CHAPTER 4
Kabir opened the door to Anshu's room only to see his baby cuddled cutely in her cartoon print comforter... her face buried in the teddy she sleeps hugging to. A sweet smile instantly formed on his lips seeing her cute supine form. He moved in and took his place on the edge of the bed softly watching her innocent features lovingly. Her hair tied into a pony tail and her lips scrunched up in a pout... To him she looked like the cutest baby anyfather could ever have.
"Baby chaliye uthiye... subah ho gayi hai..." he said as he pulled the comforter off her. She just turned away and pulled it back onto her face. Kabir shook his head and planted a soft kiss on her right cheek after pulling the duvet with some force.
"Papa... plz...let Anshu sleep no..." she turned her back to him and hugged the teddy even close burying her face more in it. He sighed exasperated at her tantrums and suddenly an idea struck his brain.
"Okay... papa aaj Anshu ko ice cream khilane leke jaana chahte the... Koi baat nahi papa Anurag and Armaan ke saath chale jaayenge..." he uttered and stood up to move out when he felt a tug at his tee. He turned around to see a sulk reflecting on his daughter's face.
"Papa eat ice cream with Anurag... no Anshu...No... main bhi aaungi..." she cried still lying on the bed, her one palm gripping his tee while other heldthe comforter... through which she was peeking out.
"But baby aap toh uth hi nahi rahe ho... toh kaise khaane jaayenge hum ice cream..." he uttered sweetly crouching in front of her taking her palm that was clutching his shirt in his hand. She just sat up and asked him to stand up. He twitched his brow in confusion while he stood up. She too then stood up on the bed and then turned him around only to drop onto his back like a monkey clinging her arms around his neck. He chuckled and settling her on his back he moved out with his baby monkey.
"Achha toh mera monkey mere upar chadh ke bahar aana chahta hai..." while she just giggled.
"Chalo aaj papa aapko aur Anurag khud school drop karenge... Tarini is coming today... so in the evening we will all go to McDonald's to eat your favourite mealand ice cream..." Kabir said moving in the kitchen with her hanging on his back. Rachel was preparing tea when she saw them and smiled lovingly at her son his baby. She offered him a cup as Kabir made her sit on the kitchen counter... Rachel handed a tall glass of milk to Anshu as usual while she made faces looking at it. While Anurag came out of his room and smilingly got hold of the milk glass Rachel offered and sipped it savouring the taste.
"No papa... no milk again... I don't like milk..." she cried.
"Anshu... Chalo baby doodh peeyo...deljo Anurag bhaiya kaise good boy jaise pee raha hai... papa kya bolte hai, it's very healthy... then I will get u ready you for school..." Rachel replied moving the glass towards her lips trying to make her drink the milk. She just moved her head sideways stubborn not to drink it. Kabir shook his head while took hold of the glass from Rachel's hand and took a sip himself before he again held it to her lips.
"See...papa ko bhi milk nahi pasand but papa wants to be strong so he is drinking... you should also drink naa..." he said in a cute way which brought a smile on her lips and she finished the glass in one go and giggled looking at him joined by Anurag and Rachel. He frowned as if asking the reason for their giggling.
"Papa...aapki milk wali muchhi..." she uttered pointing towards his upper lip. He quickly took out his phone and looked at the screen only to find his baby was saying the truth. He smiled and wiped it before he unlocked the phone's screen and clicked a pic of Anshu and showed it to her and Anurag. A sweet pout appeared on her face looking at her pic with a big white milky moustache adorning her face too while all the other people present there giggled at her. Kabir leaned and wiped the milk stain with his thumb before kissing her cheek and that brought a sweet smile on her lips. Meanwhile Rachel pulled a squealing Anshika in her arms and holding the palm of Anurag took them in the room.
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The door to the restroom clicked and Kabir saw Shreya coming out drying her hair... decked in a yellow georgette saree, she looked beautiful to his eyes. He finished buttoning and tucking his shirt while his mind came up with some mischief and he hugged her from back resting his arms on her abdomen.
"Good morning my beautiful wife..." he uttered sweetly while she readied herself in front of the dresser.
"Morning Kabir...par yeh kya kar rahe ho... meri saree ki pleats kharab ho jayegi...chhodo mujhe" she said trying to break his hold.
"Okay..." he paused sensing the irritation in her voice. He guessed the reason for it to be his busy schedule and lack of some "THEIR TIME" and turned her to face him and continued as he put his arms around her again, "But you help me to get ready today..." he completed as he he got hold of his tie from the dressing and extended it towards her.
Shreya shook her head at him as he took his arms off her and went towards the wardrobe, "Kabir sometimes you behave like a kid... Mere paas tumhari tie bandhane ke alawa bhi bohot kaam hote hai... khud taiyaar ho jao plz aur yeh kya... kitni bekar hai yeh black tie...wear this grey one" she said dryly and threw the same towards him before she quickly got ready and moving out of the room. Kabir's temper rose at her displeasingly offensive behaviour. Here he was trying to make up for the last few days... the last fortnight has been busy like hell for both of them. His back to back editorial meetings, assignments and conferences and her continuous meetings and projects at office. They would leave the house early morning and return back late in evenings. He thought that a few private moments would make her smile and energize her for her busy day ahead. He took hold of the black tie not paying heed to her choice and was about to put it around his collar when his eyes fell on the picture beside the bed and his anger smothered a bit by looking at it for a few minutes. It was a pic they had clicked during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. They both were standing, his hand holding her in a side hug with the greenery and hills in the background.
"Poor soul! pichhle dino se itni busy hai shayad isiliye gussa ho gayi hogi... If I won't understand her stress then who will" he thought as he quickly readied himself donning thegrey tie she had chosen and moved out. He saw Rachel was cleaning the dining table while Shreya was nowhere in sight.
"Where is Shreya, Rachel..." he asked sitting on the table. Rachel came out ofthe kitchen with his morning tea and gave it to him.
"Baba... Shreya ma'am was in a hurry so she just had a glass of juice and left without breakfast..."
That fanned his supressed anger and he gritted his teeth as he dropped the cup on the table untouched. His hand automatically went around his neck as he loosened his tie and pulling it out threw it on the couch in rage and opening his collar button left home for office.
The ringing of Kabir's phone brought him back to present and he finished tying the knot to the same black tie and pickedthe call brushing the past's thoughts.
"Hello" he uttered without even seeing the caller's ID.
"Hii maa... kaisi hai aap" he exclaimed hearing his mom's voice from the other side.
"I am fine my son... how are you..." she lovingly asked.
"Am fine maa... how is your trip going on..." he asked moving out of his room.
"Wonderful beta...Thanks to my friends of the old age home that I am also getting the chance to visit these beautiful pilgrimages... How is my grand daughter..."
"She is fine too maa... kabhi kabhi moody ho jaati hai... you know naa" He chatted with his mom for a few more minutes before he cut the call. Kabir's mom Vaidehi Sharma, was a very popular social activist and run an old age home and an orphanage with Kabir's financial cooperation. Kabir loved his mom to death and supported her in whatever she wanted to do for the needy. He even visited the places with her but he loved to visit the orphanage specifically out of his love for the sweet little kids there... those little bundles of joy would light up his heart just like his daughter. Kabir readied and hurling his jacket on his forearm in a very informal way, he made his way out of his room. Anshu and Anurag all dressed and ready for the school were running around the house making it look no less than a battle field.
"Breakfast ready bachha log... come fast now..." Rachel called in a strict authoritative tone that the kids hurried to the table at once making Kabir chuckle at their cuteness. Kabir too took his place on the table when his phone rang... He picked it at one seeing the caller to be none other than the stupid reporter of his...Ananya.
"Morning Ms. Kashyap... any lead out there..." he asked.
"Yes sir...my stringer has informed me that the famous politician Ambarnath Tripathi's daughter Mehek has been getting threatening phone calls since a few days... and that it might be the same boy who had been trying to woo her since her vollege days...and Tinu has also said that Ambarnath denies the fact that his daughter is suffering from all this... I have some more details... can you please come to a coffee shop near Cannaught..."
"Oh... sounds like a great lead... okay... you text me the address and I will reach ASAP..." Kabir said before cutting the call...
The father daughter nibbled on the breakfast with Anshu looking very cute dressed in her maroon and yellow checked school uniform and her hair tied in two plaits sitting in his lap. She played with the cube while an exasperated Kabir somehow made here eat half of the bowl of corn flakes and a piece of toast with her favourite peanut butter spread on it. Anurag giggled looking at his strict Kabir bhaiya looking so helpless in front of his little daughter...his only weakness till date probably. Anurag took a bite of the toast as he flashed a loving smile at him. His smile faded as he realised that he never got to experience a father's love. He never had a male figure in his life who would shower his love on him as a father. Kabir and Armaan loved him but he rarely got to meet and spend quality time with Armaan as he was mostly busy Mumbai while Kabir was his uncle at the end of the day. He missed to call someone"papa"...
Kabir looked at his sad smile and took a spoonful of food before extending it towards his mouth. Anurag smiled instantly at his gesture and took the food in his mouth. Kabir then fed both his little children in turns as they chattered with each other non stop. Anurag always loved, protected and adored Anshu like his own sister and he even had the power to make her happy. Anshika was looking very gleeful since the day Anurag had come and her smile had lit Kabir's world. They finished breakfast and stepped out. Dropping the duo on thir school gate Kabir left for office but not before waving and blowing kisses to his adorable babies.
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Tinu briefed Kabir and Ananya about the lead and Ambarnath Tripathi... he was a coward geek... and cared a lot for his s called fame in the society and hence trying to hide all the problems his daughter was facing. Kabir gritted his teeth in anger at the her and his insensitivity towards his own child... Tinu excused himself as he finished his coffee and left saying that he had some personal emergency to rush to.
"Sir...don't you think ki hame ek proper show dedicate karna chahiye... only on technology and it's uses and misuses...its will help the youth to learn a lot about the problems like that of Mehek's and also about how should they avoid and tackle such problems...and what's better than ur bulletin... I think TRP bhi chhappar phaad degi is theme pe..." Ananya uttered munching on her cookie. They were still sitting in the CCD layout of Cannaught Palace... It was around 8.30... still almost an hour left for her to reach office and Kabir being the EIC... no one would dare to ask him to reason... so she realising that she had ample amount of time at hand found it best to keep her point of view in front of him...
"Sunne me toh achha lag raha hai Ms. Kashyap... I think u should start working on it... I will propose this in the editorial meet as soon as we get more information on this case... but seriously how can a father lat his child suffer for his lame pride..." he replied with a hint of anger in his last few words.
"That's so true sir... I wish ki mai usko strangle kar paati abhi... how cruel to be a dad... dad's toh betiyon ke hero hote hai..." she replied in an exasperated tone remembering her own dad and his sacrifices for a second.
"Woh toh hai...betiyaan bhi pita ke liye unke dil ke tukda hoti hai... unki jaan hoti hai..." Kabir said looking out of the huge glass window adjacent to their table... his mind recalling the sweet smiles and mischievous eyes of his own daughter and his own lips curled into a slight soft lop sided smile. Ananya couldn't help agreeing with and smiling at his beautiful words. Before she could say anything Kabir got up and asked if she would like to have anything else. She nodded in a no and he payed the bills before the duo moved out of the cafe. Kabir moved down a few stairs of her... when he heard a small shriek and turned only to see Ananya slipping down on some wrapper on the stairs and he just lunged forward involuntarily and caught her from falling down. Ananya's hand clutched her fingers around his shirt's lapel while his were clasped firmly around her waist. Ananya's eyes grew wide as saucers as she opened them a while after and Kabir's eyes refused to move from her beautiful face... her deep eyes... lush lips...
After what seemed a few minutes... though very similar to eternity... Kabir immediately left her and they straightened themselves... the air around fulled with embarrassment even though there were hardly a few people in the cafe... Her cheeks reddened and she just avoided looking at him embarrassed at herself to lose herself like a schoolgirl on her first crush.
"Ms. Kashyap... looks like u might need a private horn tied in ur neck to stop you from banging into people and help u falling around..." Kabir tried to joke to lighten the heaviness around around.
"That's very mean sir... I don't keep falling around all the time..." she cried with a pout.
"Why so serious... I was joking Ms. Kashyap..." he replied with a chuckle and that worked. She laughed stupidly at his lame attempt to humour using Heath Ledger's dialogue (from the movie The dark Knight) and they alighted the stairs together. Kabir was reminded of Anshika for a second when Ananya pouted... his baby also did that whenever she sulked.
"Oh... toh aap batman ke fan hai sir..." she uttered.
"Aaha Ms. Kashyap...So u know Joker (Heath Ledger's character in the movie)... mai nahi but my best friend is... par aap bhi..." he asked with a raised brow amused that girls too can like batman. His Anshu always hated fights and action movies.
"Mai nahi but my bhaiya is..." she shrugged and he smiled.
"Rickshaw..." Ananya called as an auto drove pass her.
"What happened miss Kashyap... where is ur scooter..." Kabir asked as she had rushed to stop the auto.
"Servicing..." she shrugged and Kabir chuckled.
"Come Ananya... I will drop you... mai bhi office hi jaa raha hoon..." he offered as he sat in the driver's seat...
"Oh no sir... Please don't bother... I will manage..." Ananya tried to refuse though she couldn't help notice how he had taken her name with out any addresses for the first time... but he passed a Kabir Sharma look to her before he softly uttered "I insist Ms. Kashyap..." and Ananya nodded obediently while her heart missed the feel of hearing her name from his tongue.
"Well Ms. Kashyap... if I say honestly ur idea of techno show cannot sound any better... and the choicest leads you have brought to me till now really show that you are the one made for the post you are actually given..." Kabir said out of blue in the car and Ananya felt a blush coming on. She smiled at him not knowing what to say...
"Thank you sir..." she muttered softly while the soft music on the radio made the moods merrier. Kabir couldn't help smile at her innocence as he looked at her from the corner of his eyes.
Kabir had never felt so light in the last many months... he couldn't recall a single day when he would have laughed and smiled cheerfully for himself... the smile that would come straight from heart and reach his eyes... but he had felt that today... though unconciously but he felt his heart smile along with his lips with his mischievous stupid bubbly reporter... who is always oblivious to the pains of the world... who is always brimming with laughs and tinkling laughters...
The smiles that he flashed in past few years were only for his baby... his only daughter... the only thing person till now in this world who would never judge him on anything... who had welcomed him with open arms every evening... when he would reach hone tired and his heart would secretly hanker for a loving warm hand that would soothe the frowns on his forehead... and would make his fatigue vanish with her loving smiles... but No... he had none... even though his Anshu loved him the most in the world but still a void was always left behind... the void that can be only filled by a friend, a companion...
"Sir... We have reached... kaha jaa rahe hai aap..." Ananya's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he halted the car immediately. He nodded in nothing mumbling that he was occupied with something. Ananya shrugged and after thanking him sweetly rushed into the office. Kabir shook his head at her retreating back and smiled again. This girl was crazy...
So how is this guy's. .. hope at least that after this chapter... I get some good response...
And plz pardon me for being so late... I had actually decided to discontinue this story due to the thanda response I have got till now... plz don't mind peeps but I am just being honest... but a friend requested to continue and here I am...
Will be anticipating your positive and negative feedback... and likes...
Thank you
Loves and Regards ❤️
Amreen 😊
Arjun
