Samarpan (An FF) Part 11 (Thread 1/Page 139) - Page 85

Originally posted by: lulujjj

nice update.

Originally posted by: Prasadini

Beautiful work indu👏

Originally posted by: sheema_rajoo

oh my so the bearded man was yash but what's he doing with a beard. I thought he was devastated with tanya's betrayal but he had gotten over it.. but yes I loved the way he went back to that place where he saved aarti. It's like his heart knew she was the one for him.

then another woman deepa who again tried to frame him for his money... arghhh..thank goodness his friend was there to save him from the trap she was setting up for him. So now the only thing I can conclude is Arpita is the reason for his current state.. hmmm.. so many questions..

Anyways Indu loved this but waiting for more to be revealed on Yash's current state of mind (i mean the bearded state) 😆 love the way you're giving Yash his spotlight also and yes it's building loads of queries. So here is a jhappi

Samarpan

A wise unselfishness is not a surrender of yourself to the wishes of anyone,
but only to the best discoverable course of action.

Part 9

You alone can break down the wall behind which I tremble,

you alone can remove my mask,

you alone can release me from my shadow world of panic,

if you choose to……Please choose to.

Do not pass me by….please stay.

It will not be easy for you, yet I pray.

A long conviction of worthlessness builds strong walls.

The nearer you approach me….the blinder I may strike back.

I fight against the very thing I want as my defender,

I fight against surrender.

I am told that love is stronger than strong walls….and in this lies my hope.

And if I know myself…I will fight against even that hope.

That was the last poem in the journal. Yash's fingers quivered a little as he closed the journal. He had flicked through pages of poems, essays, anecdotes, short stories, and thoughts, his mind compelling him to read each as he browsed, till he had reached the end. He had read the poem twice…and each time a wave of intense emotion had passed through him. It was clearly a cry of help, and somehow the words had pierced his soul. The pain he felt on reading it was personal…very personal. But how is that even possible? Yash stood clutching the journal as he tried to analyze the feeling. Is this the connection Aman mentioned?

"Do you like it?"

Yash spun around to find Arpita standing near the door. A half smile played on her lips, but her eyes were sharp as she observed the changed demeanor in the man who was so obviously going through the motions of a cursory visit just moments ago. Now he looked involved…and interested.

"Is this yours?"

"Hmm!! Yeah…It's no big deal actually…just stuff I scribble when the mood gets me. You didn't answer me? Did you like what you saw?"

Yash looked at her speculatively. Was that query about the journal or did she hint at something else? He couldn't make out. So he played safe.

"You write well. I have never met a writer before. However, whatever I read fleetingly here, this is brilliant work. I am impressed."

"Thanks! You can take it."

"What? Are you sure? You will give away something like this just like that!!" Yash was stunned.

"Of course! Obviously you liked the stuff. You have come to our house for the first time. Take it as a gift. If I want to fill another notebook, I can always pick up a pen anytime," she laughed in an offhand manner.

Yash was thoroughly puzzled. In the end he put her offer down to her good manners and generous nature. There was no other way he could justify her actions. Also, the contents in the journal had aroused his interest. He thanked her politely, "I appreciate your gesture Miss Mehra. Thank you…..Look, I'll take it for now, and after I have finished reading, I shall return it back. I would hate to sadden you by taking away such amazing creations."

"There is only one thing that saddens me now," she smiled congenially, and as Yash raised a brow, she added, "That you keep calling me Miss Mehra. It sounds so formal. Please call me Arpita."

Much later, as Yash got up to leave, Mr and Mrs Mehra looked questioningly at him after humbly folding their hands. Their daughter was always beyond their comprehension. As such when this proposal came from the Scindias, they could only request her to think about it. Initially, she had refused outright and had declined to even contemplate an offer of an arranged marriage. But the very next morning she had surprised them by showing keenness for the alliance. Now, they only hoped that she had not done anything to offend Yash Scindia when she was showing him around. They were much relieved when Yash folded his hands and spoke politely, "Thank you very much for your kind hospitality, Sir. I'll take your leave now. Dadima or babuji will get in touch with you." He glanced at Arpita who tagged behind with a sweet smile, waving a Goodbye, to which he simply nodded.

Yash spent half the night going through the writings, sometimes reading a piece twice, even thrice, and each time finding something new. He marveled at the depth in Arpita's words. For some reason he was finding it difficult to associate the expressions with her. It was as if the amiable, very social, perky girl he met earlier in the evening and the girl who wrote these masterpieces were two different persons. He brushed off the thought as soon as it occurred, "Gosh Yash, everyone is not a Tanya or a Deepa."

Next day he woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. It was his father, "Yash, dadima's angiogram has been scheduled for this afternoon. You know how cranky and irritable she gets at the thought of being in a hospital? Only you can handle her, beta. Your ma is already very nervous. Can you get back today?"

"I'll be there to take her to the hospital, babuji."

He had a breakfast meeting with some officials, following which he left for Bhopal. The car had just left the hotel driveway when he remembered the interview he was supposed to take for the post of the art teacher; he checked the name of the recommended candidate from his appointment schedule: Miss A. Dubey. He immediately called up Prof. Sharma and apologized for the change of plans. He asked whether by any chance the candidate had arrived. At which the professor gave the phone to Miss Dubey.

Yash sensed edginess at the other end followed by a pregnant pause before he heard a soft voice wish him haltingly, "Go..od morn..ing, Sir!" He immediately caught on the nervous tone and went about assuring her, when suddenly he felt she wanted to say something. After that what happened was something he could never explain, even though he replayed that conversation many a times in his head later. There was something in the tone of the girl's voice that had prompted him to go out of his way to guide her. He felt this strange sense of responsibility toward her. What was odd was that he had been able to listen to her silent responses. After the conversation ended, he looked out of the window. His first thought was, "How is it that each visit of Hoshangabad had memories of his helping hapless girls?" After awhile he had taken out the journal and continued his reading from the previous night. For some reason, he felt closer to the person who wrote the journal now.

******************************************

"Out…all of you leave!! I have to talk to my grandson."

Yash sighed as he stepped aside while the three nurses scampered out hurriedly. He could have sworn he heard one of them mutter Dragon lady under her breath. He shook his head amusedly as he entered the hospital room and went near his dadima, who sat straight up on the bed with an indignant look.

"Now, now, dadima. Don't scare them away like that. They are only doing their job. They have to prepare you for the angio in time, otherwise the doctor will scold them."

"Yash, I am old…not paraplegic. Someone has to teach them the difference. I am capable of changing my clothes."

"Right Ma'am…I'll tell them that. I can't blame them though…They may have never seen such a beautiful, independent young lady of seventy. You could give anyone a complex," Yash grinned affectionately.

Dadima chuckled with a wink, "Did I really scare them?"

Yash threw back his head and laughed, nodding, "You sure did Dragon lady. You are famous already." He bent over to kiss her forehead, "What am I going to do with you? Now, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Tell me about Arpita. Did you like her?"

"Not now dadima. I promise I'll talk about it later. Let's get over this procedure first."

"No way, Yash. I am not budging from here till I get this settled. Once I am in those butchers' hands, they'll cut me all over and gleefully find ten other things wrong inside my body. You are more important at the moment. I am not going to risk delaying this anymore."

"Dadima please…."

"Yash, all I am asking is whether that girl affected you in any way…." She paused, and when he didn't answer, "Well!! Did she?"

Yash was in a spot. He knew his dadima. She was not the one for empty threats….she always acted on them. He also knew that he couldn't fool her with this. She knew him too well. He tried to get over his uneasiness before replying, "Dadima, she is a nice girl. You were right about her parents. They are very nice people."

"Yash, don't tell me what I already know. I asked, did she stir your heart somewhere? C'mon child, what are you keeping from me?"

"Nothing…it's just that…Oho, I didn't tell you, I read her journal of compositions…poem, stories, thoughts. She writes beautifully. There's magic in her words…sucks you right in. It's as if those words are her family, her friends, her companions of sorrow and joy. She…what?" The last said as he found his dadima smiling.

"You liked her. You connected. I knew it."

"Err dadima…I said…I connected with her creativity…her I don't know…oh well! Stop giving me those looks. It's tough enough for me to understand these feelings that crop up when I read her compositions without you getting ideas on a totally different direction."

Dadima took his hands in her wrinkly ones, "Yash, I was looking at you when you were speaking about her just now…." She shut him up as he tried to protest, "No, don't say anything. Let me finish. There's definitely something between you two…maybe it's the journal now, but that's a start. All relationships begin from somewhere. It was God's wish that he made you read her work and fall in love with that first. But Yash, it's her…all of her, who wrote those lines. How can you separate the two?"

Yash realized that for the first time he couldn't make dadima understand what was really going on in him…because he himself didn't. She did seem to be sure of this so he tried to follow her logic.

"I guess what you say makes sense, dadima." He resigned himself to what was evidently going to follow. Dadima smiled tearfully and hugged him, "Thank you, beta! Thank you for giving this old lady so much happiness. Now I am not scared of whatever they are going to find out inside me. I just got my reason to live some more." She asked him to send his father in as she wanted to pass some instructions regarding the progress of the marriage talks.

Yash stepped out of the room, unsure of what this was leading to….whether he did right. It was true that Arpita's written words had moved him in a manner beyond anything…much beyond what he felt for Tanya, but should that be the yardstick to measure a togetherness of a lifetime? Why is the mind questioning the heart? He didn't realize where his feet were taking him, till he found himself standing in front of Lord Ganesh's idol kept in a corner of the corridor. He folded his hands, closed his eyes, and prayed, "I don't know what your plans are for me. Please give me enough strength to bring peace to the one who wrote that journal. She is unhappy and I want to be there for her, make her smile…forever."

******************************************

Everything happened very fast after that. The doctors found a couple of blocks in dadima's arteries and advised angioplasty to be done within a month. Dadima insisted the marriage should take place before she went under the knife. And so, Yash and Arpita got married three weeks from the day they met. They met only once before the marriage when the Mehras came to Bhopal for a formal engagement ceremony, which was kept a private affair. When they were left alone for awhile, they strolled out in the lawn. Yash had asked Arpita if she was fine with the marriage. She had nodded smilingly. He had then quipped, "This is all happening so quickly, almost like Ajay and Ashima's marriage, isn't it? I hope I am able to keep you happy as Ajay finally found the way to keep his wife happy." He had looked up to find her staring at him with a blank look, "Who are Ajay and Ashima?" He looked perplexed, "The couple in four of your short stories." It was time for Arpita to look puzzled before she straightened up and passed him a winning smile, "Oh…them!! You took me by surprise there. For a moment I wondered who you were talking about. Err…shall we go inside? I have to give ma her predinner medicine."

Now, as he stood at the threshold with his bride, he saw ma help dadima to her feet and put the aarti thaal in her hand. Dadima had taken only a couple of steps, when it happened….Yash felt rather than saw Arpita sink down to her knees as he instinctively caught her, breaking the fall. She was unconscious by the time he steadied himself. Someone shrieked, and then there was pandemonium as all the ladies started gathering around Yash. Yash looked around for Prateek and then shouted at him to get the car as he spotted him. Babuji hollered at everyone to fall back and asked his wife to stay with his mother, as he rushed toward his sons.

At the hospital, the Scindia men waited in the corridor as the doctor checked on Arpita. After awhile Prateek went out to get coffee for his father and brother. Babuji walked upto a tense Yash, who was looking out of the window, "Don't worry, Yash. I am sure it is the fatigue that did her in. These ceremonies can be really tough. A little bit of rest will do her good." He turned as the doctor came out. Dr. Seema Parmar was known to them, having attended to their mother in the past. She asked them to step into her office. Once inside she closed the door and gestured for them to have a seat.

The doctor then looked at the younger Scindia, "Yash, you are going to be a father. Your wife is pregnant."

Yash was stunned, "There must be some mistake doctor. Are you sure?"

She nodded, "We ran a pregnancy test, Yash. Your wife is conscious and is very happy that you two are going to be parents and that you got the good news on your wedding day."

Yash started to stand up in denial of such a possibility when he felt babuji's hand on his. He sat down again.

"I have a request, Seema." Babuji's voice was steady when he spoke, "Please do not let anyone know about this now. We'll tell everyone at an opportune time."

"Of course, bhaisaab….that goes without saying. I'll work around the dates and let you know."

They thanked the doctor and went out. Outside Yash excused himself from his father and returned back to the doctor's chamber, "Doctor, how much...I mean how many…I mean…"

"Six weeks, Yash. She is six weeks pregnant." Years of experience kicked in as she grasped the situation, notwithstanding the fact that she knew Yash well. "You are not the father, are you Yash?"

He shook his head. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You have to get other issues cleared with your wife. Like I said I'll work around the dates. And Yash (as he turned near the door) whatever you decide, don't forget a little child's life is at stake here. In any case, her internal condition is such that abortion is risky. "

Yash went out to where his father stood near the waiting chairs. Prateek stood a little far apart, two coffee cups in his hand, looking uncertain as he sensed babuji's changed mood. He looked relieved on seeing Yash.

"Bhaiya, coff…."

"Prateek, go and wait in the car. We'll be there shortly….And don't call ma yet."

"OK…right."

Yash turned to his father, "Babuji…."

Suraj Pratap was furious. A vein throbbed in his temple as he turned slowly to Yash, "They tricked us. How dare they?"

"Babuji??"

"What? Did you think for one minute that I'll suspect you? I know you too well Yash….You could never take advantage of a girl. I am going to send her right back to her parents."

"Babuji, please…She is my wife now. Before we take a step, I have to listen to her side of the story too. Maybe someone took advantage of her and left her. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."

In the end, Yash convinced his father to keep the pregnancy from everyone for the time being…especially from dadima…and stick to the story of "fatigue." Yash wanted to talk to Arpita before drawing any conclusions. It took another half hour to get the discharge. Arpita kept to herself in the car, not even glancing at Yash. At home Yash carried her straight up to his room, as his father gave the explanations to the family. He told Arpita to change and rest and that he'll be back in a while.

A soon as Yash was sure that everyone was satisfied with the situation, he glanced at his father and nodded once before going up to his room. As he was about to enter, he heard Arpita speaking on phone, "No Rahul…this doesn't change or complicate anything. This only means a delay of few months. After that we carry on as planned…Of course, darling…trust me!" She looked up to see Yash staring at her and said to the person on the other end, "I'll talk to you later. Yash is here."

Arpita got down from the bed and smiled brightly at Yash, "Congratulations, Yash!! It seems you are going to be a father."

To be continued…..