The Dark Before The Dawn - A Nazar/PiyAnsh FF (Completed) - Page 13

Chapter - 06

“Happy Birthday Piya!!!” Piya opened her eyes. It took her a while to understand where she was. The surroundings were familiar but that didn’t draw her attention. It was the person sitting in front her - Divya!!! “Maa!!!” Piya hugged her mother tightly and started crying. Divya smiled and stroked her hair gently to comfort her. “You are here!!!” “Of course I am here! It’s my Gudiya’s birthday today! Won’t I wish her?” Divya smiled at Piya. “Now come on, stop crying. Let’s go outside.” Piya wiped off her tears and got down from her bed. Divya opened the door and Piya realized it was their old house near the Shiv temple. The ambiance was so peaceful! The surrounding trees, birds singing in the branches; not to mention the river in front of their house. But she was happier because of Divya’s presence. She held her hand like a little girl and walked around the house. “It’s so serene maa!” “It is, isn’t it?" “Yes! I wish I could spend my entire life here with you!” Piya laid her head on Divya’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “What is it that’s bothering my Gudiya so much?” Piya got startled. “Nothing! I am just trying to savor this moment with you.” “I am your mother Piya! You can’t hide anything from me.” Piya tried to control herself but burst into tears. 

“Everything hurts maa!!! It hurts to breathe, to stay alive! I don’t know what I am doing anymore. Do you think what I did to Ansh, to us, was wrong?” Divya wiped Piya’s tears and smiled at her, “I had told you once before; everything happens as per Mata Rani’s wish and on the right time. You just have to keep your faith intact.” “But I am not being able to maa! I have faith in Goddess but I no longer have faith in myself. Am I doing the right thing?” “You’ll know the answer when the time comes. But promise me, you won’t second guess and listen to your heart. Your heart will tell you what’s right.” Divya smiled at Piya and was about to leave. “Maa please don’t leave me!!!” Piya cried out loudly. “I have never left you Piya! I have always been there, in your heart! And I’ll always be with you! You are never alone! Now come on, lie down.” Piya didn’t utter a single word and rested her head on Divya’s lap. Divya started to sing a lullaby and she felt, everything was gonna be alright, there was no need to worry anymore. “Listen to your heart and it’ll lead you to your path!!!”

Suddenly Piya woke up, “Maa!!!” She searched for Divya frantically only to realize it was a dream; an illusion to soothe her broken heart. Instinctively her hands reached out for a particular photo frame kept on her nightstand. It was the last family photograph they had taken before her brother died - old, worn out at places, yet exceptionally vivid. She brushed her fingers across the photo gently while tears coursed down her cheeks, blurring her vision, “I miss you Maa! And I miss bhai! I wish both of you were here with me!” She closed her eyes and lied down, holding the photo next to her heart, basking in the memory of her childhood. The door to her balcony was open, allowing a cool night breeze that made her shiver a little. It was fragrant with the scent of night queen. She got down from the bed and stood by the balcony door. The blooming flowers brought a smile to her face for those were her mother’s favorite. She lost track of time for how long she had been standing there. It was when her alarm clock buzzed and she came out of her trance. Turning off the clock, she went to take a shower.  

After taking her bath, she checked her phone. Saavi sent her a birthday wish. However, it was her apology that made Piya burst into laughter, “I am really sorry di for the disastrous birthday party we threw for you. Seriously, I am gonna kill Naman for this. But I promise, I’ll make it up to you. Once again, many many happy returns of the day! I love you!!!” Talk about birthday miracles and here it was! Saavi apologizing and taking her sweet time to express her love! As if Nishant’s two hour long video chat the previous night wasn’t enough that she had to personally apologize again.

It had been weeks since Nishant and Saavi were planning a surprise birthday party for Piya. But as luck would have it, just prior the big day, Nishant had to leave for Bangalore for an important research work. Being his assistant, Saavi too had to accompany him. Lucky for them, he received the call in his office and Dilruba was hovering there at that time. She came up with the idea of a pre-birthday bash.

The idea seemed great until Saavi realized their flight was due the next day and whatever planning they had done so far, it had to be executed on the same day. Swamped with all the arrangements, she turned to Naman for help and asked him to bring the birthday cake and balloons. Since it was her idea and she had no idea about balloons or cake, Dilruba wanted to accompany Naman and he was more than happy to take her to a bakery. However, it didn’t take him long to regret his decision once he discovered his wife’s newfound love for cakes. It took him some serious effort to control the damage there and when Saavi called him again, he panicked and ended up calling Piya instead, forgetting it was her surprise birthday party they were arranging in the first place. 

So a couple of hours later, Piya reached Sharma House with a cake and balloons and the look on everyone’s face was priceless; specially Saavi’s. Dilruba might be the Chudhail but it was Saavi who could literally bite off Naman’s head for his blunder. Nishant was speechless and frustrated with her son’s idiocy, Guru maa slapped Naman hard. And the sound! Piya could have sworn anyone, who might be present on the ground floor at that moment, would have heard the sound. She dropped the cake and loosened her grip on the balloon strings, letting them free.

Adi and Pari had just gotten back from school and even they forgot their mischief seeing the sight. Catastrophe was an understatement. But suddenly Piya started laughing. What started out as a chuckle, grew into a hysterical laughter, and for a moment even Naman forgot the burning sensation on his cheek. Everyone else stood with a puzzled look on their faces but Guru maa understood what had transpired.

This was exactly how they used to celebrate Piya’s birthday in Bandap. Every year, no matter how small it was, she used to plan some surprise for Piya on her birthday and Naman would always cause some blunder, spoiling all the arrangements. And it would always end with Naman getting slapped and Piya laughing at the sight of him rubbing his tomato-red cheek. In that moment, she would be genuinely happy and celebrate her birthday with the two people she considered as her family. 

It might be a disaster for Nishant, Saavi or anyone else present there. But for Piya, it was the best birthday gift she could have asked for. She spent her entire childhood longing for Divya, with a hope that someday she would reunite with her long lost family. But it was Guru maa’s love and Naman’s companionship that made her feel secure. She used to wish one day, she would celebrate her birthday with everyone she loved - her parents, Saavi, Naman and Guru maa. And finally her wish was fulfilled. She was surrounded by her loved ones and for once, she was thankful that things didn’t go as planned. Otherwise, it would include Ansh and his family’s presence and they would have to walk on eggshells to avoid their kids’ suspicion. This was rather perfect. Messy, but genuine; with the only constant in her life - Naman and his tomato-red cheek. Piya couldn’t help laughing, recalling the entire incident. “Poor Naman! So many things have changed in our lives except for him getting slapped by Guru maa.”

Unfortunately, Nishant and Saavi didn’t share the same emotion. In fact, he was mortified and was desperate to make it up to her. And that’s how the second round of celebration began. He along with Saavi made a video call from their hotel with a cake in front of them. Just when Piya started teasing them asking how was she supposed to celebrate without cutting a cake, she received a parcel with another cake - identical to the one in front of her father and became emotional seeing their effort. The best part of the celebration was - Nishant specifically called her at 11 pm and kept her indulged so that he could wish his Gudiya first. It reminded her of her childhood days when he used to compete with Divya for wishing her first on her birthday; a competition that later took place between him and Ansh after they had gotten married. She let out a sigh and checked her phone again; there was no message from Ansh. She became sad but controlled herself, “It’s okay Piya! You are the one who broke his heart. You can’t expect him to keep pursuing you when you burned all the bridges down.” Putting down her phone, she went to offer her puja. 

Just as she had finished, Adi and Pari came running and hugged her. “Happy Birthday mumma!!!” Both said in chorus. “Thanks a lot dears!!!” Piya hugged them tightly. “How are you two up so early today! That too on Sunday?” “We wanted to surprise you mumma!" Adi smiled. “Besides, we wanted to be the first ones to wish you.” Pari said in her usual tone. “Now come on, let’s open your gifts and tell us whose one is better. Come on!” She was pulling Piya's hand impatiently. “Aright alright! One second! Let me keep the Thali first.” The kids brought her to their room when Pari brought a card. “Look mumma! I made this specially for you.” “It’s lovely beta! Thank you so much.” Piya hugged Pari and kissed her on her cheek. “See! I told you mumma would like my gift more.” She said proudly. “Yeah right! It’s because she hasn’t seen my gift yet.” Adi smiled confidently. He closed his eyes to focus and created fire. Only this time it wasn't a big ball of fire but thousands of sparks which took the form of fireflies and were flying across the room. Not only Piya but Pari too, was mesmerized. “How did you do that?” “Remember I told mumma to teach me how to create different shapes using fire as I wanted to pull that Patronus thing they showed in Harry Potter?” “Yes, but mumma showed you how to make a bunny! How did you do this?” “I kept practicing. Only instead of one object, I tried to create a class of fireflies. You like it mumma?” Adi excitedly asked Piya. “I love it! It’s wonderful beta! Thank you so much! But you shouldn’t have done this alone. What if something had caught fire? I told both of you to practice or try something new only when papa or I am around.” “I didn’t do it alone mumma! Papa helped me.” Adi had a big smile on his face.

Piya was surprised when the boy continued, “Last week, after you had taught me how to do it, I asked papa what’s your favorite animal or flower as I wanted to surprise you. That’s when papa suggested me fireflies and helped me to conjure them. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do this alone.” Piya had tears in her eyes thinking about Ansh. Their journey had a special connection with fireflies. Whenever she got lost, Ansh found her by following fireflies’ trail. But now he was so close to her, yet she couldn’t reach out to him! “Mumma! Why are you crying!” “It’s nothing dear! I am just overwhelmed with your gifts, that’s all.” “You still haven’t told whose gift is better.” Pari asked hesitantly. “You give it a rest GG! (Ghanghor Ghamandi) Nothing can beat this.” Adi said proudly. “Hmm! So basically this is a competition between you two! None of you were actually concerned about me.” Piya made a puppy face. “Not at all mumma!!!” The kids were embarrassed and tried to cheer her up. Piya wanted to pretend for a little while but looking at her kids’ face, she burst out laughing, “I know! I love both of your gifts. Adi used his power but you Pari, have used your creativity. Both are very special to me. Now come on, stop competing and give mumma a hug.” Before Piya could finish her sentence, the kids jumped on her and hugged her tightly. Piya wiped her tears carefully and hugged them back.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. “Who has come this early!” “Must be papa!” Pari and Adi ran out. Piya sighed a little. One can pretend in front of the others but how do you hide your feelings from yourself? She tried to stay strong, pacified herself for the millionth time saying whatever she was doing, it was for the kids’ betterment, which wasn’t a lie. But deep down, Piya herself knew that her outburst didn’t just occur from Pari’s incident. She was tired and scared of losing her loved ones over and over again. It was like a never ending cycle. When Ansh was telling her about his dreams, her brain was rewinding all those incidents when they had misunderstood and fought with each other, the times when they were separated and how often their kids’ lives were endangered. It broke her heart to squander Ansh’s dreams but it stemmed from her deepest, darkest emotion and she wanted to protect herself and the kids from the heartache. She accepted Ansh with his flaws but he never accepted himself, not even after her repeated assurance. And the fact that he always endangered his life to save them, only made Piya more scared. What if at some point she was late and couldn’t save Ansh? How would she survive without him? Ansh's decision to sacrifice himself and Pari's death was the last nail in the coffin. Subconsciously she just wanted an out so that she wouldn't have to go through the same fear and pain over and over again. Not to mention the constant argument that they should sacrifice their powers for their family. Finally it took a toll on her. It was suffocating her and she wanted to protect the kids from the same.

However, you never know how unpredictable the outcome of your decision can be. Whenever they met and Ansh hugged the kids, she looked at him longingly but Ansh never looked at her directly. If ever their eyes met by accident, all Piya could see was anguish and pain, and she was forced to look away. It was unbearable for her to look at those eyes which once used to reflect only love for her. But it was her decision. And she knew after everything she had put him through, she had no right to hold any grudge over Ansh anymore.

But deep down, she was also angry at him for not rebuking her or assuring her that these were only her worries and he will never leave her or let the kids get burdened by their family’s expectation. Why didn’t he fight for their love at all? Why wasn’t he persistent enough to make her change her mind? Like always, he just stood there and let her do whatever she wanted. Did he really think she was okay to leave him? Didn’t her agony mean anything to him? He could hear her words but couldn’t read her eyes? Couldn’t sense how she was dying in silence when he just stood there and let her pack her bags and walk away? 

Suddenly Piya felt angry and wiped off her tears. It was okay. If Ansh could live without her then even she could stay without him. It wasn’t on her only to fight for their love when clearly he didn’t feel the need to assuage her fear and fight for them. She left the room and went to the hall.  

Ansh was talking with the kids and looked at Piya when she entered the room. “Happy Birthday Piya!!!” Piya was surprised. After so long, Ansh had looked into her eyes! He was smiling genuinely. He came forward with a box, “Many many happy returns of the day!!!” The box contained some rare flower plants which Piya had been searching for quite some time. It made her recall how Ansh brought plants after they had gotten married so that she didn’t miss Divya too much. “Papa look!!!” Adi used his power again and conjured fireflies. Although she had witnessed it earlier, Piya was awestruck by its beauty yet again. Ansh always used to say that he found fireflies fascinating because they brought light in darkness. In his case, they also brought hope as they had always led him to Piya.

For a moment there, Piya forgot the sense of time. She felt complete with Ansh and their kids while those fireflies surrounded them. It felt like the perfect ending to their journey - them, their kids and the one thing which had always helped them to find their way back to each other, no matter how difficult it had been. She didn’t notice how much time had passed. She came to her senses with Ansh’s voice, “It’s alluring beta! Thousand times better than the last time we had practiced.” Adi started jumping in joy and Ansh began to play with them while Piya kept looking. All she wanted, was to freeze time and spend all eternity in that moment when all her loved ones were happy. But was it even possible after what she had done? “Listen to your heart and it’ll lead you to your path!!!” Piya recalled Divya’s advice and stood puzzled. If there was one thing that she was completely sure about then it was her love for Ansh and their kids. But after everything they had been through, she wasn’t sure if Ansh felt the same about her anymore or whether they should even try to start it all over again considering the gap prevailing between them.

“I have a surprise for you guys!” “What papa?” Ansh pointed towards the door and Neha came in. “Surprise!!!” “Neha bua!!!” Both Adi and Pari ran and hugged her. “Come here you little monkeys!!!” Their giggle filled the air. “Neha!!!” Piya had a bright smile and hugged her. “See bhai! This is the reason why I was more excited to meet bhabhi than you. Look at her smile! All that I get from you is serious look and from maa - panicked look.” Ansh rolled his eyes and the kids burst into laughter.

“When have you come? Where’s Uday?” “I came home yesterday bhabhi. Uday couldn't come as he had to leave for a business trip. I wanted to come yesterday itself but then I thought, I should rather surprise you on your birthday. Oh! I forgot! Happy Birthday bhabhi!!! Now tell me, did you like my surprise?” “Loved it!” “That I can understand from your smile. Now go and get ready! We have to go somewhere.” “Where?” Piya was surprised. “Did you seriously think I would just come empty handed that too on your birthday? We are going on a picnic. I have arranged everything. You go and get ready. I’ll help the kids to get ready.” “But Neha!” “Come on mumma! It’ll be fun.” Pari was ecstatic. “You get ready. Adi and I’ll be ready within a minute.” Before Piya could say anything, the kids ran to their room. “See! No excuses. Now go and get ready!” Neha literally pushed Piya to her room and closed the door. 

Ansh, who was standing quietly at a corner, looked at Neha. “Do you think it’ll work?” “It has to. I have worked my ass off and arranged everything so that you two can talk. Don’t blow this up bhai! I mean it!” Neha went to the kids’ room while Ansh took a deep breath. “Everything’s gonna be fine today Piya! I’ll make everything fine. I promise!”