SS- Beginning of an end. - Page 11

Sojal came back into the house after seeing varad off...she ate her breakfast and went to her room...she opened the door to her room when sunlight shone bright into her face.

"Ahh...too bright!!!" she mumbled and pulled down the curtains of the window in the room. When the curtain had closed, the light became less intense and spread a dull illumination through her room...and her room looked different...and reminded her less of her married life...she liked that about her room.

She sat by the chair near her drawer and looked at the photo frame that held their wedding picture. Varad looked so indifferent in that picture...seeing that sojal felt really sad...so sad as if her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces...just like a fragile mirror...which reflected her love for him...

"No more now...it doesn't matter..." sojal told herself and shook her head in agitation. She then glanced at her former self in the picture...she was no different than her husband in the picture...indifferent to the ways of the world, and to the feelings of the people she associated with. Sojal felt oddly humoured at her expression and smiled looking at it. How much have I changed in these past seven years...???Love makes people do many things doesn't it???How odd...but so very true...she thought to herself and chuckled more.

Sojal remembered about the wedding and searched for the invitation...she finally found it shoved in the drawer...Varad must have done it...she thought. He must have felt really sad seeing this...she remembered with misery the last night's events...the loneliness in varad's eyes shook her and stripped her out of her sanity...she was scared and prayed incessantly to not be devoured by those pair of eyes.

She looked at the invitation one more time on a closer note...she took one long look at the names in the invitation...seeing that made her eyes well up...she hugged the invitation close to her heart and cried out loud without restraint...when she heard the door open...

"Mama...are you crying???" Kavya her five year old daughter asked innocently.

"No darling...Nothing like that...see??" sojal told her wiping her tears.

"No...You were crying...did papa and you fight again???I don't like this at all...I won't talk to you both..." kavya chided and turned to leave...

Sojal sprung towards kavya and hugged her form the back..." No dear...I'm fine...We swore we won't fight...didn't we???" she asked innocently...kissing her daughter in her cheeks.

"Okay!!!!" kavya spread a broad smile.

"Okay let's go... mama and lil princess are going to a wedding...so let's dressup!!!" sojal spoke to kavya picking her up and playing to her...

"Wedding??? Okay...but mama... I want a princess dress... pretty pink!!! Promise???" she asked sweetly.

"Okay... well go shopping then...pucca promise..." sojal promised her child holding her hands to her lil's one.

"Yaay!!!!!" kavya shouted with happiness and started jumping on the bed.

Sojal shook her head in an unbelievable manner when she noticed the file lying on the table. She remembered about it and that she had left it there...she had been wondering about how to tell about it to varad, when an idea dawned on her...

"Chalo kavya... let's go to chachi and You can buy princess dress with her..." sojal said ushering kavya...

"But what about you mama??" kavya asked sojal.

"Astha chachi has better taste than me...and you can go and enjoy with her...Ice-cream also you can eat..." sojal grinned.

"Okay!!!! Iceee Creeeaaammm!!!" kavya jumped in happiness and ran to astha and shlok's room.

Sojal took the file and closed her room's door. She then came to see astha and shlok when she heard some shouting noises...it was obviously shlok and astha shouting and fighting with each other. Sojal tried to find out what the fight was about but was distracted by her daughter feeling scared and was whimpering at the shouting.

"Mama..." kavya ran to sojal and hugged her. "Chacha and Chachi are also fighting..." she hiccupped and hugged her more tightly and started sobbing again. Sojal cupped her face and wiped away her tears..."Nothing like that lil one...they are just playing , see it's called fighting game...in this game people fight with each other to prove who is the loudest...see???" sojal pointed towards the raising noise of both astha and shlok.

"Really???" kavya asked with a sob.

"Yes..." sojal said with a sad smile and hugged her tight.

Suddenly the door opened and astha came out stomping her feet..."Khadoos!!!heartless man!!!" she cursed under her breath and walked fastly when she bumped into sojal and kavya.

"Sorry... I didn't see you both..." astha apologised sadly.

Sojal saw that astha's eyes were very read and realised that she had a big fight with shlok. She felt really sorry for her and sympathised.

"its okay astha... do me a favour... Kavya and I are going to wedding today...and kavya wants a princess dress to wear...can you buy a dress for her??? Take her with you for shopping???" sojal questioned her.

Astha's face lit up immediately...spending time with innocent kavya was the only solace in the guilt ridden and heartless place for her. "Okay...I'll return before the evening..." she said to sojal and took kavya by her hand..."Let's go my fairy...we can have all the fun today!!!" she smiled at kavya and picked her up.

"where is shlok bhauji??" sojal asked astha.

"He's in his room..." astha muttered with anger.

"Okay thanks...and you both...don't eat too much icecreams okay???else you will catch a cold..." she chided to astha and kavya and patted astha's shoulder.

"Please let her have fun..." she requested astha.

"No worries... bye vahini...let's go!!!" astha smiled broadly to kavya and both of them went downstairs to leave for shopping.

Sojal entered shlok's room and saw him sitting on the bed with hands on his head. He was feeling very pained.

"A fight huh???" sojal spoke.

Shlok was startled to hear sojal's voice and turned his head to see her. "woh...vahini..." shlok stammered unable to reply back.

"Don't worry... you can talk your mind to me..." sojal assured him.

"It's nothing vahini..." shlok replied numbly.

"hmm... okay your wish..." she smiled faintly at him.

"What is it vahini...why did you come here...???" shlok asked her curiously.

"well... could you pass this to varad...?? I can't come to tell about it myself..." she said and gave the file to him.

"what is it about??" shlok asked confused about the fact of why his vahini would ask him to pass a file to his brother.

"You can open and see it...I trust you, but please don't say it to anyone...not even vinayak bhauji..." she said with firmness.

Shlok opened the file curious to know what it was when shock enveloped in his face which soon turned to happiness and then confusion. Shlok was speechless on seeing what was in the file... he felt a big lump in his throat and felt tongue tied. He stared into the file for a long time, and after the facts hit his head, he slowly opened his mouth to say something.

"Vahini...what...all...this???" shlok questioned her gulping his throat.

"yeah... it's as you read..." sojal simply asserted .

"But why didn't you tell dada???" shlok asked even more confused.

"Because it won't make a difference...also it's too late. I don't want history to repeat gain...I don't have that kind of strength..." she breathed a sigh.

"But how come you will know if you don't try at all???" he asked to her trying to teach some sense.

"No... it's not only that...there are a lot more at stake shlok..apparently I cannot say everything to you...because you are too soft at heart, and will be hurt the most of the outcome... it's better you don't know..." sojal replied . "But I will tell you something..And you will help me... because I won't take no for an answer...do it for me as a last wish..." she sounded strong.

Shlok got more and more confused and agitated hearing his vahini talk strangely, but nevertheless his vahini was someone who was his close friend and confidante.

"Okay..." he promised her.

Sojal felt positive hearing him promise her. She always felt shlok was really a very honest and nice person, fate held him his prisoner and changed him for the worse...but one can never change his roots and shlok was a perfect example for it...he always cared a lot about everybody but afraid of getting hurt by them that he began to hide within the mask of hatred...but little did he know that hatred is also a form of love...and getting to know him day by day made sojal feel more closer to him as her own brother.

Sojal started to tell shlok about what she was planning to do, and she noticed shlok's changing expression by each passing second...all forms of expressions swirled in his face, but he insisted in hearing till the end of it...and when it ended, an expression of denial immediately overtook his face.

"No!!!!! I won't let you do it.." shlok shouted immediately.

"No..shlok you must... remember your promise...you must do it even if it's the last thing you do for me..." she protested.

Shlok felt horror hearing sojal's last words. He felt miserable remembering his promise to her and sighed.

"Okay vahini...I'll..." he said with a dismissing manner.

"Thank you shlok...I should be going now... I need to pack the gift for the wedding..." sojal said and stood up to leave.

The mention of wedding struck a chord in shlok's brain. His expression immediately froze when he realised the truth. Infact, he had also received an invitation to the wedding but was not planning to go.

Shlok finally managed to turn back to reality when he saw sojal smiling faintly. Then the fact hit him like a stone in the head...Maybe she knows...he thought. First of all.. let's ask her before assuming...he convinced his mind and asked sojal.

"Vahini...you know about this???" he asked doubtfully.

Sojal gave a warm smile..."yes... more than you ever could shlok..." she said when she saw shlok gaping his mouth in utter horror.

"Shlok...I'll go now...and also don't tell anyone. You promised..." she reminded him again and walked towards the door when she heard shlok call her.

"Vahini...how are you???" shlok stammered unable to speak because of his founding.

"Leave it be...shlok. Now you should drop me to the wedding...and promise me one more thing...never hurt astha shlok...she is not swathi." Sojal smiled sadly and looked up at him.

Shlok couldn't say anything but stared at sojal for some time. Finally he nodded to show his assertion to the plan.

Sojal was happy to see shlok concede and left for her room. Just a little bit more...she thought sadly and opened the door to her room ...