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Part 33: Telling the Parents
Tension was tangible in the room as everyone waited for Kripa's parents to arrive. Kripa, on the other hand, wasn't nervous at al. She was relaxed as any other day. Riddhima, however, was nervous as hell. She was cutting Armaan's blood circulation to his fingers by gripping his hand too tight but he didn't care.
Khushi was in the kitchen, making jalebis, while Arnav sat on the counter with a file in his hands, trying to calm her down. When the doorbell rang, Khushi dropped whatever she was doing and rushed out with Arnav.
Angad stood tensed, next to his mother who refused to move from in between Kripa and him. Naina still hadn't said much to Angad. Naina gestured to Riddhima and she took Kripa away. Kripa protested but a look from Naina and a 'please' from Dilip was all that was needed.
As Kripa's parents walked in, the wave of tension quivered around the family members and the tension only increased. Gayatri cheerfully greeted Naina while Dilip greeted Suryaban with a handshake. Gayatri greeted Angad with a hug—which he gingerly returned. Suryaban also gave Angad a fatherly hug—a gesture that Angad had longed for from his own father.
As they sat down, Gayatri looked around the room. "Where's Kripa?" She looked at Angad.
Angad blinked and looked at the floor. Why did he feel guilty suddenly? Gayatri scanned everyone's faces and realized that they were all either looking at Angad or trying to avoid eye contact.
"Where's Kripa? What happened? Is she alright?" Gayatri said starting to panic.
"She's fine!" Naina spoke up. "She's here...it's just...There's something we wanted to talk to you about."
Naina's eyes flickered to Angad and then back at Gayatri. Naina looked at everyone else and pleaded with her eyes. Pleaded for moral support.
"I won't beat around the bush Gayatri. We have some news for you. We're hoping that you'll take it calmly..." Naina looked at Dilip. "We have come to terms with it and we've happily accepted it."
Gayatri and Suryaban exchanged a look. They both looked at Angad who wasn't looking back at them. He looked defeated, in fact.
Gayatri and Suryaban turned their confused gazes to Armaan who gave them a tight forced smile. When they looked at Arnav and Khushi, Khushi was looking at her toes while Arnav was looking at Angad. Naina stood up and took a seat next to Gayatri. Gayatri looked on as Naina took her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.
Naina looked at Dilip and Angad once more before turning to Gayatri.
"You're...you're going to become a Nani."
Gayatri's face was lightened up by a huge smile which slowly faded away into an expression of shock. "W—what?"
Naina nodded. "Kripa's pregnant."
Suryaban sat as still as a statue. Gayatri's eyes were starting to pool tears and her expression was still shocked. Angad was at the edge of his seat, stiff as a board.
"When did you find out?" Gayatri choked.
"Two months ago...she's in her 21st week..." Naina said.
Gayatri frowned. "She didn't tell me...she...but...she tells me everything!"
Naina put a hand on Gayatri's shoulder. "it's not that simple Gayatri...we told her not to tell you...the situation is complicated and we didn't want to tell you while Angad was gone..."
"Complicated? What's so complicated? We'll just have to get them married..." Gayatri said, sobbing silently. She was thoroughly hurt and disappointed in Kripa. As if being pregnant out of wedlock wasn't bad enough...Kripa was halfway through the pregnancy and hadn't even told her parents!
"That's the complication..." Naina said, glaring at Angad. "Kripa and Angad...they...they broke up. They're not together anymore."
Gayatri sighed and slumped back in her seat and put a hand over her mouth. Pregnant out of wedlock, hid the truth from parents, and to be a single mother.
"You promised that you were serious about her..." Gayatri looked accusingly at Angad.
Armaan came and kneeled in front of Kripa's mother. "Aunty...he didn't leave her. They decided on this together. Kripa is happy with this decision."
Armaan calmly explained what happened after Angad had found out that Kripa was pregnant and how she had ended up in this house. Gayatri sobbed freely by the time he was done.
Suryaban, who had been as quiet and as still as a statue throughout everything, stood up suddenly. Everyone else also stood up. He looked furious.
"KRIPA!" He roared making Khushi, Naina and Gayatri jump. Khushi tightened her grip around Arnav's arm while Armaan and Angad exchanged a quick look.
"Pappa!" Kripa called out cheerfully. Had she completely missed the obvious rage in his voice? She rushed towards him and everyone turned to look at them. Kripa readied herself to throw her arms around her father when he held up a hand. Kripa stopped suddenly in her track and lost balance.
Arnav, Khushi, Angad, and Armaan instinctively took a few steps towards her but Riddhima had caught Kripa. Kripa protectively clutched her tummy, still looking at her father.
"Kripa!" Gayatri started to walk towards her daughter but Suryaban held her by the hand stopped her. Kripa looked in between her mom and dad.
Suryaban walked up to Kripa, who was smiling tearfully at her father. Before anyone had time to react to anything, a loud echo of a slap echoed in the large living room of Khanna Mansion. Everyone's expression froze at a shell shocked one. Khushi turned her face away, hiding behind Arnav's arm, and cried. Their worst fears had come true.
Riddhima had both her hands over her mouth, clearly shocked at Suryaban's actions. Kripa, herself, seemed shocked as she turned back to look at her father, tears falling from her eyes, a hand over her red cheek.
"Papa?" was all she could manage.
"DONT CALL ME PAPA!" Suryaban roared and Kripa flinched as if she was about to get slapped again. "We trusted you Kripa! We gave you your freedom! And this is how you repaid us? Do you realize that you've disgraced us in our own eyes as well as before the society?" Suryaban's voice had so much anger and power in it; no one could speak up against it. No one had seen him this furious. Kripa wrapped her arms around her stomach more protectively.
"If you two were together and willing to get married...I would have still considered you my daughter but this...this is completely unacceptable! No. I won't let you do this. You'll come to the clinic with me right now. You will get an abortion done." Suryaban, with authority, turned around, ready to walk out of the house.
This was another shock to everyone present in the room. No one had expected Kripa's parents to take this news gracefully...no parents of an out-of-wedlock pregnant daughter would take this news gracefully.
"No I won't." Kripa spoke with determination. "I won't kill my baby."
Suryaban rounded on her again; angrier than before if that was even possible. "Kripa!" He shouted.
"I'm sorry dad. I won't do it." Kripa looked at her toes.
Kripa saw her dad's hand raise in the air again and she closed her eyes and readied herself for another slap but it never came. She opened her eyes to look and saw that Angad was holding Suryaban's hand at the wrist. Suryaban glared at him.
"I'm sorry uncle. You're an elder and I should be more respectful but I can't stand around and watch you do this to her." Angad lowered Suryaban's hand. "We both have different opinions when it comes to the baby and that's why we separated but our feelings for each other haven't changed."
Suryaban glared at Kripa over Angad's shoulder. Kripa walked around and stood in front of her father. "Dad...I...we...we didn't mean for this to happen! But it did! And you always said that children are a gift from God...how can I get rid of this gift then? Dad, this is my first baby and I don't want to get rid of him! Please try and understand! Please?"
Kripa held her mother's shoulders. "Mamma! Explain it to him please! You're a mother...you must understand! I know you understand! I know you do!"
"Even the baby's father isn't ready to accept him Kripa! Why are you being so stubborn?!" Suryaban said, still angry.
"He's just not ready for a baby dad and I understand that...but I am..."
"But Kripa...beta think logically...you'll ruin your entire life this way...you've just finished studying, you haven't even started your career yet and raising a child single-handed is a tough job!" Gayatri explained her daughter through tears.
"I know mamma...but I'm not alone! I have you, I have papa...Riddhima...Armaan...Khushi...Arnav...Uncle and aunty...they're all with me!" Kripa walked back to her father and took his hand in hers. "Your princess needs you right now papa...wont you help her through this like you always do? Won't you forgive your daughter papa? Will you stay angry with her forever?" Kripa kissed his hand.
"What daughter?" Suryaban pulled his hand back. "I don't have a daughter. You're not my daughter."
Gayatri sobbed and Kripa looked at him. His statement hurt more than his slap. "Papa?"
"My daughter always thought of my happiness...her mother's happiness. She wouldn't have put us through this. My daughter's dead." He turned to Gayatri. "Let's go Gayatri...we have no business here. Our daughter's not here."
"Papa!" Kripa tried to stop him but he was already walking away with Gayatri. Gayatri's pained eyes didn't leave Kripa's face and Kripa followed them, trying to stop her father with her pleads and cries.
"Enough! Stop calling me papa! I'm not your papa! You're not my daughter! You're dead to me Kripa!"
Kripa stopped dead in her tracks and her knees gave out. She reached out into the air and tried to plead with her father who had already stepped out of the house and was vanishing out of sight.
Khushi, Riddhima, and Angad all rushed towards her at the same time. Arnav stopped Khushi and Armaan pulled Riddhima back. Angad kneeled next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
"Angad! Tell him to come back! Tell him to stop! Make him come back!" She held onto Angad as if holding on for her dear life and cried.
Angad caressed her hair and patted her shoulders, trying to calm her down. Just as angry as Suryaban, Naina started to charge towards Angad but Riddhima stopped her and shook her head. Everyone simply watched on as Angad helped Kripa up and led her to her room.
Khushi and Arnav sat Naina down while Arnav helped them calm her down. Riddhima walked into the kitchen to make a smoothie for Kripa. Dilip excused himself from the group in the living room and walked towards Kripa's bedroom.
"Kripa...think about it...is it really worth all this? I mean...you're being so stubborn about having this baby and you're turning away from everyone you love." Angad said quietly.
"I'm not turning away from anyone...my opinion on this is just different from all of you. I'm already halfway through my pregnancy...I'm not going to kill my baby."
Dilip saw Kripa crying silently with her head resting on Angad's shoulder while he caressed her arms and maintained a comfortable silence. Dilip wanted to go up to Angad and shake him and scream, "Don't you see how much her tears affect you? Don't you see she needs you at every step right now?" but he pushed the thought aside. He, himself, had gone through a long phase where he had distanced himself from Angad and Naina and Angad was simply following the example, so to speak.
Dilip knocked on the door twice. Angad looked at the door but Kripa didn't move. Dilip walked in and sat on Kripa's other side. Kripa sniffed and lifted her head off of Angad's shoulder.
"Angad...can you go and get her a scoop of ice cream? I'm sure she'd love it right about now." Dilip gave Angad a look and understanding it, Angad stood up.
Angad was going to leave the room but his father spoke just as he reached the threshold.
"We knew this was going to be tricky..." he said calmly.
Kripa sniffed. "I know...I think I was just too confident that they would understand...I was just too convinced that they would support me."
She leaned her head against Dilip's shoulder and to Angad's surprise, he let her.
"He said I'm dead to them...I don't have a dad anymore..." Kripa sobbed.
Dilip embraced her in a fatherly hug. "Don't you ever say that Kripa. I've always wanted a daughter...and now I have one..."
A small smile swept across Kripa's face. Satisfied that she had smiled a little, Angad went to get her that scoop of ice cream.
Kripa lifted her head off of Dilip's shoulder. "We have to tell Angad...he's your son...he has a right to know everything you've told me..."
"He's not as forgiving as you are, Kripa. I've already lost a lot of precious moments with him...I don't want to lose him completely..."
"You won't. I'm here. I'll talk to him."
Dilip looked at Kripa for a long minute. Kripa raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"What?" She asked.
"He doesn't know what he has let go of." Dilip touched her cheek gently. "He won't find someone like you..."
"Of course he won't. There's only one me." Kripa sniffed and wiped away the rest of her tears.
Dilip chuckled and at the same time, Angad came back into the room holding her cup of ice cream. She thanked him for it and shoved a spoonful into her mouth while Angad watched with a grin on his face. Dilip excused himself and walked towards the door.
"Uncle!" Kripa called out. "Remember...the plan goes into action tomorrow...Khushi, Riddhima, and I are all set."
Dilip smiled at her and left the room. Kripa shoved another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and looked at Angad, who looked confused.
"What plan?" he asked.
"I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you." Kripa smiled mischievously.
There you go guys! That is the update for today. I think for now, thats the last of the sad parts...some fun is on the way starting the next part! :) Sorry for the delayed update and thank you for your wonderful comments. School is done for me but work continues...updating will be difficult but I will try my best to keep the updates close together. Feel free to comment guys!
Love,
Katie <3
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