Hi all!
I’m new to this forum! Obsessed with the leads...detest the family...and feeling the withdrawals of no episode over the weekend...thought I’ll add the the list of wonderful Stories I’ve read from the other authors in the forum to bridge the gap!
As with everyone I can’t make sense of what leads to the promo wala marriage or how once that they’ve changed costumes, household Rambo throws Pallu out...
This is a one short story set sort of in the same time frame but ignoring lots of the confusing plot points. Obviously this won’t happen on the show!! But hey that’s what stories are for :) hope you like it.
Note: I’m part Telugu part maharashtrian (you can see why I’m drawn to this show) and speak both languages fluently! I haven’t included more of the languages here for ease of me writing but will try to do so if I write more!
Do leave feedback, it gives me wings 😂
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There was a ringing sound in her ear that refused to go. It was like a shrill dog whistle and she didn’t know how to get rid of it. She didn’t have any dogs, so where was this sound coming from? Why was it so dark and why couldn’t she see anything? Was she kidnapped again?...deva this was happening way too frequently!!
As one side of her brain was processing these pesky questions, the other side was telling her that her eyes were closed. She creaked open one eyelid with great difficulty and immediately the nausea returned with a volley of memories...she woke up with a start and took note of her surroundings. She was in her room, on the floor, lying in a pool of her own sick...and she remembered how she got there. The moment this realisation struck, the ringing in her ears stopped and she hurled again, though her body could no longer process any more to exit.
What does one describe when everything you thought of your life and your relationships were deemed to be a lie? Pallavi Deshmukh, who valued her family above everything else, worked unending hours to put their shop into the map of Hyderabad was finally shown her place.She had been and will always been an outsider to the Deshmukhs.
They had proved her so wrong that somewhere she could hear the echo of her brother’s I told you so! The brother she had asked to leave Mansi’s wedding because he had asked her ‘aai’ some questions. She laughed to her self, aai, baba, kaka, kaku...words that she had etched in her heart...a heart that had revered these relationships, only to be served with a resounding slap (both metaphorically and physically).
They had not believed her when she said she had no relationship with any man except for a business association, they routinely trusted strangers who saw fit to throw aspersions on her character, they had not believed her when she said she had not had the abortion, they had further not believed her when she brought proof that it wasn’t her but another in the house who had had the abortion. The slap she received at the hands of Mr. Deshmukh for sullying the character of a ‘daughter’ of the house to save her self was still stinging her cheek. She had been the daughter of this house until last week. How shallow was the love that a mere rumour caused them to completely abandon her and call her a ingrate traitor. She had begged, pleaded, cried for them to believe her and the result was her being locked in the room to be ‘dealt’ with later as the groom’s family was arriving.
Pallavi replayed the last two hours of tears, the bile rising up in her, her being sick and passing out. A part of her said she deserved this treatment as she had given them the power, the power to completely negate her self respect and treat her as they pleased.
She was on an uneven balance in their relationship and she never realised that. Her gratitude of being part of a family never made her question that it was always on their terms. On one hand they said they wanted her to be married, but immediately raised arms when she was in the company of a man. On one end they called themselves progressive but that was limited to her playing film music for the morning Aarti! They had found it so easy to shame her! It all seemed like a farce, a big PR machinery that was cranked up to show how amazing they were but only as long as she toed the line they set her. She was shackled in the family without realising it.
She thought back to when in the last two years she felt free to be herself....every single instance of this was tied to him...she had barely known him for five months, but in each interaction with him, she had felt a fierce joy in arguing with him, competing with him and being in his presence. Despite his outside bravado, she saw in him a kindred spirit who was also facing a deep sadness and loss...and who yearned for companionship and friendship just like her, even if their ways of showing it were completely different.
That he made her feel like her true self was not something she had voiced to anyone or even herself...but possibly why she was drawn to her association with him.
That he helped her despite her being a jerk to him at every turn and corner, surprised her even more. When she received the call from Farhad this morning with the relevant proofs and plots that his anna had gathered, she was speechless. She asked Farhad why he had helped her despite the scene she created, to which Farhad laughed quietly and said...Anna aisa hi hai Pallavi ji..unko kisi pe bhi galat ilzaam lagna acha nahi lagta hai...khaas kar ke aap pe. Brushing aside the praise of his boss as mere duty, Pallavi thanked him...walking into what she thought was a civil discussion on how to persevere as a family but what inadvertently turned into a coup against her.
Brushing aside her tears, she tried knocking on the door again asking the family to let her out and leave, but to no avail. Mr Deshmukh wasn’t ready to leave the characterless bahu out on the streets to further malign their reputation.
She walked back to the bed, hands trembling, reaching for the black device. She dialled the familiar number...the one person she knew she could turn to and uttered
‘Raghav..’
Fin
Yes this is a bit out of character for everyone, but I had to get my dose of my what ifs out of my brain :) It’s not proof read, so excuse any errors.
-Priya
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