Part LXXXIII
On
the same evening Sameera was at Dev's office discussing with him the designs
that would be selected for their spring collection when she received a call
from NIMHANS, the hospital her mother was being treated in. On hearing what the
caller had to say she turned death pale and slumped on the nearby sofa. Dev was
alarmed to see her reaction and rushed to her side asking her what was wrong.
She whispered that her mother had tried to commit suicide but was saved in the
nick of the moment. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she looked at him
pleadingly and asked if she can go to meet her. Dev assured her that she
can and said that he will accompany her as he did not want to send her alone in
this distraught state. He buzzed his secretary and asked her to cancel all
appointments for the next three days. He called in his chief accountant,
financial adviser, designing head, marketing manager and legal adviser,
assigning them the tasks that they need to carry out in his absence. He
also called Mr.Jaswal to inform him that Ms.Singhania will not be there for
some days and he will have to assume her responsibilities in her absence. He
then escorted her to his car. The company driver was waiting for them and he
drove them to the Singh residence.
On reaching his house, he quickly
alighted and opened the door for her. As she stepped out, he asked her to pack
her clothes and rushed to his room to pack his own. When he dropped in her room
later he noticed that she had still not started her packing. She sat stiffly on
the bed with a picture of her mother in her hands, staring at it with tearful
eyes. He opened the wardrobe and picking up an airbag from inside it, he
quickly took whatever clothes he could lay his hands on and stuffed them into
the bag. He realised she would require undergarments too. Asking her to
pack them along with the rest of the clothes, he turned to leave. She did not
respond but sat rigidly on the bed, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Shaking his head, he looked into the wardrobe drawers and grabbed a few pieces
of under garments and stuffed them in the airbag and pulled her up. He slung
both the bags on his shoulders and dragged her out of there. She still had her
mother's picture tightly clutched in her hand. He told Nandu kaka that
they will be away for a few days and took her to the
waiting car.
As the evening traffic was heavy it
took them an hour to reach the airport. Asking her to wait at the gate he
rushed to get their tickets. They checked in and soon they were on the flight
to Bangalore. Although her eyes continued to stream, she maintained a cold
silence throughout the journey. Dev understood her pain and did not press
on.
Once they reached Bangalore, he took
her directly to the hospital. Before he could pay the cab driver, she ran down
the corridors towards her mother's room. Dev followed close at her heels with
both their bags. When they reached Amrita's room they realised that there was
nobody there. Sameera panicked and ran to the reception with Dev in tow. She
tried to ask the receptionist where her mother was but she was choked for
words. As she stood there gasping for breath, Dev stepped in and asked the
receptionist where was Mrs.Singhania, patient in Room No.302. The
receptionist checked her monitor and said that Mrs.Singhania was still in the
ICU.
The
two of them then rushed to the ICU and through the glass door they saw Amrita
strapped to various medical gadgets. The doctor attending to her had just then
come out of the ICU. Sameera asked her what had happened and was told
that Mrs.Singhania had been emotionally depressed of late and kept asking to
meet Monty. When she was served the breakfast that morning she refused to have
it and threw the plate down. Suddenly she got into a frenzy and started
throwing things around. The nurse attending to her rushed out to get help to
calm her down but before they can get to her, she had slashed her wrists with a
blade which they did not know from where she got. She had lost quite a lot of
blood but was out of danger now after being given blood transfusion. They
wanted to keep her under observation for another 12 hours before moving her
back to the ward. After that she will be on anti-depressants for some
time before they decide on the next course of treatment. The only
permanent cure, however, would be to find Monty and bring him to her.
After
the doctor left, Sameera crumbled onto the nearby bench and let out a heart
wrenching cry. Seeing her in this emotionally distraught state, Dev's heart
went out to her. He had never seen Sameera lose control of herself
before. She had always been bold, facing all challenges with a brave face but
seeing her lost and defeated like this just sliced him up. Not knowing what to
do, he sat beside her and tentatively put his arm around her shoulders to
comfort her. She buried her face in his chest and wept uncontrollably. Soon his
shirt was drenched in her tears. He patted her head comfortingly and whispered
that everything will soon be alright but she was inconsolable.
"Dev, I can't afford to lose
her. She is my only family, Dev, she is my only family," she kept
repeating between sobs. "I need my mother, Dev. She may not have been a
perfect mother but the fact that I have a mother who needed me kept me going
during my most difficult times. I need her as much as she needs me. Dev. I
can't imagine a life without her. I lost my father, Dev, I don't want to lose
my mother too."
Dev
did not know how to console her. Holding her face between his hands, he wiped
her tears with his thumb pads.
"I
will not let you lose your mother, Sameera. I will do everything there is to
keep her safe. You can trust me. I will find Monty and bring him to her.
By the way who is Monty? Is he your father?" he inquired.
She
nodded her head. "What is his full name?" he asked. She shook
her head saying she knew nothing about her father other than his nick
name. He knew that it was not the right time to keep pressing for more
information. He said that as she would require energy to take care of her mother
when she comes around, she needs to have some food.
Leading her to the hospital
canteen, he bought her dinner and coaxed her to eat. She looked listlessly at
the food but did not eat. He finally had to feed her forcefully. After having
his dinner, he took her to the company guest house. The next morning they
returned to the hospital. By that afternoon, Amrita was shifted to the
ward. Sameera broke down seeing her mother's unemotional face as she lay
stiffly on the bed. She buried her head on her chest and poured out her
anguish. Amrita kept staring at the ceiling unresponsively.
The
next two days were pretty traumatic for Sameera as she witnessed her mother's
lifeless existence. She knew that her mother was suffering deep within
although she did not display any emotion or feelings on the outside as a result
of the medication. Dev tried his best to cheer her up but to no avail. He
consulted all the doctors in the hospital about her mother's condition.
The doctors said that they will do their best and keep her away from harmful
devices but they unanimously felt that the only way her suicidal tendencies can
be expunged for good is to bring Monty back to her.
When
Sameera was reasonably composed, Dev tried to again find out as much
information about her father as he could. Sameera told him the circumstances
under which her parents got married, her grandfather's suicide, her
father setting off for the Gulf to seek his fortunes,
leaving her mother and her behind with her maternal grandmother and
their coming to Mumbai when she was barely two years old. She mentioned
that her grandmother had once told her that they were from a small village by
the name Hasampura in Ajairajpura panchayat which was a part of Jaipur district
in Rajastan. Dev felt that this information could help him unravel the mystery
about her father, although he did not tell her anything, lest she gets her
hopes up high.
Sameera was back to her old self in
three days but Dev asked her to stay back as long as she wants in Bangalore and
he made arrangements for her stay at the company guest house. Sameera
insisted that he gets back to work and he left for Mumbai with the
assurance that whenever she needed him he would be just a phone call away. Sameera
then called up Maan and informed him what had happened to her mother. When Maan
volunteered to come to Bangalore to help her, she forbade him from coming,
saying that his wife needed him more at this juncture than she did and she can
manage on her own.
As
soon as Dev returned to Mumbai he set the ball rolling in tracing the
whereabouts of Sameera's father.
Part LXXXIV
It was New Year's day. Geet woke up
early in the morning to find her handsome husband's protective arms around her
huge tummy as he held her close to him from behind. She turned back to see that
he was still fast asleep. Looking at his tired face she guessed he must have
returned home very late after the New Year's Eve Party he hosted in his hotel.
After the experience with the Christmas Eve's party, Maan refused to take Geet
along saying that she needed all the rest she can get in her condition. Geet
could not protest because she too felt pretty fatigued. So she turned in
early the previous night. Since she felt refreshed after a good night's
rest she thought she will do the puja for the well being of her family and
friends on this auspicious day. She gently lifted his arms off her, careful not
to wake him up and finished her morning routine before doing the puja.
As she took the puja thali to Baba's
bedroom she noticed him struggling to sit up on the bed on his own. She rushed
to help him up but he stopped her and said he wanted to do it on his own. And
sure enough he managed to sit up on his own although he had to struggle a bit
for it. Geet was elated to see the vast improvement in his condition. She
then extended the puja thali to him and later received his blessings for a safe
delivery and a happy life with her husband and children. Baba told her
that he was eagerly looking forward to running behind his three grand children
and he was getting himself fit enough for it, faithfully following the
exercises the physiotherapist taught him. Geet nodded her head in agreement as
she had noticed the enthusiasm with which he was exercising in the past few
weeks. Father-in-law and daughter-in-law were merrily chatting about the babies
when Maan made his appearance. Geet informed him of what Baba managed to
do that day. Maan was happy to see his father progress well.
After
breakfast, Maan and Geet went to Handa House where Rano and Anwesha were
waiting for them. Arjun had already left for work, so thankfully both of them
did not have to see him. Anwesha hugged her brother, who gifted her a silk
saree, and enquired with Geet about the progress of her nieces/nephews. On
being assured that everything was fine, she patted Geet's stomach gently and
said she was eagerly awaiting their arrival. Maan and Geet took the blessing of
Rano. Maan gifted her a beautiful off-white silk saree with red border and
pallu. She thanked him and in turn gifted both of them new clothes. Maan
protested, saying she has done so much for them already but she wouldn't take
no for an answer. Maan did not want to offend her, more so because he was
aware that Rano was a little upset with him for repaying the money she had
spent on Baba's treatment. He decided to let her have the small pleasures of
giving her daughter and son-in-law gifts on special occasions. Rano wanted him
to stay on for lunch but he excused himself saying that there were a lot of
pending items of work awaiting his attention at the hotel. He left Geet behind
though and said that he will pick her up that evening.
Geet
was in the garden chatting with Anwesha when Dev dropped in at the Handa House
to meet Rano and receive her blessings. Despite the broken engagement and
the subsequent death of Mohinder, Dev still maintained cordial ties with Rano,
visiting her every New Year to receive her blessings. The previous year too he
had come to take her blessings, but Maan and Geet had not seen him, as he came
very early in the morning and had left long before they had come over to the Handa
House. Rano still had a soft corner for him inspite of everything that had
happened. Soon after the funeral he had met her and explained to her the
circumstances that had led to the unfortunate chain of events. As Rano is a
woman who believed in not holding grudges, she readily forgave and accepted
him. She had heard of his divorce and the disintegration of his family and felt
sorry for him. Her maternal heart ached for him and she hoped that someday he will
find a woman who would make him happy.
Seeing
him that day though, Rano was a little worried as to what Geet would say if she
saw Dev in the house. Dev had heard that Geet was in the family way and
had brought with him a huge parcel of maternity clothes which were manufactured
in his factory unit. He had personally selected the fabric and had his best
designer design them. Handing her the parcel, he asked her to somehow give it
to Geet without telling her it was from him. Rano was about to inform him of Geet's
presence in the house when at that precise moment Geet entered in. Her face
first drained of colour before flaming up red with anger. Not wanting to stay
in his presence, she turned to leave when Rano pleaded with her to grant Dev a
chance to speak. Although Geet was livid with anger, she stayed back for her
mother's sake. Rano discreetly left the place to enable the two childhood
friends to have a heart-to-heart conversation and thrash out everything. Dev
hesitatingly walked up to Geet and extended his hand, "Congratulations, Geet,"
he said, trying to sound cheerful although deep within he was apprehensive of
how she will react.
She
turned her fiery eyes at him and ignoring his extended hand, she asked him why
he had come to her father's house. He told her that he had come to take Rano's
blessings for New Year as he always does. She was shocked to realise that Rano
had entertained him in the house even before. Has her mother forgotten that he
was responsible for her losing her husband, her sindoor, her mangalsutra?
Even if her mother has forgotten everything, she cannot forget that he
had robbed her of her father. She cannot forget that he broke her trust. She
cannot forget that he failed to confide in her the most important detail of his
life when she had shared with him even the most innocuous detail of hers. Why
did he mislead her? Why did he mislead his parents? Why did he wait till the
engagement day to break the news that he was already married? Now what did he
want with her? To see whether she was happy? Yes, she was happy. She was happy
with her husband and his family. She was glad that he broke her trust for she
does not want to be associated with such a self serving, secretive, traitor. As
she lashed out at him loud and hard, pouring out all her anger, anguish and
disappointment, he stood tamely, his head bowed down.
When
she was finished, she was panting. She suddenly felt dizzy and
weak. Seeing her sway, Dev was alarmed and he rushed to her, holding her
before she lost her balance. He led her to the sofa and immediately called out
to Rano. Hearing his call, Rano and Anwesha rushed in and attended to Geet. In
the meantime he enquired who her doctor was and called her on the phone. Anwesha
gave her some water to drink and massage her forehead which was throbbing by
now. Both Dev and Rano were feeling very guilty. While Dev's guilt stemmed from
inadvertently provoking such an extreme emotional reaction from Geet, Rano was
weighed down by the guilt of letting Geet face Dev alone in her condition. She
had not expected that Geet would still feel so strongly about the past events.
She thought that with time her emotions would have mellowed down. She
completely misread her daughter, though.
The
doctor soon arrived and checked her up. Luckily there was no cause for
concern although she advised her to be more calm and relaxed as undue anxiety
and stress at this stage of pregnancy is not good for either her health or
those of the babies. After making sure she was alright, Dev left Handa
House, not uttering a word in his defence. Rano was in two minds to call Maan
but decided against it since it would only serve to accentuate his concern. Anwesha
tried to divert Geet's thoughts from what happened between Dev and her by
showing her the sweaters and stockings she was knitting for her nieces/nephews.
She asked her if they had found out about the gender of the babies. Geet shook
her head saying that they would like to be surprised. Soon the unpleasant
incident which had occurred earlier in the day was forgotten and Geet returned
to her old self.
That
evening when Maan came to pick her up, Rano took him aside and told him what
had happened that morning. Maan was alarmed to hear this but she reassured him
that the doctor had examined Geet and there was nothing to fear. She, however,
requested him to gently explain to Geet, Dev's side of the story because she
felt that Geet might still be bottling up a lot of resentment subconsciously
and this was not good for her or the babies. She tried to tell him about Dev's
life but Maan raised his hand saying that he already knows about it. Rano was
surprised that he did, but he did not elaborate that Sameera was the one who
told him about Dev. Rano also gave him the parcel of maternity
clothes Dev had brought for Geet and asked him to give it to her at an
opportune time. Maan nodded his head and assured her that he will take care of
everything. Returning back to Geet, he asked her to take leave from her mother
and his sister and slowly led her to the car.
Continued here
Edited by Opti - 13 years ago
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