I miss my daughter.
Bharti had been cleaning out the closet as she looked at the shelf that contained some of Kiya's clothes. They didn't have too much closet space in their flat so she had learned to pack things away carefully. She found it beneath the box that contained some of Fahad's love letters to her.
I miss my sweetu, the first one had read. I miss her when she's not beside me. I miss her when she's not there in my arms. I miss her smile and her gentle touch. I love you, Bharti. Always, I will love you. You will have my heart forever. You'll always be my sweetheart and nothing will ever change that.
Love,
Fahad.
She was crying and that was how Kiya found her.
"Mumma, what's wrong?" She was holding Browny in her arms.
"Nothing, angel." She picked her daughter up in her arms and snuggled close to her. "I love you so much, sweetie," she whispered to Kiya. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I love you."
"I love you too, Mumma."
"I think we'll go and buy you some new clothes for the rains." She put Kiya down and put the box back into the closet. There were too many memories there, memories that still hurt so much. "Would you like to go shopping, sweetheart? We can have lunch at McDonald's too."
Kiya grinned and nodded. "Okay!"
Bharti laughed and closed the closet door. "Go change your clothes and then we'll go to the mall."
Kiya disappeared and Bharti heard her run into the bathroom. She ran a brush through her long brown hair and then grabbed her purse.
The doorbell rang just then. "That's Kunal," Bharti said to her daughter. "Maybe he'll come out with us."
She went to go let him in.
Her heart skipped a beat inside her chest when she opened the door and saw her father standing on her front passage.
"Daddy?" she said softly.
"Bharti, darling."
She burst into tears the same time her father did.
"Oh Papa," she cried against his chest when he took her into his arms.
"Bharti," he whispered her name over and over again. "My darling. My baby."
He held onto her so tight that she thought she would stop breathing. She clung to him, remembering what it was like to be held by him. This was her father, the man who had raised her. She had never stopped loving him, even after what he had done to her.
"I'm ready to go, Mumma!" Kiya came skipping to the doorway. Bharti and her father broke apart from each other.
"Is this Kiya?" he asked as he gazed upon the child in awe and wonder. "This is my daughter, Papa. Kiya, this is your nanu."
She was uncertain of him because he was a stranger. She cuddled next to her mother. "Hello," she said shyly.
"Kiya, honey, this is my papa. Remember when I told you about him?"
"Is he the man who used to take you on the pony rides?" she asked her mother.
"That's right, sweetie."
She looked up at her grandfather with big eyes. "Will you take me on pony rides too, Nanu?"
He nodded and smiled through his tears. "Oh yes, darling, I'll do anything for you. Anything at all."
Kiya gave him her brightest smile.
"Go give Nanu a hug, baby," Bharti whispered to her. She watched as Kiya ran into her grandfather's arms and tears continued to fall like rain.
**********
It's raining
They had been lying in each other's arms on her bed. Her father was working the late shift again and they had been hanging out in her room, watching Kal Ho Naa Ho.
"Do we have to watch this movie again?" Fahad had asked her. "It's so boring. You know how much I hate SRK."
"And you know how much I love this movie."
"You cry everytime Shahrukh dies. This movie is three hours long, honey."
He got up and looked out the window. "It's raining."
"I can hear it. Come back here. I'm cold."
He lay back down next to her. "I love you," he whispered to her.
She didn't say anything.
"Bharti?"
"Ssh."
He clucked his tongue. "Oh, I get it. You'd rather look at Shahrukh than your own boyfriend," he teased her.
"Fahad!"
He laughed. "I hate this movie."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Would you rather watch MI : 4(Mission Impossible) since that's your favorite movie?"
He shook his head. "I don't want to watch any movies anymore." And when he took her into his arms, she forgot all about SRK for the moment.
Fahad remembered how Bharti used to tease him about his love for action movies. She had to sit through MI:4 with him at least several dozen times. She used to tease him about Tom Cruise.
"But he still won in the end," Fahad would tell her.
*************************
Real Estate
Book Talk
Shiv Shakti
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
