Aarya SS - Everything changed - pt 9 on pg 42 - Page 13

Part 6

Aarti was walking out the bathroom when Yash entered into their room.

"Are the children asleep?" Aarti asked him.

"Yes."

Yash could see that Aarti was a little restless as she stood in front of the bathroom. He saw her gaze at the bed and bit her bottom lips. Somehow Yash knew what was on Aarti's mind. He did not know if it was because she rarely articulated her thoughts that he could understand her silence.

"I will actually be sleeping in another room."

It was better that he moved to another room anyway. This room reminded him of Aprita. They spent their honeymoon here and the memories came rushing back when he stepped into the room. He wondered if he had made a wrong choice to come to Mumbai as he sat on the bed in the next room as Aprita's memories continued to haunt him.

His mobile phone vibrated and he saw a text from Pankaj bhiayya asking if they have arrived safely. He saw that Prateek had messaged him earlier on as well. Before he could reply their texts, his phone started ringing and "Home" was flashing on the screen. Yash sighed and put away his phone. It was stifling sometimes being around his family. He has to deal with them observing his and Aarti's moves like a hawk, their constant questions if everything is alright in his remarriage, their inquisitives stares at his and Aarti's lack of contact, their never-ending suggestions for him to improve things. And Vidhi babhi had been particularly concerned after he had asked her about Aarti's behavior with the children. Their keen interests in his life started the day Aprita left. It was as though he was incapable of living without Aprita and they were all expecting him to falter and be there to catch his fall. He knew that if he had suggested going out for a family outing that weekend in Bhopal, his whole family would have come along observing his and Aarti's interactions and giving each other looks that he could never bother to comprehend. They probably thought they were being discreet. He wondered if Aarti ever noticed them.

He did not think so. She seemed aloof about anything except the children. For the past few days, the disappointed look on her face when he had said that Ansh was her son kept haunting him. He realised that he has not accepted Ansh as part of his children. He was contented with Aarti looking after Palak and Payal as her own but forgot to do his part of the deal. She seemed to be fulfilling her end of their bargain better than him. He did not know how she accepted his daughters so easily and knew their every fears and likes in just a month. He realised he did not even know Ansh's favourite colour and the kid called him Daddy. And he was still baffled how the children managed to get along like as though they have known each other forever! Why is it we are able to accept others so readily when we are young but when we grow up, we start having reservations and prejudices against others?

"What are you all doing?"

"Daddy, we are making breakfast!" Payal ran and hugged him leaving stains of dough on his pants as he stepped into the kitchen the next morning.

"What are you all making for breakfast?"

"Chappatti. Do you want to help Daddy?" Palak asked Yash.

"Ok, what can I help with?"

He saw surprise in Aarti's eyes as she told him to roll the dough with the kids while she will look after them in the pan.

None of them could make round chappati and the chappati they rolled were either too thin or too thick. But the kids were having so much fun and were so proud of their creations that Aarti decided not to reroll them. At the breakfast table they were creating a ruckus on which chappati were the ones they rolled and insisted on eating only the ones they make. They momentarily distracted Yash from the memories of his and Aprita's moments at the breakfast table. He spent last night fighting Aprita's memories that threatened to engulf him whenever he closed his eyes ' the sound of her laughter, the tinkle of her bangles, their kisses, her whispers.

"Where are we going today Daddy?" Ansh asked excitedly when they are done with breakfast.

He suggested going to the beach much to the delight of the children.

As they walked along the pathway towards the beach, they past a row of people standing around with beach balls, spade and bucket sets, hammocks and some straw hats for sale. They bought a plastic ball at Ansh's insistence and a set of spade and bucket set for Payal. After their purchases, the children ran excitedly to the beckoning beach with their parents trailing behind.

"I want to build sandcastle. Please Mommy!" Payal screamed as she ripped the packaging off the set and sat herself on the sand and started digging with her spade.

"I want to play football," Ansh said.

Palak decided that she wanted to play football with Ansh and Yash while some distant away Aarti and Payal built sandcastles.

"Ooops! I am sorry," Ansh ran towards Payal when the ball he kicked accidentally smashed the sandcastles that she painstakingly built under the scorching sun.

Payal's eyes widened at the sudden destruction of her sandcastles and tears started streaming down her sun-kissed cheeks.

"Mummy," she cried to Aarti who was seated beside her.

"Come here. Hush, don't cry Payal. We can make them again," Aarti soothed her as she placed Payal on her lap and hugged her baby. Payal hugged her mom and rested her head on Aarti's chest.

"You make Payal cry now! See!" Palak accused Ansh.

"Payal don't cry, I will help you to make the sand castle ok?" Palak comforted Payal as she sat beside Aarti and wiped away Payal's tears.

"I will also help you na. Do not cry anymore. I am sorry," Ansh begged.

"Payal, come on baby. Shall we play football instead now? Or do you want to build sandcastles again?" Yash asked as he crouched beside his daughter.

Payal just continued sobbing into Aarti's chest.

"Hush now Payal. What do you want to do now? We do not want to waste time crying right?" Aarti questioned Payal as she stroke Payal's hair gently.

"Mummy will play football with me also? I do not know how to play," Payal lifted her head to look at Aarti.

Aarti nodded, smiled lovingly at Payal and planted a kiss on her nose. Her baby was so easily pacified.

"Yeah! I want to be on the same team as Daddy! He can play football very well," Ansh hugged Yash.

"And I want to be with Mummy," Palak said.

"Ok, then we will have boys versus girls ok? Come on, everyone get up," Yash round up the players.

They set the boundaries by drawing the field on the sand and marked out the goal post. Yash then explained the game to Payal and Aarti. Once they started the game, Yash realised that Aarti could play football very well. She could dribble the ball from her side of the "field" and nearly scored a goal. Both he and Ansh were taken by surprise as they were under the impression that beating the girls was going to a piece a cake. Thankfully Yash was fast enough to kick the ball away before it entered the "goal post". But she managed to score a goal eventually when she tricked him with a double step over to get past him. They girls ran towards Aarti with such speed and vigour when they realised that she had scored a goal that Aarti toppled to the ground with Palak and Payal atop of her. They were both hugging Aarti while screaming their hoorays! He looked down on the scene and smiled. Aarti's hair which has always been in a neat bun was coming lose and the lose hair framed her face. She was laughing, her eyes were twinkling and she looked so young and carefree unlike her usual standoffish self. She had her arms around his two daughters and they were showering her with kisses. This was how he had pictured a perfect moment with Aprita and his children would be when Payal was born.

"Daddy, we are going to lose. Mummy is too good," Ansh walked over to him looking depressed.

"Don't worry. We can definitely beat them. We are the master of this game." He gave Ansh a hi-five.

But Yash was proved wrong. The football game ended with the girls winning. Yash wondered how Aarti knew how to play football so well. She was running all over the place and he was surprised at the tricks she pulled against him.

"Daddy, they are making fun of me again," Ansh complained and went into his arms.

"It does not matter if we win or lose Ansh. We had fun today right?"

Ansh nodded. "And you taught me how to dribble."

"Yes, you know that in every game someone will have to lose right? Losing does not mean that you have failed. It just tells you that you need to do better the next time to have a shot at winning. And how can you be a loser when you are my best team mate? "

Ansh smiled at his father and hugged him. "I love you Daddy."

Palak got up and hugged Yash too. She apologised to Ansh for calling him a loser. Payal emulated her elder sister.

Yash wanted this moment to last forever. He never felt more blissful than being in the arms of his children. He knew that the moment he went back to his room, Aprita would greet him again.