A nineteen old Amyra kissed her daddy good bye and left to celebrate her birthday with her friends. Sikandar looked at Lovely smiling. A taunting smile. She wore a sad face. Amyra was the ruler of her life. She would do as she pleased. Sikandar had warned Lovely very earlier in life to not spoil Amyra with overboard shower of love. She did not bother then. Now, Amyra did not even listen to her. But, one thing remained. Their love for their daughter.
Sikandar was startled with hands covering his eyes. He gently felt the hands and did not have to think too long to guess. It was his Sher Puttar's hand.
He pulled her to stand before him, his smile from one ear to the other. "Aye Mera Sher Puttar!" Her cheerful giggles were the best music he had ever heard.
"Aapko pata chal gaya?" She asked hugging him.
He was reminded of her mother. He smiled. "Kaise nahi pata chalta!"
The other giggled making her way to Lovely. She hugged Lovely. Her hug was reciprocated.
"Arey tu, toh busy thii na iss weekend, Teri trip this na?" Lovely asked the beautiful girl.
"Arey wo naa bahut boring hota hai. Main isliye ghar as gayi!" She went back to the dining table and sat on the chair beside the one in which Sikanadar sat.
His smile wouldn't disappear. "Trip toh interesting hoti hai naa?" He countered her.
"Offfo!" She flicked her hair behind, " Siyaapa hai! Usse zyaada maza toh garh mein aata hai. Acha Amu kahan hai?" She asked excitedly, waiting to gift her sister the present she had bought.
He frowned, "WO toh kal raat tak nahi aane waali, apne doston me saath bhaar gayi hai. Trip pe!" He looked at Lovely from the corner of his eyes. She frowned.
"Offo!" Kulfi exclaimed put down by the news."KoI nayi, ye aap usse de dena." She said fishing out from her bag a well wrapped box and handed it to him.
Sikandar smiled looking at the box and then at her. Her eyes were just like her mother's.
When Kulfi was young, and disguised as a boy, Sikandar always felt those eyes he had seen somewhere. Only layer when fate revealed to him that she was his own daughter, he couldn't believe it. He had read Nimrit's diary. His elder brother had then revealed to him his findings. Sikanadar was a broken man. How could Nimrit leave him just like that? He cursed himself for leaving her first and then assuming she had moved on.
Sadly, he couldn'tell Kulfi that he was her father. He hadn't because of the family's pressure then Amyra's. Amyra was very particular about not sharing her Daddy. Sikandar was forced to choose Amyra. He was okay with his decision, considering Kulfi will never become like Amyra. He couldn't even adopt her as his own, because he knew that would only give her a unnecessary step mother. If Lovely had treated her so bad without knowing she was his daughter than how bad could her treatment get if she knew she was Nimrit and his daughter. He would have never understood the intricate situation if his brother and mother wouldn't have explained it to him. He chose to protect Kulfi.
Then, his brother had adopted Kulfi legally but she was told she was indeed his daughter. His brother loved Kulfi as his own daughter. Sikandar felt very bad at times. He wanted to tell her he was not her "Chote Papa" as she called him, but her 'Papa'. But he was okay with the punishment fate gave. But, soon that punishment almost faded, for Kulfi slowly grew as close she had grown to his brother . Amyra did not like Kulfi, but she had accepted her as a sister.
"Chote Papa! Aaj him terrace pe mefil jammaye, please bahut time ho gaya!" She rrequested.
"Main mere sher puttar ko manaa kar sakta hoon?"
"Okay then main jaldi se jaakar San ready karti hoon. Waise Papa shaam take aayenge naa?"
He nodded and smiled. Once she went upstairs his smile disappeared. Every time she addressed some one else as Papa even if it was his own brother, something twisted in his heart. Maybe that was his punishment. To live with that regret and be reminded of what he did wrong for the rest of his life. Well this pain had its own sweetness. As long as he saw his daughter grow happily before his eyes, even this was okay. He never shared his misery with everyone. But he knew his brother knew about it. After all he had always been like a father figure for him.
Kulfi loved singing with him. They would often perform duets when she came back on weekends from her hostel. His Sher Puttar had seen a dream of becoming a doctor. At first he wanted her to make her own identity in the field of music, but then seeing Amyra he gave up on his dream. He still loved Amyra but considered her to be more of Lovely's daughter than his. But he was bound to his duties as her father.
When he reached the terrace he saw her sitting looking away at the sky. He knew she was missing Nimrit. Every time she looked at the sky, he knew she missed her mother.
She was like her mother in most ways. While most girls preferred western clothes, his daughter preferred simple Patialas and kurtas.
The curve on his face drooped when he saw her turn to him. Tears in her eyes, she looed hurt. He blinked. Before he could ask, he saw the diary in her hand, one he had hidden when she was young. He had told her then that the diary was lost. She had cried for two days or so, and then slowly she forgotten about it.
He looked at her beyond shocked. " Daadi ko miss kar rahi thii, unke room se mili." She siad raising the diary in hand. He closed his eyes in regret. He had underestimated this possibility. He had lost the diary a few months before his mother's death. He had not the slightest clue where it had gone. Soon it had slipped off his memory.
She ran away from there, crying. He broke down and fell on his knees tears rolling down his own cheeks.
One mistake he had done. Left Nimrit to fulfil his dreams. The penalty was hard, for now his life was nothing but broken dreams.
P.S
I had always wanted to try writing on this show. Finally did.
Hope you liked it!
Sorry for typos if any.
I started watching the show only from where Lovely makes Kulfi sing for Amyra, so I did not/do not have exact details of the past. So I built it on my assumptions here .
-Anni :)
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