucose for me, and then you bring it... Okay?" Sonakshi sat on the bed and instructed her daughter to leave...
Once Soha was off, Sonakshi then told everyone whatever Elena told her... She felt so clogged throat and saddened that she didn't know if she should be crying or keep on pondering... Her eyes were filled with tears... She kept looking at Dev with apologies that she could never utter, and he stood wordless... No expressions seem to be crossing him, except for some hot tears springing out of his eyes realizing how long it took for Sonakshi to know his part of the story... Everyone had tears and they wondered if they were crying for the long-termed misunderstandings being cleared or for the lovers who were burnt in the fire of those misunderstandings... In any case, it was a very arduous process for everyone... After the initial tears, Dev didn't say anything...
While leaving, he turned to the Bose Family for the apologies and apologies especially from Bijoy... He knew he had hurt him the most... In either cases, he needed to apologise... Bijoy now knowing the ordeal Dev went through, forgave him... Taking their blessings Dev moved out with Sonakshi and Suhana... The Boses after long felt as if they gave Sonakshi another Bidaai along with their little bundle of life, Suhana... But some goodbyes are good also... And this one was the best for all the three of them...
Reaching Ishwari Niwas, Sonakshi witnessed a calm and composed Dev of a few moments before in his full fury. Even before he could begin, sensing his anger Sonakshi called for Golu, who held his sister's hand and ran to take her to the terrace to show some amazing stuffs he had there... The kids were too young to witness this adultery, and it rather be good that they are away from earshot.
Once the kids were away, Dev was on his preposition of anger... He didn't even try to mince his words- "Aap log yahan se khud jaayenge, ya main dhakke maar ke yahan se aapko nikaal doon?" Dev's words astounded as well dreaded Radha Rani, to whom the words were directed...
"Waah Dev beta, waah! Ye Bengalan aa gayi aur tu phisal gaya na iske maaya jaal mein!" Radha rani began her vicious words...
"Meri beti ki maa hai wo... Mujhe bilkul bardaasht nahi hoga agar uske saath ab koi badtameezi hui... Aap jaa sakti hain yahan se apne bete ko leke..." Dev was furious as he ruthlessly told to throw Vicky and RR out of his house with clear instructions of never returning...
Radha Rani threw a tantrum asking Ishwari for help, wailing - "Dekh rahi hain na aap Jeeji... How this Bengalan ears filling kar rahi hai my dear Dev's ke..."
Ishwari looked annoyed at both Dev and Sonakshi... Before she could start her entire melodrama, Dev narrated all the truths... and then added - "if anyone wants to keep relation with them they can leave as well." Dev eyed at his mother... Ishwari and Maamaji stood rooted to their spots as they could not believe or realise the evilness of RR and Vicky... Not that Ishwari did great for Deva and Sonakshi, but she never attempted things as gross as the mother and son did... In a spat of moment Elena declared her decision of getting divorced from Vicky.
"Tera dimaag kharaab ho gaya hai Elena... Tu mujhe chodhegi?" Vicky was about to step over to harass Elena, when Dev stood between them... "Apne aap iss ghar se nikloge ya usi tarah se nikaaloon tumhe jaise tumne Sonakshi ki family ko nikaala tha, dhakke maar ke? Aaj toh na maine sharaab pee hai, aur na maine hosh gawaaye hain... Aaj mujhe sab yaad bhi rahega, aur main regret bhi nahi karunga..." Dev's eyes were spitting fire...Vicky held his mother's hand and dragged her out, who was busy catching the glimpses of the riches, she would miss now...
Dev Sonakshi moved to their old room with Suhana and from that day on the routine which was formed in Bose house continued... Sona and Suhana on bed and Dev either on the couch or on bed with Suhana properly tucked between Sona and Dev... A lot of things were clear and still a lot were remaining... They both were realising their share of faults in their broken marriage and knew where they faltered, but taking a step ahead with each other was something which they dreaded... They knew if they break this time they won't be able to gather themselves and with Suhana involved, the stakes were very high to take the risk... So, they didn't even try to change anything... Things needed to keep on going the same way right now...
But somethings are not in their own control... Heart is one such thing... It neither lets the human decide its owner, nor does it let have the human's own control... They didn't know for how long they can control their heart and body to react to each other... Strong emotions evoked them, and they knew they needed to talk and that too badly... But what to talk and how to talk was again the question... To initiate things, was again difficult...
On the other hand, Ishwari was not happy with things not going according to her... The trio, Dev, Sonakshi and Suhana spent their Saturday nights in BH much to her irritation and Dev had made sure that Sonakshi decides whatever is good for Suhana and her decision should not be countered very much to her irritation... Ishwari has always been the supreme decision maker, and she wanted to make decisions for Soha as well, but they were never made so... It was Sonakshi who decided when Soha needs to sleep, when she would play and when she would study... She was the mother and decided the best for her child... But it wasn't going down good with Ishwari... And one day when Ishwari could not take it, she asked Dev- "Let Suhana come to Ishwari Niwas directly from school and do not send her to Bose House Dev... It is not always good to be staying daily at her Nana-naani's house! And Dev, change Suhana's name, beta...Suhana Bose nahin... Suhana Dixit... Wo tumhari beti hai, koi Vijay Bhaisahab ki nahi, jo unka naam lagaaye..." Ishwari was firm...
It didn't take Dev another moment as he firmly declined her stating- "Maa, Suhana is comfortable in her schedule there at Bose House and she has been staying with them for years now so they should give her time she wants... We don't have some mould to keep on changing Soha's structure... And maa... Soha is Sonakshi's daughter too, and I do not care if Soha uses his surname or Sona's... She will anyway remain our daughter... So, I think you should not bother..."
What they had thought to make each other understand, Dev and Ishwari turned into having a huge argument over it with Dev's mouth finally blurting everything to Ishwari in clear words, what he had not exactly said in over years- "Maa, mujhe Soha bohot mushkilo se mili hai... Main aapko bata bhi nahi sakta how hard I have tried in making Sonakshi trust me that I will never let anything less than the best happen to our daughter... But, you can't help ruling her life as well... You love interfering unnecessarily... Sonakshi is her mother, and she has every right to decide what is right and what is wrong for her child... Just like you can't tolerate anyone questioning and interfering in how you have grown me up, how can you do that to her? Your interference and my desire to always keep you happy and pleased, they have costed on my relationship with Sonakshi... the only relation which was only mine and the one who loved him without any conditions... But my inablity to be firm with her 7 years back, I lost the only person I wanted for myself and still very much crave it each day... Each day, I crave for her to cross the barrier of being my daughter's mother and come back as my wife... Sab aapki wajah se..." Dev couldn't help speaking his heart out...
"Dev, I thought you became a father, and now will understand a mother's pain... But No, you couldn't... Because your wife took my son away... This man is desperate to become a father and husband, but has no cares for his own mother..." Ishwari was hurt...
"Maa, your insecurities took away your son, not Sonakshi and if this continues, I will surely move out with Sonakshi and Suhana... Because no matter what, I have no more strength to leave them anymore... I want them, I want my daughter and I need my partner as well..." Dev was firm...
All this while unknown to Dev, Sonakshi stood at the door, hearing everything that was transpiring... It felt like that was the moment when she finally decided to talk to Dev anyhow and risk her heart again... She can't play a coward anymore... She needs to give him what he deserves, her heart, her love, only to realise her heart never returned to her... It has always been with Dev... Had it returned to her, she might have moved on... But that was never a case... She could never take anyone as her husband, but Dev...
That night after Suhana slept, Dev and Sonakshi talked... Everything, from A to Z until they were left with nothing inside them. They talked about everything, ranging from their disappointments, their expectations, their failures, their pain, how much they missed each other... They talked everything possible between them, that created their differences... By the end of it they were so exhausted that they dint have energy to move to bed and slept in the wee hours sitting and hugging each other. Known to the fact that the dawn will mark the new dawn of their relationship... After that, not many things changed but they surely grew comfortable around each other... They grew to became friends once again... The same friends who would chat and flirt with each other... Sonakshi never knew, he inculcated this skill of flirting so well over these years that sometimes, he would succeed I making her blush to the roots... They began having fun and with each passing day it was getting difficult to keep their hands off each other... They could never deny the sexual tension in them right from the time they have cleared the clouds of misunderstandings... But just friends wasn't something that they could tag themselves as... Once a couple, always a couple, that was what worked in their brains and so they mutually decided to get married to each other once again... There was no denial in the fact that Husband and Wife... This is the most blissful thing for them apart from being parents... And no matter how much friendship they claim, love is the most prominent...
The Bose family was happy with the news of marriage... Suhana was super excited for her parents' marriage... After all, how many children get to attend their own parents' wedding... Golu still cries seeing his mother's wedding pictures, complaining that he wasn't invited into the wedding... Soha had a solid reason to tease him... She was so happy... And Ishwari had no other option, but to accept...
Dev and Sonakshi got married in simple ceremony in temple and that night Boses took Suhana and Golu with them for the sleepover, telling them, how cool it is to stay at Dida's home over a night... When big Dida would tell many stories, Asha Dida would make delicious breakfast... And Dadu would play with them, and Saurabh Maamu accepted to be their elephant ride... The kids were happy and they went to the Bose House...
It wasn't any typical Suhaag Raat for Dev and Sonakshi, where she would have shied away, and he kept on cajoling her into the love feast... That night there was no stopping them... Seven years of separation was breaking loose... Their hands couldn't stop exploring each other, their mouths feasted on each other like their life depended on it... Dev has always been a dominant partner in their mating... Today both gave it for a toss... If he was a Lion, she was a Lioness herself... It was a love battle of dominance to mark their love, submission coming from neither ends... As if they needed to sate their fires first inside to ablaze the volcanos of molten lavas inside them... It was a sheer bliss after a heck of an aggressive love making... Nothing tiring them for long!
It was a month later that Sonakshi's birthday fell for the first time in Ishwari Niwas... She couldn't stay long in this house, longer enough to celebrate her birthday... But this time it happened, and Dev threw an extremely lavish party for his wife and pampered her to bits... These days, everything happened to them at extremes... Fulfilling the quota of the last 7 years, and gladly they did... Sonakshi was accustoming herself to the idea of those extremes, and she was readily accepting everything that he offered... Be it love or be it pampering and care...
Post the birthday party, Sonakshi lay quietly in the bed, playing unmindful with the pendant of her mangalsutra... Dev kept a pile of her birthday gifts that she received... She opened none of them...
"Kya hua? Gifts nahi dekhna?" he asked her, as he kept the gifts on the side table...
"Dev, can you gift me something else I wish for?" she asked him still in her thoughts...
Dev was on his feet, and he bent half ways and spoke- "Jo hokum mere aaqa... Tell me what this husband of yours can give you?" he asked her...
"Dev, can you give me a baby? Like, another baby?" she asked him, rather requested him... Like he would ever deny her this happiness...
Dev was confused as he too wanted one to may be live the moments which he had missed and sceptical for Sona's health- "Sonakshi, you know it, I love you to bits... Nothing but having another baby could make me happier... But Sonakshi, I am worried for your health too... And I can't put you through the same ordeal of making a baby when your body is not co-operating..." Dec shared his tension...
"Dev, I conceived Soha without any medical help or procedures... I have gone through a mentally low phase during my pregnancy, and yet delivered Soha normally... If this time we take a little advice from doctor, some medical help... Who knows it may work? We won't share this decision, until everything is confirmed... When no one knows, nobody will question either." Sonakshi wanted her husband's consent, and she felt satisfied at his nod... What more to ask when he is her Rock of Gibraltar, her staunch support system...
Sonakshi still remembers her own happiness when she confirmed with the doctor that she was pregnant, yet again... She could still contain her happiness, because this was her second time... But Dev's expressions were unforgettable... Whenever she would die in her old age, she would want to remember Dev's those expressions of being on the ninth cloud when she had told him about her pregnancy... It was their second baby but it was their first experience as parents together... He had turned insane, and the next nine months passed with Dev being a paranoid... She would scream on Dev at times for his over the top pampering her... For him, she should not be walking, she should not be eating anything she likes, she should not walk down the stairs, she should not be sleeping with Soha, if just in case Soha's leg hit her, she should not be working, she should not be doing any chores... A few days into the schedule, and they started fighting over his paranoid caring, and ending with Sona crying her eyes out because he cared for her like anything... He would bring the world down her feet, if she desired... He wanted to keep her the happiest... "Beautiful kids are born if the mother remains happy!" he would tell her... And Sonakshi guffawed that she wasn't too happy without him when Soha was to be born... "If that sadness brought such a beautiful girl, are we in for giving birth to the future Miss. Universe?" ... Ishwari almost coming around slowly... She couldn't help take care of Sonakshi... No matter what she thought earlier, the grandmother instincts made her care for Sonakshi in the best possible manner... Making laddus for her, knitting booties, and making a good diet... Sonakshi didn't mind gaining some more weight... She should be looking like a mother of two soon... She smiled to herself often...
Suhana and Golu were bonding like real siblings and waiting for their brother, both wanted a brother, a baby boy... Though Dev reprimanded Sonakshi to keep on cribbing for a Tiny Obhodro, as it is great to have a Tiny Khargosh all over again... But the kids never minded it and asked Sonakshi each day to bring a "Munna" that's how their dadi addressed the unborn baby...
Elena over the course got her divorce with full custody of Golu... Vicky anyway didn't earn enough to sustain a life for himself, he was anyway unable to get a livelihood to grow Golu...
Sonakshi could never ever forget the pain on Dev's face when she was having contractions... He complained to her that she never told him that she will have to undergo so much pain... He wouldn't have made her go through all this... And Sonakshi after shrieking after a hard hitting contraction, laughed, as tears of pain rolled out of her eyes, that he wiped immediately- "Now you will understand why a mother loves her child so much... And you will understand, why a father feels so attached to the child even when he didn't undergo this pain... Because it is as difficult for him to watch his love passing out in pain to bring his little part into the world...And trust me Dev, I know both the times the pain is hard hitting... But this one is still bearable, since you are by my side..." and she screamed yet again with the contraction hitting her...
"Damn the woman! She says this pain is bearable... And she still can't help creaming at the top of her lungs trying to push the baby out..." Dev murmured to himself... His face was turning pale seeing the doctor's gloves soiling in Sonakshi's blood, checking the baby's crowning... Why the hell did he even agree to remain with Sonakshi in this labour room? He wondered... Sonakshi screamed yet again... God, if you exist, why don't you just help Sonakshi expel the baby out... I can't see her in so much pain, and her screaming!
The next second it was the doctor's scream to instruct her to push... Accompanied by Sonakshi's scream to push even harder... Dripping in sweat despite the Air conditioners... How he wished he could help...
Sitting on the stool next to her bed, he had held her hand tight... He wiped her sweat, if it may relieve her... "God! Forbid me for even dreaming for any more babies! I don't know how Sonakshi manages, but I can never ever return to this labour room to see Sonakshi this way!" he shuddered...
"Sochna bhi mat!" Sonakshi glared at him...
"Is she reading my mind?" he wondered... He doesn't even want to think... Get over with this... He was sure, boy or girl, whatever gender this baby is, is surely going to be taking upon him... He is taking its's own sweet time and troubling Sonakshi all the way long!
Another scream by Sonakshi, and relief flooding all over her face... He wiped her sweat her again with a towel- "Is the baby out?" he wanted to know quickly from Sonakshi... He dared not look at the mess that the doctors were handling with Sonakshi's blood everywhere...
"Congratulations Mrs. And Mr. Dixit... It's a Baby Boy!" the doctor announced with a smile, and then nonchalantly busied with rubbing and cleaning the baby for primitives, soon after he could some bare minimum cries, and a lot more fuss from the newly born who thrashed his legs in the towel, being angry at being pulled out may be...
Sonakshi couldn't forget that look of pure bliss and happiness when he held their son for the first time... He chucked seeing his son fussing- "That's how maa said I behaved when I was born... Cried less, more being angry!" Sonakshi gave a tired laugh, who took her angry baby, cuddling to her warm chest... Giving her infant the familiar warmth...
Ansh thrashed his legs and his fist in his mouth, screaming... That brought both Dev and Sonakshi out of their reverie, after being clicked into a family photograph... Ansh wanted his feed, and was throwing a tantrum... Golu and Soha stood beside, trying to engage their little sibling into their talks so that he troubles their mother a little less...Sonakshi walked with her fussy baby witnessing their little world, their kids with a satisfied smile... Dev was busy holding Golu upside down, and him squealing with happiness... Ishwari reprimanding him that Golu might vomit if he holds him like this... Soha giggled sensibly at both her father and brother... Dev held her up in his arms and threw her in the air, and then catching her in time... She really wasn't a little baby girl... But she was okay with her Papa treating her as one... After all, she is her Papa's Pari...
Dev cuddled both these kids Golu and Soha, as Sonakshi walked in with a sleeping Ansh... Elena took Golu and Soha for Lunch, and Devakshi sat watching the house alive... Life will never be easy but when they are together they will conquer everything.
~~THANKS FOR READING~~
Cricket
Chakravarti Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan
Mangal Lakshmi
