Part 3
Pakhi's world came crashing down as she heard Vinu call Sai his "Aai". She couldn't process what had just happened in front of her. The Chavans were equally shocked. Virat wondered if his conversation with Vinu had led him to realize the truth. Savi was on cloud nine as she felt that her family was now complete, with Vinu also addressing Sai as his mother.
"I'm sorry, Aai," Vinu said with utmost honesty. "Maine aapko bohot galat samjha, ab mujhe sab pata chal gaya."
"Vinu, yeh kya bol rahe ho? Kis ko apni Aai bula rahe ho?" Pakhi rushed to Vinu, knelt down beside him, and asked him with anger-filled eyes.
"Vinu, yeh sab Sai ne tumhare dimaag mein daala hai na?" she asked, desperately searching for an explanation.
Vinu shook his head. "Nahi mumma, Sai meri asli aai hai" he said firmly.
Pakhi couldn't bear to hear it. "Vinu, main tumhari mamma hoon, tumhe yeh sab nahi bolna chahiye aur, aur tum toh jaante ho nanki maine hi aapko janam diya hai, infact us din baba bhi yahi bol rahe the na bada?," she pleaded.
But Vinu was resolute. "Pata hai mumma, main aapke wajah se iss duniya mein aaya tha lekin Sai aai hi meri asli aai hai, aur main unko hamesha respect karunga," he said smiling at Sai, holding Sai's hand tightly. Everyone looked at Vinu, wondering how he understood their complicated relationship while Sai looked at Pakhi with sadness in her eyes.
She could understand how hard it must be for Pakhi to accept the truth, but she knew she had to support Vinu. "Patralekha, Vinu sach jaan chuka hai," she said gently. Pakhi couldn't respond. She got up from the floor angrily and left the room silently, tears streaming down her face.
Sai felt overwhelmed with happiness as Vinu embraced her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held her son tight. She had dreamt of this moment for years and now it was finally happening. Vinu, her son, her blood, whom she loved with all her heart was finally acknowledging her as his mother.
She looked around the room and saw the shocked and confused faces of everyone, except for Savi. Savi had a huge smile on her face and tears in her eyes. As Sai hugged Vinu, she felt a sense of completeness that she had never felt before. She had always felt like a part of her was missing, but now she knew that she had found it. Vinu was her son and she was his mother, and nothing could change that. She felt guilty for almost giving up on Vinu just a few moments ago. She looked at Virat, who had tears in his eyes as well. She knew that it must have been hard for him to tell Vinu the truth, but he had done it for the sake of his son. She felt grateful to him for giving her this moment of joy.
As she hugged Vinu, she whispered in his ear, "Main hamesha tumhare saath rahungi, beta. Tumhara pyaar, tumhara gussa, sab sahi hai mere liye."
The Chavans had mixed feelings after Vinu's revelation. While some were happy to see the family finally coming together, others were confused and unsure of how to react. Virat assured Kaku that everything would be alright soon and they would figure out a way to move forward as a family. With Sai back in their lives, he thought that they could overcome any obstacle.
He slowly went to Pakhi's room to see her breaking things around and screaming in anger, oh man, he knew what she'd exactly say and their conversation would never reach an end but he had to show her the mirror. Sai got all the happiness she deserved which Pakhi had tried best to spoil.
That night
Sai's heart started racing as she looked around the bed and couldn't find Vinu sleeping next to her. She searched the entire room, but Vinu was nowhere to be found. Panic started to set in as she started to question whether everything that had happened was just a dream. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Vinu again.
Just as she was about to break down, she heard a faint noise coming from outside the room. She quickly ran towards the sound and found Vinu sitting on the couch, sipping on a glass of water.
"Vinu, kahan gaye the, pata hai main kitni dar gayi thi?," Sai said as she hugged him tightly while sighing with relief.
"Paani lene aayi thi, Aai. kamre mein paani khatam ho chuki thi," Vinu replied with a smile.
"Accha chalo" Sai made him sit on the bed and settled herself.
She was so happy that Vinu called her his aai, but she wondered how he realized it. All his life he had addressed Pakhi as his mother and had believed everything she said. Even when Virat had spoken to him, he had ignored her. It confused Sai. She wanted to know how it all happened. She took her opportunity when Vinu said he wasn't sleepy. She slowly asked, "Aapko pata kaise chala ki main hi aapki aai hoon?"
"Mujhe ek kahaani batayi gayi thi"
"Hun? Konsi kahani? Kaise?"
"Main bataunga lekin aap bina meri baaton ko kaate sunengi na?" Sai nodded
"Uss din jab aapke cabin mein wait kar raha tha, tab Dr.Cool aaye the, arey wahi aapka Dr. Headche" Sai chuckeled. "Phir?"
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Satya enters the cabin
"Arrey, arrey dekho kaun aaya hai?" Satya asked enthusiastically.
Vinu's face lit up seeing him. "Hello, Dr. Cool. Kaise ho aap?"
"Main toh badhiya hoon."
"woh kaun hai?" he pointed at a sleeping Savi.
"Woh Savi hai, meri choti behen."
"Matlab Dr. Joshi ki beti bhi hai? Aur kitne bacche chupka rakhien hain madam ne? Dekhke toh nahi lagta ki unke bacche bhi hain," he started to wonder.
"Haan, yeh Doctor Aunty ki beti hai," his tone fell with the mention of Sai. Satya, who had already studied the case of Pakhi and Sai before the court trial, knew why Vinu did not consider Sai his mother. He thought it best to avoid the situation to keep Sai's privacy.
"Accha Dr. Junior Vinayak Chavan, mera shift khatam ho gaya hai, mujhe jaana chahiye." He gave a goodbye kiss to Vinu and walked away.
"Mujhe ek doubt hai? Aap clear karoge?"
"Pucho?" he kept his belongings on a chair and sat on the table facing Vinu.
"Baba ne kaha ki Doctor Aunty hi meri aai hai. Lekin Mumma ne kaha ki mein unke pet mein tha, aur Baba ne bhi haan kaha. Lekin Mumma mujhse bohot pyaar karti hai. Mujhe samajh nahi aa raha ki main kispe yakeen karu. Aap mujhe help karoge? Kon sach bol raha hai?"
"Hmm, dono sach keh rahe hain."
"Toh meri do-do mummy hai kya? Aise kese ho sakta hai?"
"Hmm, tum little Krishna dekhte ho?"
"Haan lekin, yeh mere sawaal ka jawaab to nahi hai."
"Tumhari kahani Balram Bhagwan ji ke kahaani ki tarah hai."
"Kaise?"
"Jab Balram Bhagwan ji unki Devaki maa ke pet mein the, Bhagwan Vishnu chahte the ki woh zinda rahe, isliye unhon ne apne shaktiyon ka istemaal karke, unhon ne Devaki maa ki pet se Rohini maa ke pet mein rakh di. Ab tum mujhe batao, Balaramji ki maa kaun hai?"
"Devki maa," Vinu answered confidently.
"Lekin Rohini maa ne Balaram ji ko unke andar paala tha, aur unhon ne hi unka janam bhi diya tha, toh Rohini maa hi asli maa haina?"
"Nahi, woh toh Vishnu ji ne Balaram Bhagwan ki jaan bachane ke liye kiya tha, lekin Balaram Bhagwan ki asli maa toh Devki maa hi hai, aur Rohini maa bhi."
"Kuch isi tarah hai aapki kahani bhi. Aapki Devki maa, Sai hai, aur aapki Rohini maa, aapki Mumma hai. Simple!"
"Aise kese? Vishnu Bhagwan ne Doctor Aunty se bhi baat kari?" he asked innocently.
"Hahaha! Nahi bada. Aapki Devki Maa ko medically kuch problems the, isliye jaise Bhagwaan Ji ne apne shaktiyon ka istemal kiya humne modern science ka istemal karke, aapki Pakhi Mumma ko aapki Rohini Ma banadi. Sach me doctors toh magicians hue na?"
"Toh Doctor Aunty hi meri Aai hai?"
"Bilkul." Satya felt content. He knew Vinu was a child, and no amount of explanations could make him understand how he was born. He attempted to answer his question, but he had no idea how Vinu would understand.
"Baada aap chote bacche ho, aapko yeh sab samajh mein nahi aayega lekin, aapki Doctor Aunty aapki Aai hai. Woh aapse bohot pyaar karti hai. Infact, aapki photo bhi yahan unki drawer mein hai. Jab bhi woh use kholti hain na, tab woh tumhe dekhti hai. Tum Sai ke liye kaafi special ho. Bas aap hamesha ki tarah unse baat karo, unhe jaanbhujke kabhi hurt mat karna."
"Par, agar wahi meri asli Aai thi, toh woh mere saath kyun nahi thi itne saal? Aur meri Mumma ne itni saal meri dhyan rakhi hai, woh mujhse bohot pyaar karti hai," Vinu answered.
"Aap jaante ho na ki Balram Ji ko bhi Rohini Maa ne hi paala tha, bohot saal tak. Phir jaakar, Kanha Ji aur Balram Ji apne Devki Maa ke paas gaye the. Jis tarah Devki Maa apne bacchon se dur thi, aapki Devki, aapki Sai Aai ke paas bhi koi toh wajah hui hogi na?" Satya tried his best.
The first day he saw Vinu addressing Sai as his Doctor Aunty, he saw Sai break. The case helped him better to understand Sai's pain as a mother. He tried to make the child understand; maybe this would ease Sai's pain a little.
"Aap ek kaam karo, ek hafte ke liye, aap apne dono Mummas ko observe karo, aur aapko khud pata chal jaayega ki aapki Doctor Aunty ko Aai bulana chahiye ya nahi. Kyunki aapki kahani Balram Ji ki kahani se milti hai, aap unke tarah hi, ek acche beta, ek accha bhai aur ek accha insaan banna chahiye. Jab ek beta apni Maa ko dukh pahunchata hai, woh aage jaake apne zindagi mein khush nahi reh sakta hai. Baaki aapki choice hai. Aap khudh socho, aap smart ho. Lekin hamesha yaad rakhna, Sai aapse bohot pyaar karti hai, unke jitna aapse iss duniya mein koi pyaar nahi kar sakta." He said.
Satya sat for five minutes to observe if Vinu processed things in the right way. He could tell from his face that he was only confused, not angry. He received a call and left.
Vinu sat there, lost in thought. He never really thought about the reason why his doctor aunty was his mother. He always assumed that his birth mother couldn't take care of him and that his mumma had graciously stepped in. But now he was beginning to understand that the situation was more complicated than that.
He decided to take Satya's advice and observe his mothers for a week. He wanted to understand them better and figure out what he should call his doctor aunty. He knew that both of them loved him very much, and he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
Vinu realized that both of his mothers were important to him in different ways. Pakhi was his caregiver and provided him with emotional support, while Sai was his friend and mentor, guiding him through life's challenges. He couldn't imagine his life without either of them.
As the week came to an end, Vinu knew what he had to do.
"Aur main toh good boy bhi hoon, baba ne bhi us din mujhse kaha ki aap hi meri aai ho and meri bad behavior ke liye I'm so sorry par i promise, main aage se kabhi aap par kabhi gussa nahi karunga aur hamesha apko respect bhi karunga, Savi ke liye duniya ka best bhai bhi banunga, Balaram ji ki tarah." He finished happily
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Thank you all for liking and commenting on the story, please forgive me if I have hurt anyone's sentiments. This POV was given just to clear up a few things for Vinu. IN NO WAY IS PAKHI'S CHARACTER PIOUS OR CLOSE TO GOOD! Feel free to share what you think.