There was pin drop silence in the room. Vinod sat on sofa with his wife while on opposite sofa were yash and rashi still in wedding clothes. Savitari sevi was walking agitately in the room waiting for her husband to come back.
vinod looked up when his father entered. Ashmit singh khaurana entered his face red with anger took one look at yash and rashi and marched back outside. Savitrai devi sat on the sofa with shaking legs.
Vinod followed him outside signalling others to remain.
…...
vinod handed his father a glass of water. ''papa please calm down.''
ashmit drank water trying to calm himself. ''he is blaming me, didn't even listen to me and cut the phone.''
Vinod,''you know darji. This news really hurt him. yash is his favourite son and he is always planing his wedding.''
ashmit sighed,''all the anger going out of him. I know how much he loves yash. But why did that idiot did this? No one would have gone against his wishes, all he needed to do was tell us and I would have spoken to his father.''
vinod didn't say anything, there was nothing to say.
Vinod,''what are we going to do now?''
Ashmit,''yash and his wife can stay here. There is no where else for them to go.''
vinod knew ashmit loved yash as his own son and he was hurt by yash's sudden marriage as well but unlike darji, he was trying to deal with the situation.
Vinod,''okay. I will talk to darji myself but I think we should give him some time to handle this news. He will come around and papa please don't take darji's word at heart, he is angry and hurt and don't understand what he is saying.''
Ashmit didn't say anything just closed his eyes. there was knock on the door and yash entered. He looked very tense. vinod sighed and left the room giving him alone time with Ashmit.
Yash stood worried looking at ashmit's white face and thinking how much worse his own father will be feeling. He turned to leave his heart heavy realizing how big step he had taken but ashmit stopped him. ''yash''
yash stopped at door and turned toward him. Ashmit was looking up at ceiling and then, turned his face and looked at him. ''Come here and sit ''
yash came and sat near him.
Ashmit,''why?''
yash,''she was scared, thought that our families will never accept her and I really love her.''
ashmit,''why did she believe that?''
yash,'' she is very innocent and gullible, and someone at office told her that my family is very strict and traditional and they will never accept a non-punjabi female as their daughter-in- law. She panicked and thought I was just time passing with her and to make her believe...'' he left the sentence incomplete.
Ashmit,''you know how much your father loves you, he let you study engineering, let you stay here so you can full fill your dreams, tell me a single thing you have asked him and he refused?''
yash remain silent, knew that his every wish had been full-filled.
Ashmit,''its now upto you to make up to him, you can stay here as long you want, you are like vinod to me but you must make up to your father.''
yash nodded.
Ashmit, ''now go and rest in your room.''
…...
2 weeks later
maan showed his drawing to rashi.
Rashi,''beautiful.''
maan smiled and said,''now counting?''
rashi nodded. Maan started counting with a proud smile on his face, nobody else in his class could count till 100 .
Savitari devi who was going to her room stopped at maan's voice and saw him again with rashi. Her anger decreased a bit more. Rashi was so sweet nobody would believe that this girl was the owner of one of the most rich people in India. She did everything by her own hand. Yesterday, she cooked a pure punjabi meal for the whole family. She was trying so hard to make place in the family.
…...
1 month later
rashi helped savitari devi select the curtains for the sitting room. Aunti ji, ''I think this one is best.''
savitari devi,''perfect, I was just looking for something like this. Now, only one thing left, I need to buy some jewellery.''
rashi,''hmm.''
…...
3 months later
vinod took a sleeping maan from yash,''its hard to part him from his angel.''
yash smiled,''I feel jealous, they love each other so much.''
Vinod,''nah, he was the one who decided that angel was for his uncle.''
yash kissed maan on forehead,''both of them are angels.''
vinod who had serious reservations about rashi now had completely reformed his opinion. She really was a very nice girl who seemed to love yash to core and loved to help everyone around her.
Vinod,''did you talk with her father?''
yash,''no, he is still out of India and rashi says that we should make sure that darji accept our marriage and then, focuss on her father.''
Vinod,''he is coming around. I am going to hoshiyar pur this weekend and I am going to tell him the good news.''
yash laughed, he was so happy that he was going to be a father that a smile was constantly painted on his face.
Yash,''where is bhabi?''
Vinod's smile became brittle,''at hospital.''
yash sensed his mood change,''come on you know how demanding her profession is, she is a doctor.''
Vinod,''leave it.''
yash didn't say anything and left.
Vinod gently laid maan on bed who immediately rolled to other side muttering angel. Vinod's mood darkened further. He was happy that maan was close to rashi but this role should be played by maan's own mother. She was career women but didn't she have some responsibility toward her husband, her son? He took out his night suit. Look at rashi she was one of the top buisness women but she had left everything for yash. She still worked but kept minimum working hours, but still handling everything efficiently. He knew because she often asked for his opinion in different matters.
…...
1 month later
vinod held a sleeping maan against his chest, his baby's arm in a plaster, streak of tears still visible on his cheek. Vinod gently removed the tears. Muskaan came runing through the emergency and halted near him.
''what happened to maan.'' her voice was breaking, she tried to take him from vinod's arms but vinod held maan tighter, his face angry. He strode out of emergency with a bewildered muskaan following him. Rashi ,who had came with vinod ,laughed quietly. Poor muskaan , she thought and then followed them.
…...
Muskaan,''vinod why are you behaving like this.''
vinod,''why are you here?''
muskaan,''what do you mean why I am here?''
vinod,''don't you have some emergency at the hospital.''
muskaan,''my child is hurt, why would I be at the hospital?''
vinod,''really, he is your son as well, I thought he only had one parent.''
muskaan,''you are hurting me vinod.''
vinod,''good because you have hurted me as well.''
muskaan felt tear spill down her cheek, he never spoke to her like this.
''vinod.''
vinod,''leave me alone muskaan, I don't want to be alone.''
muskaan stood there crying. Vinod picked up a sleeping maan and left the room. On his way out, he saw his sister, ridhi was standing on the door shocked. He looked away from her and went to guest room.
Ridhi entered the room and took a crying muskaan into her arms.
…...
2 days later
rashi got ready in front of the mirror singing her favourite song. Yash was not here, he had gone to meet his father. This was another plus for her. To carry up the charade of being in love with that idiot while her vinod was in front of her was very difficult but she had managed it.
Vinod was unhappy, his marital life in pieces and nothing could delight her more. For muskaan he had refused to even look at rashi and today, he was not ready to even look at that same muskaan.
She laughed. She wanted vinod broken, nobody made her feel unwanted and lived happily ever after.
The moment she left her room, her expression changed to a sombre one. She was going down the stairs but stopped on second step, the scene below unbelievable to her. Vinod put his arm around a smiling muskaan who held maan in her arm and both went out of the house with a servant towing a suitcase. She quickly came down but they were out.
Savitari devi happily turned from door and saw rashi.
Savitari,''rashi beta, I am so happy today.''
rashi managed a smile. ''whats going on?''
savitari,''ridhi managed to get them together again. I was so worried, vinod was so angry but ...thank god everything is fine.''
rashi smiled at ridhi,''you could have told me, I would have helped you.''
ridhi,'' you are pregnant, all this stress is not good for you. Any way, thank you for taking care of maan, I have decided to leave hostel and become a day scholar, I will keep an eye on him. So, that it wont be a burden on you.''
rashi just stared at her and then said,''you are so caring and thought full, I wish I could repay you. In fact, your whole family is very nice. But the thing is maan is not a burden to me, he is a darling child.''
ridhi felt like there was a double meaning in her sentence.
…...
5 days later
ridhi was driving home when another car nearly crashed into her. She was shocked for about 5 min, then she threw open the car door and marched to other car driver, who was laughing with his friends. She couldn't see his friends as he was turned toward his friend.
She knocked on his window. The laughing stopped, window slowly lowered and the guy turned toward her. She promptly forgot what she was going to say. The guy he was so,..beautiful that word stuck in her throat.
He was beautiful but not feminine, their was something in his features which prevented him from being pretty. He must be a model she thought.
A smile graced those beautiful red lips and he winked at her. She actually blushed, not understanding anything she turned back to her car.
…...
2 week later
ridhi came down the campus road, walking toward her car with her best friend along her. When suddenly her eyes went to the guy standing near her car. Her breath stopped, it was the same guy and he.was.looking.at.her. Her car keys fell to ground, feeling dumb, she picked up her keys. He was laughing at her. She walked past him as quickly she could and left campus.
…...
1 month later
ridhi looked at him as he slid the ring on her left finger. His smile still the same naughty one. She put the ring offered by muskaan onto his hand. Everyone clapped as flash light exploded centered on the couple.
…...
2 month later
ridhi slid into the car with Kashab while her brother shut the door and amid the shower of flowers she left. Rashi who was standing with yash smiled a very satisfied smile and turned toward yash who was talking to his bhabhi.
…...
1 month later
rashi poured tea for savitari devi and her friends and then said I need to call a friend. Savitari devi smiled at her. ''sure beta''.
Her friend said,''you are so lucky, both your children got married real well.''
savitari devi,''all my children including yash deserved it but my yash is the real lucky one.''
her friends nodded.''yes, she is really beautiful.''
savitari,''moreover, she has got a beautiful heart.''
another friend asked.''how is ridhika?''
savitari devi,''still on honeymoon.''
the same friend,''she is happy nah? There wedding took place so quickly, they didn't have much time to get to know each other.''
savitari,''we wanted to wait but kashab insisted.''
another friend,''they have got whole life to understand each other.''
savitari devi nodded.
…...
Noon
Maan had sneaked outside to play in garden while angel was sleeping. She was getting so fat, he thought. He made a mud house. He thought everyone was sleeping, grand ma, angel, and even the servants. Nobody played with him, he thought sadly. Dad was at office with yash uncle and grand pa.
At that time, he saw the gatekeeper going with a maid toward back quarters, they were giggling. Were they going to play? He got up on his little legs but at that moment, a huge water drop fell on his face. He looked at clouds and falling water, rain he thought. He happily started jumping. Then, suddenly some one climbed up the gate and jumped. Maan saw the female. ''aunty'' he thought. May be she will play.
…...
ridhi's leg shook but dragged herself toward the house. Nobody had opened the door, she had knocked for so long. She went inside, her brain still hazy, her room where was her room, there was something she need to get from her room. Her bare feet left mud and blood on the floor. She went to her room and nearly fell down.
He wouldn't follow her hair, she thought. Suddenly her eyes went to mirror and she looked at herself. Her dress was torn and she needed to cover herself. Yes. At that moment 2 hands grabbed her, she shrieked but no voice came out of her throat. Her throat was so dry, and she had shrieked so much that her voice didnt come out.
Then, she realized that hands holding were small. She looked down at a smiling maan.
Maan,''you came to play nah. Everyone sleeping, no one is playing with me.''
she felt tears running down her face. Maan looked at her.''no crying, we won't play.''
she fell down on her knees and tried to tell him to call vinod.
Maan,''what?''
she managed on 4th try ''call bhai home.''
maan nodded and went away. She was in such condition that she didn't remember that her own mother was sleeping a floor above or to call servant for help.
Maan went down the stairs and picked up th phone and dialed dad number which had been ingrained into his brain by vinod. He picked up phone. ''hello.''
maan,''dad come home.'' he put the phone back. Vinod looked at the mobile and shook his head. Last three times, maan had been bored and with no one to play when he had called him. He will go in 2 hours he decided.
Maan was going back when kashab came in and picked maan in his arms. ''hey superman.''
maan laughed. ''where is your aunty?''
maan,''in her room but don't want to play.''
kashab,''hm, I will play with you champ. Go hide and I will search you.''
maan brightened and happily ran away. Kashab watched him go and went up to her room and locked it.
…...
maan sat huddled under sofa for so long but no one came. He finally came out and went to aunty ridhi room and pushed inside. The door opened soundlessly. No one was in the room, he turned to leave when he saw an arm peeking through under the bed. He huddled down, she was crying soundlessly, her body jerking. Maan suddenly got scared. He moved out and ran to call angel. He stopped dead in the hallway. Kashab uncle kissed angel on head.''everything is going to be okay, that bitch won't hurt you anymore, I promise.''
maan went to angel both looked down at him. Maan said,''aunty is hurt.''
angel looked at kashab and said,''go away before someone comes, I will handle everything.''
kashab went down the stairs. Maan grabbed angel's shirt and pulled.''angel, aunty.''
rashi bent toward him,''come on maan, lets play some game.''
maan,''no aunty.''
rashi grabbed him by arm and pushed him toward her room, come on I will tell you a story.''
maan jerked away from her. Rashi looked at him and then, said,'' fine, she went to her room and closed it and then, locked it.''
maan went back slowly to aunty's room. Her arm was not visible now, he bent and looked under the bed, she was still crying. He was again scared but then, he saw blood leaking from her nose and she looked straight into his eyes, the pain in her eyes, it held him, he went in and held her whispering what his father always whispered when he was hurt,''everything will be okay. I am here.''
…...
vinod drove inside the house just as kashab'car pulled away.
Vinod shook his head, so that was the reason maan was calling. He drove inside and called loudly,''maan, maan?''
maan heard dad's voice and tried to move outside but ridhi whimpered, fear in her eyes, ''please dont leave me maan.''
maan,''dad is here, I promise he will make everything okay.''
he moved outside when she cried ,he had hit her burnt arm, he kissed it and then, said,''pappa is here.''
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