Hi guys! I had written this one long back bcoz I was so unhappy with the way this Sakshi track had played out. This story was a way to get my frustration out of the system and gain closure for myself. But then I stopped seeing the show so never posted this! Hope you guys enjoy my take on how Sakshi should have been portrayed
Background: Anjali tries to instigate Sakshi after the Karwachauth pooja but Sakshi does not go to Purvi's room. This story begins with Vir coming back to his bedroom after breaking Purvi's fast.
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Sakshi was sitting on the bed, thinking about what Anjali said. Suddenly the door opened and Vir came in. Sakshi didn't want to speak to him at that moment so she just closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Vir gave a small sigh of relief that he would not have to make any excuse to her. Vir's sigh of relief was not missed by Sakshi and it answered some of her questions while raising even more. Both of them lay awake for a very long time... restless and uneasy, lost in their own thoughts.
The next few days Sakshi spent in observing Purvi and her dynamics with Vir and the kids. Purvi spent the entire day running after the kids, getting them to eat, sleep & study on time. It didn't take her long to realise that the kids were a handful and Purvi was the only one who could get them to listen. Even with Vir, Purvi was so attuned to his needs that she knew exactly what he needed even before Vir himself realised it. Her entire life seemed to revolve around Vir and the kids, and the 3 of them also thought the world of her! The more she saw, the more she was convinced that Purvi was no mere servant, there definitely was more to her relationship with them. But she didn't know whom to ask - Anjali or Prakashi were obviously out of the question, and Mamaji also was not here. The only option left with her was to question the kids. But she had to be careful; the kids were so protective about their Haathi, one wrong word and they would clam up completely.
Vir, on the other hand, was getting more and more agitated as the days went by. He was a honest & truthful man by nature, such lying and deception were wearing him down. Especially since it concerned 2 of the most important people in his life - his Bawari & Sakshi. He may not be in love with Sakshi now, but that did not mean that she wasn't important to him. He had loved Sakshi more than life itself and she deserved to hear the truth directly from him, he owed her that much. And Bawari also did not deserve to be hidden away like she was his dirty secret - no, he loved his Bawari with his entire being and it was her right to be accepted by him before the world. Having decided to reveal the truth, Vir felt a little calmer, though he still didn't know how he was going to break it to Sakshi.
One day, Sakshi woke up to find the bed next to her empty. She was surprised because Vir was not usually a very early riser, but she didn't pay much attention to it till she came down for breakfast to find that no one had seen him since morning. His mobile was also left back home and now everyone was getting worried. Sakshi turned to Purvi, asking her to look after the kids who were very upset while she went and searched for Vir. Purvi asked her if she knew where Vir was to which she replied, "Nahi, par hum yeh jaante hai ki Mukhiji kahan ja sakte hai."
Sakshi left and drove the car to the same beach where she had been imprisoned by Prakashi & Anjali. This beach had always been a favourite place of Vir's, he would always come here whenever he was upset or troubles, or just wanted some peace. Sakshi reached the beach and as expected, found Vir sitting on there...all alone and lost in thought. She observed him from afar, noting as he wiped something which suspiciously looked like a tear from his eyes.
Sakshi walked up to Vir and sat down besides him. He got startled, not having seen her come.
Vir, "Sakshi tu...tu kab aayi?"
Sakshi, "Aap ko hi dhoondte huye aaye hai, Mukhiji"
Vir, "Par tanne kaise pata chala ki main yahan hoon?"
Sakshi gave him a sad smile and said, "Kyunki jab bhi aap pareshan hote the, yahin aate the sukoon ki talaash mein. Kya baat hai, Mukhiji? Main kai dino se dekh rahi hoon, koi baat aapko andar hi andar khaye jaa rahi hai?"
Vir, "Arre aaisa kuch na hai, bas kaam ka thoda tension hai. Chal wapas ghar chalte hai, sab pareshaan ho gaye honge" and he got up and starting walking back to the car.
"Viren", Sakshi called out as he walked ahead. Vir turned in surprise, "Shaadi ke baad aaj pehli baar tu ne mera naam liya hai."
Sakshi, "Kyunki aaj hum ussi shaadi ke pehle wale rishte ka vaasta de kar aapse kuch maangna chahte hai. Denge na?"
Vir, "Agar mere bas mein hua toh zaroor doonga. Bol kya chahti hai tu?"
Sakshi, "Sach..."
Vir, "Main kuch samjha nahi..."
Sakshi, "Hum sach jaan na chahte hai, Viren. Aapke aur hamare rishte ka sach...aapka aur Purvi ka sach."
Vir was taken back, he was not expecting this question and had no idea how to break this news to Sakshi without putting her health at risk. He tried to avoid the topic by saying, "Ke bol rahi hai tu, Sakshi? Kis sach ki baat kar rahi hai? Ib baaki baatein baad mein kar lenge, bachche ghar par intezaar kar rahe honge."
Sakshi, "Viren, bhale hi hume saari baat nahi pata, par yeh samajh chuke hai ki ab pehle jaisa kuch nahi raha. Isiliye ab koi aur bahana, koi aur jhoot nahi. Hum sirf sach jaan na hai...poora sach. Itna toh haq hai na hamara aap par, ki aapse sachchai ki umeed kar sake?"
Vir looked at Sakshi, trying to gauge her thoughts. As he looked into her eyes he saw a steely resolve in them, a resolve to not only find out the truth but also to accept it. He realised he could no longer hide the truth from her, nor did he want to...this was the moment he had been waiting for ever since Sakshi had returned.
Vir sat down besides Sakshi again, taking her hands into his and turning her to face him. Gathering his thoughts, he started speaking, and once he started he poured out his heart to Sakshi. Vir shared with her the pain of losing her, his loneliness, his guilt, his indifference to their children. As he recounted the past 5 years, his tears welled up in his eyes. Sakshi held his hand as Vir swiped at his eyes and continued.
He told her how Mama Sarkar forced him into the marriage in order to provide a mother for the kids, and how he refused to accept Purvi as his wife. He spoke about Purvi's determination to pay off her mol, her perseverance in gaining the children's love...he spoke about her courage, her ability to always put others before self, and how she wormed her way into his cold heart, teaching him to live again...to love again! He laughed as he told her the weird nicknames they had for each other and their early encounters, and Sakshi laughed with him, despite the situation.
Vir looked at the woman sitting next to him and felt a surge of affection as he watched her laugh. Sakshi had always been his best friend, his closest confidante, even before their wedding, and it was today he realised how much he had missed their camaraderie. Sakshi sobered as she saw Vir staring at her and asked, "Kya hua, aap aaise kya dekh rahe hai?"
Vir, "Kuch nahi...tanne aaise haste huye dekhe kitne saal ho gaye! Waqt bhi hum dono ko kis mod par le aaya na, Sakshi? Maine kabhi socha bhi nahi tha ki tere ilawa manne kisi se pyaar ho sakta hai, par pata hi nahi chala kab aur kaise iss Bawari ne mere dil aur meri zindagi mein apni jagah bana li. Paanch salon tak roz mein issi umeed mein sota, ki subah uth kar tanne apne paas, apne saath paaonga. Aur aaj jab yo sach mein ho gaya..."
"Toh woh sapna nahi, balki bura khwaab ban kar reh gaya...", completed Sakshi.
Vir, "Na Sakshi, apne liye kabhi aaisi baat mat sochna. Tu aaj bhi wohi Sakshi hai, jisse main apni zindagi tah zyada pyaar kiya. Bas haalat kuch aaise badal gaye ki...". Vir takes a deep breath and looks straight into Sakshi's eyes, "Tu hamesha mere liya bahut khaas rehwegi, Sakshi. Tu mera pehla pyaar hai, mere bachchan ki Maa hai. Par ib mere dil mein koi hai, toh woh sirf aur sirf Bawari hai. Ho sake toh manne maaf kar dena, Sakshi", saying this Vir folds his hands before her.
Sakshi clasps his folded hands in her own and looks at him. She realised that somewhere she had known this truth a long time back, but was refusing to accept it. But while one can delay the acceptance of truth, it cannot be denied. The man in front of her was no longer her Viren, but Bawari's Kroor Singh!
Sakshi cupped Vir's face in her hands and said, "Hum chahe jitni koshish kar le, Viren, waqt ko peeche nahi kar sakte. Achcha hoga ki hum hi aage badh jaaye. Apna khayal rakhiye, Mukhiji, aur Purvi ka bhi!" Saying this, Sakshi drew Vir's face closer, kissed his forehead in goodbye and walked away.
THE END !
Pati Patni Aur Panga
